Daily Archives: January 21, 2021

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister last night said the government is not minded in any way to relax the health travel protocols despite conceding that have likely helped to depress demand and tourisms revival.

Dionisio DAguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that The Bahamas will not risk tipping the balance it has presently struck between preventing the importation of COVID-19 from abroad and facilitating travel to drive the rebound of its largest industry and wider economy.

He argued that the country, which requires visitors to produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test within five days of travel; complete an approved Health Travel Visa; and take a rapid antigen test if in The Bahamas for more than four nights, has to keep our protocols exactly where they are right now given the skyrocketing infection rates in the US and other major visitor source markets.

Acknowledging that tourisms re-opening will likely have to endure a rocky 2021 first half, Mr DAguilar said decisions such as RIU Paradise Islands decision to close for at least two months, and Sandals move to further postpone the return of its two Bahamian properties, reflected current low demand and uncertainty over the strength and timing of the hospitality sectors rebound.

With the jury still out on The Bahamas tourism performance since the November 1 border re-opening, the minister added that some resort properties may not have had sufficient time to ramp up their marketing operations to get the message out that they and the wider country were once again accepting visitors.

Mr DAguilar, while agreeing that The Bahamas COVID-19 testing regime and associated measures were impediments to travel, told this nation it was critical to strike the right balance between community spread prevention and enabling tourisms rebound.

Both the Dominican Republic and Mexico have enjoyed the regions highest visitor numbers amid COVID-19, but this has been achieved by taking greater health-related risks through the absence of many of the restrictions imposed by The Bahamas and other destinations.

One has to decide where one wants to be, Mr DAguilar told Tribune Business. We have a relatively good balance in that we have, touch wood, managed to keep our COVID-19 numbers at a respectable level since November 1 but that has come at a cost to a certain degree...

We are not minded in any way to relax our health protocols for fear of returning to August and September, when we had massive community spread, even though it is probably depressing demand. After what happened in July, if we heed the advice of persons saying weve reached a good spot and should open up a bit more, you run the risk of tipping the balance too far and having community spread.

I think we have to keep our protocols exactly where they are right now; maybe with some very minor tweaks. Certainly the requirements at the border shouldnt be changed given what is going on. The Bahamas has reached a fairly decent period of stability. The emergency orders have rarely changed, and theres some calm and consistency in the destination.

US deaths from COVID-19 are now approaching 400,000, with infection numbers over 24m, with the incoming Biden administration warning it plans to strengthen border and travel protocols in a belated attempt to get the surging virus under control. The UK, too, has unveiled border measures similar to those used by The Bahamas, including quarantines for international travellers.

Mr DAguilar said The Bahamas had, in some respects, been out of step from a timing perspective as this nations COVID-19 second wave had occurred at a time when rival destinations were re-opening with relatively low case numbers.

And, now that The Bahamas has its internal issues under control, the virus is surging in its core markets. This is going back and forth until the vaccine gets traction in source markets like the US and brings the numbers down to respectable levels, but they have a way to go, the minister added.

Asked how The Bahamas had performed since its tourism return, Mr DAguilar replied: The jurys still out. Weve got to give it six months. Im sure a number of hotels are closing down now because demand does not meet supply. The owners of those hotels have decided to delay until the situation improves.

They probably did not have sufficient time to ramp up once we opened on November 1. There probably wasnt sufficient time to get the word out there that The Bahamas was open for business in terms of the tourism sector. Our opening also coincided with a massive uptick in cases in the US. With the virus as prevalent and widespread as it is now, theres these roadblocks to overcome.

Voicing hope that The Bahamas may be able to start modest easing of its travel restrictions around mid-year, Mr DAguilar backed the assessment by John Rolle, the Central Banks governor, that tourism may only fully rebound to pre-COVID levels by late 2022 and/or early 2023.

The Ministry of Tourism and Nassau/Paradise Island Promotion Board were of the view there was sufficient airlift available, he added. It wasnt as if all the flights coming here were full. The frequency might not be what it once was, and there was certainly adequate lift based on the load factors we were looking at. Its not the case that they were up in the 80 and 90 percents.

Were relatively happy with the high-end market. Were capturing a healthy amount of yachts coming into the country, and a number of properties that are catering to the very high-end customer were generally quite happy with the state of affairs on the ground.

But our core market, which is the upper middle income people most impacted by this, were not getting the volume were used to.

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COVID travel measures 'won't ease in any way' - Bahamas Tribune

NASSAU, BAHAMAS A local financial services firm has welcomed the news that a credit bureau will soon be a reality in The Bahamas, declaring it would be good news for those with a good repayment history, leading to lower interest and adjustable rates for everything from business loans to home mortgages.

Robert Pantry, founder and CEO of Simplified Lending Ltd, said:What we as lenders have always lacked is reliable payment history records. We were forced to depend on, and trust, what the individual applicant told us or try to verify through other means.

That kept interest rates at a certain level, probably higher than they needed to be for the person with a good record in order to cover the risk for the borrower whose loan or mortgage repayment history was challenged.

Pantrys remarks followed news that the long-awaited credit bureau could begin its data collection operations as early as the second quarter of this year.

From a lenders perspective, the availability of a quick credit report will not only allow us to offer a better rate to better payers, but to process a loan application even more quickly than we already do, said Pantry, who formed Simplified Lending in 2018 after becoming a record-setter in commercial banking, including being the youngest in Bahamian history to be managing director of a major commercial bank when he was named managing director of RBC FINCO at age 34.

With our mobile team going to the applicant, or even on a Zoom call, taking the application and with almost instant reliable information at hand, we will be able to turn around loan or mortgage applications in record time in many cases, on the spot.

While the availability of information about payment records will be good for good payers, those who fail to earn or maintain a good record may find it more difficult to access credit, said Pantry.

But given a credit bureaus ability to update information, the more challenged payers will have ongoing opportunity to improve their record of performance and good payers may continue to benefit with even lower rates.

One of the important features of a credit bureau is that it is not a one-time pronouncement that saddles an individual with a score for life, but a tool that balances the past with the present, allowing the needle to move up and down as payment performance does, meaning there is always opportunity to do better, to gain greater access to capital, to lower the rate you are paying, Pantry noted.

According to Pantry, whose firm has grown from four employees to 23 in a little more than a year, despite economic challenges, the advent of a credit bureau will also be an important tool for the Central Bank.

All of us in this industry have to applaud Central Bank for its forward-looking innovation its introduction of the Sand Dollar, its promise of an increase in digital wallets and the credit bureau is one more tool in its kit to make the financial portrait of The Bahamas the best it can be, he said.

Its another step in the right direction and an important one in adaptation to current needs.

Adaptation has led Pantry to alter his business plan, doing more direct lending as well as finding various means to help customers. The firm was one of a handful selected by the government to facilitate business loans through the Small Business Development Centres emergency loan packages.

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Simplified Lending touts advantages of credit bureau Eye Witness News - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Lawyers for a group of Bahamian women and their foreign husbands have filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that the Fisheries Bill, 2020, is unconstitutional and discriminatory.

The bill repeals the current Fisheries Resources (Jurisdiction and Conservation) Act, 1977, and prevents individuals who are not citizens of The Bahamas fromengaging in commercial fishing.

An amendment to the Immigration Act further ensures that work permits arenot granted for commercial fishing.

The originating summons, filed on January 8, is seeking a stay of implementation of the bill and amendment.

It is seeking an injunction, pending the determination of the action or until further order, to restrain the respondents from taking any action to prevent, impede, hinder or otherwise interfere with the work or business of the applicants included in the litigation.

A permanent injunction is also being sought to restrain the respondents and against the enforcement of the articles.

The action is also seeking a declaration that Sections 31 and 32 of the Fisheries Act, 2020 and the Immigration (Amendment) Act, 2020 constitute arbitrary and discriminatory treatment of two of the applicants and Bahamian women whose husbands hold spousal permits or permanent residency.

It is seeking a declaration that the articles of the Act in question breach the constitutional rights of two of the applicants, as holders of spousal permits or permanent residency with the unrestricted right to work, in prohibiting them from continuing to practice their profession as commercial fishing divers.

It is also seeking a declaration that the articles are in breach of Article 26 of the Constitution and will have a discriminatory effect on the applicants as Bahamian citizen-owned commercial fishing enterprises.

The applicants include Morazan Zunig Jackson and Jaime Reynaldo Perez, who are foreign spouses of Bahamian women; their wives, Maria Jackson and Raquel Anthonya Major-Perez; and a number of commercial fishing enterprises Fish Farmers Ltd, Three Ro Bahamas Ltd, 3 Kids Corp Bahamas Ltd, Audley Seafood Ltd, Percival Roberts (D/B/A Geneva Brass Seafood) and Paradise Fisheries Ltd.

The applicants are seeking declarations that the articles in question are unlawful, discriminatory, remove the protection of the law and contravene the fundamental rights of the applicants as set out in the Constitution.

A declaration is being sought that the articles deprive two of the applicants of their reasonable expectation to continue to practice their profession as commercial fishing divers, with a compressor license from the Department of Marine Resources, without affording them a right to be heard in court, to have natural justice, due process and the protection of the law.

The applicants are also seeking a declaration that given the draconian effect of the articles, the applicants had a reasonable expectation that they would have been consulted before any amendments were made to the Immigration Act and Fisheries Act that would totally prohibit them, as industry stakeholders, from continuing to work in their profession.

The group is also seeking damages; orders, writs or directions that may be appropriate to secure the enforcement of any right or freedom of the applicants; and further or other relief and costs.

Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard; Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Industry and Immigration Elsworth Johnson; and Attorney General Carl Bethel are listed as respondents in the matter.

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Bahamian women and spouses sue govt. over Fisheries Bill - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Officials at the Department of Gender and Family Affairs, Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, have partnered with counterparts at the Office of the Attorney General to register almost 600 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas as non-profit organizations.

The collaboration resulted in the successful registration/approval of 580 of the 900 NGOs, faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) that made application, and the process is ongoing.

Civil Society Bahamas the umbrella organization for all NGOs, headed by Dr Anthony Hamilton was a participant in the exercise.

The mass registration represents a major undertaking by the two government ministries and their respective departments, divisions and units, as the collaboration means that the NGOs as registered NPOs now meet the requisite compliance structures contained in the countrys Non-Profit Organization Act, 2019, that will allow them greater opportunities to access grant funding at the national, regional and international levels to help with their social development programmes throughout The Bahamas.

The partnership has also combined to host a series of seminars and webinars for representatives of the accredited organizations and has presented 400 certificates that validate the organizations new status of compliance. According to Bahamas Information Services, more than 700 representatives from 150 NGOs have benefitted from the intensive training.

Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Frankie Campbell, in explaining the trickle-down effect of the collaboration, termed it a win-win for all parties involved especially those Bahamian families who will be able to benefit even further from extended and continued collaborations between the government and non-profits.

This accomplishment is indicative of our desire to build capacity both internally and externally, Campbell said.

It is also a part of our deliberate intent of strengthening our partnerships with the various organizations and ensuring that they are best positioned to be independent, or to receive independent funding at the national, regional and international levels, and so we are pleased that we have been able to assist them in accomplishing this and we look forward to strengthening our relationship, and the public continuing to benefit from this partnership even more.

Dr Jacinta Higgs, director of the Department of Gender and Family Affairs, which has direct contact with the non-profits, applauded the collaboration and those organizations that participation in the registration process.

One of the concerns that we found among our NGO partners, particularly those in the Family Islands, is that they had applied for registration status for their NGOs[but] hadnt received responses for between five and seven years, which was frustrating for them because they were unable to operate a bank account, receive regional and international grant funding, et cetera, she said.

They were greatly limited and, worse yet, they were unable to access regional and international grant funding.

As such, Higgs thanked all those involved for collaborating to help touch families across the archipelago in an even more meaningful way.

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Registration of NGOs opens door to greater funding opportunities - EyeWitness News

By Allyson Maynard-Gibson, QC

In the face of the pandemic, we have realized that we are in the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together, since no one reaches salvation by themselves and no state can ensure the common good of its population if it remains isolated. His Holiness Pope Francis, A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace

Wednesday, January 13, 2021 was the legally mandated Opening of the Legal Year. The chief justice (Sir Brian Moree, QC), acknowledging that necessity is the mother of invention, presided over an historic Opening of the Legal Year, replete with many firsts. Many of us agree with the attorney general and president of the Bar, who expressed the hope that some of the firsts will continue in the future.

Five chief justices from the region brought greetings at the Opening. In making offers and suggestions of mutual assistance in pursuit of the common good, they, and Sir Brian, admit that no state can ensure the common good of its population if it remains isolated.

The reform and modernization leading to the overhaul of the court system agenda announced by the chief justice can only be successful if we, as Pope Francis said, realize that we are in the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented, but at the same time important and needed, all of us called to row together. Thus far, indications are positive.

The Integrated Court Management System (ICMS), when complete, will enable court processes from initiation to completion to be digitized, conducted online (including online payments) and provide important data for analysis of the effectiveness and efficiency of the administration of justice. This is not the first attempt to migrate to digital processes. Importantly, this attempt involves an attorney general committed to the process and who previously experienced, from a public-sector perspective, issues that prevent successful completion, including lack of resources. Thus, he is uniquely positioned to address those issues. It also involves a chief justice unequivocally committed to successful completion of the ICMS, including utilizing public and private-sector partnerships. Also, timing is impeccable as, post-COVID, sensible people realize that we are in the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented. This is the right moment to provide equal access to justice.

In 2020, scientists, including healthcare professionals, all over the world, collaborated to establish protection protocols, innovate, develop vaccines and hopefully conquer the adverse impact of the pandemic. As we in The Bahamas, and the world, adjust to a new normal, justice actors must also collaborate and innovate. This is the best way to protect fundamental rights and freedoms, attract investment and to provide access to justice.

Justice leaders acknowledge that the poorest and less-privileged among us are not having their justice issues resolved. This is as true in The Bahamas as elsewhere in the world. The reform and modernization agenda provides a unique opportunity for the attorney general and his colleagues to remove silos and integrate systems so that justice can roll on like a river.

Reliable and affordable (free, where necessary) internet service is necessary on every Island in The Bahamas. This is easy to accomplish and a good investment. The Bahamas is the first smart island in this hemisphere, as declared by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The ITU noted the thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable on the ocean floor and that The Bahamas accessibility to the internet is greater than which exists in the United States.

Integration across ministries to deliver justice, widely defined, should be the clarion call of 2021. Justice actors, acting on a culture of caring and using technology, can effect seismic change, including: world-class online learning (from pre-K to post-graduate); telehealth on each island (linked across The Bahamas and to international centers of excellence); construction of affordable smart homes for all income groups (enabling all children to have a roof over their heads and access to internet for education); rapid expansion of the use of government buildings, including use of administrators offices from which to provide government services to every Island; encouragement of alternative dispute resolution; and, utilizing the internet, locally providing access to every court. Integration across ministries is also necessary to provide other services, the delivery of which was promised in February.

In 2021, let us accept the challenge of the chief justice of Jamaica who encouraged us to look at courts as a service and not a place.

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Op-Ed: Justice and a culture of caring - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS The government is working on its Resilient Recovery Policy, which will provide context and guidelines for a timely rebuilding process after a disaster, according to Minister of State for the Ministry of Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction Iram Lewis.

Lewis, who was addressing the Canada-Bahamas Virtual Business Mission Climate Resiliency and Reconstruction yesterday, said; The purpose of the Resilient Recovery Policy is to provide context and guidelines for recovery planning and operations that are timely, efficient and facilitate a pathway to resilient development.

It also articulates the requirements that will inform the organizational and institutional arrangements to achieve this. This resilient recovery policy establishes a vision and a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and a rational process of recovery within the framework of the National Economic Development Plan.

The Canada-Bahamas Reconstruction and Climate Resiliency Virtual Trade Mission was a business forum aimed at identifying ways both countries can explore public-private partnerships in sustainable developments.

We can no longer sit idly by and twiddle our thumbs as our countrymen suffer as mother nature evolves; we must act! said Lewis.

Resilience is often defined as a systems ability to absorb perturbation and return to some state of normalcy before the shock. I join many practitioners and academics in echoing that this is not enough.

Resilience must allow us to leap forward and not just bounce back. If we do not take hold of this notion, our communities, islands and countries will remain just as susceptible or vulnerable.

Hurricane Dorian impacted Abaco and its cays and East Grand Bahama as a Category 5 storm in September 2019. Lewis noted that the initial damage assessment for Dorian was valued at an estimated $3.4 billion.

We are far from perfect in our approach to disaster management in The Bahamas, said Lewis. Nonetheless, we are trying to travel the road of resilience and sustainability.

The Bahamas is perhaps one of the most vulnerable nations in our region. With 80 percent of our scattered islands landmass and atolls standing less than three feet above sea level, there is undoubtedly a need for us to ensure our resilience through adaptation and institutional strengthening.

Lewis noted that in February 2020, the Disaster Reconstruction Authority launched its Small Home Repair Programme, allowing Bahamians impacted by Dorian to access up to $10,000 in funds for repairs.

Some 7,000 people accessed our system for assistance on Grand Bahama and Abaco [and] to date we have approved some 3,750 homeowners, said Lewis.

Following Dorian, there was a dire need for temporary housing, which remains a critical need. Hence, over 100 domes were erected on the property of homeowners whose houses were destroyed.

Some 40 dome homes were also shipped to Eastern Grand Bahama. Further to this, the government has entered a public-private partnership with the Discovery Land Company to develop 42 homes, free of charge, to 42 families in Abaco. Similar efforts will take place on Grand Bahama, said Lewis.

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Lewis: Govt. working on Resilient Recovery Policy - EyeWitness News