Bahamas Blog International: Peter Nygard

Monday, July 7, 2014

Peter Nygard and the Proposed Redevelopment of Nygard Cay goes Global

Nygard battle goes international

ALISON LOWE
Guardian Business Editor
alison@nasguard.com

The battle between environmentalists and Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard over whether he should have the right to receive permits for redevelopment and land has gone international, ahead of the close of a public consultation period on the matter in The Bahamas.

The Guardian of London, and Der Spiegel of Germany, both reported this weekend on the case of Nygard's controversial application currently being considered by the government for permission to expand his property and to obtain leases for land.

Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., president of a 200-group strong global marine environmental movement, the Waterkeeper Alliance, also called on the government of The Bahamas to reject the application by Nygard, citing concerns over expected environmental implications.

Back in Nassau, Fred Smith, attorney and director for environmental group Save the Bays, alleged yesterday that the government has yet to release pertinent information relating to the applications made by Nygard; Smith claims the information was promised by Director of Physical Planning Michael Major.

While Smith had initially applauded the government for holding a consultation on the permit applications as a new step toward much-needed transparency and accountability, the attorney said that without such details the consultation is pointless. Information sought includes a government-commissioned report of 2014, which a notice announcing the public consultation on the applications said would "guide" the government in its deliberations.

In its report, The Guardian called the dispute over whether Nygard should be granted the right to rebuild parts of his property and obtain a lease of certain areas of seabed around his property, a "battle to stop fashion tycoon building on Bond beach" - a reference to the appearance of Clifton Bay in the 1967 James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice”. The article pointed out campaigners’ concerns that it could lead to "environmental calamity".

The government launched a 21-day consultation period over the permit applications, which ends on Tuesday. Opponents have urged the public to react during the consultation period or face seeing environmental damage done to the area.

"The beaches and azure waters of Clifton Bay in The Bahamas are at the center of a real-life drama that would surely compete with anything Hollywood could invent," said The Guardian.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in a statement released over the weekend on the issue of Nygard's application by the Waterkeeper Alliance, said that the application submitted by Nygard should be rejected.

"The people of The Bahamas are taking action. More than 5,000 have signed a petition calling on Prime Minister Christie and the Bahamian government to enforce the law and protect Crown land and sea beds at Nygard Cay, and we add our voice of support to this cause,” he said.

Kennedy promised to "keep a spotlight on the Bahamian government and...mobilize concerned citizens in The Bahamas and across the globe to take action until Bahamian officials are transparent with the public and demonstrate a commitment to the preservation of these precious and fragile environments."

The Guardian article notes that Nygard's spokesman did not respond to questions on the matter but added that the businessman has previously accused the Save the Bays campaign of being a tool of a neighbor, Louis Bacon, a billionaire hedge fund manager with whom he has been in a land dispute - a claim the campaign has denied.

The Save the Bays campaign confirmed that Bacon was a large donor, but insisted that it was a coalition of concerned residents and environmentalists, added the newspaper.

Smith has urged members of the public to engage in the consultation process by submitting opinions or concerns on the proposed redevelopment of Nygard Cay to the director of physical planning. The public must send a letter or fax in order to do so.

In an interview with Guardian Business yesterday, Smith added: "The environment, as the rest of the world sees, is important and thankfully if the world is now paying attention to The Bahamas, our own politicians might finally begin to respect our own home."

Save the Bays has urged all members of the public to attend tonight’s town meeting on the future of Clifton Bay. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the BCPOU Hall on Farrington Road.

A message sent to a spokesperson for Peter Nygard seeking comment was not returned up to press time.

July 07, 2014

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Peter Nygard says that the Official Opposition - Free National Movement’s (FNM) politicization of the Stem Cell Therapy Bill was “small-minded” ...and the group does not deserve to be in government

Nygard slams FNM on stem cell debate

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

Controversial Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard said earlier this week that the Free National Movement’s (FNM) politicization of the Stem Cell Therapy Bill was “small-minded” and the group does not deserve to be in government.

Nygard appeared on the More 94.9 FM radio show “Real Talk Live” with Ortland Bodie on Monday and said he was shocked when saw the issue become so politicized.

“This should never, ever be politicized,” he said.

“I am so in shock that this should ever become politicized.

“My goodness, a big issue like this should be above politics. Even people like [FNM Deputy Chairman Dr. Duane] Sands who is a key doctor in the committee.

“I think he was in shock to see this become politicized within his own party.

“This is such a disfavor for the Bahamian people, for the Bahamian nation for having an issue such as this become politicized and then doing it for the wrong reasons.

“In my mind, the people, they don’t even deserve to be in government. It’s just so small-minded.

“I actually was working on this before Prime Minister Christie with the other government. I tried to bring this forward at that time and they chose not to pay the same kind of attention to it that Prime Minister Christie did.”

Sands was a member of a government-appointed task force that reviewed the stem cell issue and presented recommendations on how the procedures could be developed in the country. Those recommendations were instrumental in the drafting of the law.

FNM Chairman Darron Cash said yesterday that the party is not surprised by Nygard’s statements.

“We simply say what else is to be expected?” he said in a statement.

“He knows that he will always be clothed in the protection and comfort of the prime minister.”

He added: “One day soon there will be a new sheriff in town.”

FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis blasted the government for “rushing” stem cell legislation through Parliament during debate on the bill in July.

The party later suggested that the government was pushing the law as a payback to Nygard, an assertion the government denied.

Nygard told reporters in July that he had no personal self-serving interests in the government passing the Stem Cell Bill.

However, in a recent YouTube video Nygard claimed that he “initiated and helped to write the stem cell legislation” which was eventually passed.

Parliament passed the Stem Cell Therapy Bill in August.

Health Minister Dr. Perry Gomez said the law would place strict limitations on the practice to prevent human reproduction.

A scientific review committee and an ethics committee are to police the sector.

October 31, 2013

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Peter Nygard has unlawfully “trespassed” on Crown Land through his construction activities at Simms Point/Nygard Cay

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government proposed a 21-year lease of reclaimed Crown Land at Nygard Cay to its fashion mogul owner, with an annual rental rate pegged at $25,000.

Documents obtained by Tribune Business reveal that the Christie administration sought to justify the lease on the grounds that it was needed to support an “estimated $50 million touristic development” at Nygard Cay.

The August 3, 2012, letter from Richard Hardy, the Department of Lands and Surveys’ acting director, provides the first concrete confirmation that the Government was assessing its options for granting a Crown Land lease - the issue at the heart of recently-launched Judicial Review proceedings.

The letter, described as a Memorandum, does not go into detail about the nature of the tourism project proposed by Peter Nygard for his Lyford Cay property.

However, the $50 million sum referred to matches the figure discussed at a meeting between Mr Nygard and Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) officials, which was held two months’ prior to Mr Hardy’s letter.

Previously obtained notes of that June 2012 meeting revealed that Mr Nygard was proposing a $25-$30 million investment to rebuild his fire-destroyed Nygard Cay home, with the balance earmarked for a stem cell research and treatment facility targeted at medical tourism. It would thus appear this proposal is what Mr Hardy is referring to.

Mr Hardy’s memorandum, addressed to the permanent secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, and which bears the director of investments’ (Joy Jibrilu) stamp, dated August 15, 2012, is headed: ‘ Proposed Lease of Land at Nygard Cay for a proposed touristic development’.

Referring to an August 1, 2012, missive he had received, containing two proposed “plans”, Mr Hardy disclosed that the minister responsible for Crown Lands - who is Prime Minister Perry Christie - had decided to lease a portion of the reclaimed seabed at Nygard Cay to Mr Nygard.

“It is noted in your second paragraph that the Minister Responsible for Crown Land has determined that appropriate acreage should be leased to Mr Peter Nygard to facilitate the proposed estimated $50 million touristic development,” Mr Hardy wrote.

Referring to one of the lease options presented to him, Mr Hardy said the “area coloured red is recommended on a 21 years renewable lease basis, at an annual rental of $25,000, (with reviews after seven and 14 years)”.

The Lands and Surveys acting director then effectively confirmed the acreage involved was Crown Land reclaimed from the sea.

He added: “In effect, this recommendation is in respect of the property between the December 1984 high water mark and the June high water mark.

“It does not include those areas..... which are covered by water (other than the northern lagoon) and are tidal, i.e. (4.779 acres minus tidal, non-lagoon, areas).”

A handwritten note at the bottom of Mr Hardy’s letter says a proposal was expected imminently, and that all these details “should factor into Cabinet/National Economic Council papers”.

While there is no evidence to suggest that the Nygard Cay lease was a ‘done deal’, the contents of Mr Hardy’s letter are likely to reignite the controversy surrounding its Canadian owner’s construction endeavours.

This is because the Save the Bays coalition, in its Judicial Review action, is challenging the Government’s alleged failure to prevent “unauthorised development” at Nygard Cay - the same development it claims has resulted in the seabed reclamation subject to the Crown Land lease.

In effect, if the coalition’s allegations are correct, the Christie administration’s plan to lease the reclaimed Crown Land to Mr Nygard, under cover of facilitating a tourism development, would be tantamount to legitimising/sanctioning wrongdoing.

Mr Nygard has argued that his Simms Point property has expanded through natural accretion, but this has been dismissed by both Save the Bays and the former Ingraham administration.

In the Attorney General’s draft defence and counterclaim, filed in response to a legal action initiated by Mr Nygard, the former government sought a court declaration that the Canadian fashion mogul had unlawfully “trespassed” on Crown Land through his construction activities.

Implying that Mr Nygard lacked the relevant permits and approvals, the Attorney General’s Office had also sought a court Order requiring Nygard Cay’s owner to remove - at his own expense - all the groins, docks and seabed infilling he has allegedly carried out, thus returning the coastline to its original 1984 boundaries.

The Christie administration’s Crown Land lease proposals thus represent a stunning U-turn on the position taken by its predecessor within three months of the 2012 general election. The $25,000 annual lease payment, which over 21 years would amount to a collective $525,000, also pales into insignificance alongside both the Government’s fiscal deficit and the alleged $25-$30 million valuation Save the Bays has placed on Mr Nygard’s reclaimed Crown Land.

And the coalition had previously warned that granting Nygard Cay’s owner his much-desired lease would set a bad precedent, sending signals to Bahamian and other foreign landowners that they could ‘do as they pleased’ with respect to developing their properties without reference to existing laws and regulations.

Further evidence that the Government was contemplating a Crown Land lease to Mr Nygard is contained in the August 16, 2013, affidavit by Hyacinth Smith, an attorney in the Attorney General’s Office.

The affidavit, sworn in support of the Government’s bid to have Save the Bays’ Judicial Review action thrown out, refers to “the consideration of any lease options by the Government” in relation to Nygard Cay.

Other documents filed in support of the Government’s application, though, have also revealed previously unknown facts related to the Nygard Cay situation.

The former Ingraham administration obtained two $2.7 million-plus bids from construction firms to return Nygard Cay’s size, and coastline, to 1984 conditions. The work, it told Mr Nygard, would have to be paid by himself.
The Christie administration issued Mr Nygard an annual dredging permit, via the Department of Lands and Surveys, for the period June 13, 2012, to March 12, 2013. The issuance came just six weeks after the general election.

A transcript of the court hearing at which Save the Bays obtained permission to file its Judicial Review action saw its attorney, Fred Smith QC, disclose the contents of a January 9, 2009, letter sent by the then-government to Mr Nygard.

Referring to talks with the fashion mogul’s then-attorney, Sidney Collie, the Government said it was its “intention to cause the coastline at Simms Point... to be reinstated”.

It added: “The Government has sought and obtained bids from two suitably qualified firms, Tycoon Management and Bahamas Marine Construction, in the amount of $2.75 million and $2.73 million respectively, to undertake the proposed reinstatement work.

“The two bids are being reviewed, and you will be advised of the successful bid shortly. It is the Government’s determination that the full cost of the work be borne by you.”

Tycoon Management is headed by James Curling, while Bahamas Marine is part of the Mosko Group of Companies.

Ms Smith’s affidavit for the Government, though, questions the “bona fides” behind the Save the Bays’ Judicial Review claim.

She alleges that the action is nothing more than the latest extension of the battle between Mr Nygard and his Lyford Cay neighbour, hedge fund billionaire Louis Bacon, who is a prominent member of Save the Bays.

This, she added, “throws doubts on the bona fides of the Judicial Review claim”. And the application’s reference to the Bahamas Investment Authority meeting “speak clearly to the collateral interest of the coalition in opposing the consideration of any lease options by government with respect to the Nygard Cay matter, and a stem cell facility connected to Mr Nygard”.

All three of the Government, Mr Nygard and the latter’s attorney, Keod Smith, are seeking to have the Judicial Review action dismissed on legal technicalities.

For example, the Attorney General’s Office and Mr Smith are alleging that in obtaining leave to file its Judicial Review action at a hearing where only it was present, Save the Bays and its attorneys failed to properly disclose all material facts relevant to the case.

Indeed, Mr Smith’s summons blasted those behind the Judicial Review action as “busybodies with misguided complaints”.

Mr Nygard, for his part, wants the injunction halting all further construction works at Nygard Cay thrown out on the grounds that he is not a public official or body subject to Judicial Review. He is also seeking damages for the injunction.

And the Attorney General’s Office has blasted the document discovery order imposed on the Government as a “fishing expedition”.

April 26, 2013

Tribune242

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Free National Movement (FNM), Peter Nygard, stem cell and the stem cell legislation

FNM Focused on Stem Cell, Not Nygard

By The Bahama Journal

Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Darron Cash doesn’t believe the party focused more on the controversy surrounding Peter Nygard, instead of the actual stem cell legislation.

The chairman said this while speaking to Jones and Co. host Wendall Jones during his appearance on the programme.

Mr. Cash said despite people only seeing the ‘blow-up’ over Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard’s interest in stem cell research being done in The Bahamas, FNM Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis actually gave detailed reasons as to why the party disagrees with passing legislation for the medical practice.

“In reality, the leader of the opposition essentially said it is supported. But what he did was speak to the question of how to educate people,” he said.

“He spoke to the fact that there are many deficiencies, in terms of how to oversee the structure, how to answer the broader questions like The Bahamas’ position in the international community as a good, safe and reputable place for researchers to do business. He said he’s not comfortable that that structure had already existed.”

“So the government ought to facilitate a broader discussion and analysis. Bring the bill forward and put it to a committee so that they can be an appropriate framework for all of these questions to be answered.”

The FNM leader was suspended from the House of Assembly for two sittings on August 7th after he refused to apologize and withdraw a statement he made concerning Mr. Nygard’s and the prime minister’s relationship.

Since then, members of the government have taken the Opposition to task over the debacle surrounding Mr. Nygard.

Both the FNM’s deputy leader and chairman have openly supported the legislation, which was eventually passed that same day.

FNM Deputy Chairman Brensil Rolle defended the party saying that they never brought Mr. Nygard in the discussion, but that he allowed the PLP government to drag him in it.

“The FNM never deflected to Nygard,” he said.

“Mr. Nygard himself and the PLP government allowed Mr. Nygard to inject himself into the discussion.”

“The FNM doesn’t have any difficulty with stem cell or stem cell legislation. What the FNM and hundreds of Bahamians were offended by was the fact that a non-Bahamian was giving an impression to people that this was for him.”

Mr. Christie made the announcement that Mr. Nygard was helping the government with bringing stem cell researchers to The Bahamas while making remarks at the Jones Communication Network’s ’40 Under 40’ awards.

19 August, 2013

Jones Bahamas

Friday, August 2, 2013

The Stem Cell debate has been hijacked by talk about Peter Nygard ...who is very interested in the use of stem cells for anti-aging treatments...

by NOELLE NICOLLS

khalilanicolls@gmail.com

IMAGINE living in a world where a drug-free fix for HIV/AIDS existed, or a cure for cancer, blindness, Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, even Lou Gehrig’s disease. Advocates of stem cell research are driven by this vision. They say the promise of stem cell therapy is the birth of a new medical paradigm more revolutionary than the advent of the internet.

Some even believe stem cell therapy is the key to immortality. As a result, those pursuing medical breakthroughs in the field are often driven by an age old obsession to find the magical elixir of life.

However, it is not just anti-aging obsessives who support stem cell research. Legitimate, professional medical researchers have sound reasons to be optimistic about the positive impact stem cell treatments could have on public health.

There are also investors who want to cash in on new medical breakthroughs. There are also patients suffering from incurable diseases or chronic disorders praying for stem cell therapy to be their miracle cure.

Debate on The Bahamas’ potential foray into the world of stem cell research and regenerative medicine has touched on some of the moral and ethical issues, but there has been virtually no debate of the economics of stem cell research. The government’s economic claims have gone unchallenged.

For the most part conversation has been hijacked by talk about a millionaire fashion designer who is very interested in the use of stem cells for anti-aging treatments and happens to be an investor in the Bahamas. When debate resumes in the House of Assembly next week, I hope it will turn to more substantive issues.

Despite all of the reasons that make stem cell research an important area of medical study, it remains controversial. ‘Frankenstein’ scenarios aside (as stem cells could unlock the key to human cloning) the primary reason for controversy is concern over the harvesting of human embryonic stem cells, which are highly favoured among all types of stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells are harvested from human embryos when they are only days old. These embryos are usually destroyed as the cells are extracted. Most religious institutions have strong moral objections to the harvesting of embryonic stem cells, arguing for the sanctity of life, even at the embryonic stage. However, many support the use of adult stem cells and amniotic stem cells, which come from umbilical cord tissue.

In countries that allow the harvesting of embryonic stem cells - Finland, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy and the United Kingdom - these cells are obtained from surplus embryos at in vitro fertilisation (IVF) clinics.

Last year, the government’s task force took a stand against the use of controversial embryonic stem cells in the Bahamas, while sanctioning the use of adult and amniotic stem cells.

Although the committee first reported its findings late last year, debate reignited when the government tabled a Stem Cell Research and Therapy Bill along with draft regulations in the House of Assembly in April.

The new law will create a regulatory framework covering all aspects of stem cell research, including clinical and pre-clinical research, the use of non-human animal research subjects; and therapeutic uses in people.

The opposition’s main argument against supporting stem cell research in the Bahamas is concern over the proper enforcement of laws governing the industry. In our country of lax government regulation, the concern is valid; perhaps not sufficient to sabotage the government’s efforts, but valid nonetheless, given the high risks posed by the industry.

It is certainly plausible that one of the reasons the Bahamas is perceived as a favourable destination for stem cell research, when it does not have competitive infrastructure to supporting an industry of medical research, is its lax regulatory environment. It is certainly plausible that unscrupulous researchers, investors or medical practitioners could prey on the Bahamas while advancing their own personal agendas.

We all know a little too well that having a law on the books in the Bahamas is not the same as having a strong regulatory environment with robust systems of oversight. But the illusion of a legal framework could provide the prefect cover for unethical players.

The economics of medical research

If we put concerns about government oversight aside for the moment, and questions of morality and ethics; if we take the government at its word that its interest in stem cell research is not some kind of political payback, or at least a political nod, to Mr Nygard for alleged political contributions, there is still one glaring issue that has gone unchallenged.

It is the economics of medical research and the economics of stem cell medicine.

The Stem Cell Research Bill has been called “revolutionary”. It has been portrayed as having the power to “catapult the health sector” in the Bahamas and revolutionise medicine. When Prime Minister Perry Christie tabled the bill, he said stem cell projects “promise to attract leading scientists” who will relocate to the Bahamas and “conduct research, establish institutions and centres of excellence”. Mr Christie said many young Bahamian scientists and physicians will gain new skills and new opportunities. That the industry will generate new jobs at many levels, and will fuel accelerated growth in the economy. The industry will have spillover effects on all areas in the economy, including the tourism industry.

“Our young Bahamian scientists and doctors will be able to establish thriving professional lives right here in The Bahamas. They will then be able to contribute back to our community in the years to come, as well as to the international community,” said Mr Christie.

The government has boasted that stem cell research could inject more than $100 million into the Bahamian economy annually. Peter Nygard has touted the idea that a stem cell centre in the Bahamas could raise to the status of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, which caters to thousands of people around the world and employs some 50,000 people.

In the context of a stagnant economy, these words sound like to me a Junkanoo orchestra: sweet to the ears. Rhetorically, it is easy to connect the dots between stem cell research, regenerative medicine, medical tourism and economic development for the Bahamian people. At the rhetorical level, the relationship between these four elements represents a magic formula for pandering to populist sentiment.

Who wouldn’t want to be associated with a medical breakthrough that could cure all of the world’s ills? Who doesn’t like the sound of an economic stimulus that requires no investment on the part of the government, only the simple passage of a new bill?

In reality, sweet words do not make for sound economic policy.

There are deep, uncharted chasms between each step on the trajectory from private investment in stem cell research to economic profit for the Bahamas as a whole.

I am bewildered by the level of hype being generated around the issue, when the evidence does not seem to support many of claims being made, and our national needs do not justify them.

Let us unpack the economic issues first.

In the United States, studies show medical research has a positive economic impact. However, much of that success is attributed to a private/public sector funding partnership. Government funding accounts for approximately 36% of total research funding, according to some estimates. In 2003, for example, the National Institute of Health (NIH), the largest federal agency of medical research, was responsible for 28% (about US$26.4 billion) of the total biomedical research funding spent annually in the US. In 2009, the NIH injected $15.6 billion research dollars into medical schools and teaching hospitals alone. In places where medical research is highly successful from an economic impact point of view, there is a large sum of government money being spent. Unless I missed it, I have not heard the Bahamian government talking about investing in stem cell research or regenerative medicine, only legislating it.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) published a 2009 report, summarising the economic and employment impact from federal and state funded research in the 25 states (plus the District of Colombia). Number one on the list: California (population 38 million). The total direct and indirect economic impact of the medical research industry for California from the AAMC network was $5,360 million (as in $5.3 billion). The employment impact on the other hand was only 35,734. Number 25 on the list was Iowa. With a population of 3 million people, the economic impact on Iowa was $400 million; while the employment impact was 2,719 jobs.

If our government is projecting a $100 million industry for the Bahamas (with a population of 0.4 million), where does that really place us in the grand scheme of things? $100 million sounds like a large number at first glance, but further analysis is required to assess its true value. Does $100 million reflect a projection of total spending, total revenue, total tax revenue, all of the above? And how many permanent jobs would an industry of this size actually produce? Is the $100 million projection speaking specifically to stem cell research or also stem cell therapy, because research and clinical treatment are two different things. Stem cell research is still in its infancy, which means stem cell treatment is still in a state of trial; it is not practiced widely at the clinical level. So I ask again, what exactly is the economic model?

In California, $1.5 billion in committed research grants to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is generating $286 million in new tax revenue for the state and local governments through 2014, according to a study conducted by Emeryville-based global consulting firm Berkley Research Group. CIRM was established by the state government in 2004 with the passage of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act.

It released an independently produced economic impact study measuring the stem cell agency’s financial impact on the state. The study found that the same grants will generate an estimated $530 million in tax revenue for the federal government.

There are models of success out there, but it goes without saying, California’s success, for example, is not a blueprint for the Bahamas. The markets are completely different. For one, California has the infrastructure to support a medical research industry: legal framework, sources of funding, technical expertise, supply chain, demand for services. Without the infrastructure or “risk-sharing partnerships”, any high risk industry will likely operate at 100 times the cost with 100 times the liability.

In the Bahamas, a few private ventures that represent isolated pockets in a global industry (no matter how world class they may be) will not automatically propel the Bahamas into global dominance. We should have learned that lesson from the tourism industry.

Bahamas Heart Centre

As a case study, let us look at the Bahamas Heart Centre (BHC), which entered the record books last year by performing the Bahamas’ first cardiac stem cell implantation in conjunction with Advanced Innovative Medicine Inc of Orlando, Florida. A very advanced team of doctors treated a 62-year-old cardiac patient who had advanced coronary artery disease by implanting some of the patient’s own stem cells into his heart. The patient, a ‘medical tourist’, had already undergone by-pass surgery on a number of occasions, after his first heart attack in 1989. The stem cell treatment was considered a “last option” before considering a heart transplant. He was eligible for this experimental treatment after meeting “a very strict set of criteria” to qualify, based on rigid clinical research trial protocols.

I congratulate the Bahamas Heart Centre on this successful treatment, and should they be able to save more lives with their stem cell therapy I support them doing so. However, I would be interested in speaking with the BHC’s chief financial officer. I highly doubt the medical facility has plans to change its business model to invest everything it has in stem cell treatment.

For not-so-sinister business reasons, offshore clinical trials are being promoted in places like China by leading centres of stem cell research for the same reasons corporate America outsources many of its business processes. In fact, China has picked up traction in the stem cell research race. So perhaps the Bahamas could become a hub for offshore clinical trials if it could help businesses lower their development costs. In this light, the BHC’s work can also be seen as a success.

Nonetheless, stem cell treatment for the foreseeable future is likely to be a small line item in the centre’s over revenue model, I would suggest.

Big Pharma

It might be the star player in the BHC’s research and development or clinical trials department, but it is not likely to be the foundation of their business model. Simply put, “the stem cell and regenerative medicine market is still in its commercial infancy” despite the scope of opportunities that exist. This, according to the Stem Cell Network (SCN), a Canadian not-for-profit corporation that funds applied stem cell research and facilitates collaboration between universities, industry, government and non-governmental organisation.

According to the SCN, Big Pharma is not even on board with stem cell medicine, because the economics are too uncertain.

“Cell-based biologic products represent both new technology and a business model that remains largely unknown, but is certainly different from traditional drug or device development. Drug and device companies are proceeding cautiously, and waiting to see who emerges from the 100 or more stem cell companies now operating around the world, most of which tend to lack the critical mass and the clinical, regulatory and manufacturing capabilities to establish a sustainable product portfolio and technology pipeline,” states SCN.

Former Fortune senior editor Jeffrey M. O’Brien publish a 2012 article investigating the stem cell business. His research showed that “shares in almost any public stem cell company can be had for less than $1. One of the highest fliers, Stem Cells Inc. (STEM), reached $171 a share once upon a time. In mid-September it was trading at 95�.”

The first-ever clinical trial for embryonic-stem-cell therapy approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States was conducted by Geron, a leading Silicon Valley biotech company. Geron injected four spinal-cord patients with its stem-cell therapy. The treatment had previous success enabling paraplegic rats to walk. The company shut down its clinical stem cell trial months after it began, blaming difficult economic conditions. Reports indicated “the treatment did not show the immediate promise many had hoped”. The company, however, said it wanted to concentrate resources on two new and promising cancer drugs”.

Advanced Cell Technology (ACTC), another biotech company, picked up the slack. Its chief scientist Robert Lanza has made substantial progress in treating a type of blindness (macular degeneration), a condition that affects tens of millions of people, where spinal-cord injuries only represent a market of tens of thousands. ACTC has not figured out the economic model either. One report said ACT “has been scratching and clawing to survive for years”, dealing with a range of problems from raising venture funding to settling patent-infringement lawsuits.

When ACTC received FDA approval to commence clinical trials in 2010, it had already “spent upwards of $100 million on research”, according to reports.

No matter which way you spin it, the economics do not seem to be there - at the moment. For the Bahamas, stem cell medicine could be a hyped-up experiment with an empty payoff or it could be a forward thinking move by a bold government. Either way, it is a matter that could have been handled with much less fanfare and controversy.

Dangers of distraction

Debate about the stem cell bill has become a colossal national distraction, not because discussing stem cell medicine itself is a waste of time; but its advocates seem incapable of presenting sober arguments that tell the full picture; and they seem motivated by the hype. Debate has degraded into political squabbling, dreams of immortality and ‘Frankenstein’ science.

There is no doubt that advanced breakthroughs in clinical stem cell therapy could transform the Bahamas and the world. There is hardly anything to debate when it comes to the medical possibilities; they are bewildering and awe-inspiring.

But what is most relevant to the debate at this time is not the dream of a brave new world where incurable diseases are as obsolete as floppy disks, it is the notion that stem cell research and regenerative medicine can provide a viable economic stimulus for the Bahamas. It would be good if our leaders could sit across the aisle like adults and debate serious issues with competence, restraint and intellectual honesty.

As if the economics of stem cell medicine were not enough to fully explore the matter, there is also the matter of establishing our national health priorities. Next time, I plan to look at how our vigorous push for stem cell medicine contends with our national health priorities and the treatment opportunities that will open up for Bahamians in the near and long-term future.

I will also look at the government’s obsession with “revolutionary” projects that never live up to their promise. Remember the former government’s telemedicine project, which was also supposed to be a revolutionary technology that would transform health care in the Bahamas and put us on the map?

I support stem cell research in theory, and if we are to venture into the area (as private companies have already done in the Bahamas), there should be government regulation. But I do not support stem cell research becoming a national distraction. When debate resumes in the House of Assembly next week, I caution the government, as the old people say, when you lie with dogs you catch fleas. My advice to the government is to approach the conclusion of this stem cell debate with sobriety and restraint. Not everyone in the Bahamas deals in dreams. Some of us deal in fact.

Noelle Nicolls is the Tribune’s Features Editor. She is also a travel writer, women’s activist and entrepreneur. Follow her on Twitter @noelle_elleon. For questions or comments, email khalilanicolls@gmail.com

August 01, 2013

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Peter Nygard has betrayed The Bahamas / Bahamian People's hospitality by assuming to have more rights than a resident’s permit gives him in The Islands

Tribune242 Editorial

AT LEAST two of our readers are holding us to our promise to research Peter Nygard’s far-fetched claim that a racist gene is embedded in Lyford Cay neighbour Louis Bacon’s DNA.

Mr Nygard would be surprised to know how many Bahamians are incensed that after so many generations of struggle to bring all races in this country together as one people a foreigner has come into our midst to re-inject the racial virus and open up old wounds. Many believe that – despite his financial generosity — Peter Nygard has betrayed this country’s hospitality by assuming to have more rights than a resident’s permit gives him.

The quarrel between these two neighbours — Bacon and Nygard — is so intense that seemingly Mr Nygard can’t even present a donation without burdening his listeners with the Nygard-Bacon saga. It is almost like a plea to recruit Bahamian sympathy to his side in his campaign against Mr Bacon in return for his financial generosity.

This last episode, which resulted in our promise to our readers that we would research a statement by Mr Nygard, which was made at Mr Nygard’s home — Nygard Cay — when he presented a $10,000 cheque to the Acklins regatta. It could have been a very pleasant afternoon if Mr Nygard had not decided to turn it into a Bacon-bashing event. Possibly this was to deflect attention from reporters’ main interest — the extent of his financial generosity to the governing party, both before, during and after the 2012 election. Also reporters wanted to know what he expected from our government in return, especially in view of his latest video release announcing that he — Peter Nygard — had taken this country back. Mr Nygard will never know how much he has damaged himself and his government with this one presumptuous pronouncement. He must learn that people do not like to feel that they have been bought.

On the afternoon of the $10,000 presentation, Mr Nygard told reporters that Mr Bacon’s attitude against blacks was in the Bacon family’s blood line.

In fact, he said, it stemmed from a great grandfather — one Colonel Roger Moore — who, he claimed, was a high-ranking Ku Klux Klan member.

As we stated at the time, although no one can be held responsible for his ancestors, the story told by Mr Nygard is not the same as the one we discovered when we did a quick check before writing the July 16th article. However, we promised to do further research and report back to our readers.

Nevertheless, we did point out at the time that the Moore – later Bacon — plantation was owned by Mr Bacon’s great-grandfather 11 times removed in 1752. The Ku Klux Klan did not come into existence until a century later, around 1866.

As a result of a superficial search, we obtained the following from the US governmen’s Official Records p. 86-87, which is entitled the “Wilmington race revolution - the true story from the official records”.

“… the building caught fire soon after the arrival of the crowd. Many joined in the statement that the fire resulted accidentally. In any event the building was practically destroyed, the blaze, at the same time wiping out of existence the negro sheet which had carried the editorial defaming and traducing the white women of the South.

“When reports of the fire were received in the business district, considerable excitement prevailed. At the corner of Front and Walnut Streets, a large crowd of negro laborers, who were employed at the nearby cotton compresses, gathered. These colored people were not intent on making trouble. The fact is, the belief was expressed that few, if any, were armed. They were, rather, in a state of bewilderment, wondering what had happened, and what might eventuate.

“Colonel Roger Moore, as stated above, was in command of the entire situation. While controlling the assembled citizens at Front and Walnut Streets, Colonel Moore was harassed by two or three excitable, white men. They told him, in effect, if he did not give the order to fire into the negroes on the opposite corner, that they would do so. Without losing his head, but with calmness and determination, Colonel Moore responded to these hot heads. He said he had been placed in command by his fellow citizens. Until they recalled him he intended to remain in command. He said there was no occasion at this time for bloodshed and he certainly had no intention of having bewildered negroes slain in cold blood.

“With this announcement Colonel Moore told the several men who were commanding him to give the order to fire, that he would allow them exactly one minute in which to take their place in the ranks. If they did not comply immediately, then he would have them arrested and placed in jail until they cooled off. These men clearly perceived that Colonel Moore meant exactly what he said. They then lost no time in obeying his command.

“The actual outbreak, resulting in loss of life, happened in the northern section of the city, early in the afternoon. A negro fired into a crowd of white men, standing near the corner of Fourth and Harnett Streets. One white man was seriously wounded. Later, another was shot and painfully hurt. During the turbulence and conflict which resulted, it was estimated that from seven to ten negroes were killed.

“Realizing that the aid of military forces was essential, appeal had been made to the Governor for declaration of martial law. In the late afternoon, this step was taken. Several companies of soldiers from nearby points were ordered to Wilmington. Colonel Walker Taylor, of the National Guard, was then placed in command. With this step, the organized citizens forces which had been functioning on a quiet basis for a year or more under the direction of Colonel Moore, disbanded. There was no further need for their services. Colonel Taylor was a man of discretion and good judgment, and the situation within 48 hours was so much quieter, that the visiting troops were ordered home.

“Many negroes who were frightened to the point of distraction with the turn of events, went to the woods near the city. They thought their lives were in jeopardy. One of the last orders given by Colonel Moore before his authority was vested in Colonel Taylor, was to a number of white men. He told them to go in the woods, tell the negroes they could safely return to their homes, if they behaved themselves, and that they would be protected.“

This is obviously the story to which Mr Nygard referred, embellishing it with his own twisted anger against Colonel Moore’s descendent – Louis Bacon – who has lived quietly at Lyford Cay for many years.

If Mr Nygard has a problem with his neighbour, then let him find redress in the courts, not create divisions in our community over something that is none of their business.

July 29, 2013

Tribune 242 Editorial

Saturday, July 27, 2013

The hubris, narcissism and self-indulgence of Peter Nygard in The Bahamas ...have earned him the disgust of many Bahamians...

Perry Christie and the PLP’s Nygard Problem

By Simon
frontporchguardian@gmail.com

It wouldn’t be a PLP term in office without the party’s entanglement with highly controversial, eccentric and flamboyant foreigners seeking to use the country as an outpost for their curious interests, pressing for privileges to which they may not ordinarily be entitled.

Why do so many more of these characters flock to the PLP, like moths to a flame? It has to do with the party’s history, with Sir Lynden Pindling and his coterie of the compromised having fuelled and encouraged such a party culture.

It has also to do with the history of a number of the leaders and political parties which helped to usher in majority rule and independence in various former colonies.

Flushed with adulation and hero worship, and having gained political power and access to enormous economic wealth, many freedom fighters were lured into corruptions of power and money arising from their new circumstances and fortunes.

This happened most recently in South Africa under the African National Congress, now heavily criticized for corruption within its ranks, betraying the example set by Nelson Mandela.

Even the great Ghanaian independence leader Kwame Nkrumah gave in to corruption, as did Sir Lynden and his court, with an excessive lifestyle which demanded considerably more cash than a prime minister’s salary might afford.

Like the days of piracy and wrecking, the PLP have a particular talent for fleecing foreigners. Buyers beware. It is not only Bahamians who are at the mercy of the party’s broken promises. Many foreigners are also left waiting for promises which never materialize despite their generosity to certain coffers.

Casino license

Back when, there was Mike McLaney beseeching a casino license, which was faithfully promised to him by Sir Lynden were the PLP to win office. Having given the party electoral support which, according to a New York Times story included “cash, aircraft, boats, and a campaign headquarters on Bay Street” McLaney eagerly anticipated a license.

Though having described the PLP as being in his “ass pocket”, relations soured between Sir Lynden and McLaney as the latter’s reputation became better known. Sir Lynden eventually refused to meet with McLaney, who was subsequently labelled as an undesirable by a Commission of Inquiry.

Milked and bilked, McLaney left town broke, without a license. At the inquiry there was a discrepancy in the competing testimonies of the amount McLaney said he donated to the PLP, and the amount Sir Lynden said he received. Sounds familiar? Perhaps the old and the new PLP aren’t so different.

Then there was the fugitive U.S. financier Robert Vesco. Vesco fled the U.S. in 1973 to escape a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation concerning an alleged massive fraud by the financier estimated today at more than $1 billion.

He crisscrossed the region, finding governments that would give him protection from U.S. authorities, even allegedly attempting to purchase Barbuda from Antigua in order to make the former an autonomous country. A 2008 obituary of Vesco in the U.K.’s Guardian observed: “Vesco had cozied up to Nixon’s [U.S. President Richard Nixon] two brothers and employed his nephew Donald. ... As well, he found ways to reach Bahamas Prime Minister Lynden Pindling and Costa Rican president José Figueres via strategic loans, donations or investments.”

The PLP is particularly disposed to strategic loans, donations and purported investments from certain parties, domestic and foreign.

Among the worst were foreign drug lords, who seemingly had near carte blanche from the Pindling-led PLP government during the 1970s and 80s, making The Bahamas a “Nation for Sale”, a ruinous period from which we have still not recovered.

Bank license

On Prime Minister Perry Christie’s watch there was the likes of Iranian businessman Mohammed Harajchi, who desperately wanted the restoration of a bank license from the PLP, but which was never granted. Harajchi claimed that he gave a substantial sum to the PLP for the 2002 general election.

In response to Harajchi’s claims, Christie made one of those solemn, passionate and supposedly high-principled declarations for which he is famous: “My party is presently conducting an accounting of monies received from Mr. Harajchi but I can state with complete confidence that Mr. Harajchi’s claim that it was $10 million is an absolute lie. It was nowhere near this amount. It was but a fraction of this amount. Details of our accounting will be made public once completed.

“Ordinarily we would not disclose the source of campaign contributions but as Mr. Harajchi has made this a public issue we are obliged to present the detailed facts concerning his contributions as indeed we will do as soon as possible.”

This promise was made by Christie on August 12, 2004, almost exactly nine years ago. It follows a pattern: A heated denial, a promise of full accountability, followed by absolutely nothing, all of which calls into question the prime minister’s credibility on these issues. We still do not know how much money Mohammed Harajchi gave to the PLP.

And then there was the late Anna Nicole Smith, a B-rated celebrity and Playboy’s 1993 Playmate of the Year, to whom then Immigration Minister Shane Gibson gave special attention, personally handling and expediting her immigration request, going so far as to making a home delivery of a certain document.

Gibson resigned due to the controversy with Christie sitting next to him on television almost holding his hand in one of the more bizarre Cabinet resignation events in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

Despite its longstanding deeply entrenched culture of chronic incompetence under Christie, the PLP knows politics. Still, when it comes to certain zany foreigners and money flowing into PLP coffers, the party seems to lose perspective, a mixture of hubris and a bunker mentality.

Late-again, Christie could not or refused to see how rolling scandals like the Anna Nicole affair were to make his the first one-term government in an independent Bahamas.

Propriety

Fast forward to today. What Christie and the PLP seem to fail to understand is that the Peter Nygard matter is not a singular or stand-alone event in the minds of voters. Instead it is representative of a concern, like the Anna Nicole affair, of a PLP little concerned about questions of propriety and the kinds of perception it is creating.

Even worse is the suspicion by voters of ‘Corruption 2.0’ in the PLP, the sort of rolling scandals and unseemly dalliances with all manner of characters which led to the party’s loss in 2007. The Nygard matter capsulizes and crystallizes a widely held perception about the PLP.

Moreover, the Nygard matter has many more chapters. It is like a volcano that will spew all manner of material. Christie may well come to regret his effusive and gushing accolades to Nygard.

The now infamous YouTube sensation of the controversial businessman supposedly taking The Bahamas back is a watershed moment in Nygard’s relationship to the country.

The video speaks volumes about the hubris, narcissism and self-indulgence of a character who has now earned the disgust of many Bahamians, including many who formerly dismissed him as mostly clownish.

As more is disclosed on the lifestyle, employment practices and other controversies surrounding Peter Nygard, he will prove to be toxic to the PLP, including those who are so foolishly defending him now. The man who helped the party win office may now play a role in its defeat. Clearly, Nygard seems to have little sense of propriety and is unconcerned about certain perceptions. As a private resident that is his right. But those political figures still inclined to afford him a red carpet and a Junkanoo rush-out may be as short-sighted and as self-injected with hubris as is the foreign eccentric who is set to deeply embarrass the Christie administration.

July 25, 2013

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Peter Nygard and his Stem Cell Concept ...to introduce an Anti-aging Treatment Facility using Stem Cells

Tribune 242 Editorial

AT a press conference at his Lyford- Nygard Cay home last Monday Peter Nygard called The Tribune “silly” to think that he would create a stem cell centre in his own backyard.

In fact Mr Nygard expressed it in far more colourful language, so here goes – Nygard at his best:

“Stem cell facility here...there is another silly thing The Tribune wrote as if we are going to do a stem cell facility here as if there is a secret agreement...my goodness how can you stoop to such stupidity who in hell would ever even conceive that – it doesn’t make any sense at all to fabricate such a silly story if a stem cell facility and medical facility (will be built) it’s going to be a grand facility that will be a centre core to attract everyone else to it and it has to be a substantial business that would attract some of the smartest people in the industry but it needs to be the trophy of the Bahamas.”

So that is settled. This statement from the great man himself will obviously allow many Lyford Cay residents, who believed he had plans for an international youth rejuvenating centre at Nygard Cay, to sleep more peacefully tonight.

As a matter of fact, the only thing that makes The Tribune “silly” is that it believed Mr Nygard at all — and we even question whether we should believe him now. You see on June 19th last year, it was Mr Nygard himself who said that his spa was planned for Nygard Cay. He is recorded as having told the Bahamas Investment Authority: “The original concept is to house this facility in the same location as Nygard Cay, but to change the look and feel of some of the buildings.”

Are we to now believe that he has had a mind change? We hope so.

At least one Lyford Cay resident was also greatly relieved to learn that Mr Nygard is not a Bahamian, despite the assurances given in the House of Assembly last week by none other than MICAL MP V Alfred Gray that he was.

“Mr Nygard is a Bahamian,” Mr Gray told parliamentarians, “he is a philanthropist, and I think he has given more to this country than many other Bahamians – including those who criticize him.”

That was surely a mouthful from the cocky, little Mr Gray.

However, before the Assembly adjourned to this morning Mr Nygard’s Immigration file was pulled and the public was assured that Mr Nygard was in fact a permanent resident —not a Bahamian citizen. He had no more rights than any other permanent resident.

The Tribune, hearing the complaints of Lyford Cay residents, believed what it had been told about the location of the stem cell centre — which had been confirmed last year by none other than Mr Nygard. The argument was that the area was zoned as residential and private. Many a resident’s convenants would have been breached if the gates had been thrown open. There was much chatter of law suits if the area were commercialised.

The problem that residents faced was that the security, peace and quiet of Lyford Cay was about to be changed — a possibility that its Canadian developer EP Taylor could not have conceived in 1948.

Apparently, in developing Lyford Cay, Mr Taylor carved out for himself what is now Nygard Cay, minus all the restrictive covenants required of those buying property in Lyford Cay.

Mr Taylor also retained for himself, family and staff all the easement rights over the road and pathways in Lyford Cay, which led to his home. Mr Taylor could never have anticipated a Peter Nygard who would want to change all of that.

In June last year, Mr Nygard met with the Bahamas Investment Authority, headed by Sir Baltron Bethel, government’s senior policy adviser, to discuss his plans to restore parts of Nygard Cay damaged by fire. Also his proposal for a Medical Spa that would specialise in stem cell research and treatment.

Mr Nygard told the meeting that he planned to invest about $50 million in all — $29 to $30 million to restore Nygard Cay and $26 to $30 million invested in building a medical spa.

The whole concept seemed to be planned as one large unit at Nygard Cay. In fact that is what Mr Nygard told the Investment Authority last year. Obviously in view of last week’s statement when Mr Nygard virtually told The Tribune it was “silly” to believe his first statement, he has now changed his mind. If there is ever to be a stem cell centre it will not be at Nygard Cay.

It is understood that his stem cell concept was to introduce an anti-aging treatment facility using stem cells.

He said his vision “would be to put together an environment where the Bahamas can practice the most advanced medicine in the world, and do it within the regulatory lines of the government.”

The only problem is that we understand that there is another developer, whose plans have already been approved in principle by the Ingraham government. He has already invested millions into preparing a facility in Freeport and was just waiting for the legislation to be passed to proceed with his plans. We understand that his plans have also been approved by the medical ethics authority.

We shall now see if our legislators are in a position to objectively decide which plans will be best for the future of this country and its people.

July 22, 2013

Monday, July 22, 2013

The Coalition to Save Clifton reissues the call for Cabinet to reject an application by Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard ...for a lease of Crown land in the area

Renewed call for govt to refuse Nygard’s land application

BY TANEKA THOMPSON
Guardian Senior Reporter
taneka@nasguard.com

The Coalition to Save Clifton believes that the government does not need an environmental assessment of Clifton Bay and reissued calls for Cabinet to reject an application by Lyford Cay resident Peter Nygard for a lease of Crown land in the area.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Perry Christie told reporters that he “intervened” in the conflict between Nygard and his billionaire neighbor Louis Bacon.

Christie also said he engaged an American firm to conduct an environmental assessment of the Clifton area, which is located near Lyford Cay.

“There is no need for a discussion,” said Coalition President Rev. C.B. Moss, when contacted for a reaction yesterday. “We ask the government to not approve that application.

“I would assume that the Government of The Bahamas would already have sufficient scientific information to arrive at a conclusion. And the conclusion was arrived at by the government in 2010.”

The previous administration told Nygard that because the work was unauthorized, he must stop doing additional work, according to Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn, who raised the issue in the House of Assembly on Wednesday.

Moss said yesterday, “We are saying to the government, refuse his lease, if the government wants to consider leasing him land on Carmichael Road or anywhere else, that’s a different story.

“Refuse that three acres of land and allow that land to go back to its natural state.”

The prime minister did not say when he intervened or when the environmental assessment was conducted. He also did not name of the American firm or say what its findings were.

“He (Nygard) and Louis Bacon were having problems,” Christie said.

“Those two were having problems, and I intervened with both of them and their problems. The next thing I know, there was a legal action, but I anticipated there would be a legal action, so I engaged an American firm to do a comprehensive environmental assessment.”

Christie told reporters it is up to the court to determine if any environmental damage has occurred at Clifton Bay, but the government has to decide what to do with the land in question.

Lightbourn said yesterday he did not think it was appropriate for Christie to intervene in the Nygard, Bacon dispute.

But he said action needs to be taken on what becomes of the land.

“Some decision needs to be made, but whether you lease it, whether you sell it to him or whether you order him to remove it, government needs to address it,” he said.

“This is not the appropriate time for the government to become directly involved because it would seem that they are taking sides in determining whether there is in fact any environmental damage being caused by virtue of Nygard having extended his property.”

Members of the Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay allege that Nygard Cay has doubled in size since Nygard purchased the land.

The billionaire acquired the most western tip of Lyford Cay in 1984.

However, Nygard’s attorneys have argued that additional land formed as a result of the gradual and imperceptible deposit of materials from the ocean onto land.

July 20, 2013

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Peter Nygard on Stem Cell Research and Therapy in The Bahamas

‘No personal interest in stem cell bill’

By Taneka Thompson
Guardian Senior Reporter
taneka@nasguard.com

Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard yesterday said he has no self-serving interests in the government passing a law to govern stem cell research and therapy in The Bahamas.

Nygard said any advice Prime Minister Perry Christie has sought from him on stem cell research is due to his knowledge of the science and well-placed contacts within the international medical community.

Nygard, who said he uses stem cell therapy to slow the aging process, told reporters that the prime minister should be congratulated for advancing such “historic” legislation.

The Lyford Cay resident said he has given advice to numerous world leaders and helped set up laws in St. Kitts, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Panama.

Nygard said Christie approached him two years ago and asked his advice on possible opportunities for medical tourism in the country.

He said he told Christie that a stem cell research and therapy industry would make The Bahamas a world leader in the science.

“I said this will be a big coup for you if you could do it,” Nygard told reporters at his compound shortly after announcing his financial support of the upcoming Acklins regatta.

“I don’t know why anybody would paint that as doing it for me. I think he is doing for [Bahamian] people, for The Bahamas. If I can help and I will then that’s a whole different issue. There is nothing in it for me. This is not a money venture for me at all.

“There’s no promise to me. The promise that I made to him (Christie) is that I will do everything that I can to spur and bring like-minded people like myself to invest in this place to be the leading edge, to be the catalyst [to bring investments] here.”

On Friday, Christie confirmed that Nygard promised to bring experts in stem cell therapy and research to The Bahamas if the government passes legislation to govern the sector.

Christie said that Nygard approached him two years ago, while he was then leader of the opposition, and told him of his problems trying to find reputable stem cell treatment for his sick mother.

That ordeal prompted Nygard to pledge to bring top doctors and researchers in stem cell therapy to the country once there were laws in place, the prime minister said.

Two weeks ago, during the House of Assembly’s debate on a stem cell bill, Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis accused the government of “rushing” the law to appease Nygard.

However, this claim angered several government MPs who denied it.

Minnis said on Sunday the prime minister’s comments validated his concerns on the stem cell legislation.

“I was very shocked,” he told The Nassau Guardian. “What he (Christie) said is open for interpretation.”

Debate on the legislation is expected to resume when the House meets on Wednesday.

July 16, 2013

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Peter Nygard Takes Bahamas Back!!! Who gave The Bahamas to Peter Nygard?

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

THE government remains silent following calls from the opposition that several PLP MPs tender their resignations after being filmed at a private meeting with billionaire businessman Peter Nygard.

While official government spokespersons had no comment and the Prime Minister’s press secretary said he was out of the country, sources inside the PLP sought to downplay the matter claiming it was of no importance.

However, FNM chairman Darron Cash said the surfacing of the video confirms that the Christie administration is compromised.

“The emergence of the now famous Nygard video of the PLP near-full cabinet descending on his exotic retreat to kiss his ring and genuflect to him confirms what we already knew,” he said. “This PLP administration is far too compromised to govern effectively.

“From the Prime Minister on down there continues to be enormous public doubts and concerns about whether the pre-election deals made by the PLP leave them sold to rich, usually foreign special interests.

“Once again, it appears that under Mr. Christie’s leadership, talk is cheap but money buys access and influence.

“The Bahamian people deserve to know how many other foreign investors are laying claim to the Bahamas’ Prime Minister as their man.”

The professionally shot and edited film was posted on the YouTube website by user “PeterNygard1” on October 9, 2012, but was being shared around the internet over the weekend, collecting dozens of comments on the social media site “Facebook.”

So far, the short eight minute 33 second film called “Nygard Takes Bahamas Back” has been viewed 4,227 times on YouTube.

Mr Nygard is shown celebrating the PLP’s victory at the polls following the May 7 General Election.

Later he is introduced to Deputy Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis, Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald, Housing and Environment Minister Kenred Dorsett, V Alfred Gray, Agriculture Minister, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez and Housing Minister Shane Gibson.

The footage goes on to show Mr Nygard injecting himself with what he describes on screen as an anti-aging medication.

The FNM has tried to link the PLP and Mr Nygard’s support for research into stem cell therapy.

Mr Nygard, a resident of Lyford Cay, has said it is essential The Bahamas embraces what is happening in the stem cell industry.

Recently in the House of Assembly, FNM leader Dr Hubert Minnis accused the government of “rushing” stem cell legislation through Parliament.

Dr Minnis suggested that the government was pushing the law to appease Mr Nygard.

Over the weekend, FNM Deputy Leader Loretta Butler-Turner said each of the Ministers in the video should tender their resignations

She said: “Just seeing the way that they are with Mr Nygard. It seems as though he feels that he is cozy with the government.”

This claim has been denied. PLP Chairman Bradley Roberts has said that Mrs Butler-Turner’s concern made no sense.

He said that records are available to support that the stem cell facility in Freeport was licensed under the current leader of the Opposition Dr Minnis who was the Minister of Health at the time.

July 15, 2013