Police Gifts, the Nassau Port, and Internet Regulation - It's the Silly Season

by Larry Smith

We know it's the silly season, but that doesn't mean that big grown men in very senior and super responsible positions should suddenly take leave of their senses.

I mean, what was Assistant Police Commissioner Ellison Greenslade's brain on when he publicly accepted gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars just for being transferred from Freeport to Nassau. A few more transfers like that and Greenslade could retire comfortably without even touching his pension.

And what were his fellow police officers (who allegedly provided the gifts) thinking when they pulled out their wallets to buy a luxury car, his and her Rolex watches, and an expensive pair of cell phones for their ex-boss. Or did they 'solicit' the gifts from grateful businessmen?

Just before the election, we were hearing that police officers were underpaid and overworked. But apparently those in Freeport either have plenty of extra cash to buy luxury goods, or plenty of free time to solicit them. Too bad Greenslade wasn't also a reverend - he could probably have received a vacation villa to boot.

And then, after accepting the gifts, Greenslade and others have the astounding lack of judgement to actually offer a public defense. How can a senior police officer justify accepting such valuable gifts for simply doing a job? The whole episode is weirdly reminiscent of the time when Sir Lynden Pindling was presented with a Rolls Royce from "PLP supporters", as well as $16,000 in $100 bills from his poor South Andros constituents, just for being prime minister.

And if Greenslade couldn't figure out by himself whether or not to accept such gifts, all he had to do was Google the question "should police officers accept valuable gifts?". He would have found hundreds of pages of advice on the subject from all over the world.

*********
Transformation is a big word, both in the number of letters it has and what it takes to achieve it in the real world.

And the transformation of Nassau is apparently a very big deal indeed for our power brokers, even though we are losing cruise tourists as we speak, stores and restaurants are closing, rats have taken over the flea market, and no-one wants to go downtown anymore.

Let's face it, Nassau is unpleasant, uncomfortable, unattractive, dirty and wholly lacking in things to do.

We've been talking about a transformation for decades, and over the past five years foreign consultants produced a plan endorsed by the previous government that called for moving the city's freight port to the windward side of the island and redeveloping the waterfront from Montagu to Arawak Cay.

The problem is money - in more ways than one.

At one point, Bay Street was the throbbing economic heart of the country. If my grandfather didn't go downtown every day, he wasn't living. And Bay Street was the source of commercial power for the white oligarchy that preceded the current elite. That power was based on the fact that Nassau was both a market and a port.

Older Bahamians of both races consider our main drag to represent the nation's yin and yang -as in Yin Finlayson and Yang Bethell. In Chinese philosophy yin is the dark force and yang the bright force. Each contains an element or seed of the other, and they cannot exist without each other.

So ever since the PLP came to power in 1967 they have been the irresistable force crashing against the immovable object of Bay Street. In fact, that's probably one of the main reasons downtown has been allowed to deteriorate over the years - because yin was trying to chase yang out. It's called cutting off your nose to spite your face.

So it took years of painstaking negotiations between the private and public sectors, between PLPs and FNMs, between landlords and planners, to eventually arrive at a shaky consensus that something had to be done, in the face of obvious decline. For many, the key to revitalisation was moving the freight port out of the city, followed by the creation of a downtown management authority.

A slew of sites for a new port were considered by the consultants - from Arawak Cay to Coral Harbour to Southwest Bay. And to make a long story short, the reluctant Nassau shippers were dragooned into going along with the Clifton choice. But being the hard-nosed businessmen that they are, they wanted to see an economic study before making a final commitment. That study (produced by the Dutch consulting firm Ecorys) will be ready next month.

There are several problems with the Southwest Bay proposal - as there are with all the other options. But, as we said before, the chief drawback is money. A preliminary report from Ecorys a few months ago estimated the cost of moving the port to Clifton at more than $200 million. That is a huge amount of money for our little economy, and you can bet that it won't be the final bottom line.

The private interests that own the downtown waterfront get most of their income from the existing freight terminals and so have little incentive to spend millions relocating to crown land. And the previous government's plan also called for building residential condos on their waterfront property, implying that yang would soon be taken out of the equation altogether.

But the recent change of government seems to have altered the dynamics of the whole process. Proposals that were ignored or discounted over the past five years now have a wider currency. For example, suggestions to consolidate the container terminals downtown, or move them to Arawak Cay, are back on the table. As are proposals to convert Arawak Cay into a landmark tourist site - as was originally planned when the island was created by dredge spoil back in the 1960s.

A quick and dirty costing for consolidating the terminals downtown by reclaiming the harbour and extending Collins Avenue as the main entrance to the port has been put at $50 million. A more recent proposal for moving the port to Arawak Cay was priced at $75 million. And some say the whole issue boils down to the price of imported grits.

A week or so ago, the deputy prime minister (who is also a major shipping landlord) called an informal meeting of the downtown constituency ostensibly to get the Bay Street improvement process going again. That's because some participants say the whole thing has come to a shuddering halt for political reasons, while yin and yang go around in circles again.

The Nassau Economic Development Commission appointed by the former government no longer exists. It was a public-private sector umbrella for two task forces - one dealing with the port relocation and one promoting downtown improvement.

We are told that the port committee remains in place (now chaired by Melanie Roach), waiting for Ecorys to submit its $400,000 blockbuster report in September. The downtown committee is still chaired by Charles Klonaris but has been subsumed by the Nassau Tourism Development Board, which is preparing a white paper for the government to legislate a management authority for the city. Insiders say that's something the FNM was working on just prior to the 2002 general election.

Meanwhile, the shippers held a meeting this week to discuss short-term measures to improve traffic congestion on Bay Street. Reportedly, the prevailing view was that it didn't make sense to pursue the port issue until the government was able to finalise a genuine action plan for downtown redevelopment.

After all, they say, there are many port cities around the world with successful tourist products - Miami, New Orleans and Charleston, for example. So the crunch point will come when the Ecorys report is presented on September 24.

****
There has been a lot of shock horror lately about the vitriolic propaganda spouted on Fred Mitchell's 'former' web site, with some calling for regulation or censorship of Internet news sites as a result.

According to the putative Mitchell site: "Every critic of what was printed here can go to hell...we don’t give a damn." But there are other Bahamian political sites on the Internet that are much worse than this.

First there was the ebullient ebloggy.com, run by the relatively anonymous bloggy boyz. This was a pro-Ingraham blog that took Bahamian political commentary to new levels - using cartoons, photoshopped images, personal insults and colourful language to make what sometimes were very good points. Mitchell was a frequent butte of their jokes, and even yours truly suffered from time to time.

Ebloggy switched off their stream of consciousness commentary after the FNM election win, posting the following self-important sign-off: "The moment of decision has come and gone. All the world is a stage, and we are just a page, in life's book of song. This isn't a dress rehearsal -- these are our lives, and these are our times. We feel that we have upped the ante for the Bahamian blogsphere forever. Thank you one and all for your support through the years."

This site operated at a frenetic pace for years but we don't recall anyone calling for its censorship or closure.

Then there was the amateurish Bahamas Potcake site, which appeared to be a PLP- or Mitchell-inspired response to Ebloggy. It was originally written by one Andrew Burrows but was taken off the Internet after a local lawyer was libeled. And it also featured insults, conspiracy theories and colourful language.

The site was recently reconstituted at http://potcake.blogspot.com, and according to the bloggy boyz it is now produced by one Keenan Johnson, a 22-year-old Bahamian law student. The new potcake says Hubert Ingraham is seriously ill (and not on holiday), Ellison Greenslade was 'targeted' for being a fair cop, and a Haitian supergang called Zo Poun is the real power behind the FNM (whatever happened to the UBP?).

Here's a sample of what potcake has in store for jaded readers: "an interesting conflict of interest thing with Brent, Phenton and others, and an expose on just what kind of shit passes for journalism at the Tribune. Your potcake has an exclusive copy of an email that shows just how lousy a hack John Marquis is."

The question of Internet regulation vs freedom of speech is an issue we will return to when the silly season is over.

Comments

[chris armaly]

Excellent, excellent article. Even if someone can make the argument that Greenslade did nothing wrong; What kind of precedent does this set for other officers. They will have their hand out at every turn when they "simply do a job", their job. I can see it now…catch an armed robber, a Hyundai accent from Quality…a rapist , Toyota Camry from Executive Motors… a murderer, a Mercedes from Tyreflex!

It is now obvious why he is so adamantly against foreign police. IA force that might actually get the job done. I have said it time and time again, an island with $200,000+/- people is not hard to control. There are cities with 8 and 10 million people in the world that is safer than this rat infested, filthy dump.

As for the shipping terminal, I'm sorry but the cost of moving to the south and cutting a harbour into New Providence will more to the tune of $1 billion, not a meager 200 million. Football stadiums holding 55,000 people cost $7000 million and that is in the U.S.!

We must also understand that inland freight for downtown and other commercial areas will go to the roof. Truckers today can average 5-6 trips per day, however if the port is relocated to the southwest only two trips per day can physically happen with today's traffic etc. These truckers will want the same money for two trips as the present day 5-6 trips.

Quite frankly, we have a naturally protected harbour and with some major overhauls Arawak Cay can be the shipping terminal at half of the cost and still achieve the same or similar objectives.

[john doe]

I couldnt believe what i saw in the news paper article what you said about mr greenslade furthermore the police officers in freeport did not buy him any expensive gifts it was persons who felt that a good man was leaving the island and they decided to show how much they appreciated him. the police in freeport are not rich and did not solicit any money to buy any gift please get your facts straight. it seem you nassau people have something against freeport

[have sense]

police officers our the seem people you call when you in trouble off course we dont need foreign officers all the public does is talk bad about the police who risk their lives for them every day not looking for any hand out for it dont be an idiot

[larry smith]

I couldn't believe what I saw in the newspaper in July - Greenslade saying there was no issue. Obviously, there was an issue or he wouldn't have been ordered to return the gifts.

And if John Doe is correct in saying that the Freeport police did not contribute or solicit money and gifts for a big lavish party for their boss - then who did? And why?

Public officials should never accept money or valuable gifts for very obvious reasons. Don't be an idiot.

[Rachel Coakley]

In all fairness, I believe that Mr. Greenslade has been made the scapegoat in this sordid situation.
1) Commissioner Paul Farquharson sanctioned the whole event, and knew prior what was going to be purchased with those monies collected. He could have stopped everything right there and there - but he did not have the "balls" to do so. It took Reginald Ferguson, who does not want Mr. Greenslade to be elevated to the post of Deputy Commissioner upon John Rolle's retirement complaining to his brother Johnley, who in turn made a spectacle of the whole affair.

Oh and by the way, Mr. Greenslade is an ordained minister of the gospel. I think he is affiliated with Robinson Morris AME Zion Churches.

Allbeit, in my personal view, I do not know Mr. Greenslade, but I percieve him to be an honest and above board individual, and had he known in advance what sort of presentations he would be receiving, the results would have been different.

So how will you Mr. Larry, read into the building that was recently constructed with monies from hard working senior officers on the grounds of the Police Headquarters and monies donated by Mr Mosko, inclusive of all the paint etc. If Mr. Greenslade's gifts are to be auctioned and monies given to charity, then this building should follow suit.

There is too much indecisiveness remaining in and among our people, and something must be done to curtail these things.

[Joan Thompson]

Just read your column. Alarm bells ring!!

You are in grave risk of becoming politically incorrect to a fault.

Gift giving to politicians and law enforcers is a “no, no” if impartial justice has meaning.

It had to be said, and I am so glad you have said it.

[larry smith]

Well, Rachel, you obviously know more about the workings of the upper echelons of the police force than I do.

Others may well have displayed poor judgement in this matter, or had personal agendas to push. But it was Greenslade who accepted the gifts and Greenslade who defended them in the press. And, as we all know, Greenslade is a well-educated and highly qualified senior officer.

The operative word in this matter is "personal". But you are right that there should be a public policy for the channeling of money and gifts to official agencies.

Local businesses get lots of requests from government departments for money to fund parties and other social events - there is an implied threat that service will not be provided unless you cough up.

[The Observer]

Chris, Arawak Cay in my opinion is not a feasible alternative to relocate the freight terminals to. Trucks will still use Baystreet and Shirley Streets as the roads to reach Thompson Traders, Lighbourne Traders, D’Albenas Agency and all the other major business in that area I missed. The southwestern portion of the island is in my opinion (I actually proposed that area over 25 years ago) the only feasible area to locate the shipping port, it is unfortunate that it is currently being used as a political football.

With a proper highway there is no reason truckers should lose time or the amount of trips they can make in any given day. As many of the major businesses using containers are currently located or relocating outside the city area it makes sense to get the shipping companies out of the downtown area.

My observations

[wendell munnings]

We just read your tough call column where you touched on the port relocation.

We are quite concerned about the taking of Bahamian owned property for the use of private developers.

We understand that the government has served a notice to acquire Bahamian owned land for the building of a new road to the new port. How could this be when there is no final decision on a new port? This is being done for the benefit of the developers of the exclusive Albany Bay all at the expense of the Bahamian people under the guise of a rediversion of traffic to the new port.

We are also informed that the developers of Albany Bay will be given that portion of Adelaide Road which they will close off to the public and use in their private development. How much did the developers of Albany Bay pay to the Bahamian people for this existing road?

As Bahamians we need answers. We cannot afford to sit back any longer while the government enter into these "heads of agreements" with provisions which may be unconstitutional.

If a lot in Albany Bay will be sold at minimum of $1M, please tell me what they are paying for Bahamian owned land. Moreover, how is it that the government can acquire privately owned land under the guise of public use for the benefit of a private developer.

We are asking for you and/or your organization to investigate this matter and make a public call for proper answers from the government on behalf of the Bahamian people.

[Maedawn]

I would not be surprise if we learn that this was not the first time Mr. Greenslade received gifts. What about the discounts and special favours on things he purchased. This too should not have happened. But it has.

[Jane Graves]

I enjoyed your 'Silly Season' piece. It's one thing to be attacked through the letters page of a newspaper but quite another via the ether and, presumably, sometimes anonymously.

The decay of bay Street is indeed a dreadful crime, when I think how we used to wander down from Park Manor on Market Street on a Saturday morning, sit in the Poinciana restaurant for a coke and Boston cream pie, then amble through the perfumed portals of the Nassau Shop, it was all so pleasant and civilised, such a pity! If it's any consolation there are parts of England which will have changed even more in those intervening years.