I am no constitutional lawyer, but the way I understand it is that the bahamian constitution is the highest law in the land. Indeed, parliament can pass no law that violates the constitution. What the privy council is saying (quite creatively in my opinion ) as the final interpreter and arbiter on constitutional issues is that unless a murder is the " worst of the worst" then capital punishment is a violation of the bahamian constitution and can not be carried out. The privy council has set the bar so high for a case to qualify as the worst of the worst that for all practicalities no case would ever qualify therefore it is impossible to enforce the death penalty in the bahamas.

As an example of swift judicial action and what is possible, several years ago in England there was a large riot. 3000 persons were charged with various criminal acts. Extra judges were added and the courts operated 24/7. Literally at 3 a.m. in the morning cases were heard. Needless to say in one week all 3000 cases were adjudicated. We need that here if we are serious. Justice must be swift and it must be seen to be done, otherwise we have our current situation where no one respects the law as they know there is very little chance they will be punished for their crime.

Crime and the fear of crime are destroying the quality of life in this country. Everyone is fear and it is a terrible way to live. While our police force leaves a lot to desired, in terms of more training and a reduction in corruption, most of our problems lie in an antiquated, dysfunctional judicial system. It is unacceptable to have such a backlog that it takes a minimum of three years for a murder trial to be heard. The result is serious criminals are released on bail as they have a right to have their case heard in a timely manner and can not be incarcerated while waiting for their trial. Victims and their families see that there is no justice in this and it leads to retaliatory crime. The courts do not dispense justice in a timely manner so people take the matter in their own hands. We needs courts that operate 24/7 until this backlog is cleared.

These are very serious allegations. Will this be properly investigated? The senior police officer should know who these hooligans are and if they had no permit charge them before the courts. We can not allow those who are simply exercising their right to free speech and protest be threatened in a democratic society.

It is true an investor should go in with the realization that they will be a minority investor, with no real influence over the direction of the company. No doubt we need minority shareholder protection regulation in this country, that is sorry lacking just look at the mess with Bahamas supermarkets. At the same time it is an opportunity to buy into a very well run company which has a bright future. Emera purchased their last tranche of shares at $8.20 and shares are currently trading at 5.11 so on the face of it, it is a strong buy. Like all investments however, never buy anything you do not understand (and always do your own research). By the way Bahamians have been able to buy shares in gbpc through icd utilities since 1996, so you must not read the newspapers very much!

Tal gbpc is not a wholly foreign owned company. I analyze bahamian companies for a living. 19.6% of the company is in private Bahamian hands through a publicly traded holding company called ICD utilities. If you want you can buy these shares Monday on Bisx and get your piece of the pie. This company is a great investment for any bahamian. So again, please educate yourself before you make false, ignorant statements.

Gbpc as a private company is not in the business, nor should they be of providing welfare assistance. The govt refused to pay anything on their electrical bill for ONE Year! Needless, to say the govt paid their entire outstanding bill of over 1 million dollars in a matter of 2 days after the schools rightly were disconnected. Tal stop condoning slackness. It is sorry, misinformed apologists like you that are ruining our country. The govt must pay their bills just like private citizens.

Thank you. Tal may be entitled to his misinformed opinion but not the facts. grand Bahama power company is a win for everyone, all around. The new modern efficient plant has allowed rates to fall much lower than at B.E.C, while providing reliable power so customers are happy. On the other hand gbpc is now profitable for the first time in many years (last year 11.8 million net income) and is on a footing to provide, relatively cheap, stable power for many years to come. All the things B.E.C is not, well on track for 30 million in losses this year!

Tal you are either grossly misinformed or straight up lying about grand Bahama power company. First of all their rates are now much lower than B.E.C. Go to their website and educate yourself. Depending on your Kwhr usage you will pay on average 20 cents per kwhr in the base rate and the current fuel surcharge for now is just 15.96. The average total B.E.C rate in well over 40 cents per kwhr. Secondly they have a new modern plant run by an experienced private company that does preventative maintenance. Power failures have been reduced drastically, and they have far fewer outages than B.E.C. So please inform yourself and stop lying!

I wish this practice of withholding names would stop. Why is this private? If you work for the civil service,the taxpayers ( who pay your salary and are in effect your employers) have a right to know how much they are paying you. The salary of every civil servant in this country should be public knowledge. Otherwise we have the current system where the corruption is done in the dark where it continues to flourish no end. The tribune would do a great public service by bringing this dirt into the light and name these people. Only then will it end.