Bahama Pundit

A Visit to Savannah and an Update on the Revitalisation of Nassau

by Larry Smith

"Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." - Forrest Gump

SAVANNAH, Georgia— Live oak and magnolia trees drape the historic squares of this 18th century town, whose cobbled streets and museum-quality buildings attract hordes of movie producers and millions of visitors from all over the world.

Greater Savannah is about the same size as Nassau, and it is a model of architectural preservation, restoration and adaptive reuse. But since this is still America, the park bench where Tom Hanks sat to deliver his opening lines in the movie Forrest Gump is one of the city's top visitor attractions.

Almost every gift shop offers copies of Clint Eastwood's 1997 film, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which portrays Savannah's eccentric Southern society through the lens of a celebrated murder trial. And tour guides will mention these cinematic novelties in the same breath as Savannah's actual history.

Who The Hell Was George Campbell?

by Larry Smith

Shipping is the lifeblood of the global economy. And while most people know that the Bahamas is a major flag of convenience (with over 1600 vessels registered), few are aware that one of the world's greatest ship designers once called our islands home.

George Campbell left his imprint on an entire global industry, but moved about largely unnoticed - and nowhere more so than here. In fact, when his estate recently gave $10 million to the College of the Bahamas, most Bahamians had never heard his name, although he had lived in Nassau intermittently since the late 1960s.

His contribution to industrial development goes back to the dark days of the Second World War, when the first mass-produced freighter - known as the Liberty ship - helped win the war and drove the resurgence of global trade afterwards.

But Campbell had nothing to do with the Liberty ship - a simple 11,000-ton freighter fitted with a crude reciprocating steam engine capable of pushing it at a leisurely 10 ½ knots. Mass produced in American shipyards to a British design, these ships delivered the troops and supplies that were crucial to the Allied war effort.

Conversion and the Bahamas Christian Council

by Simon

•Simon is a young Bahamian with things on his mind who wishes to remain anonymous. His column 'Front Porch' is published every Tuesday in the Nassau Guardian. He can be reached at frontporchguardian@gmail.com

The recent religious service commemorating independence was, with notable exception, ecumenically disappointing. While some of the singing and some of the prayers were uplifting, the service seemed more like a wake than a celebration of 35 years of nationhood.

It included bad theology and factual errors. It is ironic and mysterious how often some of our leaders publicly misstate basic facts that are constantly in the news.

Political Storm Brewing in the Turks & Caicos Islands

by Larry Smith

A category 5 hurricane is brewing right next-door to us in the Turks & Caicos Islands, but most Bahamians don't have a clue about what's happening.

The governor there just announced a commission of inquiry to probe official corruption, a British warship is standing by, and there are fears that London may be preparing to suspend the islands' constitution - for the second time.

The inquiry begins in September - in the face of strong objections from Premier Michael Misick, who was re-elected in a landslide last year. It will be headed by Sir Robin Auld, a leading British jurist who now serves on Bermuda's court of appeal. Auld's appointment follows a report by British MPs calling on the Foreign Office to investigate the TCI government.

Can We Change The Bahamian Broadcasting Landscape?

by Larry Smith

A select group of experts met on Centreville Hill last week to launch a process that could change the face of Bahamian broadcasting and drag our antiquated communications and information sector kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

They included the head of the Jamaica Broadcasting Commission, the former chiefs of the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation and Radio Television Hong Kong, a retired senior executive from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Britain's top expert on media law.

They were here because a "strategic opportunity" exists to transform ZNS from a hacked-out state agency to an independent and professional public broadcaster that actually returns some value for the millions that taxpayers throw at it every year - millions that could otherwise be spent on urgent infrastructure needs.

As Senior Deputy General Manager Carlton Smith - a 22-year ZNS veteran - acknowledged at the broadcasting workshop last Friday, "We are drifting somewhere in space. We are a sinking ship. We are in trouble."

The Budget, Sidney Collie, Crime & Punishment

by Craig Butler

Well, a lot has happened recently.

The government presented its budget for fiscal 2008; Minister Sidney Collie resigned due to botched local government elections; the Cabinet was reshuffled; former police prosecutor Keith Bell gave a dispassionate overview of the problems faced by our justice system; and violent crime continue to spiral.

Overall, the government presented a pretty good budget. It must be said, however, that it seemed to take a page out of the Progressive Liberal Party’s manual rather than the FNM’s.

Medical Accountability in the Bahamas

by Larry Smith

It has been almost four years since former Health Minister Dr. Marcus Bethel directed the Hospital and Healthcare Facilities Board to investigate a complaint into the treatment of a 42-year-old man who died at Doctors Hospital in 2002.

Yet to date, there has been no effort by this public board to address the matter. In fact, its chairman, Dr Kirk Culmer, was quoted in a recent Tribune report as saying that the board did not want to be "bothered" with that kind of investigation.

The complaint by lawyer Leandra Esfakis alleges that the failures within Doctors Hospital to comply with the legal requirements of the Hospital and Health Care Facilities Act resulted in the death of her brother, Christopher Esfakis, three days after he admitted himself for the treatment of first and second degree burns from a household accident.

The Hospital and Healthcare Facilities Board was created by Parliament in 1998 to license private hospitals and clinics. One of its chief responsibilities is to investigate complaints from the public, but it has no record of ever doing so.