Our Boy Roy: Trouble Ahead for the Union Boss

Roy Colebrook is not the right man for the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union right now. That is the message from his main detractor, Thomas Bastian and his Unity Team. While Bastian may have a compelling argument against old boy Roy, Bastian himself is also not the right person to take his place.

 

But let’s look at Roy for a minute. Colebrook came in on a wave that saw the late Pat Bain, by all accounts a valiant steward for the largest union in the country, pushed aside because of perceived political leanings. Politics aside, there were some concerns about what seemed to be a too close for comfort coziness with the then PLP and for that, Pat got the boot. Fast forward to 2008 and the story is the same, this time with Roy as the protagonist. While the story is the same, the results are worse because the stakes are higher.

 

Colebrook’s protracted struggle with other executives of his union has led to a Supreme Court matter that has left the union divided, staff unpaid and at best, an acrimonious situation for working executives. Furthermore, Roy seems to be to beset by personality conflicts that are leaving him ineffective. Case in point, the recent layoffs at Bahamar that have resulted in almost 50 workers seeking legal action against the property because they feel they didn’t get what they were entitled to and foolishly signed waivers without fully understanding what they were doing. Obie Ferguson has been called in to fix things.

 

Where was Roy in the middle of all of this? As the union boss, on news that people were about to be terminated, it would have been his place to step in and find out what could be done to save what could be saved and then resolve whatever differences arising out of the packages left for those who were leaving. Them signing a waiver before consultation may very well be a sign that the union was not asked or wanted in the process.

 

The other issue that brings Roy’s suitability into question is the fact that his Grand Bahama branch of the union has been severely compromised in carrying out it’s duties, mostly because of Roy’s own issues with his “team” down there. The Morely guy who came out against Roy was penalized for standing up to the union and was only just recently reinstated, but has been hamstrung by what seems to be Roy’s lack of confidence in his leadership. Colebrook issued a letter to Grand Bahama properties, in particular, Our Lucaya, essentially barring Morely from entering the property as the authorized voice of the union. Instead, negotiators from Nassau are flown in to do what Morely was elected to do. This is wrong and Roy has presided over this himself. The net result of this has been Roy has undermined his colleague in Morely’s own backyard. The hotel recognizes this and has been emboldened to run all over the workers in Grand Bahama.

 

As if this weren’t enough, Roy has an impending crisis on his hands with Atlantis announcing the closure of one of their towers and rumors of other closures that may force the largest hotel in the region to begin layoffs. Roy’s plate is full because with Atlantis joining the layoff frenzy, Bahamar will likely do another round as well unless they get some good news from investors and the government on their project. Roy has already gone on record, backing up Sandy Sands outlook that more layoffs are likely. Simply put, Roy has not been around for his members. If he doesn’t  look out, our boy Roy will not likely be around when hotel workers go to the polls next year.

How Our Money is Being Spent: Carifesta 08

With the 2008 Carifesta celebrations just days away in Guyana, it seems the FNM is really gung ho about how they spend our money with regards to it. We can confirm that the FNM Minister of Culture, Charles Maynard is abusing his responsibilities by using government funds to turn the Carifesta trip into a free holiday for FNM supporters.

 

Maynard’s driver, who by all accounts, is not needed on the trip, has gone to Guyana, no expenses spared. So to has the lady who supplies the House of Assembly with lunch, a long time and vocal FNM supporter who also sits on a government board. This lady has no affiliation with the Ministry of Culture in any official capacity, yet she too has been feted with a trip to Guyana on the public’s dime.

Tickets, accommodations, transfers and per diem for the Carifesta trip to the Central American country is costing us, the tax payers, a whopping $3,000 per person. Maynard’s new wife, already caught up in costing the taxpayers money is reportedly on the trip as well, however, by government rules, Ministers are allowed to bring spouses on one trip per year.

 

In any case, this is the same government who pulled the plug on Carifesta being hosted in The Bahamas as scheduled because of what they termed, inadequate preparations by the PLP and lack of funds. It seems the funds have magically reappeared just in time for Maynard’s driver and the lunch lady to get all expense paid trips at the public’s expense. What next? Can we expect to see Tommy T’s gardener going to a CHOGM meeting soon?

 

We understand that these folks are going there to be “observers” and several of them have gone ahead to Guyana prior to the start of the event.

What a Tangled Web pt. 3 “Deconstructing Carvel”

Carvel Francis is a very unhappy man these days. Not only was he cussed out roundly by the PLP Administrator a few weeks ago, that led to the row on Bahamas Press, but now he’s feeling the heat of being exposed firstly on his own site by Burrows, but now with the articles here in this series.

This is part 3 and we saved the best for last. Carvel Francis is the brother of former Guardian Publisher and King in his own mind, Ken “Six” Francis. Six Francis ran the Guardian as his own little fiefdom during the 80s and 90s when the Perrys ran the paper. Following a couple of personality clashes that saw Six deposed and then reinstalled, he was out for good when the paper was bought by Anthony Ferguson and Emmnauel Alexiou, the owners of ColinaImperial.

 

On taking over the Guardian, Ferguson and Alexiou fired not only Six, but Carvel too, who at the time was in the advertising department, mostly because he had no discernible journalism skills despite Carvel’s well documented interest in becoming a reporter and seeing his name in ink. He was there only because his last name was Francis and when all was said and done, the only Francis to survive the chopping block was head of printing, Gilbert Francis. All indications are that Gilbert knew what he was doing and was spared the ax.

 

On being let go, Carvel was picked up by Wendall Jones’ Bahama Journal as a salesman where he barely managed to make any major impact. During his tenure at Jones Communications, Carvel started a small newspaper on his own promoting Junkanoo and used his contacts with the then PLP government to secure placement of the paper on Bahamasair flight for a nice little contract. Eventually, this caused difficulty with Jones who felt that Carvel should have been out doing his job selling ads for the Bahama Journal and not his own private company. He was fired again.

 

Fired twice by newspapers, Carvel struck out on his own and plotted the startup of The Bugle, a partnership between himself and former managing editor of the Nassau Guardian, Tony Capron as a comeback to the media outlets he wanted so desperately to work for.  This definitely explains Carvel’s obsession with the local media, particularly The Guardian which fired him and is owned by the same owners of Colina. It was no surprise that Carvel went all out with the supposed firings at Colina, despite the story being out for days before being picked up by the media. In that case, he managed to scoop his old bosses and was quick to toot his own horn.

 

Francis was a part of the PLP Campaign responsible for the creation and dissemination of the PLP’s campaign ads. Most experts agree that the PLP’s message was one of its weaknesses and Carvel, along with Earlin Williams were a big part of that failure. Now, we can safely assume that this is where the crossover between the PLP Admin and Carvel & Co happens because they must have worked in close proximity. 

Our analysis is that Francis has some serious psychological issues where he is obsessed with seeking revenge on anyone who compromises his desire to be what he isn’t, a writer. According to a post on Bahamas Press by PLP Admin, Andrew Burrows, in response to an article written by Gorman Bannister where Bannister speculated on an incident between Francis, Burrows and Perry Christie, it is clear that either Burrows or Christie dissuaded Francis from continuing his attacks on Freeport News editor, Oswald Brown.

 

Francis was using the email address, “media@myplp.com”, an official PLP email address to disseminate potentially libelous emails attacking Brown. He also used the email address to disseminate an altered version of the PLP website, calling it an eNewsletter, where he added his own commentary, including the discussion on an email that allegedly slanders Brown outright and accuses him of murder. The email was supposedly sent by one Senio Miller, a fictitious character conjured up in Carvel’s mind, perhaps. Francis was reprimanded by the PLP leader for causing Oswald Brown to conclude that the PLP was behind the attack and threatened to sue not only the PLP but also Christie and Fred Mitchell as well.

 

Carvel Brags about owning Bahamas Press in this Email. Read Admin's note at the top. Priceless.

 

 

So that may help to explain Francis’ ire toward Christie and Burrows and why he feels the need to attack them at every turn. What is puzzling and we still don’t fully understand the impetus for it is why did Francis publish the letter written to him by the PLP Admin, knowing full well that he would be implicated as owner of Bahamas Press, a site that has slandered and libeled too many people to name.

This was Carvel's first denial.

Apparently, Carvel sent Burrows an email, left, claiming to know nothing of the ownership of Bahamas Press and claiming to be offended by the ten pound words employed by Burrows. This was also strange because we were also shown (above) a copy of an email from Carvel Francis earlier this year where he clearly admits to ownership of Bahamas Press and Burrows’ response to him following the denial of ownership of Bahamas Press.

 

In the following exchange, which occurred after Carvel published the letter on Bahamas Press, you can see where the PLP Admin is attempting to be contrite and reconcile the situation while giving an admirable explanation for his tone and laying to waste, Carvel’s denials.

 

PLP Admin explains his email to Francis and rips his denial to shreds, politely.

 

 

 

In his second denial, Carvel tries to get upset but can't help bragging about readership. Priceless.

 

 

 

 

It seems Burrows may have inadvertently thwarted Francis’ fantasy of being a reporter by telling him he is not to write anything on behalf of the PLP without checking with him first. This action no doubt, reminded Francis of the sting of being denied the chance to be a reporter at the Guardian and later at The Bahama Journal, hence his unceasing characterization of the media and everyone else who is what he cannot be as “wutless.” Our armchair analysis concludes with the fact that Carvel was also a member of the CDR, the group of breakaway PLPs who left with Bernard Nottage following the leadership struggle in the PLP that saw Perry Christie defeat Bernard Nottage to lead the PLP. Francis came back in 2005 when the other CDRs rejoined the party but may have still harboured hard feelings toward Christie since.

 

But what do we know? We’re not psychologists or psychiatrists.

 

Carl Bethel, Michael Barnett and anyone else slandered or libeled (I always mix the two up) by Carvel Francis, AKA Media, AKA Bahamas Press, can contact Carvel at The Bugle. I’m sure the number is in the book.

What a Tangled Web pt. 2 “The Others”

It took a little longer to do the research for the rest of the story but we’ve managed to gain some deeper insight not only into the subject of the last post, Mr. Gorman Bannister, a self confessed crack addict, but also the other individuals in the mix at Bahamas Press.

In the letter from Burrows, he also mentioned the name of Earlin. We can only assume that there is only one Earlin he could have been referring to and that is Earlin Williams. Anyone who knows anything about Bahamian politics would recall Williams as one of those functionaries that both parties use to get their hands dirty and put things out there that no politician would want to take credit for. Williams, for at least the last 20 years, has been one of those persons for the PLP.

 

Unfortunately, Williams is also a bit of an egotist who proudly went around following the 2002 elections declaring that it was he, not the PLP or Christie or anyone else, who was responsible for the PLP’s stunning win. Equally, it could be said that he was also the architect of the PLP’s defeat in 2007, having reprise his role as chief smut peddler and communications man during the campaign.

 

Who’s idea it was to put in charge the one person who single handedly did more to embarrass and shame the PLP in charge of the election communications is beyond me, but it is clear that for Williams to be given such a lofty responsibility suggests that his central role in the Korean Boat Scandal or his flagrant abuse of his contract with Bahamas Information Services was considered crucial. How else to explain his presence, unless the goal was to lose the elections. More on that another time.

 

From reading Bahamas Press, there is a clear disdain for Bahamas Information Services and the new leaders there, the 80 year old Arthur Foulkes and the out of nowhere Sharon Turner. In fact, the site has on a number of occasions hinted heavily at the idea of some kind of extramarital fraternization between Turner and Prime Minister Ingraham. Initially, we wondered why would they even care about that particular rumor more than the other rumors of the PM’s other dalliances and when Williams’ name was mentioned as being one of the masterminds of Bahamas Press, it made some sense. It is circumstantial, but such are these things.

 

Williams was on contract to BIS following the implosion of Sidney Stubbs’ political career following a tumultuous tenure as BAIC chairman. Williams was hired by the agency as a media consultant and quickly distinguished himself as a victimizer of the highest order and an abuser of power the likes of which has never been seen in a non-elected official. From commandeering the corporation’s vehicles for his own personal usage to the events that caused the Korean Boat Scandal, where Williams was the main bag man for an illegal fishing operation that caused the Christie Administration one of its biggest black eyes, it is no shock that once hired by BIS, Williams would repeat his performance there.

 

We understand that Williams did better than repeat his performance, he topped it. Before the ink was dry on his contract, Williams up and left and went to China to be with one of his boy friends and was still, according to our research, under contract to BIS. Whether or not he was still being paid is uncertain but we can make a safe bet that he was because once the bell rung for the 2007 campaign, he returned to the Bahamas and became the PLP’s defacto campaign coordinator. No doubt, once the elections were settled, Williams was fired from BIS and may be channelling his frustrations with that development toward Mrs. Turner.

 

Of course, this is all circumstantial speculation and we have seen nothing other than the letter published by Bahamas Press to even suggest that Williams is a part of that circus much less still in The Bahamas. But it does give some background into another of the characters mentioned in the email to Bahamas Press by the PLP Administrator, Andrew Burrows. The following excerpt comes from an article published in 2003 on www.bahamasuncensored.com and gives a better understanding of where the difficulties between Williams and Christie lie. 

 

Earlin Williams who is said to be a consultant with the Bahamas Information Services (BIS) and a confidant of former Chairman of the Bahamas Agricultural Industrial Corporation (BAIC) Sidney Stubbs issued a remarkable statement at the end of the whole process on Wednesday 26th November.  It was a full frontal attack on the Prime Minister, who arranged to hire Mr. Williams as consultant at BIS, a job, which up to upload time, he still has.      Mr. Williams’ statement was quoted in The Tribune of Thursday 27th November 2003.  It said:      “It is now clear that Nestiwell is the first victim of the victimization of Perry Christie’s government.  It is unfortunate that the government conducted a clandestine and sinister plan to get me and my partners out of the fishing business.  The minister’s interpretation of the mortgage and his determination that he should take the boats out of the country will be challenged.      “I appeal to the Prime Minister to do the right thing and follow the policy announced by his minister that Bahamians be allowed to go into fishing in Bahamian waters and no lobby of special interests ought to be allowed to prevent me from lawfully carrying out my business.  I appeal to the good judgement of the prime minister to do the right thing and not to victimize me because my name is Earlin Williams and not Earlin Wilson.”      [Editor’s Note: Mr. Williams was a director of Nestiwell.  See  ‘WHAT ALFRED GRAY HAD TO SAY’ above.  The reference to Earlin Wilson is an attempted clever dig at the fact that Franklin Wilson is a leading businessman who is a PLP and perceived to be close to the Prime Minister.]      The Korean Honorary Consul Max Gibson issued statement saying that the Consulate knew nothing of this deal.  The Ministry of Financial Services & Investment, which is headed by Allyson Maynard Gibson, wife of Max Gibson also denied any knowledge of this deal.      The Prime Minister has removed BAIC from the portfolio of Minister Leslie Miller and placed it within the PM’s responsibilities.

 

Is there anything more we need to say?

What a Tangled Web We Weave pt. 1 Bannister

We often sit back and watch things happen in this country and sometimes we are compelled to ask a question or two to get to the bottom of things, if only for our own satisfaction. The current dust up between the PLP Web administrator and the blog Bahamas Press is one of those items where what’s not being said may be more interested than what has been published already on both sites.

 

To this end, we sought the story from the one side of row that we have little reason to doubt and rather than put it in words, we were sent a treasure trove of emails and links that tell an interesting tale.

 

Where do we begin with this one?

 

How about the beginning, which is where the first claim made by one of the Bahamas Press contributors is refuted without one single word from the PLP Admin. In his email, which was published by Bahamas Press despite being a private communication, Drew mentioned the name Carvel, whom the letter was addressed although the main address was to Bahamas Press. We can only assume he sent it to Bahamas Press knowing that BP and Carvel are one and the same. He also mentioned Earlin, Fred and Gorman. 

 

Gorman Bannister wrote a post on Bahamas Press in the follow up attack by Bahamas Press and proclaimed that he had no hand in the smear that takes place on Bahamas Press and that he, Gorman Bannister, is in fear of no man and would only write under his own name. Well, if you go by the photo above, it appears Bannister is half right or only telling half of the truth. Yes, he writes under his own name but he was not being honest in claiming that he does not write for Bahamas Press. Whether his writing extended beyond those initial articles is a matter of speculation and we suspect that the PLP Admin was doing just that but the basis of his reasoning was sound.

 

There is evidence that Gorman Bannister is a writer of Bahamas Press and the evidence is right there on their own website. 

 

 

And now to the background to explain Gorman’s part in anything anti Christie. Bannister is the progeny of one Everette “Mr. B” Bannister, a confidant of Pindling and essentially, the bag man for a number of the bad boys of the 1980s when the smear of corruption was more than just a smear in the PLP and several prominent Bahamians were too close to give serious denials of involvement in drug trafficking. Mr. B was one of those persons. By all accounts, Mr. B was also quite a generous donor not only to the PLP but also to those he took close to him. His son may have had issues with that but our understanding is that when Mr. B was on trial by the US government in an extradition case to have him tried in the US on drug charges, with the prospect of serious jail time in front of him, his attorney in the case was the law firm of Christie, Davis & Co., then owned by PLP honcho Perry Christie and Cat Island MP and Christie consigliere Philip “Brave” Davis.

 

To make a long story short, Christie and Davis expended a vast amount of time and resources in the defense of their client and as a result of being too generous, were not able to fully charge Bannister for their services. This is where it gets foggy for us because we cannot confirm this aspect of it but there is some talk that Bannister, out of gratitude for the work done on his behalf, held on to some property and designated it as payment for Christie & Davis. Gorman, who was mixed up with Uncle Sam in the US, came along expecting to get his hands on this property despite not doing one thing to help his father and in fact, turned against him and gave testimony in to the US Senate against him. So, Bannister the senior pulled the carpet from under Bannister the junior and for that, Gorman has harbored a deep and abiding hatred for any and everything Perry Christie does. In the end, Mr. B passed away before the trial could be concluded. 

Click here to read Gorman’s testimony against his father:   http://www.thememoryhole.org/kerry/kerry1-21-40.htm 

It should also be interesting to note that shortly after Bahamas Press came online, Gorman’s own website www.blackbeltbaldnaked.com receded even further into irrelevance, having not been updated since May of this year. Would it be too far fetched to assume that Bannister has devoted his attention to writing for Bahamas Press and is neglecting the Black Belt website that never really took off? Curiously, he also ceased to published the newspaper edition of Black Belt, around the same time another new newspaper popped up on the scene, The Bugle.

 

Guess who is responsible for that paper? Carvel Francis. Could this be the same Carvel to whom the PLP Admin, Andrew Burrows, was referring to in his email and if so, does this confirm a rather incestuous relationship between Carvel Francis’ Bahamas Press and The Bugle operations and Gorman Bannister’s Black Belt campaigns?

 

You can bet the farm it does and you can score one for the side that believes that Bannister is not only affiliated with Bahamas Press, but is more than likely the lead writer. It is highly unlikely that Carvel has the aptitude to write like Bannister, who fancies himself some kind of world class journalist when all he’s proven is a penchant for calling people “lowlifes” and other colorful names. At least he and the Earlin in the email, have that in common.

 

Part 2 coming soon. No need to put Kalik on ice.