• All digital functions ‘fried’ at Village Road law firm

• Trying to identify culprit after two-week ‘standstill’

• PM’s frugal spending call a ‘two-edged sword’

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A former Democratic National Alliance (DNA) leader says his law firm is trying to determine whether BPL or the Village Road roadworks is to blame for an incident that “fried” its IT servers, computers, Internet and cable TV services.

Branville McCartney told Tribune Business that Halsbury Chambers was “brought to a standstill for two weeks” this summer after all its electronic functions were “shut down” by the as-yet unexplained event that cost it around $100,000 in terms of lost client billings and equipment replacements.

Joking that he now has “a little more grey hair” as a result, he added that it had been “hell” dealing with Internet and cable TV providers over the restoration of these services. But, despite being “handicapped” for at least a fortnight, Mr McCartney said no client-related or other vital data was lost or compromised.

Noting that work related to the ongoing road and utility improvements had been taking place directly outside Halsbury Chambers’ Village Road offices when virtually all digital functions were lost, he told this newspaper: “Two-and-a-half months ago, something happened. The Internet went, cable TV went, and our equipment got burned.

“The server, the computers, they all got fried. Everything got fried. We were basically handicapped for two weeks, trying to get new equipment and the Internet, cable TV and everything back in operation. Most of my computers were burned, and we had to get new computers.”

Asked whether any client or other sensitive data was lost, Mr McCartney replied: “Thank God we were able to retrieve everything. Our attorneys, for the most part, were at a standstill for about two weeks until we got the computers in.

“It was a Friday afternoon about two to two-and-a-half months ago, and everything went off. We were shut down. I actually had a court matter, and it was to be heard via Zoom. The court case was 2.30pm and something, and it went down at about 12.30pm.

“I had to dash home to the office in my home to participate. We were still trying to figure out what was going on. This was a hearing where I had to wear my robes, and I didn’t have them on because they were back at the Village Road offices, but the judge was very gracious.”

Citing the situation as an example of the challenges faced by Bahamas-based entrepreneurs and businesses on a regular basis, Mr McCartney said the costs and loss to his law firm easily ran to a low six-figure sum. “From an equipment point of view, it’s no less than $30,000,” he said in response to Tribune Business questions. 

“In terms of business, I’m having my in-house accounting department get that together. We’re looking at close to $100,000 in terms of billings. I think I’ve got a bit more grey on my head as a result of that.” Now that Halsbury Chambers has solved its operational woes, Mr McCartney said the law firm was seeking to determine whether it was BPL or the roadworks that was responsible and seek appropriate damages and compensation.

“That’s exactly what we’re trying to do. Now we need to look at who’s at fault,” he added. “We’re still trying to figure out if it was something to do with the roadworks. They were digging in the road outside our building that day. We first had to get up and operating, and that was hell dealing with our providers, getting them to come in, assess and replace.”

The Village Road roadworks, which have been going on for much of 2022, are due to conclude this November. Mr McCartney’s comments came about a week after Alfred Sears, minister of works and utilities, toured the project site to assess its progress.

Mr McCartney, though, said such incidents only served to further hinder businesses still struggling to rebound from COVID-19 losses and cope with rising costs as a result of higher imported inflation. He reiterated concerns, voiced by small business consultant Mark A Turnquest and others, that the Prime Minister’s call for consumers to control their spending could tip the balance too far and slow the economy to such an extent that fresh problems result.

“The Prime Minister recently instructed that we must all be frugal, tighten our belts because inflation is here. We’ve been experiencing this for some time,” the former DNA leader added. “It’s a double-edged sword. When you do that it means people will be tighter on spending money in the economy, and when you do that, what happens?

“There’s no movement, more or less, in the economy. I fully understand what the Prime Minister is saying from a practical point of view. It’s generally good advice, but if you do that and consumer spending slows too much, it means there is no movement and the economy remains stagnant. Everybody holds off on spending and the Government remains strapped. It then has to look at other things to stimulate the economy.”

Philip Davis QC had urged Bahamian consumers to conserve their purchasing power by only spending on necessities in the present inflationary environment which has eroded living standards and disposable income for many, and resulted in a cost of living crisis both at home and around the world - especially for the middle and lower income classes.

“If you look at the history of our economy, and go back to 2008-2009, there was a recession,” Mr McCartney recalled. “We were about to turn the corner 12 years later and, of course, Dorian hit and then COVID came a year later. You can call it inflation, you can call it a recession, but it feels like we’ve not been out of recession since 2008.

“We don’t get a break. I know a lot of it is out of our control as a people and a country, but the reality is we’re not getting a break. It’s really tough out there. It is good to see a lot of tourists, but it has not started to trickle down to the average man on the street. I applaud the Government in terms of some of the initiatives they have going on, or intend to be implemented, but the reality is that every day Bahamians have to struggle, and this is the majority of the Bahamian people.

“I see this all around from an educational point of view, legal point of view, pharmaceutical point of view and real estate point of view. Every people struggle to make ends meet, put food on the table and make sure they have a roof over their head.”

The Central Bank of The Bahamas last week revealed that annual inflation for the year to June 2022 increased almost five-fold compared to the previous 12 months to give a stark indication of the cost of living crisis facing many Bahamian families.

The monetary policy regulator, unveiling its July economic update, revealed that the annual domestic inflation rate had increased to 4.4 percent as opposed to 0.9 percent some 12 months ago just one day after the Prime Minister urged Bahamians to be frugal with their spending and warned that the country was “in for a rough ride”.