People for Ethics in Gov
05-18-08, - 10:07 PM
May 18, 2008
Where is Our Country Headed?!
The People for Ethics in Government believes that the alarm must be sounded. The Bahamas is on the verge of being labeled as being morally and ethically bankrupt, while our government stands idly by and in some cases appears complicit in facilitating an environment where corruption is endemic.
Police Brutality
The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is increasingly riddled by charges of police brutality and the use of excessive force that make it practically impossible for Bahamians, especially the economically disenfranchised, to view them as protectors of law and order, but rather as adversaries who operate as though they are above the law.
The following incidents all occurred during the past 12 months:
1). The restraint of an unarmed psychiatric patient in the Rand Memorial Hospital, who was shot in the neck and killed while being subdued by two police officers.
2). The shooting death of an unarmed civilian, Aschal Dion Rolle in Bimini, by an off-duty police officer, that resulted in rioting and destruction of police and government property.
3). The shooting death of an unarmed resident, “Peanut” Strachan in the back, while other officers are reported to have urged his shooting as horrified onlookers watched in shock.
4). The shooting death of an unarmed club patron in Andros , by an off-duty police officer.
5).. The beating death of Desmond Key by two police officers, while in police custody at the Wulff Road Police Station.
PEG is concerned that the continued blatant abuse of police power by a few unfit and undeserving officers of the RBPF is a threat not only to the Bahamian people, but the good men and women who form the majority of those serving on our police force, causing further deterioration in the relationship between civilians and the police, undermining their efforts to tackle this nation’s growing crime problem.
Illegal Gambling
In February of this year, the prime minister bemoaned in the House of assembly that the RBPF seems powerless to enforce the gambling laws of The Bahamas, referring to the popularity of illegal “web shops”, and stated that consideration needs to be given to legalizing the numbers racket. He also named the locations of illegal gaming houses where slot machines are played by Bahamians. Some 3 months later, there have been no reports of attempts by government or the police to shut down these illegal operations, whose locations are known to even the prime minister, reinforcing the view that there is apparently no will on the part of government or law enforcement to enforce the gambling laws of this country. This sends a very bad message to both the criminals and law abiding citizens of The Bahamas that the government has adopted a defeatist attitude, and is resigned to losing the war against criminality in this country.
The Judiciary
A recent Supreme Court appointee, Rubie Nottage, was a central figure in a 1989 U.S.. federal investigation into money laundering and racketeering. According to a U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman, Mrs. Nottage is still to this day considered a fugitive of justice in that jurisdiction. Considering the numerous inter-jurisdictional matters where the U.S. files for extradition of Bahamian citizens to answer charges of criminal activities involving that country, it begs the question of whether this appointment compromises rulings in such matters, while Mrs. Nottage sits on the bench, notwithstanding the obvious harm it does to the integrity of the Bahamian judiciary. As the government can claim that they are powerless to influence the judicial appointments of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, the prime minister himself will shortly be in a position to prevent Mrs. Nottage from serving as a justice of the Supreme Court beyond her 65th birthday in October of this year, when her application for an extension is placed on his desk. PEG remains hopeful that the prime minister will do the right thing by removing Mrs. Nottage from the bench she never should have occupied in the first place.
PEG is also alarmed and deeply saddened that our courts could have so callously handled the family of 2 year old Paul Gallagher, an innocent victim whom while sitting on Cabbage Beach was struck in the head by the propeller of an out-of-control motor boat in August of 2002. The boat belonged to Ski and Sea Ocean Sports and was unregistered, unlicensed and uninsured. By operating on the beach behind The Atlantis property, this tacitly implied that the boat belonged to an approved operator contracted to do business with vacationers of the nearby resort. PEG questions how Acting Justice Elliot Lockhart could submit a ruling that the owner and operators of the boat had no case to answer, leaving the parents and family to grieve further at the prospect that this nation’s court system could suggest that no one was accountable or responsible for the death of their precious child? Could little Paul’s life have meant so little that no one needs to be held accountable for his death? What could have factored into this outrageous and embarrassing ruling, and will justice in this case continue to be denied?
Case Study: The Sea Hauler and Paul Gallagher Accidents vs. The Chalks Crash
The August 2003 tragedy involving the collision of the motor vessels Sea Hauler and The United Star, resulting in the deaths of 4 passengers of the Sea Hauler, and mutilation of numerous others, raises further very serious questions about the legal system here in The Bahamas. Five years later, the victims of the accident have yet to have their cases heard in our courts, have had difficulty securing legal representation, and there have been no efforts by The Bahamas Attorney General’s Office to prosecute the owners of these vessels for operating without insurance in the event of a catastrophic accident. As the victims and the families of the deceased have languished for the past 6 years without any recourse, and following protests and cries from many quarters in our society, government has offered to put closure to this matter by offering them a $1 million ex gratia payment.
Howver, by using monies from The Bahamas government's treasury to compensate these persons, this implies that The Bahamas Government and, by extension, the Bahamian taxpayer were culpable in this matter. Instead of making a sincere effort to help these persons by pushing this matter through the courts, government it seems, following some protests by the recipients stemming from the size of their individual payments, has decided to label these victims in the court of public opinion as being ungrateful, robbing them of the public sympathy that they rightfully deserve. The Bahamian media is complicit in this saga, as they refuse to press government for an explanation as to why taxpayer dollars aren’t instead being used to bring the owners of the motor vessels before our nation’s courts to answer charges of negligence in this matter, instead leaving the victims and their families to fend for themselves in finding legal counsel.
Even though the Gallaghers had the strength of the British media and government to pressure their case through the Bahamian courts, they too have been denied any form of redress. Cases appear to be intentionally slowed in this nation’s court system to frustrate and disillusion those who entrust it to uphold the principles of accountability and justice. This while the families of those Bahamians who died on the Chalk's Ocean Airways plane crash in December, 2005, reached legal settlements with the company based in the United States , less than one year following that tragic accident. PEG wonders whether the Bahamian government would have stepped in had Chalks failed to settle that matter, and whether Bahamians could have expected the same kind of response from an airline that was Bahamian owned and operated.
Not only has the government not seen fit to hold the boat owners accountable, but we believe that their response to the Sea Hauler trajedy has set a dangerous precedent that can be followed by the Gallaghers and any others injured or killed while vacationing or travelling here in The Bahamas.
Our country is adrift, much like the out-of-control boat that killed young Paul, and we must take the necessary steps to get it under control and back on course to avert catastrophic consequences. The People for Ethics in Government is a public watchdog group that seeks to hold government and all public officials to high ethical standards and the principles of integrity and accountability. We do not wish for The Bahamas to be mired in a cesspool of corruption and injustice, which will jeopardize the future prospects of this country that we hold so dear.
PEG.
Where is Our Country Headed?!
The People for Ethics in Government believes that the alarm must be sounded. The Bahamas is on the verge of being labeled as being morally and ethically bankrupt, while our government stands idly by and in some cases appears complicit in facilitating an environment where corruption is endemic.
Police Brutality
The Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) is increasingly riddled by charges of police brutality and the use of excessive force that make it practically impossible for Bahamians, especially the economically disenfranchised, to view them as protectors of law and order, but rather as adversaries who operate as though they are above the law.
The following incidents all occurred during the past 12 months:
1). The restraint of an unarmed psychiatric patient in the Rand Memorial Hospital, who was shot in the neck and killed while being subdued by two police officers.
2). The shooting death of an unarmed civilian, Aschal Dion Rolle in Bimini, by an off-duty police officer, that resulted in rioting and destruction of police and government property.
3). The shooting death of an unarmed resident, “Peanut” Strachan in the back, while other officers are reported to have urged his shooting as horrified onlookers watched in shock.
4). The shooting death of an unarmed club patron in Andros , by an off-duty police officer.
5).. The beating death of Desmond Key by two police officers, while in police custody at the Wulff Road Police Station.
PEG is concerned that the continued blatant abuse of police power by a few unfit and undeserving officers of the RBPF is a threat not only to the Bahamian people, but the good men and women who form the majority of those serving on our police force, causing further deterioration in the relationship between civilians and the police, undermining their efforts to tackle this nation’s growing crime problem.
Illegal Gambling
In February of this year, the prime minister bemoaned in the House of assembly that the RBPF seems powerless to enforce the gambling laws of The Bahamas, referring to the popularity of illegal “web shops”, and stated that consideration needs to be given to legalizing the numbers racket. He also named the locations of illegal gaming houses where slot machines are played by Bahamians. Some 3 months later, there have been no reports of attempts by government or the police to shut down these illegal operations, whose locations are known to even the prime minister, reinforcing the view that there is apparently no will on the part of government or law enforcement to enforce the gambling laws of this country. This sends a very bad message to both the criminals and law abiding citizens of The Bahamas that the government has adopted a defeatist attitude, and is resigned to losing the war against criminality in this country.
The Judiciary
A recent Supreme Court appointee, Rubie Nottage, was a central figure in a 1989 U.S.. federal investigation into money laundering and racketeering. According to a U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman, Mrs. Nottage is still to this day considered a fugitive of justice in that jurisdiction. Considering the numerous inter-jurisdictional matters where the U.S. files for extradition of Bahamian citizens to answer charges of criminal activities involving that country, it begs the question of whether this appointment compromises rulings in such matters, while Mrs. Nottage sits on the bench, notwithstanding the obvious harm it does to the integrity of the Bahamian judiciary. As the government can claim that they are powerless to influence the judicial appointments of the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, the prime minister himself will shortly be in a position to prevent Mrs. Nottage from serving as a justice of the Supreme Court beyond her 65th birthday in October of this year, when her application for an extension is placed on his desk. PEG remains hopeful that the prime minister will do the right thing by removing Mrs. Nottage from the bench she never should have occupied in the first place.
PEG is also alarmed and deeply saddened that our courts could have so callously handled the family of 2 year old Paul Gallagher, an innocent victim whom while sitting on Cabbage Beach was struck in the head by the propeller of an out-of-control motor boat in August of 2002. The boat belonged to Ski and Sea Ocean Sports and was unregistered, unlicensed and uninsured. By operating on the beach behind The Atlantis property, this tacitly implied that the boat belonged to an approved operator contracted to do business with vacationers of the nearby resort. PEG questions how Acting Justice Elliot Lockhart could submit a ruling that the owner and operators of the boat had no case to answer, leaving the parents and family to grieve further at the prospect that this nation’s court system could suggest that no one was accountable or responsible for the death of their precious child? Could little Paul’s life have meant so little that no one needs to be held accountable for his death? What could have factored into this outrageous and embarrassing ruling, and will justice in this case continue to be denied?
Case Study: The Sea Hauler and Paul Gallagher Accidents vs. The Chalks Crash
The August 2003 tragedy involving the collision of the motor vessels Sea Hauler and The United Star, resulting in the deaths of 4 passengers of the Sea Hauler, and mutilation of numerous others, raises further very serious questions about the legal system here in The Bahamas. Five years later, the victims of the accident have yet to have their cases heard in our courts, have had difficulty securing legal representation, and there have been no efforts by The Bahamas Attorney General’s Office to prosecute the owners of these vessels for operating without insurance in the event of a catastrophic accident. As the victims and the families of the deceased have languished for the past 6 years without any recourse, and following protests and cries from many quarters in our society, government has offered to put closure to this matter by offering them a $1 million ex gratia payment.
Howver, by using monies from The Bahamas government's treasury to compensate these persons, this implies that The Bahamas Government and, by extension, the Bahamian taxpayer were culpable in this matter. Instead of making a sincere effort to help these persons by pushing this matter through the courts, government it seems, following some protests by the recipients stemming from the size of their individual payments, has decided to label these victims in the court of public opinion as being ungrateful, robbing them of the public sympathy that they rightfully deserve. The Bahamian media is complicit in this saga, as they refuse to press government for an explanation as to why taxpayer dollars aren’t instead being used to bring the owners of the motor vessels before our nation’s courts to answer charges of negligence in this matter, instead leaving the victims and their families to fend for themselves in finding legal counsel.
Even though the Gallaghers had the strength of the British media and government to pressure their case through the Bahamian courts, they too have been denied any form of redress. Cases appear to be intentionally slowed in this nation’s court system to frustrate and disillusion those who entrust it to uphold the principles of accountability and justice. This while the families of those Bahamians who died on the Chalk's Ocean Airways plane crash in December, 2005, reached legal settlements with the company based in the United States , less than one year following that tragic accident. PEG wonders whether the Bahamian government would have stepped in had Chalks failed to settle that matter, and whether Bahamians could have expected the same kind of response from an airline that was Bahamian owned and operated.
Not only has the government not seen fit to hold the boat owners accountable, but we believe that their response to the Sea Hauler trajedy has set a dangerous precedent that can be followed by the Gallaghers and any others injured or killed while vacationing or travelling here in The Bahamas.
Our country is adrift, much like the out-of-control boat that killed young Paul, and we must take the necessary steps to get it under control and back on course to avert catastrophic consequences. The People for Ethics in Government is a public watchdog group that seeks to hold government and all public officials to high ethical standards and the principles of integrity and accountability. We do not wish for The Bahamas to be mired in a cesspool of corruption and injustice, which will jeopardize the future prospects of this country that we hold so dear.
PEG.