Archive for March 24th, 2009
Task force to do government books
(CNS): Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson has announced that a special task force of accountants will be formed in order to tackle the outstanding financial reports. During his presentation of the Supplementary Appropriations Bill to the Legislative Assembly on the last day of business yesterday, Jefferson said the group would be made up of accountants from inside the civil service in the first instance but external number crunchers will be brought into the task force from the beginning of the new financial year.
With a budget deficit of almost $29 million, Leader of the Opposition McKeeva Bush said the country was moving along a dangerous path and the issue of the outstanding government accounts was more important than ever. “As the government hasn’t published any audited accounts in four years, we don’t have the facts, members of this House can’t see what is happening with government spending,” he said. He added that he was very disappointed that the accounts had not been present as it was proof of the pudding about what had happened with government spending and there was no other way to know the facts.
Jefferson said that accounts were now finished for the year 2005 and just neede to be compiled into the report, but the problems of Hurricane Ivan and the new requirements of the PMFL had put pressure on CFOs. He said while these were not excuses they were explanations. Jefferson stated that the taskforce would remove the pressure on CFOs, who would be freed up to concentrate on keeping departments’ accounts currentwhile the external accountants would deal with the backlog.
“The importance of this area is fully understood. It is being taken seriously and there is an action plan in place with the establishment of the taskforce,” he added.
The significant delinquency of government financial reporting was exposed in July of last year when Auditor General Dan Duguay released a report, the State of Financial Accountability Reporting, which revealed that every government ministry and statutory authority was behind in its audited accounts. Some were more than four years behind which has prevented government from compiling full reports for any year since it has been in office.
Since the revelation there has been some considerable controversy about the report, with departments denying the position set out by Duguay’s report only to miss more deadlines. However, Duguay told CNS recently that his office continues to work will all the entities that are behind, and he says some improvements have been made. However, the establishment of the taskforce is the first concrete indication that the Portfolio of Finance has a plan to deal with the problem.
In the wake of the report, Governor Stuart Jack raised his concerns and said the delays went to the heart of good governance and said he expected to see the matter addressed. On 6 August he said audited financial statements are important for the accountability of government and hence for good governance and the delay in finalising the statements could not be allowed to continue.
On 6 August 2008, the governor said he expected COs and CFOs of all government entities to give the highest priority to quick progress towards meeting the requirements of the law and of financial accountability to the Legislative Assembly, particularly the Public Accounts Committee, and the public. Several datesfor the Public Accounts Committee to meet were set and missed.
Osbourne Bodden, Chair of the Committee, also released a statement in August saying the committee acknowledged the long standing problem with the lack of timely financial statements being made available for audit by the audit office and it would commence witness calling and testimony by early September. Bodden said he strenuously recommended that a specific deadline be given and once passed that the audit office proceeds with issuing its report.
However, the committee did not meet before the dissolution of the House and will not now do so until after a new administration and therefore new committee is formed.
Fears of record hedge fund withdrawals
(Financial Times): Hedge fund investors believe the industry will see even bigger withdrawals this year than last, when record levels of cash were pulled from the sector. A survey of investors by Deutsche Bank found a third expect more than $200bn to be withdrawn, after a net $155bn was taken out last year, according to calculations by Chicago consultancy Hedge Fund Research. Only a quarter of investors expect net inflows into the industry, and 82 per cent of the 1,000 surveyed said redemptions were the biggest issue hedge fund managers face.
UK bill of rights outlined
(The Guardian): A new British bill of rights and responsibilitilies outlined yesterday could enshrine entitlements to welfare, equal treatment, housing, children’s wellbeing and the NHS, Jack Straw, the justice secretary, said yesterday. He likened the bill’s potential impact to Magna Carta and the 1689 Bill of Rights. The green paper follows a commitment to the measure made by Gordon Brown the day after he became prime minister, but the proposals have been met with disdain by some cabinet members worried it would simply empower the judiciary, deepen popular frustrations with the Human Rights Act, and be seen as an irrelevance at a time of recession.
Few nations use death penalty
(BBC): The world is moving nearer to ending the use of capital punishment, Amnesty International says, despite its latest report revealing a mixed picture. In its annual survey the group says 2,390 people were put to death in 2008, up from 1,252 in 2007. And 8,864 were sentenced to death, up from 3,347. Of 25 nations using the death penalty in 2008, China was the most prolific. But Amnesty said it was encouraging that just 59 nations retained the death penalty and so few actually used it. The group’s secretary general, Irene Khan, said such punishments as beheading, stoning and electrocution "have no place in the 21st Century".
Lions and Leos star in video
(CNS): Local Lions and Leos were captured working in the community on both Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac by a visiting film crew from Lions Clubs International. From beach clean-ups to tackling breast cancer and screening schoolchildren for eye defects, the Cayman Lions Family demonstrated some of the fine work they do for the people and places of the Cayman Islands.
The visitors were welcomed at the Lions Club of Grand Cayman Happy hour event on Friday 27 February, with gift bags donated by the Department of Tourism, where they were able to socialize with many Lions who were in attendance.
Early Saturday morning the group headed down to the Lions Swimming Pool to film a group of young swimmers training. Then it was off to Cayman Brac for a packed schedule that included filming a beach clean-up, a meeting with teachers to present school supplies, meeting with people who were affected by Hurricane Paloma, which hit Cayman Brac on 8 November 2008, distribution of relief supplies and interviews with several members of the Lions and Leos Clubs of Cayman Brac about different projects being tackled in that community.
Sunday saw the crew filming members of the Leos Club of Grand Cayman at the Public Beach on West Bay Road. The Leos was busy cleaning up the beach and painting some of the cabanas. Several members of the Lions Club of Grand Cayman turned out to help and the session ended with a barbeque. Once lunch was over, they headed up to North Side to visit Daniel Rankin, who was the grateful recipient of a new electronic wheelchair from the Lions Club of Grand Cayman. Their last stop for the day was to visit with the Lions Club of Tropical Gardens where they captured the work being done on the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’ project at the Elmslie Memorial United Church Hall.
Their final day of filming started early with the Sight Screening project which was taking place at Pace High School – over 100 children were screened for visual defects. They then visited the Lions Eye Clinic and met with Dr Pandit to discuss the work Lions do for sight in the community, and also to find out how Lions has helped the clinic by donations of much needed new equipment in order to carry out other operations; which will save community members from having to traveling overseas, and also saving them hundreds, or maybe even thousands of dollars.
The final stop in their whistle stop tour was the Mammogram Clinic where they met and interviewed the doctor, and met with some patients who were recipients of the Lions Mammogram vouchers at the Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital.
Lion John Ebanks, Council Chairperson of Lions Multiple District 60 played chaperone for the duration of the weekend. Lion John said, “It was a pleasure to have the crew here to be able to capture the great work that is carried out in our community by both Lions and Leos. This video will be used to showcase the work we do and to encourage others to join this wonderful service Organization.”
Lions Club of Grand Cayman President Tony Ritch added, “All members of these great service clubs were more than happy to participate in the filming. It was a fantastic opportunity to, not only showcase the community projects that we are all working on, but also our beautiful Islands.”
Rotaract Blue goes green for Rotaract Week
(CNS): Members of Rotaract Blue Cayman Islands were joined by Rotarians from their sponsor club Rotary Central and students from the Lighthouse School on Saturday 14 March for a special tree planting project, which began at the Park in the Palm Dale area (off Crewe Road), which was selected from a list of areas that were previously identified by the Department of Recreation and Parks. The tree planting was part of a week of activities to celebrate the annual World Rotaract Week, which marks the chartering of the first Rotaract Club in North Carolina, USA, on 13 March 1968.
As a result of very generous donations from Power Flower owner Hendrik Lindhardt, Carlos Dawkins of Qualscape Ltd, and the Camana Bay nursery, the club received a wide selection of trees, 17 of which were planted at the Palm Dale Park venue. The remaining plants will be used for other tree planting and replenishment projects in the near future.
Project organiser Tricia Cacho explained the initiative: “We chose to carry out an environmentally friendly project in conjunction with our Rotaract District’s initiative, ‘Going Green’. The Palm Dale community’s new park is now green and flourishing and we hope that the residents are pleased with what we have done. Many thanks to everyone who made our project a success."
Rotaract Blue is one of the newest Rotaract initiatives in the Caribbean. The club is sponsored by Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Central and under their guidance ithas become the second established Rotaract Club in the Cayman Islands. The Open Arms programme aims to create community awareness of different disabilities and to integrate individuals with disabilities into the community.
UCCI students earn HR credentials
(CNS): Two Caymanian students at the University College of the Cayman Islands recently earned the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification. Katrina Parchment and Regina Bennett sat the Human Resource Certification Institute’s PHR exam earlier in the academic year and are the first UCCI students to earn this distinguished qualification. The certification, awarded by the HR Certification Institute, signifies that recipients possess the theoretical knowledge and practical experience in human resource management necessary to pass a rigorous examination and demonstrates a mastery of the body of knowledge in the field.
Bennett said she took the SHRM programme to expand her knowledge and enhance her qualifications by earning a globally recognized credential in the HR profession. “This achievement both challenges me to continue learning and motivates me to keep striving for career advancement,” she said.
Parchment added that the commitment and focus required for the programme is significant. “My hard work and dedication to the programme was rewarded when I passed the PHR exam. It feels good to know that the knowledge and credentials I have gained has further strengthened my capabilities as an HR professional,” she noted.
Dr Carolyn Mathews, Director of Executive Training and Graduate studies and instructor for the programme, said she is particularly proud of the accomplishments of these two students. “It is a wonderful achievement that as a result of their study two HR Masters Degree students from UCCI have received professional certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute in the United States. Congratulations from all at UCCI.”
The HR Certification Institute is the credentialing body for human resource professionals and is affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest organization dedicated exclusively to the human resource profession.
Ocean Awareness for kids
(CNS): With a new Ocean Aware initiative, the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) aims to help all children in the Cayman Islands have an understanding of the ocean’s influence on people and human impact on the sea by the time they are twelve years old. To reach this goal, and with sponsorship from CUC, the CCMI Education Committee has developed and published an ocean literacy teacher’s guide, “Our Ocean Planet”, which has been endorsed by the Education Ministry and has been incorporated into the science curriculum.
The Ocean Aware programme is a detailed and ambitious three-year plan, and its overall scope is two-fold: to provide literature, training and support to teachers in both the public and private schools in the Cayman Islands; and to implement a public awareness campaign for Ocean Aware, designed to make all members of the community more aware of the impact of of humans on the ocean and visa versa.
“Educating our youth is very important if we are to be successful in preserving the natural beauty of our marine environment. We are pleased to commit to the Ocean Aware initiative of CCMI as we can see the tremendous long term benefits it will bring to the Cayman Islands,” said Richard Hew, President and CEO of CUC.
For more information on the Ocean Aware or any of CCMI’s educational initiatives, contact Sally at copppage@reefresearch.org
A Constitution for Everyman
(CNS): Anyone baffled by the language of the proposed constitution can now read a version of it written in layman’s terms. An electronic version of the Explanatory Guide – the ‘reader-friendly’ document that explains the new provisions of the new Draft Constitution – was released last Friday, 20 March, and is available online. Printed copies will be out next Friday, 3 April, as a special newspaper insert and will also be available at various outlets, including post offices, public libraries and supermarkets.
The 2009 Draft Constitution Explanatory Guide has been issued by the Constitutional Review Secretariat (CRS), with the aim of ensuring that all residents understand the differences between the 1972 Constitution and the proposed updated version, which will be the subject of the national referendum on 20 May.
Encouraging public use of this new tool, CRS Director Suzanne Bothwell, said, “This is an important aspect of our public awareness package. While some people will want to study the entire Draft Constitution, other people have expressed that they simply want a working knowledge of the process. This Explanatory Guide, which is written in layman’s language, should therefore be a useful public education tool.”
The CRS is conducting other public education initiatives in conjunction with Government Information Services and the local media. These include weekly radio appearances, newspaper ads, web updates and public service announcements.
“I encourage people to get a copy of the guide and prepare themselves for the ‘yes-or-no’ constitution vote in the May referendum,” Bothwell added.
For more information on the constitution review process, contact the Constitutional Review Secretariat in Elizabethan Square, or call -244-3605, or visit its website, www.constitution.gov.ky.
Rundown comes to the Brac
(CNS): Poking fun at the UCCI scandal, police issues, and everyday politics in the Cayman Islands, the annual comedic review Rundown will be performed on Cayman Brac on Saturday 28 March for one show only. Now in its 19th year, Rundown is written by Dave Martins and directed by Henry Muttoo and will be performed by 16 cast members at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre, starting at 2:00 pm, As usual there will be humorous songs in between the skits. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under and can be purchased in advance from Chevala Burke at District Administration or by calling the Cayman National Cultural Foundation on 949 5477.
The Brac showing of Rundown 2009 is being held in the afternoon this year is due to the lack of accommodation for the cast, who will travel to the Brac on Saturday and return to Grand Cayman on Saturday evening.
The showing is sponsored in part by Sister Islands MLA Moses Kirkconnell and Cayman Airways. “Right now our people need good entertainment – we need to laugh and Rundown will provide a therapy for all who survived hurricane Paloma," Kirkconnell said.