The Tribune

THE priority of the nation is understandably the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic right now – but the allegations that continue to unfold against Peter Nygard should not be overlooked.

The claims go to the heart of how our country was governed and policed in recent years.

A total of 36 women have joined a US lawsuit accusing Mr Nygard of rape. A dozen of those women are Bahamians, with others coming from the US, Canada, Britain and Germany.

A dozen of those plaintiffs were aged between 14 and 17 years old at the time they were allegedly raped.

Those allegations – against a man who has lived large in The Bahamas for a long time – would be shocking enough, but combined with the claims of how he used police and senior politicians to cover his tracks strike at the heart of how our nation is run.

The papers, filed in New York, include names familiar to the Bahamian people. As yet, the allegations remain to be tested in court – but when the evidence starts to land day by day, there will be nowhere to hide for those accused.

Nor should there be.

In addition to the rape allegations, Nygard is accused of bribing politicians, and using police officers as his own personal enforcers to intimidate victims. There are even claims he provided women to politicians for sex. In the latest filings, one woman says she was sent to the office of a senior politician to ask for help. When she arrived, he reportedly took his penis out and attempted to have sex with her. She reportedly refused – and when Nygard found out, he apparently became upset she did not have sex with the politician.

The claims against Nygard are extensive – and if true they show a willingness to sell out our nation for sex and money. Are we so willing to betray our fellow Bahamians? Our women? All for a foreign investor’s deep pockets?

Whatever the outcome of the case in the US, we must get to the bottom of what happened here in our country. More, we must make sure no one is in a position to manipulate our society in such a way again. At the very least, we must examine what complaints were made to the police, what action was taken and whether there was any interference with those actions.

If the allegations are false, they should be exposed to the sunlight of truth. Those accused should have the opportunity to clear their names. But if they are true? Then they deserve whatever punishment is appropriate.

Bahamians need one thing more than anything else right now – the truth.

The invisible enemy - and the cost on our healthcare services

The news of a patient on Princess Margaret Hospital’s surgical ward having been diagnosed with COVID-19 is a shattering blow to our healthcare system.

The patient was diagnosed with the virus on Sunday. Since then, four more patients on the ward have been confirmed to have the virus. More, about 100 healthcare workers were exposed to the patient and are now in self-isolation.

The incident shows the nature of the problem we are wrestling with. The patient was not suspected of having the coronavirus. As Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands says, even in hindsight there was little reason to suspect the patient had the virus.

While there are issues with how forthcoming the hospital was in the wake of this discovery, this also shows the nature of the virus. There are many of us who might be invisible carriers of COVID-19. No coughing, no sneezing, no fever. No symptoms that make us worry we might be infecting others.

Every time we see large gatherings – such as videos of people crowded round the entrance to a store or the large gathering of union members on Monday – think of all the people in those crowds who could be just like that patient. No reason to suspect they are carriers and yet there they are, unwittingly spreading the infection.

Just because you don’t feel or look ill doesn’t mean you don’t have the virus – or that you can’t spread it to someone else. This is why the government is telling people to stay at home. This is why you should not take the risk to go out unless absolutely necessary.

It also shows the lack of testing capacity – with a shortage of swabs holding us back. Dr Sands said we cannot test everyone who attends a hospital. That would be more than 130 tests a day – and if it’s an urgent case such as a heart attack or a gunshot wound there’s no time to wait for a test result before offering treatment. Even as it is, doing up to 200 tests a day would mean we run out of swabs very quickly. And what do we do when there are none left?

The government is trying to get extra supplies – but so is the rest of the world. Until then, we must play our part, and stay apart.