”Enough of this foolishness! Enough!” shouted Sidney Stubbs, arms flailing the air as he tried to drown the words of MP Kenneth Russell who was on his feet in the House Thursday trying to link the non-reporting of the Korean fishing boat transaction – which forced Mr Stubbs’ resignation from BAIC two weeks ago – with a Bill for an Act to amend the Financial Transaction Reporting Act.
Government was anxious to close the debate and move on with the amendments to the Act, which has to meet a January 1, 2004 deadline. But Mr Russell was quite right that if the present Act and the Bill for its proposed amendments do not cover the “suspicious financial transactions”, which were not reported to the relevant government agencies in the Korean affair, then there should be another amendment to correct this oversight.
However, it is now clear that government is in a legal bind, and the boats cannot leave our seas “forthwith.” In the meantime, according to Fisheries Minister, Alfred Gray, the boats are under the control of Customs, and have not been allowed to fish.
However, Mr Russell said that although the large processing ship was “impounded” by Customs in Grand Bahama, it flew no Customs flag and it had not been closed to certain people.
“There are people walking up and down on the ship and a notorious Bahamian is in charge of the ship and I don’t know if government wants to be associated with these people,” Mr Russell told the House. “And if Customs has impounded this ship, no one should be on it.”
He said that Artis Neely of West End and Felix “Mailman” Bowe was “a part of that off-loading ceremony.” These are well known names from the Pindling era. It seems they are now resurfacing under the “New” PLP. The word “impound” has been loosely used throughout the House debate.
First to announce that the boats were “impounded” was Mr Gray, who being a lawyer should have known that to impound means to confiscate -presumably followed by an auction to get rid of the vessels. However, it now transpires that Mr Gray did not mean that at all. Customs instead has “seized” the vessels until ownership can be established and a decision made as to whether Customs duty has to be paid.
It is reported that the boats have now been sold to Mr Earlin Williams, a Bahamian employee at BAIC – or is it the Ministry of Tourism?-for $1 each. And as Mr Williams prepared for a showdown with government, St Margaret’s MP Pierre Dupuch asked the House who was running the country – the Christie government, or Earlin Williams?
If former BAIC executive chairman Sidney Stubbs, who appears to be deeply involved in this affair, has had enough of “this nonsense”, so have the Bahamian people.
Bahamians – especially fishermen- are suspicious of a cover up. They not only want answers, they want the full truth. Maybe Mr Robert Sweeting’s committee, when, and if appointed, to look into the whole Korean transaction will find those answers for them. Meantime, in the House, Mr Russell who had been called “dense” by Mr Gray, decided to play the fool and live up to his density. (Mr Gray later withdrew the “dense” remark at the Speaker’s request).
Minister Neville Wisdom objected to Mr Russell pronouncing the Netsiwell Holding company’s name “Nastywell”. Well, retorted Mr Russell, what more could one expect of someone who was dense – after all he didn’t speak Korean, no one had briefed him on the pronunciation, and in this country many words were pronounced differently- especially those who were getting vex, but complained of being “wex.” So, as far as he was concerned, “Nastywell” it shall remain.
We, too, have been playing around with the Netsiwill name, trying to match it with names of those now been bandied about as being involved in the enterprise.
First there is the letter N – this could stand for Artis Neely. Then there is E – Geoffrey Eneas, son of Godfrey Eneas, BAIC deputy chairman, who wrote a letter to the Department of Fisheries informing that department that BAIC was assisting Netsiwill, a “Bahamian owned and operated company in entering the fishing industry.” Then there is T -could this possibly be Ezra “Bond” Thompson, whose name on the rumour mill has been lurking in the background?
And, of course, the grand finale – SI – Sidney Stubbs, and the man he can’t do without, WILL – who else but Earlin Williams, now moving full steam ahead with their project.
And so if there is anything in a name, and if our guess is correct, this is one name that comes fully loaded and is a story in itself.
Editorial, The Tribune
