In order to unravel the untruth about the "reimplementation" of the witness protection program, you have to recognize that in the blame game, the truth is a convenient tool. The reason that the AG answered as she did was because she was not telling the truth. If she were truthful, she would have said that the program has been in existence ever since 2006 when the Justice Protection Act entered into force and that some form of the program has been in effect since that time. If she wanted to be honest, she could also tell you that the reason why the program has not been effective is because no government, including hers, has taken the steps necessary to implement a crucial part of the program, and that is the removal of witnesses to other jurisdictions, even though the Act empowers the Government, via the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to negotiate with other governments for such a purpose. Think how much safer witnesses would really be if they didn't have to "hide" in this small society. And, if she really, really wanted to be honest, she could say that the program has always been underfunded, which perhaps is the greatest reason for its ineffectiveness. It is very costly to run the program when the cost may not only include the witness but his extended family as well. In my view, the amendment of the Criminal Procedure Code recently which permits witnesses to testify even from the grave is one way to combat the threat under which a witness may find himself, i.e. killing a witness won't prevent that witness from testifying.

Without an independent evaluation of the cause of death, as in this mother hiring another pathologist to conduct an autopsy on her son, I really don't know how a lawyer is going to help her dispute the findings of the Pathologist in this case.

Ok, Mr. or Mrs. Coroner...or should I say Mr. or Mrs. Pathologist? How about we wait until the Coroner's Inquest so we can actually hear the medical evidence on why this young man died and find out what is or isn't a half truth?

Were you being robbed blind because they couldn't read or write, or because they were dishonest and sticky fingered, and lacked a sense of right and wrong? Otherwise your comment doesn't track.

What on earth are you talking about? Unpaid rents? Whose rent? If you're talking about the regular joe on the street, I must ask :Where have you been for the last five years? You don't know about the wide-reaching social welfare policy that the FNM, or as you call them, the red shirts, imposed on Bahamian people during their term. Part of that social welfare policy was rent assistance. Don't you recall all of those media reports on a number of single mothers crying by Social Services? What about when the "customers" rioted by Social Services resulting in a Social Worker being injured? All of that was about the welfare they were supposed to collect. How about the unemployment benefit?
Now as to a shadow Cabinet and left-over bills, I must ask again where have you been? You mean you don't know that the PLP had a shadow Cabinet of its own during the FNM term...I sure remember the "shadow Minister for Social Services, Melanie Griffith" having a big row with the then Minister for Social Services, Loretta Butler-Turner over the incidences and concerns of Social Workers. I sure remember "shadow Minister Fred Mitchell" commenting on "foreign affairs". AnyThe point is there is nothing unusual about shadow Cabinets or Ministers. It's what all Oppositions do. Now with the left-over bills, you mean to tell me you weren't aware of the big bill that the PLP left with ZNS after losing in 2007 or how the Chairman, Bradley Roberts indicated that the party was in need of funds as the coffers of the party were low? Either you were born yesterday or you really are not as tuned-in as you pretend you are, commenting on every single thing appearing in this newspaper...or maybe you're really as clueless as your writing implies you are.

Now, Mr./Mrs. Editor, you see what I was talking about...it's all about BTC!!!!
I hope that when the Department of Labour sends out those letters to Employers requiring justification, that those Employers then forward those letters directly to their attorneys who I'm sure will write to Mr. Gibson and query his authority to require such disclosure. And then because clearly discretion is not the better part of valour for Mr. Gibson, I implore him to be foolish enough to insist that he has such a right so that an application for judicial review can be filed with the courts...
I suggest that if Mr. Gibson wants to know anything concerning the applications for work permits, he directs the Director of Labour to provide him with the files that his Ministry actually has which indicate the status of the Department on numbers of qualified Bahamians.
By the way, I checked the portofolios of Government Minister, and saw nothing which indicates that the Prime Minister has delegated or assigned any immigration matters to Mr. Gibson.

"Describing crime as the most serious challenge facing the Bahamas, Dr Nottage called on the opposition to form an understanding with the Government, that partisan politics must take second place to national development and growth."
Boy, the tune done change and we barely past the one-month mark. In opposition, the PLP boldly proclaimed their partisan view of the crime situation in this country: It was the FNM fault! Now they are in the hot-bullet-ridden-rotting-corpses seat and it's now a non-partisan problem. Interpretation: Crime has nothing to do with the government in power. (sigh)

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Ya'll missed it, man!! That declaration was purely for the benefit, or should I say "notice", of cwc/btc! i have a suspicious mind I guess, but Mr Gibson having been a former Minister of Immigration is well acquainted with the process and policies for work permit vetting. So it is absolutely disingenuous of him to make the statement he did, the effect of which was to suggest that applications for work permits are not vetted with respect to justification. He, as one of those vocal against the sale of BTC and having the history that he had with BTC was probably foaming at the mouth when his party was in opposition because he was powerless to do anything. So now that he is once a man of power, he gets to pick up the bully stick. As I commented on this story yesterday, Mr. Gibson can't be serious to be focusing on legitimate work permit holders and claiming a disenfranchisement of the Bahamian worker as a result, while ignoring the thousands of undocument illegal residents in this country who work every day in jobs Bahamians could fill. In terms of numbers, the latter group poses the greatest threat to Bahamian jobs. Time longer than rope and I feel fairly certain that my suspicions will be borne out.

By your example that there are companies employing workers who are not Bahamians but are jobs which Bahamians can do, you assist me in making the point that the solution isn't really that the Minister must scrutinize every permit, particularly as the process actually requires him as Minister (delegated by the Prime Minister) to participate as part of the Immigration Board in the permit issuing process. The solution is to change the law and the procedures we use. Presently, an employer is required to go to the Department of Labour to confirm that there are no Bahamians registered with that Department with the qualifications being sought by the employer. This is a broken part of the process, 'cause really, how many Bahamians feel confident in the ability of the Departmentof Labour? Just going through the motions. Then, the job is
supposed to be advertised and again the Department is supposed to certify that that there are no Bahamians. But this really only happens for the jobs like maids and handymen (check out the want ads for proof). The big investor never follows this process, therefore the possibly qualified Bahamian never knows about the job. So, we have a supposed system in place that employers are not complying with, and I daresay the Minister and the Department of Immigration is not complying with, and now the Minister wants to call foul, when it's his job to ensure compliance. I say the solution really is transparency. Every single applicatiion for a permit should be placed in the Gazette for public access. The employer should be required to list the requirements, the pay and benefits being offered to the potential expat employee, and Bahamians should be able to object to the hiring of such a person. I guarantee you that if there is a qualified Bahamian out there, he or she will be the first to object. But you can't object if you don't know what to object to. You really can only justify your actions if you're being challenged on your actions. Everything really is too closeted.

What does your comment mean exactly: nothing can be the cure for all crimes outside of Jesus? Are you talking about the Second Coming? If you mean the Second Coming then your comment makes sense, because based on how it is described in the Bible and what its effect will be on earth, then clearly it will be the "final solution" to crime. But if, you're not talking the Second Coming, you can't really believe that outside of the Second Coming, a person declaring Christianity, or that they have a relationship with Jesus will bring an end to crime. Particularly when the Bible talks about all the troubles and travails that this world MUST go through before the Second Coming, and how even those who are viewed as committed Christians, the very elect, shall be deceived during the time of troubles and travails. Surely, some of that trouble and travail must be crime-related. Surely, some of the deception must be related to criminal behaviour. I just don't understand comments like this.