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FRIDAY - NOVEMBER 23RD, 2018

A L L T H E N E W S Y O U N E E D T O R E A D I N T H E M O R N I N G

Swine Flu CasesEmerge MINISTER ENCOURAGES

WIDESPREAD VACCINATIONS

wo confirmedcases of swineflu and so farone death herein The

Bahamas have prompteda renewed call for resi-dents to be vaccinated.

The Health MinisterDr. Duane Sands saidsome Bahamians arereluctant to do so, whennearly half of the popula-tion should, when welook at individuals suchas health care workers,young daycare providers,children, people thatinteract with children lessthan five years of age, theelderly,” he said.

The Minister added tothe list “people that havechronic non-communica-ble diseases, heart dis-ease, kidney failure, liver

BY JAMEELHA MISSICKJournal Staff Writer D’Aguilar: Bahamas

Developing Reputationfor World-Class ServiceThe Bahamas is well onits way to developing areputation as a destinationwith superb, outstanding,world-class service,”Minister of Tourism andAviation, the Hon.Dionisio D’Aguilar said.

Addressing TheBahamas’ Ministry ofTourism and Aviation’sService of Thanksgivingheld at Christ ChurchCathedral yesterday,Minister D’Aguilar saidthe delivery of world-class service is to becomethe key trait, the hall-mark, of The Bahamasvacation experience.

4 Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar (File photo)g See D’AGUILAR / page 2...g See SWINE / page 2...

Damesresponds tocall for hisresignationNational SecurityMinister Marvin Dameshas responded to anonline petition whichcalled for his resignationin the wake of what somebelieve was negligenceon the part of Police andDefence Force personnel.

The criticism of the

Minister arose as a resultof the initial search andrescue efforts for missingpilot Byron Ferguson.The Minister indicatedthat no flight plan wasfiled in the incident and itwas later confirmed hewas incorrect.

The Minister toldreporters yesterday that he

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See DAMES / page 2...

TT

4 National Security Minister, Marvin Dames (File photo)

Western Air adds 50 seater jets

Western Air - the largestprivately owned local air-line in the country, hascompleted the BahamasCivil Aviation Authority’scertificate process and is

now adding 50 seater jetsto its services.

These new jets arepowered by Rolls Royceadvanced high efficiencyengines and have the abil-ity to fly to international

BY BERTHONY MCDERMOTTJournal Staff Writer

g See WESTERN / page 8...

Organic lettuce farmerencourages buying locally

A local farmer says thereis no need for alarm overthe recall of romaine let-tuce; that is, once con-sumers purchase homegrown organically pro-

duced greens.“The recall refers to the

imported lettuce, the let-tuce produced in NorthAmerica and I highly,strongly, encourage allconsumers to follow thedirections of discardingthat product,” said Field

to Fork Owner, Dr. SelimaHauber.

“We do not want totake the risk of becomingill by the E. coli bacteria,”she added.

“However, there are anumber of farmers myselfincluded, locally, who are

growing romaine.“Here at Field to Fork,

we use sustainable organ-ic methods and I know forsure that BAIC is alsomarketing lettuce byfarmers throughout the

BY JAMEELHA MISSICKJournal Staff Writer

g See ORGANIC / page 4...

Tourism’s marketing strategy bearing fruit for Family Island destinations

The Ministry of Tourism’smarketing strategy of pro-moting The Bahamas as a16-island destination isyielding the desiredresults of creating a dis-tinct brand identity forindividual islands of theFamily Islands of TheBahamas.

The resulting impact

has been a “whopping” 20per cent increase in visitorarrivals to the FamilyIslands between Januaryand August of 2018 whencompared to the sametime period last year.

An added benefit of thestrategy, Tourism officialsreport, has been anincrease in investor confi-

dence in The Bahamasthat is “evidenced by adeeper stake in our desti-nation being secured bythe leading cruise lines;the construction of bou-tique resorts throughoutour islands; the buildingand expansion of marinasand the coming on streamof a whole gamut of new

touristic offerings.”Addressing a Service

of Thanksgiving for man-agement and staff of TheBahamas’ Ministry ofTourism and Aviation atChrist Church Cathedral,Thursday, November 22,2018, Minister of Tourism

g See TOURISM / page 8...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 11/22/2018 11:33 PM Page 1

A2 NationalNEWSThe Bahama Journal

Friday - November 23rd, 2018

Swine Flu Cases Emergedisease, neurologic prob-lems, blood or metabolicdisorders including dia-betes, people who haveHIV, or are otherwiseimmunosuppressed. Inaddition, people who areon steroids, pregnantwomen, people that livein nursing homes or otherchronic care facilities,

people with extreme obe-sity.

“Which when we’retalking about TheBahamas, we’re talkingabout a significant part ofof our population with aBM greater than 40,” hesaid.

The minister said theflu vaccination has proveneffective.

“The vaccine probablyreduces your risk by about

40-60 per cent; it doesn’teliminate it, but it isthought that for thosestrains of flu that are in thevaccine, that if you wereto still get them, that youwould get a milder formof influenza,” he said.

“And if you look at thenumber of people whodie every year frominfluenza around theworld, there are thou-sands of people who die

from influenza.”According to the

Health Minister, 80,000people died from influen-za in the U.S in 2017-2018.

However, Dr. Sandssaid it’s a bit difficult tosay what that figure islocally, considering suchdeaths are given thebroad term pneumonia.

“In the private sector,a number of times people

will have the test forinfluenza done, whenthey present to hospitalwith pneumonia.

“In the public sector,we don’t have the samecapacity. Now you cansay we ought to have thecapacity, but the truth iswe don’t,” he said.

Swine flu symptomsinclude a cough, fever,sore throat, stuff or runnynose, body aches,

headache, chills andfatigue.

In terms of the vacci-nation, and an age limit,Dr. Sands said every onesix months and oldershould get it, every fluseason.

The flu vaccination isavailable at all publicclinics at no charge.

The minister said heplans to get his, thisweekend.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

Dames responds to call for his resignationdoesn’t understand whypersons made the call forhis dismissal, but that theyhave a right to do as theychoose.

“I am currently theMinister of NationalSecurity, I am a Bahamianand I take my job very

seriously. “Every day I wake up,

seven days a week and Igive it my best to ensurethat Bahamians are safe,that they are protected, thatlaw enforcement especial-ly the Police and DefenceForce and those at theCorrections Departmentare doing their jobs to pro-

tect Bahamians.“My record is clear. I

am very transparent and Iam very open in every-thing I do. This is mycountry and I am going todo whatever I have towithin the framework ofthe law to ensure that thisis the safest and the bestlittle country on earth,” he

said. Meantime search efforts

continued yesterday forthe pilot. Head of DiveOperations of the DefenseForce Commander ShonePinder said even thoughnothing substantial hasbeen found, there are nosigns of the investigationcoming to an end anytime

soon.“From my knowledge

and from my historicalexperience, I find thatthese investigations can goon for some time and canextend from 18 months toup to two years.

“They take a while,because based on evidenceand because a lot of it is

also predicated on teststhat have to be done withthat evidence and thedebris that is found, then aconclusion has to be drawnfrom that,” he said.

Captain Ferguson’slightweight aircraft wentdown now two weeks agoin waters near NirvanaBeach.

D’Aguilar: Bahamas DevelopingReputation for World-Class Service

Minister D’Aguilarsaid while the tourismcompetition in the regionand the international mar-ketplace is “stiff andrelentless,” Bahamiantourism officials have awell-defined plan to stayahead of the competition.

“Team Tourism, wecannot slack our ride. The

tourism competition inthe region and in theinternational marketplaceis stiff and relentless. As aleading tourism destina-tion in our region, wehave set a goal for our-selves. And as yourMinister of Tourism, I amasking each of you, mem-bers of Team Tourism, tocommit to this goal. FromBimini in the north and to

Inagua in the south, I askeach of my fellowBahamians who work inthe tourism and hospitali-ty industry to commit tothis goal.”

Minister D’Aguilarsaid the training and con-tinuous training of staff inthe area of customer serv-ice will be key to thatplan. He encouraged“management throughout

the tourism enterprise” tocommit to the continuoustraining of staff in the areaof customer service. Hesaid Bahamahost, thecountry’s national signa-ture industry training pro-gramme, has been recent-ly re-branded.

“Our goal is to see allpersons working in ourtourism industry becomecertified Bahamahost

Ambassadors.”Minister D’Aguilar

said the Education andTraining Department ofthe Ministry of Tourismoffers a suite of trainingprogrammes of whichmanagement of tourism-related establishments canavail themselves.

“Training and continu-ous training is the vehiclethat will take us to first

class service,” MinisterD’Aguilar said. “Today isa day we render thanks.We render thanks for ourcurrent blessings and forthe blessings that the Lordis about to unleash. Inbringing blessings intothe lives of His people,God has always requiredtheir cooperation. He hasalways asked them to dotheir part.”

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

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Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 11/22/2018 11:33 PM Page 2

A3The Bahama Journal

Friday - November 23rd, 2018NationalNEWS

National Spor ts Hall of Fame 2018Inductees Visited the House of Assembly

4 National Sports Hall of Fame 2018 inductees visited the House of Assembly, on November 21, 2018, as part of National Sports Month activities. Speaker of theHouse of Assembly the Hon. Halson Moultrie recognized the group and they received special accolades from Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Hubert Minnis, Leaderof the Opposition the Hon. Philip Davis, and Members of Parliament Shonell Ferguson and Glenys Hanna Martin. The Induction Ceremony for this year's class will

be held on Friday, November 23, 2018, at Government House. (BIS Photos / Eric Rose)

BAMSI to partner withCentral State University

Discussions are currentlybeing held that could posi-tion BAMSI and the widerBahamas as a regional hubfor research studies acrossthe agricultural andmarine landscapes,Minister of Agricultureand Marine ResourcesMichael Pintard said onFriday, adding that hisoffice is pursuing severalavenues that could lead toincreased financial sup-port for Bahamian farmersand fishers. Theannouncement came dur-ing a meeting between theBahamas Agriculture andMarine Science Institute(BAMSI) and CentralState University (CSU) todiscuss the possibility offorming a partnership andthe signing of aMemorandum ofUnderstanding that couldradically change thedynamic of agriculturalstudies, research, sectormanagement and fundingfor both bodies.

“We are interested inbeing the hub for theregion where a variety ofstudies are taking place on

livestock, life sciences,and marine science, etc.,so as you apply for grants,we would welcome a part-nership where some ofthose studies can be con-ducted here particularly ontropical varieties, whetherits crops, small ruminantsand livestock that thrive inthis region,” Mr. Pintardsaid.The minister also identi-fied two programs hehoped the Bahamas couldbenefit from with the sup-port of CSU. The first is alucrative insurance initia-tive offered through stateand federal agencies thatprovides crop insuranceup to 60 percent andincome support programsto farmers. He proposedthat CSU could assist, interms of helping to outlinea similar plan forBahamian farmers andfishers, and also serving asa bridge to possiblesources of funding andgrant issuing agencies.

A second US initiativeprovides AfricanAmerican male andfemale farmers with up to

90 percent in subsidies forcertain inputs, such asseeds, soil amendmentsand pesticides. Mr Pintardindicated his desire towork with Central State tosee whether joint commer-cial enterprises betweenBahamians and AfricanAmerican farmers couldbenefit from the subsidies.

“Can we do some jointventures where that istransferable, if you havefarmers who are trying toget a greater market sharein Ohio to collaborate withBAMSI in a commercialenterprise here in theBahamas and the sharethat they get is transferableto the Bahamas?”Joining the minister whereParliamentary Secretary tothe Ministry ofAgriculture and MarineResources CarltonBowleg. Senior membersof BAMSI were also onhand, including Presidentand Chairman of theBoard Tennyson Wells andExecutive Director DrRaveenia Roberts-Hanna.Jahan Culbreath, vicepresident, Division of

Institutional Advancementand Athletics saidBahamian students arealready well integratedthroughout Central State’scampus, from athleticteams and band to clubsand other activities. “Wewant to expand that to ouragriculture program. Wewant to be able to havesome of the students fromBAMSI to matriculate toCentral State with an easytransition. My hope is thatwe can form the MOU andthen get our ag people totalk to your ag people andreally get down into theweeds and figure out whatwe can connect with.”

Mr. Culbreath said thatthey were not just interest-ed in taking on graduates,but also supporting currentstudents who were lookingfor internship opportuni-ties and going forwardbecoming sister schoolswhere each organizationcan help the other to grow.“It’s not just students ben-efitting, but even possiblysome internships with stu-dents coming and learn-ing. We have a whole dif-

ferent set of agriculturethat we look at like soyand wheat, then our kidscan come and learn hereand we can even have afaculty exchange. Thiscould be really wonderfuland kind of endless.”

While in the Bahamas,the CSU group visited 17schools on three islands,Grand Bahama, Androsand New Providence dur-ing their visit. He alsoshared that CSU, whichsits on 650 acres inWilberforce, Ohio and iscurrently expanding intoaquaponics, is the mostaffordable university inthe state and the third mostaffordable in the entireUSA.

Almost 100 Bahamianscurrently attend CentralState University with acumulative GPA of 3.7,making them the strongestacademic cohort on cam-pus. The university has aMemorandum ofUnderstanding with theBahamas Ministry ofEducation which provides30 scholarships to promis-ing graduating seniors, at a

rate of $10,000 for stu-dents from public schoolsand $7.500 for studentsfrom private schools. CSUprovides the rest for a totalof $16,000. This mostrecent trip underscoresCSU’s commitment tobroadening its academicreach in the nation throughpartnerships with BAMSIand other educationalinstitutions.

BAMSI, which offersfive associate degree pro-grams, including agricul-ture and marine science,along with online and cer-tificate courses, currentlyhas a Memorandum ofUnderstanding withnumerous internationaluniversities including, theUniversity of Florida,University of Miami,Hocking College,University of the Ozarks,and Ocean University inChina. Representatives fromCentral State are expectedto return to the Bahamasin February for further dis-cussions, with a Bahamiancontingent visiting theOhio facility later in 2019.

4 Pictured from left are Central State University (CSU) Director, Athletics and Recreation Tara Owens, CSU’s International Recruiter Kim Hannah, CSU’s Vice President,Division of Institutional Advancement and Athletics Jahan Culbreath; Chairman of the Board and President of The Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science Institute(BAMSI) Tennyson Wells, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources

Carlton Bowleg, Executive Director of BAMSI Dr. Raveenia Roberts Hanna and CSU’s Vice President, Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dr.Sherrance Russell

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 11/22/2018 11:33 PM Page 3

A4 The Bahama Journal

Friday - November 23rd, 2018 NationalNEWS

SUNSHINE INSURANCE RACE WEEKEND COMES ALIVThe mobile giant, whichhas proven itself to be aconsistent supporter ofsports and health-relatedinitiatives, has partneredwith the award-winningSunshine Insurance RaceWeekend (SIRW), for asecond year in a row as aPlatinum sponsor.

Race Weekend, whichincludes MarathonBahamas and the breastcancer-themed, Susan G.Komen Bahamas Racefor the Cure, takes placeover a two-day weekendand is scheduled forJanuary 19-20, 2019.

Sasha Lightbourne,ALIV Media Champion,said the companybelieves in giving back tothe community and par-ticipating in events thatgive monetary donationsto charities and morespecifically has a focuson breast cancer.

“So many of us havebeen affected by breastcancer – ALIV employ-ees and customersincluded. So we want toshow that we care and wewant to do that in a

meaningful way. Thissponsorship allows us todo that as we pride our-selves on being morethan a mobile telecom-munications company,”said Lightbourne.

According toLightbourne, ALIVappreciates its placewithin the Bahamiancommunity.

Additionally, the com-pany will have anywherefrom 10-15 persons par-ticipating in the races inJanuary, including ChiefALIV Officer DamianBlackburn.

“We always participatein the Susan G. KomenBahamas Race for theCure,” said Lightbourne.“Our customers live andwork here, so it is onlyfitting that we support aninitiative that assists thecountry in so many ways.It is an excellent exampleof corporate citizenry.”

Marathon Bahamaswill be celebrating its10th anniversary inJanuary. The Susan G.Komen Bahamas Racefor the Cure 5K, which

honors breast cancer sur-vivors from throughoutthe country, will mark itsninth anniversary.

This year, RaceWeekend doubled itsyearly donation to$100,000. Four localcharities split the pro-

ceeds.Race Weekend

Marketing & PublicRelations Chairpersonsaid her organization isgrateful to ALIV for itscontribution.

“We don’t take ALIV’ssponsorship for granted,

particularly in this eco-nomic climate with somany companies scalingback. We appreciateALIV on so many levels.The company is genuine-ly committed and excitedto assist us. We can feel itwhen we talk to them.They are always lookingfor ways to be involvedand that type of buy in isalways welcome,” shesaid.

“We are especiallythankful for their spon-sorship of our middleschool program, OrangeNation. They continue todemonstrate their compa-ny’s commitment to thenation’s youth.”

Lightbourne said whileALIV’s slogan is“Believe In Best”, thecompany believesSunshine Insurance isdoing its best to put TheBahamas on the map as amarathon destination aswell as by doing its partto fight breast cancer.

“With ALIV support-ing such an initiative, ourcustomers can see us giveback and join in the give-

back as well. Everyonewill benefit. As statedbefore, so many areaffected by breast cancerin The Bahamas and sothis kind of event has agreat impact on the com-munity and we simplywant to do our part tohelp,” she said.

Additional RaceWeekend sponsorsinclude the BahamasMinistry of Tourism,Atlantis Paradise Island,F o c o l ,B a h ama sLo c a l . c om ,REV, Dasani, NAD,Sawyers Fresh Market,Conch Boy Films andmany others.

Beneficiaries includethe Cancer Society of TheBahamas, the PrincessMargaret HospitalFoundation, Sister SisterBreast Cancer SupportGroup and the CancerSociety of GrandBahama.

To register forMarathon Bahamas, visitwww.marathonbahamas.com. To register for SusanG. Komen, visitwww.komenbahamas.org

4 Sasha Lightbourne, ALIV Media Champion

Organic lettuce farmer encourages buying locallycountry, romaine that is.”

As the horticulturistreminded, there are bene-fits of buying locally.

“The benefit of buyinglocally is being able to

look at the producer eye toeye and ask direct ques-tions as to how they aregrowing their product,”she said.

“Being a nation depend-ing heavily on importedfood, over $500million

dollars in imported foodannually, we don’t havethe direct access to thepeople who are growingthis food, so we are inquite a vulnerable situa-tion.

“However, if you shift

your shopping practicesand choose to support localgrowers, you are able totalk to the farmer face toface, ask how they’regrowing their product anddefinitely satisfy questionsyou may have as to how

your food is being pro-duced,” she said.

Dr. Hauber encouragedconsumers to shop locally.

“Please support yourlocal farmers, it’s veryimportant that the con-sumer supports the farmer

as often as they can toensure that we can stay inbusiness to provide betterquality food.”

Field to Fork harvestsromaine lettuce on a week-ly basis - 75 to 100 headsper week.

gg Continued from / PAGE 1...

Section A REGULAR_Section A Tues 11/22/2018 11:33 PM Page 4

A5The Bahama Journal

Friday - November 23rd, 2018EditorialNEWS

E D I T O R I A L

The Bahama Journal Is An Independent Newspaper - Published Week Days By The Communicators & Associates In Affiliation With Jones Communications Ltd.

University Drive - P.O. Box N-8610Telephone: 242-325-3082 - Fax: 242-356-7256

Kimaley P. JonesVice President/Operations

Wendall K. Jones Publisher/Chief Executive Officer

Thanksgiving & Praise

What follows is but a reminder concerningThanksgiving [as practiced] in the UnitedStates of America.

Washington, D.C.October 3, 1863By the President of the United States ofAmerica.A Proclamation.

Nota Bene: The document below setsapart the last Thursday of November "as aday of Thanksgiving and Praise." Accordingto an April 1, 1864, letter from JohnNicolay, one of President Lincoln's secre-taries, this document was written bySecretary of State William Seward, and theoriginal was in his handwriting. On October3, 1863, fellow Cabinet member GideonWelles recorded in his diary how he compli-mented Seward on his work. A year later themanuscript was sold to benefit Uniontroops.

“The year that is drawing towards itsclose, has been filled with the blessings offruitful fields and healthful skies. To thesebounties, which are so constantly enjoyedthat we are prone to forget the source fromwhich they come, others have been added,which are of so extraordinary a nature, thatthey cannot fail to penetrate and soften eventhe heart which is habitually insensible tothe ever watchful providence of AlmightyGod.

“In the midst of a civil war of unequalledmagnitude and severity, which has some-times seemed to foreign States to invite andto provoke their aggression, peace has beenpreserved with all nations, order has beenmaintained, the laws have been respectedand obeyed, and harmony has prevailedeverywhere except in the theatre of militaryconflict; while that theatre has been greatlycontracted by the advancing armies andnavies of the Union.

“Needful diversions of wealth and ofstrength from the fields of peaceful industryto the national defence, have not arrestedthe plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axehas enlarged the borders of our settlements,and the mines, as well of iron and coal as ofthe precious metals, have yielded even moreabundantly than heretofore. Population has

steadily increased, notwithstanding thewaste that has been made in the camp, thesiege and the battle-field; and the country,rejoicing in the consciousness of augmentedstrength and vigor, is permitted to expectcontinuance of years with large increase offreedom.

“No human counsel hath devised nor hathany mortal hand worked out these greatthings. They are the gracious gifts of theMost High God, who, while dealing with usin anger for our sins, hath neverthelessremembered mercy.

“It has seemed to me fit and proper thatthey should be solemnly, reverently andgratefully acknowledged as with one heartand one voice by the whole AmericanPeople.

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizensin every part of the United States, and alsothose who are at sea and those who aresojourning in foreign lands, to set apart andobserve the last Thursday of Novembernext, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise toour beneficent Father who dwelleth in theHeavens.

“And I recommend to them that whileoffering up the ascriptions justly due to Himfor such singular deliverances and bless-ings, they do also, with humble penitencefor our national perverseness and disobedi-ence, commend to His tender care all thosewho have become widows, orphans, mourn-ers or sufferers in the lamentable civil strifein which we are unavoidably engaged, andfervently implore the interposition of theAlmighty Hand to heal the wounds of thenation and to restore it as soon as may beconsistent with the Divine purposes to thefull enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquil-lity and Union.

“In testimony whereof, I have hereuntoset my hand and caused the Seal of theUnited States to be affixed.

“Done at the City of Washington, thisThird day of October, in the year of ourLord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the UnitedStates the Eighty-eighth. By the President:Abraham Lincoln.”

William H. Seward,Secretary of State

GOT NEWS?Please call The BahamaJournal’s News TIP LINE at 356-7254 and let us know!

The 2018 series salutes fashionmogul Peter Nygård’s GoldenJubilee detailing his rags to richesstory and incredible business suc-cess over these past fifty years.The Clifton Review will take aninside look at how he did it.

If you have struggled to get youremployees motivated to help youachieve your business goals, thenit is likely that your employeesdon’t feel like equals, don’t feelimportant, don’t feel valued or likeyou care about them.

Let’s look at the first three keyfactors in motivating employees towork toward business goals andthe role each plays:

Treating employees like•employee partners – nobody likes tofeel subservient to anyone else.Everyone is aware that the boss is theboss. Still, there are ways to be in con-trol without making others feel sub-servient. Subservience is not an overtsense, beyond organizational structures.It’s mainly an internal sense of things.So, how to get around it?

Here’s how fashion mogul Peter Nygardhas eliminated this sense of subserviencewithin his organization. Besides continuous-ly sharing his vision and always updating hisassociates on what’s going on on any newdirection for the company, Nygard invitesinput from every level within the company.Employees companywide are very clear thattheir input is welcomed.

This type of openness and welcoming ofinput make employees feel like their per-spective matters and feel like equals andimportant partners in the overall scheme ofthings. It creates the right foundation andsets the stage for high level performance.Why?

Because partners always feel a sharedsense of responsibility, and that is key to get-ting employees to work toward businessgoals. It’s an important start in the ‘motivat-ing process’.

Making them feel valued – Employees•don’t just want to be updated and giveinput. They want to know that theirwork efforts are appreciated and thatyou value their contributions.

One way Nygard makes his employeesfeel valued is in always communicating ‘mysuccess is because of you’; and he doesn’tjust say this; he demonstrates it with gifts of$10,000 to long-term employees.

When employees don’t feel valued, theywill not give high level performance as inthe example of the talented employee whofelt so undervalued that she refused to offersolutions to departmental problems that themanager was struggling with.

You may not be able to give employees

$10,000. However, you can set business goalmilestones where you celebrate with a pizzaparty; or you give out movie tickets to keyperformers.

You can get creative with how you cele-brate milestones, but celebrate you must.Because, it sends the message that you are cel-ebrating employees and their efforts, whichmakes them feel valued.

Keeping WIIFM in mind – ‘What’s in it•for me?’ You have to always remember,as with all humans and even executives,employees are always thinking “what’s init for me?”

Therefore, you must keep this in mind. AtNygard’s company, associates get time backwhen they work overtime on projects. Also,there is a company bonus structure whereemployees receive bonuses for their contribu-tions. They definitely feel like there is some-thing in it for them when they give morebecause the bonus is based on performance.

Something you can do in your companythat wouldn’t cost you too much is to letemployees take turns leaving early on non-busy days or during periods where you canafford having fewer staff at work. This is anunexpected treat that would make employeesfeel good about working at your companyespecially because it rarely happens in compa-nies. You could also tie this to performance ormilestone achievement.

Nygard has succeeded in motivating hisemployees to such an extent that a commonsentiment among his associates is that theydon’t feel like they are going to work. Theyfeel like they are going to be with family andto do something that they enjoy, which we’llexpound on next time.

Here’s the payoff in following in Nygard’sfootsteps: When employees feel valued fortheir contributions and feel like an importantpart of the organization, it makes them feel asense of responsibility in making things hap-pen. This sense of responsibility motivatesthem to work toward business goals in a farbigger way than they would if they didn’t feelvalued.

THE CLIFTON

By P. J. Malone

REVIEWThe Clifton Review is a bi-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires, the links to unsavory characters, the use of the courts for personal agendas, the involvement

of the Government opposition party (the FNM), and the attacks on the Government of The Bahamas.

MAKING NYGARD’SAPPROACH WORK

FOR YOU

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A6 The Bahama Journal

Friday - November 23rd, 2018 NationalNEWS

Freeport, the original anchor project...

Freeport, Grand Bahamawas the first “Anchor Project”ever conceived for TheBahamas. It remains themost ambitious in vision andscope, the most potentiallygame-changing for our econ-omy and the only one weever really needed in the firstplace. The Magic City wasdesigned to be an experi-mental economic space, acradle of ideas and inspira-tion where, cut loose fromthe cumbersome weight ofgovernment interference,enterprises of every conceiv-able size, shape and descrip-tion could flourish and noteven the sky would be thelimit. In the 1950s and early

60s, Freeport led an unri-valled economic boom, onethat likely would have per-sisted until today – constant-ly updating and reinventingitself in exciting new ways,continually welcoming freshideas and intrepid individualsfrom around the world – wereit not for the scourge of polit-ical interference. What wehave lost in terms of prosper-ity and progress for our peo-ple over the last 50 years,where we could have beentoday were it not for thesmall-minded bigotry of cer-tain politicians, is truly fright-ening to contemplate.

Killing economic freedom

The spectacular success ofthis open, free and dynamiceconomic experiment wasseen by the myopic PindlingAdministration as an existen-tial threat to its black nation-alist revolution. Shortly aftercoming to office, the PLPfound the Magic City guilty oftreason and sentenced it todeath. What were Freeport’s

crimes? That it was thebrainchild of the white UBPoligarchy, was negotiatedwith and executed by whiteforeigners, and hinged uponopening its doors to intrepid

foreigners with revolutionaryideas. From the beginning,insecurity, jealousy andsmall-mindedness guidedthe PLP in all their dealingswith Freeport. Crude racismand petty xenophobia blind-ed them to the enormousbenefit for the entireBahamas. Pindling and Co.could not wrap theirs headsaround such a daring con-cept, they were terrified of it,they were not in control of itand they could not corrupt it,so they decided to destroy it.The weapon they used, as

is so often the case, was theBahamas Department ofImmigration. Overnight, freemovement was halted. Allforeigners were made to begon bended knee to beallowed to enter, licence abusiness or own property.Those who were too inde-pendent or outspoken wereexiled, while the governmentseized control of all land usewith the ImmovableProperties Act. The iron fistof executive controldescended, smashing thefree exchange of people andideas. The energy anddynamism of Freeport driedup instantly. In the years since, subse-

quent PLP governments, aswell as those led by its off-shoot, the FNM, have donenothing to change this situa-tion. Meanwhile, over thedecades both parties haveapproved and given full sup-port to dozens of other proj-ects conceived and financedby foreigners across thelength and breadth of TheBahamas, because thesehave been small in scale andtherefore controllable andcorruptible by the politicalclass. Such projects howev-er, have proven far moreinsidious to our nationaleconomy and character thanFreeport could ever havebeen.

Anchor Projects

The term was coined by for-mer Prime Minister Perry

Christie for the Baha Marproject, which he announcedwould be the prototype for aseries of new mega resorts inall populated islands. Theidea was that these resortswould serve as “anchors” foreconomic activity, epicentresfrom which spinoff business-es in tourism and servicerelated industries could grow.Yet the fallacy of this conceptshould have been clear tothe Christie Administration,which had an instructiveexample just a few miles eastat the foot of the ParadiseIsland bridge. Once home toa vibrant array of shops,restaurants and other busi-nesses, this area of Nassauwas by then a ghost town –as was the vast majority ofParadise Island outside thegates of the Atlantis Resort.The truth is, far from sup-

porting the surrounding busi-ness community, a mega

resort inevitably sucks the airout it. The owners haveenough money to be able tooffer nearly every good andservice imaginable “inhouse”, hypnotising anddrawing in consumers, visit-ing and local alike. Certainly,these resorts provide manyjobs in a very limited range,but they also suffocate alldiversity and ingenuity out-side their walls. The fallout iseven more pronounced in theFamily Islands, where fragiletraditional cultures andprized environmental assetsare routinely sacrificed at thealtar of profit – the vastmajority of which is exportedby the foreign resort owners.

Smart environmentalism

My work in environmentalprotection will lead some tointerpret the above state-ment as evidence that Ioppose development.Nothing could be further fromthe truth. Environmentalists,myself included, know thatdevelopment must happen;what we oppose is a destruc-tive approach that sacrificesall that is good and worthpreserving across this beau-tiful and bountiful country atthe whim of the foreigndeveloper. Spreading anchor projects

across the length andbreadth of The Bahamasmeans the environmentalfallout from accidents or irre-sponsible development prac-tices, and the economic fall-out should such projects fail,is equally widespread and nocommunity is safe. A diktatcomes down from Nassauthat your island is next, andsuddenly life as you know itis over and you have nomore say in your own futureor that of your children.

If development must hap-pen, and developmentcomes with risks, surely itmakes sense to concentratethat risk in one place so as tobetter preserve the rest ofthe country for future genera-tions. This is precisely theidea behind Freeport – an“anchor” tethering all large-scale industrial, touristic,agricultural and residentialactivity and the associatedrisks to a single location,thus allowing the rest of TheBahamas to be spared, evenas we enjoy the fruits ofFreeport’s bounty.If we must build mega

resorts, mammoth cruiseports and industrial facilities,what better place could therebe than a city already fittedwith amazing, world-classinfrastructure, tailor made forlarge-scale developmentsand just a stone’s throw fromthe United States? Many ofthe developments I have bit-terly opposed over the yearswould have received enthusi-astic welcome from myselfand other environmentalistshad they been envisioned forFreeport.

Planned development

This is not to suggest a free-for-all. Developers must stillmake a case for their project,show why it is beneficial toBahamians and does notunduly put the environmentat risk. The Oban oil refinery– a reckless proposal withpotentially disastrous reper-cussions for the ecology ofthe entire Bahamas – shouldbe rejected in Freeport oranywhere else. A project likeCarnival’s proposed cruiseport ( not in our pristine EastGB, but perhaps withinFreeport), on the other hand,could be problematic else-where but is perfect for theMagic City.The evidence has shown

time and again that if wedon’t have a national devel-opment plan for our owncountry, foreign companieswill make one for us that willnot be in our best interests.The Planning andSubdivision Act calls for aland use plan for each islandbut this is routinely ignoredby government. ThankfullyFreeport, under theHawksbill Creek Agreement,already has such a plan andit covers virtually every typeof development imaginable.All that needs to be done isfor this plan to be promotedby the powers that be, allow-ing the Freeport to flourishonce again.

Immigration reform

Our government remains inthe grip of a blinkered, anxi-ety-driven effort to keep the“invaders” out of Freeport atall costs. Instead, it shouldfocus once again on attract-ing cutting-edge industriesand experts in the greatestnumber possible. Were inno-

vative minds in emergingfields such as artificial intelli-gence, robotics, nano-tech-nology, renewable energy,biomedical industries, bioin-formatics and analytics invit-ed to take part in our auda-cious economic experimentin the north, The Bahamaswould benefit tremendouslyfrom both the technologyitself and the cutting-edgeskills transfer to Bahamians.In particular, a skills boost toindustries such as renewableenergy and public sectortechnology could helpaddress some of the keydevelopment issues facingthe Bahamas today.If the government must

give incentives and conces-sions and roll out the red car-pet for foreign entities, thebeneficiaries should be theinnovative and groundbreak-ing individuals and compa-nies of the future, not thestagnant old barons of amega resort model. Freeportcould easily become theheadquarters for numeroushigh-tech companies and atthe same time home to themost daring and audacioustourism spectacles imagina-ble, the playground for theever-growing Florida econo-my and an attraction to visi-tors from around the world.

A little vision

The vast potential ofFreeport is still there, per-haps now more than ever,and if Bahamians have thecourage to harness it, wecould revolutionise this econ-omy while in a single stroke,ushering in a new era ofenlightened environmentalprotection and culturalpreservation across thelength and breadth of TheBahamas. With a little vision,this could become a countryof two national hubs – two“Anchors” – one political theother industrial, two centresof employment and opportu-nity, two paths to successand empowerment for eachand every Bahamian tochoose from.The benefits for Grand

Bahama’s struggling andneglected population will fol-low in droves. The nation’ssecond city would finallyflourish, even drawingemployment-hungry peoplefrom New Providence, thushelping alleviate the capital’sown underemployment andoverpopulation issues. Witha little vision, Freeport couldbecome home to the mostdaring and audacioustourism spectacles imagina-ble, attracting amazed visi-tors from around the world.With a little courage, and amore liberal immigration poli-cy that welcomes gifted for-eigner experts, it couldbecome home to a host ofcutting-edge technologies –the Silicon Valley of theAntilles. What on earth arewe waiting for?

BY FREDERICK SMITH QC

OPEN THE IMMIGRATION DOORS AND LET THE BOOM TIMES ROLL!

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