The marriage of politics and crime in The Bahamas is a long standing one shrouded in silence

Gangster’s Paradise Part 1

By Ian G. Strachan

Crime and the political class

There is no greater problem facing The Bahamas, as far as the average Bahamian is concerned, than violent crime.  Unfortunately, violent crime is itself merely a manifestation, a symptom of deeper problems, troubling weaknesses in our systems, institutions, communities, families, psyches.  Some of the weaknesses are beyond our control – such as our size, our geographical fragmentation and proximity to the largest consumer society in the world.  Others exist because of our own neglect, incompetence, complicity, fear and ignorance.

It seems sometimes as if we want with all our hearts to do away with the shameful symptoms of our disease: Murder, rape, armed robbery, as if these were ugly, painful lesions on a pretty face, but we have no matching zeal to cure ourselves of the disease that lurks deep within, creating these conspicuous eruptions.

Over the next few weeks we will explore the vexing matter of crime in The Bahamas.  We will try to be guided by the research and considered thoughts of those who have already dedicated time and effort to these problems (because I have no interest in re-inventing the wheel).

Where we are

First, let us put our current situation in The Bahamas in perspective – regional perspective.  Here, we are alarmed at our murder rate.  I don’t wish to say that the alarm is misplaced, but I’d like to look at the murder rate for a moment as a regional phenomenon.  Where do we stack up?  In 2010, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Trinidad and Tobago had 472 murders or 35 per 100,000 people.  The Dominican Republic had 2,472 murders or 24 per 100,000.  St. Lucia had 44 or 25.2 per 100,000.  Puerto Rico had 983 murders or 26 per 100,000.  Jamaica had 1,428 or 52 per 100,000; Dominica 15 or 22 per 100,000 and The Bahamas 96, or 28 per 100,000 people.  (Police now say we only had 94 in 2010.)

The Caribbean nation most like our own demographically and historically, Barbados, had 31 murders in 2010.  By comparison, the U.S. had five murders per 100,000 people, Canada had 1.8 per 100,000 people, Japan and Singapore had 0.5 murders per 100,000 people and Germany 0.8 per 100,000.  You can see then that as a region we are recording very high murder rates compared to the industrialized countries.  In fact, the Caribbean has many of the highest murder rates in the world.  I could not find murder rates higher than The Bahamas’ anywhere outside of the Caribbean, Africa and Latin America.  Before this series is done I shall have discussed that phenomenon with some of our criminologists and sociologists.

Crime is much, much broader than murder, as we know, but murder captures everyone’s attention because it is the most serious, most shocking of crimes.  A 2007 World Bank report on crime and its impact on development in the Caribbean noted that: “The high rates of crime and violence in the region have both direct effects on human welfare in the short-run and longer run effects on economic growth and social development.”

That should sober us.  Crime and violence have deep seated economic impacts.  The report also noted that “the strongest explanation for the relatively high rates of crime and violence rates in the region – and their apparent rise in recent years – is narcotics trafficking.”

The drug trade drives crime in a number of ways: Through violence tied to trafficking, by normalizing illegal behavior, by diverting criminal justice resources from other activities, by provoking property crime related to addiction, by contributing to the widespread availability of firearms, and by undermining and corrupting societal institutions.

Perhaps most importantly, the report warned that in trying to reduce crime, violent crime especially, “There is no one ‘ideal’ approach.  The common denominator is that successful interventions are evidence-based, starting with a clear diagnostic about types of violence and risk factors, and ending with a careful evaluation of the intervention’s impact which will inform future actions.”

Whose side are the legislators on?

Over the next few weeks we’ll discuss a variety of crime fighting strategies available to us in this country.  But I wish to begin by discussing the role lawmakers and aspiring lawmakers have played in sanctioning, enabling and rewarding criminality in this country.  To put it bluntly, our politicians must choose sides: Either they are on the side of those who are accused of committing crimes or they are on the side of the rest of society.  They should no longer be able to have it both ways.  What do I mean?

We have sitting members of our Parliament and men aspiring to sit there, who have represented and continue to represent, accused drug dealers, accused rapists, accused operators of illegal gambling houses, accused murderers.  I distinctly remember interviewing a very accomplished politician once, a man at the center of many of the nation’s most important political events of the last 50 years.  This gentleman boasted to me of the number of accused murderers he had gotten off (it was close to 30 if I recall correctly).  His intention was to convince me of his legal prowess.  Instead I was chilled at the thought that this legislator, this champion of our democratic achievements, had also possibly had a hand in freeing nearly 30 cold-blooded murderers.  Someone’s got to do that job; I understand that.  But I cannot accept that it must be my elected representatives.

I have mentioned on a number of occasions the troubling fact that the Member for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador, and now deputy leader of the PLP, Philip “Brave” Davis, was the lawyer for the most wanted drug trafficker in this country, Samuel “Ninety” Knowles.  But Davis is not special, nor is he unique.  We simply happen to remember the name of his most famous client.  What about Carl Bethel, Desmond Bannister, Dion Foulkes, Alfred Sears, Glenys Hanna-Martin, Branville McCartney, Damien Gomez, Allyson Maynard-Gibson and Wayne Munroe?  Who have they defended over the course of their careers?  How many people accused of violent crime, or of brazenly flouting our laws, have they defended for a handsome fee?

These men and women will no doubt defend themselves by insisting they are not doing anything that is contrary to the rules of our Westminster system.  They will no doubt ask why they should be singled out and denied a living while physicians, accountants, engineers, businessmen are allowed to conduct their affairs and are subject to no such criticism if they serve or aspire to serve in Parliament.

I believe all MPs should be full time and should not be allowed to work for anybody else while they serve the people, first of all.  But that aside, the practice of law must in my view be treated differently, since the business of the parliamentarian is to create laws.  Doctors make a living making people sick (they’re not supposed to anyway).  But the criminal defense attorney makes a living helping men and women evade punishment who are, in the considered opinion of police, guilty of violent crimes.  I repeat:  Someone’s got to do it.  But if you do, how dare you then ask me to make you attorney general, or minister of this or that, or member of Parliament.  And how dare you give speeches about how you feel for suffering victims.  What kind of country is this?

What is the message you send to the street thug, the murderer, the drug lord, the rapist, the arm marauder, or to the impressionable admirer of such people, or to the victims of such people, when you choose to represent them before the courts and potentially help guilty men escape justice – not just before you run for political office, but while you hold such an office?  Yes, we are all innocent until proven guilty, but with 1,000 lawyers, I think it is safe to say that criminals won’t have too much trouble finding legal representation.

The 41 men and women who sit in the lower house and those who sit in the Senate should be people who have spent their whole careers defending and building us up, not defending and assisting those who are tearing us down.

The marriage of politics and crime

There’s more.  The marriage of politics and crime is a long standing one shrouded in silence.  Remember the 1967 Commission of Inquiry into the connections between organized crime in the U.S., casinos and the Bahamian government?  Remember the 1984 Commission of Inquiry into drug trafficking and governmental corruption?  How many arrests and incarcerations of Bahamian politicians on charges of corruption have occurred in the last 50 years? What has become of the so-called investigation into the handling of Crown Land for instance?

And what connection has existed between politics and the numbers business?  How far back does that connection go?  To the very heyday of the majority rule struggle?  And how many politicians, FNM and PLP, walk the streets campaigning with accused criminals on bail, or ex-cons or men “known to the police”?  Do their services as campaign generals buy them immunity?  Free legal help?  In the fight against crime, we must strike at the root.  Zero tolerance begins in our own house –  the House in Parliament Square.

Oct 24, 2011

Gangster’s Paradise Part 2

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

If we are going to be serious about deterring crime -- particularly murders -- then we can't get soft on punishment... Already this timidity in enforcing the law has broken down law and order on every level in The Bahamas

Considering crime and punishment

tribune242 editorial


SPEAKING in the House of Assembly last week Cat Island MP Philip "Brave" Davis criticised Government's proposed crime Bills as falling "short" of what is needed to eliminate violent crime.

He wondered if any thought had been given to the rate of recidivism and what would be the average length of time to rehabilitate an offender when defining life imprisonment.

"There is jurisprudence," he said, "to suggest natural life without an opportunity to review with a view of release is cruel and unusual punishment."

One never hears of the "cruel and unusual punishment" suffered by a victim's family -- a victim who has not had a second chance at life. And a family that has lost their main breadwinner.

With capital punishment virtually removed from the scene, there has to be a penalty, not only to punish, but to deter. True, there are degrees of murder -- the planned, vicious murders spawned from a psychotic brain, and the impulsive anger, where death was not intended, but was the result. There might be some hope of rehabilitating the latter, but none for the former.

The society's complaint today is that the laws are too soft, so soft that the criminal is making a fool of our judicial system. It is felt that with automatic hanging removed, the criminal is willing to play Russian roulette with his life, knowing that he can commit his crime and in all probability avoid the hangman's noose. It might give him second thoughts if he had to contemplate a lifetime in prison - when he and the undertaker leave together.

However, if he knows that he can again trick his way out by good behaviour, where is the deterrent to his crime?

A police officer told us that what many of them do is "get religion" while in prison to impress their jailers. Some, released for good behaviour before completing their sentence, turn their collars backwards and quietly continue their misdeeds, while others shed their religion and openly revert to type.

If we are going to be serious about deterring crime -- particularly murders -- then we can't get soft on punishment. Already this timidity in enforcing the law has broken down law and order on every level in this country.

Mr Davis said that legislators have to think of the cost of housing a convict for the rest of his natural life -- particularly if the offender has youth on his side. They also have to think of the increased burden on taxpayers.

Mr Davis told House members that it costs $14,000 a year to house a prisoner. He said that if a person were sentenced to life at the age of 30 - life expectancy for the average Bahamian male being 70 years - the state would have to support him for at least 40 years.

"Do the math," he told legislators, "there are at least 400 persons to be tried -- millions of dollars it will be costing taxpayers!"

These convicts become burdens only if the government lacks the imagination to put them to good use and make them pay their way by their daily labour.

Already in this column we have suggested setting aside a large acreage of Crown land for cultivation. These prisoners -- composed of lifers and those with shorter sentences -- could feed the nation.

Of course, for those with a life sentence this would be a life time job. At least they can turn a misspent life into a useful one and remember -- if the laws had not been changed -- they could have been hanged, buried and forgotten about, instead of breathing God's fresh air, and growing a field of tomatoes.

This production could be a tremendous savings to government by reducing the cost of imports. If done on a large enough scale and managed like a business, it could even increase our foreign reserves through exports.

In the woodwork department, men with this ability could be taught to turn out first class cabinetry that could be sold from various furniture stores. Again if it were handled as a proper business, the prison could open its own furniture store and attract a market. They could even go into the business of making toys for children.

With a little imagination, these men need not become as heavy a burden as some predict. What must be remembered is that outside of prison walls they will be a constant menace.

Society has to decide whether they prefer to pay for their upkeep knowing that they can have a good night's sleep in the safety of their homes, or save the expense and sleep with one eye open, and an ear cocked listening for the thief at the window.

However, these prisoners could possibly earn enough that restitution also could be made to some of the victims of their evil deeds.

Who knows but that it might encourage pride in some of these men in the knowledge that in the end their lives were not a complete waste.

But with the criminal playing hardball with society, society cannot now go soft on punishment.

October 17, 2011

tribune242 editorial

Caribbean Blog International

Craig Butler - independent candidate for Kennedy says: Capital punishment will not have any significant impact on crime... resume corporal punishment as a deterrent for violent crime

Capital punishment 'will not impact crime'

tribune242



CAPITAL punishment will not have any significant impact on crime, said independent candidate for Kennedy Craig Butler.

Instead, the former Progressive Liberal Party member has called for the resumption of corporal punishment as a deterrent for violent crime.

"There have been repeated calls for capital punishment to be resumed as it is felt by many that this would have the deterrent effect," said Mr Butler.

"Although the ability to effect such a sentence is on our books, in reality, given the constraints that have been imposed by the Privy Council through its interpretation of our constitution, the likelihood of hanging a convicted person is virtually nil.

"If it is the desire of the Bahamian people to resume this practice, a referendum must be held so that the necessary changes to our constitution can be made, that would allow a convicted person the right to pursue any and all appeals that they may desire and at the end of that process despite the passage of a long period of time for the State to mete out its punishment."

Still he called for a public referendum to get public consensus on the controversial issue.

"In the circumstances, I call upon the Prime Minister to hold the national referendum before the next general election and allow the voices of the people to be heard. To me it seems as though it would be impossible for any political institution to oppose such a move for fear of being branded not serious about dealing with the issue of crime."

Mr Butler said he feels corporal punishment is the way forward.

"Corporal punishment brings real results. The reinstitution of the use of 'the rod' and 'the cat' will be something that will in my estimation cause one to stop and think. Amnesty International and all the other international groups I am sure will be berating us as a barbaric society.

"If the more serious crimes came with these as a mandatory part of the sentence I am convinced that many of those who commit crimes will think long and hard before doing so."

September 05, 2011

tribune242

Caribbean Blog International

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham appeals to all Bahamians to assist in the crime fight... says the government is resolute in its effort to reduce the level of criminality

Ingraham: All Bahamians must assist in crime fight

By Krystel Rolle
Guardian Staff Reporter
krystel@nasguard.com

Acknowledging that crime is unacceptably high, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham yesterday appealed to all Bahamians to assist in the crime fight, adding that the government is resolute in its effort to reduce the level of criminality.

“On the issue of violent crime I use this occasion to appeal to all citizens and sectors of society -- schools, churches, civic organizations, the business community and others -- to support efforts to combat crime and its causes,” Ingraham said during the Free National Movement’s Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving at the Cousin McPhee AME Church on Carmichael Road.

“And I appeal to all sectors of society, including those in politics, to refrain from associating with and from making statements that excuse criminality or give comfort to criminals.  Together we can defeat those who seek to destroy our peace, tranquillity and economic well-being.  They are a small minority and we must determine, as the majority, not to allow the small number of bad apples among us to poison our environment.”

Ingraham said statistics show that crimes are being committed by persons from all walks of life, including those who come from good family backgrounds.  He added that the country is “challenged” by violent crime and unemployment. “We are best able to tackle both,” he said.

Ingraham noted that his government brought the country out of troubles before and is prepared to do it again.

“By our deeds, we and others are known.  Others governed during a time with violent crime and murder spiralled to unprecedented levels, unchecked drug trafficking and related crime changed the mores and behavior of far too many of our people and unemployment reached historic highs.  We brought our country back from those terrible lows and we are working diligently now to stop and reverse the threats to the quality of life of our people,” he continued.

His statement came one day after the 92nd murder was committed in the country.  A Haitian man was killed in his store on Palm Tree Avenue on Saturday evening.  He was shot in his neck during what is believed to be an attempted robbery.

The unemployment rate in New Providence dropped slightly from 14 percent to 13.2 percent.  Grand Bahama’s unemployment rate dropped from 17.4 percent to 15.4 percent. However, the number of people who are no longer looking for work (discouraged workers) also dramatically increased by 34.8 percent.

But despite those challenges Ingraham said the country has much to celebrate. “We also have significant national accomplishments, and are nowadays respected the world over.  It is in our power, with God’s help, to raise levels of civility and common accord between citizens and to win greater peace in our communities,” he said.

Ingraham, who is serving his third non-consecutive year as prime minister, noted some of the national accomplishments his government made over the years.

He said his government improved and extended telephone services, including cellular phone service to the most remote settlements of the country, and made the introduction of cable television and internet services throughout the country possible.

Additionally, he said the government made it possible for the further expansion of the broadcast industry.

“Now every Tom, Dick, and Harry can call radio stations and say what the Lord put in their hearts or what the devil put in their heads,” Ingraham said.

Meantime Dr. Ranford Patterson, pastor of Cousin McPhee Church, called on FNM’s to help restore the nation. He said it will take people who are willing to stand for righteousness.

“This is still the greatest nation,” he said, adding that Bahamians must return to the ideals of the past.

“We must become caring again,” Patterson added.

Aug 22, 2011

thenassauguardian

Caribbean Blog International

...no end is in sight to high crime rates in The Bahamas, said a United States Embassy in Nassau February 2009 confidential cable titled “Bahamas: Crime concerns simmer as economy softens”

'National anxiety' over crime travel advisory


By BRENT DEAN
Deputy News Editor
thenassauguardian
brentldean@nasguard.com


The United States Embassy in Nassau closely monitors the crime situation in The Bahamas, noting the potential for a “high-profile violent crime tragedy” and resultant media disaster as a result of the high rate of crime in the country. It is also very aware of the immense fear many Bahamians have of the issuance of a travel advisory by the U.S. government, according to several cables in the WikiLeaks cache obtained by The Nassau Guardian.

“Against the background of economic crisis, the crime numbers, trends, and daily headlines, as well as the expressions of concern about the state of society, all indicate that no end is in sight to high crime rates in The Bahamas,” said the February 2009 confidential cable titled, “Bahamas: Crime concerns simmer as economy softens”.

There have been three homicide records in The Bahamas the last four years, and in 2011 the country is on pace for a fourth such record in five years.

Over the last five years, armed robberies have trended up towards the highs of the mid-1990s. In the property crime category the 2010 police report reveals other disturbing trends. The 3,120 housebreakings recorded were the most in the country since 1998 (3,165).

The Free National Movement (FNM) administration has done much to try to fix the crime problem. Along with refurbishing the courts, there have been three commissioners of police, two chief justices, four attorneys general and two directors of public prosecutions during this term.

The government has also spent millions of dollars buying new equipment for police; it has introduced a plea bargaining system; it has amended the Juries Act reducing the number of jurors from 12 to nine in non-capital cases; and it has put in place an electronic monitoring system for accused offenders.

Despite all of these measures, the crime problem has not improved.

In the December 2007 unclassified/for official use only cable, ‘Bahamas grapples with sharp rise in violent crime’, the embassy noted that that Juries Act amendment alone, which was implemented before the other measures mentioned, would not fix the Bahamian crime problem.

“No recent initiative, including the Juries Act amendment, is likely to make an immediate impact on the crime rate as long as the criminal justice system effectively puts indicted criminals back on the street to commit more crimes,” said the cable.

“Without introducing specific measures to monitor suspected offenders out on bail, break the logjam in the courts, or increase or optimize space in the prison to keep violent offenders in and others out, the GCOB (Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas) is unlikely to make much progress in addressing the underlying causes of the latest ‘crime wave’ to shake The Bahamas.”

The government has increasingly made statements indicating that it is working to improve the prosecution system.

Recently, Attorney General John Delaney and Director of Public Prosecutions Vinette-Graham Allen held a news conference explaining that the establishment of a case management unit at their office is expected to result in significant improvements in the administration of justice.

Recent public focus on the crime problem in The Bahamas has shifted to the quality of cases being produced by police and the quality of prosecution by the AG’s Office.

In his new book, “Reducing Murders in The Bahamas: A strategic plan based on empirical research,” police researcher Sergeant Chaswell Hanna reveals that from 2005 to 2009 there were 349 murders recorded and only 10 murder convictions and eight manslaughter convictions.

The Americans realized, based on the cable, that as long as The Bahamas is unable to prosecute and convict those it suspects of committing crimes, the crime problem in the country will continue to worsen.

Effects of the crime problem

The cables reveal that the U.S. does not think The Bahamas is that safe a place.

In a February 2006 unclassified cable, “Country Clearance: For consular management assistance team (CMAT) visit,” the embassy advised its visiting team to be careful in this country.

“Threat analysis: The threat against Americans from political activity is considered low. The threat from criminal elements is high. Incidents of violent crime have risen significantly in The Bahamas during the past few years,” said the cable.

“Travelers should use caution and common sense when moving about the island of New Providence. Visitors should travel in pairs, avoid areas prone to higher crime such as the Over-the-Hill area, and avoid isolated, deserted and/or poorly illuminated areas.”

In a January 2006 unclassified/for official use only cable, the embassy again expressed concern for the safety of its citizens in The Bahamas.

“During Spring Break, sexual assaults against American tourists are extremely high,” said the cable, which added that its Regional Security Office has also stressed the growing pattern of violence to embassy personnel, reminding employees to always be vigilant about their surroundings.

The fear of the American response

There have been several high profile criminal acts in New Providence in recent years, in tourism areas, which have alarmed Bahamians.

The November 2009 robbery of a group of tourists on tour at Earth Village; Sunday’s armed robbery at John Bull in the middle of Downtown Nassau; and the January 2008 murder of teenager Deangelo Cargill at a bus stop, also in Downtown Nassau, are some of the events in such areas that attracted national attention.

Referring to the 2008 Cargill murder, the embassy said in a cable that January, “How the government meets the crime challenge will play an increasingly decisive role in how the public perceives its overall effectiveness.

“This event has brought home to the Cabinet that it has no higher priority than beating back the surge in crime before the violence begins to impact The Bahamas' tourism-dependent economy.”

In these cables on crime the Americans do not seem to be near to taking a decision to publicly intervene and apply full pressure on the Bahamian government to accelerate worthwhile reforms to the local criminal justice system.

The U.S. already assists The Bahamas in significant ways regarding law enforcement — most noticeably through funding and manpower via Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands.

The U.S. does understand, however, that Bahamians have an extreme fear of the issuance of a travel advisory informing Americans that The Bahamas is not a place they should travel to.

In that same 2008 cable after the murder of Cargill, listed as unclassified/for official use only, the embassy described the fear of such an advisory as a “national anxiety.”

“The downtown killing at the peak of the afternoon rush hour prompted renewed concern in the public and press about the potential issuance of a travel advisory or warning by the U.S. Embassy — an almost compulsive anxiety within the tourist-dependent island,” said the cable.

“In fact, the media have speculated for months, as the murder tally rose, over such an announcement and its potential negative effects on the all-important tourism sector, which forms the backbone of the economy in Nassau and The Bahamas.”

The embassy noted that officials had to make public statements indicating that no such advisory was imminent. Public consular information is already available for Americans advising them of safety issues in The Bahamas.

The realization by the Americans of this Bahamian fear likely means that if The Bahamas was to become uncooperative, as it was during the ‘drug days’ of the 1970s and 1980s, the use of this punishment would at the least get the attention of the leaders of the country.

5/25/2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

Tommy Turnquest: ...the high level of violent crime in the country does not mean the governing Free National Movement (FNM) has failed in its anti-crime efforts

Turnquest: Govt has not failed on crime

By CANDIA DAMES
NG News Editor
candia@nasguard.com


In the lead-up to the 2007 general election, concerns about the high level of violent crime were high on the Free National Movement (FNM) party’s list of talking points.

At a rally on April 27, just days before the vote, then FNM leader Hubert Ingraham pointed out that Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) leader Perry Christie had declared a week before the 2002 election that “any government which couldn’t get crime under control had no right to brag about anything else.”

“Now he’s going all over the country bragging about the little record they do have,” Ingraham told rally-goers that night.

“They didn’t bring crime under control and they did very little else. The PLP, which offered so much on the issue of crime, couldn’t even buy police new vehicles on time.

“Now they tell us they have a new major four-point crime plan. Where was that plan in the last couple of years?”

During the campaign, Ingraham and the FNM vowed strong action against crime.

The FNM won the election four years ago yesterday. The PLP’s record was not enough to win it re-election.

Today, crime and the fear of crime remain high.

But Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest said yesterday that the high level of violent crime in the country does not mean the FNM has failed in its anti-crime efforts.

“We accept that crime is at an unacceptable level,” he said.

“We accept the fact that crime is a major issue in the country today, that as the government of The Bahamas it’s our responsibility to take the lead and to lead the way in the fight against crime.

“But our crime situation is multi-faceted. There are a lot of social problems that we have to deal with and that we continue to deal with.

“It’s not just a matter of providing additional resources to the police, which we have done. It’s also dealing with those social issues which we are addressing.

“It’s also dealing with the challenges within the judicial system which we are also dealing with. So it’s not the fact that we have failed in regard to it; I don’t think we have failed at all.

“I think we have to ensure that those hardened criminals who continue to beat our judicial system are put behind bars.”

In a statement slamming the FNM government on its fourth anniversary in office yesterday, the PLP pointed to the high murder rate, and added, “The FNM claims to have a plan for crime, but during the prime minister’s national address (last week) he promised to get back to the Bahamian people on his plan for crime.

“This is proof positive that the issues that are most important to the Bahamian people are not the priorities of the FNM government.

“Further, on their watch the fear of crime has increased so much so that people are afraid to leave their homes. Whatever measures the FNM government has taken were ineffective in arresting this scourge that threatens our national security and continued economic viability.”

Turnquest said of the 43 murders that have been recorded so far this year, 23 were as a result of conflicts and retaliation.

“When you look at those statistics you have to put this whole crime scenario in proper context,” he said.

Asked if the Ingraham administration has been aggressive enough in dealing with the crime problem, Turnquest said, “We have been extremely aggressive. While we haven’t been very talkative about it, we’ve been very steadfast in getting things done.

“That’s been our focus.”

He said the government has provided the necessary resources for law enforcement officers and the necessary infrastructure for the judiciary.

“We continue to be very focused,” Turnquest said. “Our strategy continues to be very resourceful, to be very focused.”

PLP’s 2007 CRIME PLAN

In its crime plan released right before the 2007 general election, the PLP promised to involve all stakeholders — the security forces, political organizations, central and local government and government agencies, civil society, and residents through island-wide consultations — on the appropriate elements needed for the implementation of its National Crime Prevention Programme.

The party pledged that within six months of a second term in office it would position the police force to be "more preemptive in the fight against crime in the 21st Century."

"We will make available the additional capital resources for effective police and defense forces," the party’s Action Agenda said.

"We will provide them with the necessary resources to ensure their modernization by the provision of cutting edge technology to assist with criminal investigation and communication tools."

The PLP also promised in its Action Agenda that the police force would receive an expanded fleet of patrol cars and officers along with the requisite resources to support 24-hour a day patrolling in the 25 districts of New Providence.

Additionally, it pledged to expand the number of police stations on Family Islands and in New Providence to ensure increased police presence.

"We will upgrade the system and response rate for calls to the police emergency numbers by ensuring that the ratio of cars to the mobile unit is appropriate and by providing the required amount of multi-purpose vehicles," the Action Agenda said.

The PLP also pledged to provide the necessary resources to continue the illegal drug fight.

The party further promised that if elected to a second term, it would: expand community-policing; encourage the establishment of additional community neighborhood watch programs; identify areas of potential conflict in communities and establish strategic alliances with the church; strengthen and promote the Witness Protection Program; and ensure a reduction in domestic violence.

The Action Agenda said the PLP would also introduce legislation to establish an Armed Forces Complaints Agency to monitor and investigate complaints against police, the defence force and the other uniformed agencies.

At the time of the document’s release, then Prime Minister Perry Christie said, "Ours is the only plan that offers innovative and viable strategies, and real hope, for conquering this menace (crime) once and for all."

5/3/2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

We live in one of the most violent countries in the world

‘A phenomenal burden’

By CANDIA DAMES
Guardian News Editor
candia@nasguard.com


A closer look at the impact of crime on PMH


The high level of violent crime is stretching resources all around, and officials at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) know that all too well. “I think that it has been said repeatedly that the impact of violence, crime, accidents on the public health care system has been almost overwhelming,” said Senator Dr. Duane Sands, who is consultant surgeon at PMH.

“The national statistics would seem to suggest that we have a murder count of whatever. In reality that number, the number of absolute deaths from violence belies the real problem.

“And this is not a new phenomenon. This is something that has been going on now for at least a decade.”

But Sands noted that the hospital continues to see more gunshot victims than in the past.

“We see on average in this country, in excess of 400 major stabbing or shooting traumas (every year),” he added.

“What has happened in the last three years is we’ve seen the knife been replaced by the gun. And so what that does to the emergency room, what that does to the operating room, the Intensive Care Unit and the wards is put a phenomenal burden [on them].”

According to information provided by Sands, in 2000, there were 323.6 assaults recorded for every 100,000 inhabitants in the United States.

By extrapolation, The Bahamas might anticipate 900 to 1,000 assaults per year.

Instead, it is recording more than 3,000 at PMH alone.

“We live in one of the most violent countries in the world,” he noted in a recent presentation at the Medical Association of The Bahamas conference.

“Trauma is a major public health problem.”

Sands noted in an interview with National Review that Medical Advisor to the Public Hospitals Authority Dr. Glen Beneby recently released a report that examined occupancy rates in all of the hospitals that fall under the PHA.

He said while there is no question that PMH is challenged on most wards (Pediatrics, Gynecology, Obstetrics etc.), occupancy rates on the surgical wards range from 92 percent to 104 percent.

Hospital officials have created another ward in what used to be the out patient area of PMH.

“If we look at the impact on the operating room, the operating room basically has now been forced to focus on emergencies and trauma,” Sands said.

“If you look at the impact on the Intensive Care Unit, the Blood Bank; if you look at the impact on the pathology lab (it’s great).”

This means that on many occasions, elective surgeries are constantly put off, Sands noted.

“And so if you look at the impact on health care in general from violence, it is a lot more significant than just the numbers we are seeing in the public,” he said.

“Resources are indeed stretched and we take this as a duty. We have to respond. And so the hospital responds however we can.”

What the public sees from this growing problem is increased waiting times, a shortage of blood at the Blood Bank and the postponement of those elective surgeries, as mentioned.

“This is the real impact of the violence and trauma on regular, ordinary people,” Sands added.

“It is a big, big problem.”

A RISKY ENVIRONMENT

“If you look at the impact of all of the violence and trauma, let’s take my house staff in surgery or in the emergency department, they are constantly exposed to the most outrageous forms of violence — seeing people beaten, stabbed, raped, molested etc.,” Sands told National Review.

“It is almost surreal, the impact on these individuals...They see the worst of people every single day. You couple that with a public response, which is not terribly supportive...and while we understand this, bear in mind that those two things put together create a very challenging emotional and psychological environment that we try to provide support for.

“To be very candid with you I don’t think we do as good a job as we should.”

The high stress level for the medical professionals is sometimes worsened when street fights continue into the emergency room.

“Notwithstanding that we have beefed up security significantly, it is not foolproof,” Sands said.

The government spends a significant amount on initiatives to provide a safe environment for staff and patients, noted Coralee Adderley, PMH administrator.

She said there may be a need to improve security even further.

“I would say that 20 years ago as a young administrator the weekend report, when you got [it] on a Monday morning, a stab here or there, a gun shot once a month was a big story,” she said.

“Now it’s almost every day and that’s a huge cause for concern.

“Any particular evening you can find that the emergency room is inundated with shootings, stabbing and so forth.

“That coupled with the fact that a lot of these patients, once they are admitted to hospital are in police custody. So that creates another dynamic for us, not just in the emergency room.”

Dr. Sarah Friday, the physician in charge of A&E, admitted the situation takes a personal emotional and psychological toll.

“I’ve been in emergency medicine for quite some time and after a while the [constant flow of trauma] patients coming in and you’re not getting to see other people with the [other] medical problems as quickly because maybe somebody with a gunshot to the chest or a stab to the arm or something like that would take precedence,” Friday said.

“You have other people with the other medical emergencies but because of the time sensitive nature of a person who is bleeding you find that other persons may have a delay in their care because we have someone who’s bleeding and that of course will take priority.

“If you talk to a lot of the staff it does take a toll on you because you walk out of the trauma room having seen somebody stabbed to the chest and then you turn around and then somebody, a diabetic patient for instance who may have missed his medication, and you’ve just left somebody who may have died.

“And so [when you see] the next patient you’re still carrying that burden of a young 17-year-old just shot to the chest and is now dead and you have to see that next patient.”

A DOUBLE THREAT

With chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCD) already placing a strain on health care services, the rising cases that stem from violence are worsening an already bad situation.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is the regional arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), predicts a 300 percent increase in deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the region over the next 20 years.

Sands pointed out in his recent presentation at the Medical Association of The Bahamas conference that The Bahamas, like the rest of the Caribbean and America, is experiencing an epidemic of deaths and morbidity from the CNCDs such as obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, tobacco use, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets.

Sands indicated that violence and trauma divert scarce resources from other medical conditions and have done so for many years.

He also noted that the “culture” of violence creates a hazardous work environment that adds to absenteeism and attrition among medical staff.

Sands also noted that trauma patients not operated on in a timely fashion suffer more infections and thrombotic complications.

THE WAY FORWARD

“The debate about the way forward with health care is a debate about choices,” Sands said.

“And this government has made it very clear that it is going to adjust the resources upward for the provision of health care and has done a number of things.

“There is no question that we need a new hospital and that is going to create a whole lot of discussion about where those funds are coming from.”

The government had intended to use proceeds from the sale of a majority stake in Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) to build a new hospital.

But with a dramatic downturn in the economy, the government was forced to increase borrowing, which resulted in rising debt levels.

The new plan is to use the proceeds from the sale of BTC to Cable and Wireless Communications to pay down the debt.

The government has instead opted to build a new critical care block on PMH’s compound. It will have an additional six operating rooms.

“But we have other challenges that have to be dealt with and we are preparing various position papers to put forward to the administration and the Ministry (of Health) to consider,” Sands said.

“While we all have a duty to try and intercede [as a result of] this carnage that’s going on in this country, we (PMH) have to stand in the gap.

“So the physicians, the nurses, the ancillary staff, the hospital administrators, we don’t have a choice. This hospital does not close and we have to do what we can with the resources that we have.”

Sands said, “It is a real, real problem and it is the direct impact of everything that’s going on and the choices that Bahamians are making, and fundamentally resolving this is going to require the energy and the effort of every single Bahamian.”

He said the hope is that there is not a further escalation in demands being placed on PMH because the hospital has no other choice but to care for people who come for treatment.

Adderley added, “Despite the sometimes negative comments that we hear in the news from patients and family members, we do have a group of committed individuals here who want to see improvements to this facility, to our health system to provide the best in care.”

4/17/2011

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International

The victims of crime in The Bahamas

The victims of crime
thenassauguardian editorial


The Bahamas should not become comfortable with, or used to, chronic delays in its criminal justice system. Impediments to justice are a further indignity to those who suffer at the hands of the violent. The vicious and debased things done to mothers, daughters, fathers and sons, sometimes during their last moments on earth, occupy media headlines for a day. Then, they are forgotten in the maze of confusion and disorganization called the Bahamian criminal justice system.

On Monday night armed men robbed and threatened to kill Bishop Elkin Symonette of Ebenezer Mission Baptist Church and his wife following a prayer meeting. The robbers later attempted to burn down the church.

During a series of armed home invasions in the Chippingham/Fort Charlotte area earlier in the year a woman was raped.

That woman will never be the same. Rape is a violation of the body, soul and mind. And sadly, based on the backlog of cases before the Supreme Court, there is no guarantee that the Office of the Attorney General will prosecute that case anytime soon.

Three men were charged in a magistrates'court early in July with burglary, robbery and rape. The courts will decide if they are guilty or not.

The sharp rise in the level of crime in this country is tragic. It's heartbreaking.

It is even more heartbreaking when you hear what actually happened to the victims; the level of fear that remains with those who survive; the depth of the loss felt by family members.

Bishop Symonette's wife, Inez, said the fear experienced during the robbery was inexplicable.

"I can't explain how I felt,"she said during a Nassau Guardian interview.

It is remarkable that the heirs of men and women who argued against the inadequacy of colonial rule would so poorly manage the criminal justice system.

Cases have been badly investigated and many not prosecuted.

Meanwhile, the victims and families of victims sit enraged and frustrated.

There are two logical consequences to the continued rise of violent crime in The Bahamas. One is vigilantism. Those who come to conclude that the criminal justice system is not concerned about their pain may soon, in greater numbers, seek their own justice.

The other consequence should concern our ruling class.

The poor, the working and middle classes of this country have no private security or police guards to protect them at night.

They have been preyed upon.

If solutions are not found soon to our crime problem, more and more of the privileged will also fall prey to the violators.

It would be a sad development in our country's history if this is required for change to take place.

10/19/2010

thenassauguardian editorial

Bahamas Blog International

The Bahamas' crime wave must stop

The crime wave must stop
thenassauguardian editorial


It seems as though everywhere you go, crime like an ugly monster, raises its head negatively affecting society and taking away the comforts of safety enjoyed by so many Bahamians over the years.

Even though careful steps have been taken by the leaders of the country to ensure that offenders are brought to justice, there is still a lack of respect by certain criminals in the country, who feel they are above the law and continue to engage in illicit behavior, a number of them inflicting undue pain on innocent people through violent acts.

Some acts are so brutal that there seems to be no regard or concern for human life.

Apart from the number of cases in New Providence where people have been tragically gunned down or stabbed to death after violent altercations with others, Grand Bahama has seen its own share of unexplained and brutal murders that have left many residents in shock.

Just yesterday, a man was brutally stabbed in a crowded bank in front of numerous witnesses.

According to police reports and eyewitness accounts, a man who appeared to be in his mid 30's was preparing to be served by a teller when he was approached by a younger man who began arguing with him.

The argument which was reportedly over money, intensified when the two men began choking and punching each other. The younger man reportedly pulled out a weapon and began stabbing the older man about the body.

Then on Thursday, a woman was attacked outside the Rand Memorial Hospital and her jewelry snatched from her neck. According to Officer-in-charge of the Central Division Superintendent Macktavaus Daniels,"People are becoming violent. We had an incident just this morning where a lady had dropped somebody at the Rand Memorial Hospital and a guy ran up to her, punched her and yanked her chain off her neck,"he said."And so that's where this thing(crime)is going now."

While these incidents represent a small fraction of the number of cases that take place in Grand Bahama and the northern region, one cannot argue the severity of the crimes and the awful disregard for the lives that were lost.

The sad thing about this whole situation is that whether we want to admit it or not, there will be more incidents to report this year as we head into the Christmas holiday.

There will be some that will escape our hearing and others, so brutal, we will wonder if such acts will ever end. The bone-shivering truth is, they will not stop.

So what should the government and concerned citizens do to help stop it?

Some say enforce the laws and resume hanging. Others say always impose the maximum punishment as dictated by law. The reality is, something must be done. During these harsh financial times, and with the tourism industry of the country suffering much loss, The Bahamas cannot afford to be known as a destination where crime is out of hand.

As we move toward a new year, it is time for those in authority to consider and implement new strategies. The criminals are not backing down, they are getting more aggressive everyday, therefore so must the system that brings them to justice.

10/16/2010

thenassauguardian editorial

Bahamas Blog International

Our futile war on crime in The Bahamas

Our futile war on crime
NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net:



Now here is a bright idea: If Hubert Ingraham and Perry Christie would just work together, the whole country would be united against crime. Maybe that is what it will take to solve the problem. What a laughable thought, to say the least.

Honestly, if our present leaders mustered all of their intellectual capacities I am willing to bet any wager they would still be clueless and ineffective in abating crime. The math is simple. We will not solve crime by fighting crime. We will only solve crime by eliminating the conditions that give rise to crime.

So what if we stopped asking the government what their crime plan is and stop holding the police responsible for stopping crime. The problems we currently face are only allowed to thrive because there is an absence of community. Let us stop expending so much energy crying over crime, and focus on reclaiming and restoring community.

This may sound callous, but last year's murder count of 77 is dwarfed by all of the other social ills. Our fixation on the murder count - the endless comparison between annual figures - is pointless. The conditions in society are not static; they are deteriorating while our population is increasing, so naturally there will be an increase in crime. It has nothing to do with whether the Free National Movement or the Progressive Liberal Party is in power, or which Commissioner of Police the government installs.

Fact: A large percentage of our murders stem from interpersonal conflicts. This is an example of how our dysfunctional behaviour translates into a proliferation of crime. Look around at all of the incestuous relationships Bahamian fathers have with their children, or the number of children living in fear of being molested by their pastors or the shop owner down the street. In fact, look at an ordinary day in the House of Assembly. We have drifted so far away from the true spirit of community that our society has become a production house of criminality and dysfunction.

Most of the largest town criers are not even exposed to a real threat of violent crime, but in a state of fear created by the manipulation of a perception of crime, they are overcome with paranoia. The average middle class Bahamian in their mid-40s would probably struggle to name more than five incidents of violent crime that have directly impacted their lives (child abuse not withstanding). The fear they experience is more of an illusion.

Those that we should really be concerned about are the children in our society. The threat to them is real. Their lives are invariably shaped by the intense trauma that results from their exposure to violence and a host of other social ills.

On a regular basis I work with children from "Over the Hill"; they average about eight years old. In a weekly Monday exercise called "sharing the news", they tell stories about the people they know that got "jook up", "locked up", "beat up" or "killed". In this forum we often remind them that "the news" does not always have to be about the violence in their community. But without fail, every week they return with war stories. Imagine what their level of direct exposure will be by age 40.

What is most alarming is that the dysfunction they speak of has become so normalized within their neighbourhoods that they are incapable of realising how it is adversely shaping their perceptions of reality.

These children do not need a crime plan. They need a community, and what we have in the Bahamas, as Baba Shango rightly articulated, is a group of individuals stuck on the same rock. A true community is not a group of individuals living in a specific location, sharing a government and a common heritage.

A true community enables the healthy development of its children, helping them to discover their purpose and understand who they are. The community supports the healing of all children, nurtures their talents and welcomes their contributions.

In a holistic community, each generation is the link to the one that precedes it and the one that follows. A reciprocal relationship is fostered as they inspire each other. What we have today is a situation in which no one is being inspired. Few are pulling from the past and fewer still are giving to the future.

In a holistic community, the blessings bestowed on individuals in the form of skills, talents and personal wealth are no more the possession of individuals than the air they breathe. The whole notion of the self made person is an illusion. This thinking is what Albert Einstein calls "a kind of optical delusion of (one's) consciousness". It is the kind of delusion that negates community. No one survives or thrives without a form of community.

So much has been lost of our understanding of the world, our traditions, customs, rites of passage and initiations. At one time these served as a guide for the development and structuring of our communities. Often times we perceive our traditional ways as dead, perhaps that is the very reason our society is in a state of decay. Our present practices are materialistic, superficial and commercially oriented. They lack meaning and purpose.

For example, we have lost the essence of what it means to name a child. A name is supposed to call out the destiny of a child and remind a child of his or her purpose. It is not simply a form of identification. The popular practice of compounding the names of two parents to label a child is not rooted in an understanding of community. It is a glitch in the system derived from individualistic Western ideals.

The naming ceremony is a sacred event. It is where the community discovers the child's purpose and is made responsible for helping the child to fulfil his or her destiny. It is where the community unites to celebrate the arrival of the child, who is the bearer of news from the same realm to which the rest of the community must prepare to return one day.

In a holistic community, this is one of the many structures that provide a firm foundation for the growth and development of the child. In our society, many of these essential structures have been corrupted or outright abandoned.

Another prime example is the relationship between our children and our elders. The need for the connection between children and elders is much more fundamental than our current practices would suggest. A visit to grammy in our culture has become a nonchalant activity that we do in our spare time. We marginalize our elders, based on our Western world view. Generally, elders are viewed as economically unproductive, because they do not work in the economy, while they continually consume resources. They are considered dispensable, worthless even.

In traditional African culture, where a holistic understanding of community manifests, there is an unspoken language between children and elders. This is why elders take a great interest in the birth of a child. The elders prepare the children for the journey ahead, sharing with them the secrets of life. The children share with the elders news of the next realm, preparing them for their upcoming journey.

"Throughout children's lives in the village there is a strong message that they belong to a community of people who value them almost beyond anything else. It starts when grandparents participate in the birthing and are the first to hold the newborn. Because the newborn is considered a villager who has just arrived from a long trip that started in the land of the ancestors, the people most recognizable to them are the old ones," according to Malidoma Some, in the "Healing Wisdom of Africa".

If it is not clear as yet that we have far greater problems than crime then perhaps you are not seeing the crux of the matter. In our absence of community, we are inevitably damned, because we live by a destructive separatist agenda that is safeguarded by a belief in armed force.

In material terms this looks like a proliferation of gated communities, "shanty towns" and prisons; a flood of police on the streets; an increase in police raids, civilian armament and private security; and an increase in gangs. Surprise. Surprise. We are creating an increasingly segregated society with "strong people" who get by and "weak people" who don't.

All of this stems from our linear way of thinking. In this model everything is perceived through a dichotomous paradigm: good, bad; ally, enemy; old, young; black, white; male, female; straight, gay. In this two dimensional world view it is hard to see the inherent connections in all things. All reality is polarized; all knowledge is externalized, and if something cannot be proven with empirical evidence it does not exist. This lends to materialism and an imbalanced left-sided way of thinking, which cuts one off from the world of spirit.

Imagine our predicament when the entire education system is designed on this model. It breeds a society of highly materialistic, technocratic individuals with little self-knowledge. Our children are not taught to learn from within and they develop a sense of dependency. Ultimately, western education suppresses our children's intuition and causes it to atrophy.

Our linear way of thinking has manifested in everything around us, from our thoughts on life and death, to the way we design our so-called communities.

Often we hear people use the following phrases: "Here today, gone tomorrow", or "I only have one life to live." These are symbolic of our thoughts on life and death. The Christian view suggests a person is born, dies, and goes to heaven or hell. An atheist's view suggests a person is born and dies. In essence, it is the same linear model of thinking that gives rise to both of these world views. This is in complete opposition to what we see in nature.

I n traditional African culture the person is born into the community to serve a specific function or role. They leave the community through the doorway of death, enter the ancestral realm, where they continue to play a supportive role, and then are reborn into the community. Africans have developed this understanding by observing nature: the cycle of the seasons, the cycle of the moon, the ebb and flow of the tides, and the cyclical transfer of energy in the ecosystem.

In Bahamian society we recognize the cyclical nature of certain things in our speech, primarily in an unconscious way. When we say, "you killing ya granddaddy", or when we remark that a child has inherited a particular skill or trait from a deceased relative, these are unconscious revelations of reality. Unfortunately for us, living unconsciously, without purpose, has disconnected us from our very nature. This is why we are so destructive to ourselves and the external environment.

Our linear way of thinking has even manifested in the way we construct our neighbourhoods. Examine any modern neighbourhood and you will notice that our houses are lined up on streets. What you are actually seeing are houses arranged in parallel lines that never meet. This is further compounded by the walls and fences we erect to delineate boundaries and create division. This is a tangible example of a segregative way of being: each unit is compartmentalized and excluded from the other.

In a holistic model, communities are designed based on a unified way of being. The cosmological principle of community creates a physical blueprint for designing our dwellings, reminding us daily of who we are. For example, the dwellings in a compound are generally arranged in concentric circles. Elders and children are located at the core. Women form the inner perimeter and men form the outer circle.

Children

This ties back into the relationship between children and elders, and the role of everyone in the community. The African model shows us that at the heart of community is wisdom, ancestral knowledge represented by the seed and the ripening fruit. The women represent the nurturing force that supports the core. The men represent the external boundary, the hard exterior that protects that which is most important.

Unfortunately, based on our current level of consciousness, it is virtually impossible for us to create a true community. Individually and collectively, we do not identify with the requisite higher levels of consciousness in our being needed to develop community.

Consciousness is the underlying essence that flows through nature. It is our ability to understand ourselves, each other, and the world we live in; it is our awareness of the connectivity of all things.

When consciousness is directed in a linear way it manifests in the identification with the material aspects of our being. When it is focused in a balance manner, in both hemispheres of our brain, it manifests in a holistic way of being. When we operate on a higher plane of consciousness we have greater wisdom and foresight; we access our ability to see through the third eye.

"No problem can be solved at the same level of consciousness that created it," as my mother often says in quoting Albert Einstein. This type of thinking is consistent with the old adage, "A man cannot be above his mind." Basically, a person with pink glasses lives in a pink world.

If we raise the level of consciousness in our people, particularly in our children, then new ways of being will emerge. If every strategy we employed to solve our social problems was infused with this inner knowledge, the essence of who we are, it would transform the way we live. Because everything occurring internally manifests externally, higher consciousness would inevitably give birth to community.

If we really want to solve the problem of crime we have to fill the void created by a lack of community. Raising our consciousness as a people is our best hope for reclaiming and restoring community.

The power to arrest the problem is in the hands of each individual, but most relinquish their power by denying individual responsibility. The next time you look outside of yourself for the answer to the crime problem, ask yourself these questions: What is my state of consciousness, and what am I doing to build a true community?

But first, we must examine, are we really interested in forming a community with the other people stuck on this rock, or are we content with Western illusions of security, prosperity, Godliness, and identity.

I suspect our greatest problem is the fact that we are not truly interested in forming a community. Rather, we are satisfied with living a life based on the illusions that we construct, chief among them is our futile war on crime.

May 31, 2010

tribune242

Bahamas Blog International

Government outlines ambitious Plan in throne speech

By Candia Dames ~ Guardian News Editor ~ candia@nasguard.com:



The government yesterday outlined an ambitious legislative agenda in the Speech from the Throne, which highlighted more than 30 measures it intends to have passed.

A few of the proposed pieces of legislation were contained in the 2007 speech, but a notable item — the controversial marital rape bill — is not listed for resurrection. And despite what some expected, there was no mention of any legislation to provide for the legalization of gambling for Bahamians.

The government's statement that it intends to amend the Bail Act drew applause as it was read by Sir Arthur Foulkes, the country's newest governor general who was sworn in about an hour earlier at Government House.

The statement came amid ongoing public concern about violent crime in the society and calls for the government to act to address the scourge.

"Many provisions in the Penal Code and in the Criminal Procedure Code are relics from a bygone period," the speech says.

"My government will therefore place before you legislation to enact a new modern Penal Code and a new updated Criminal Procedure Code."

The speech continues, "A number of persons who commit crimes, do so whilst on bail pending trial for other offenses. An amendment to the Bail Act will be placed before you to further restrict the right to bail for persons charged with serious crimes, and to limit the circumstances under which bail may be granted."

It was also announced that legislation will be brought to repeal and replace the existing Magistrates Court Act. The government will introduce a new Coroners Act, and legislation to repeal and replace the 1943 Prison Act.

In addition, the government intends to amend the Legal Profession Act to facilitate more expeditious disciplining of errant attorneys.

Saying that it has a long-standing commitment to good, effective and open governance, the government foreshadowed a Freedom of Information Bill "meant to enhance transparency and accountability and to provide the Bahamian people and the media with greater access to government decision-making". Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has previously said he has no specific timeline for introducing this measure, other than he intends to have it passed before the end of his five-year term in office.

The government also announced in its speech yesterday that it will continue public sector reform and will place before Parliament a new Public Service Act.

Another notable measure included in the Speech from the Throne is a proposed bill to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act. The need for amendments to this piece of legislation was highlighted after the recent Elizabeth Election Court ruling exposed failures in the parliamentary registration system — as did the two rulings handed down in the Pinewood and Marco City challenges brought after the 2007 general election.

In the seven-page speech, the government outlined proposed legislation to protect the environment.

"To further bolster our environmental defenses and combat the dire effects of climate change, legislation will be placed before you to make enforcement of various international obligations and domestic laws more vigorous and effective," the speech says.

The government promised legislation to impose levies on the disposal of carbon-polluting items such as motor vehicles, tires, appliances and other items. It also proposes to amend the Bahamas National Trust Act, and has promised a Forestry Act and an Animal Control and Protection Act.

As it did in the 2007 speech, the government has committed to introducing a bill to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.

Other measures are also being proposed. Some of them are proposed legislation for a new Securities Act, a Small and Medium Size Business Development Act, a Medical Act and a Contractors Act.

The House of Assembly has been adjourned to next week Wednesday. Among other matters, there will be a resolution to thank the governor general for reading the Speech from the Throne.


April 15, 2010

thenassauguardian

Bahamas Blog International