NASSAU, BAHAMAS –On September 7, 2026, The Tribune’s publisher, Eileen Dupuch-Carron, wrote an editorial about
me on page 6 titled “Sometimes you can’t fix stupid”. the column carried no byline, but whoever held the pen took care to tell us that the writer is “the most senior Barrister at the Supreme Court" and that the BACSWN team includes "my son". That is a description only Eileen Dupuch- Carron can claim, and so, whoever typed it, it is to her that I reply. I would like to start by telling
Mrs. Carron that I forgive her for everything she said.
While I was promised a “war in which “the other side has a say in when a conflict stops”, we have far too many bloodstained streets for another turf war, this time between Eastern Road and Lyford Cay. Rather than returning her salvo of insults with my own, both entering an inevitable war of attrition, I would like to extend an offer of understanding.
I cannot suggest that my offer will bring peace, because I fundamentally disagree with the basis of the Bahamas Aviation, Climate & Severe Weather Network (BACSWN); however, understanding can be attained through facts. Each article I have written to date has been
supported by references (many of them from The Tribune itself), supporting documents or, in some cases, simple mathematics. I would point out that Mrs. Carron’s salvo at me contained none of those.
May I suggest that Mrs. Carron direct her deep understanding of the law (which, as she so eloquently reminded me, she was practicing before I was born) towards explaining the relationship between The Bahamas, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the
United States. May I humbly request that she start by explaining the Bahamas Air Navigation Service Agreement we have with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and then delve into the specifics of the Bilateral Agreement with the United States. From where I sit,
BACSWN’s proposed services duplicate those that America already provides or are otherwise not required.
I would like to acknowledge Mrs. Carron’s wit in her Monday piece. Some of the more colourful elements provided me with great entertainment. My personal favourites were the suggestions that I am flawed because of “the absence of any little pea of common-sense rattling around the confines of [my] vacuous cranium” and that my writing is a “self-indulgent orgy of highly offensive vitriol”. The latter I enjoyed so much that I have made it my Instagram tagline. Few people can dress someone down so eloquently, and her ability is truly an artform, not all that unlike an English boarding school
Mrs. Carron, over the years, has held many important people to account, from the leaders of our country to those of the various political parties, providing important outside commentary that keeps our country in check. Her many designations and accolades are proof of just that. I must admit I was a little bemused when she dedicated an entire piece to me while at the same time telling readers that “this young man must believe he has arrived”. Respectfully, Mrs. Carron, with you writing about me, I have.
In her article Mrs. Carron took the time to issue what many members of the public understood to be a threat against my business. She was wise to mention my very public and rather unfortunate involvement with FTX, and as a barrister she must have known that there is no better way to learn about a courtroom than to stand in one. In fact, that very legal matter has made me even more resilient to threats, both foreign and domestic. So, while I do not seek to go to war with someone as distinguished as Mrs. Carron, I am certainly prepared for the battles foretold in her letter to me. I have no intention of sitting small as I was instructed to.
Mrs. Carron demanded an apology from me on Monday. I am here to say that one is not forthcoming. I believe that someone needs to stand up for the Bahamian people and for aviation operators, and that the absence of such behaviour across our industries has led us to where we are today as a nation. Mrs. Carron demanded that I take my website down. I will not. It is clearly labelled a commentary site, and it is there to inform the public and the industry that I have chosen to represent and love dearly. Mrs. Carron, your son said upon winning his award that he is who God created him to be. In this case, Mrs. Carron, following the teaching of Isaiah 6:8, I am standing up and saying, for my industry: “Here am I. Send me!”
I am told that, either way, the “Genie” is now out of the bottle, in which case I have three wishes, all of which I would like to direct to Mrs. Carron: I wish you peace, I wish you health, I wish you love.
My offer of lunch, extended on Monday, still stands.
-Paul Francis Aranha
