It’s high noon in January for new governor
(CNS): The government has now confirmed that Cayman’s new governor, Duncan Taylor, will be arriving on island in a month’s time. A short release from the Governor’s Office said that after consultation with the premier, the new UK representative will arrive in the Cayman Islands at noon Friday, 15 January, to take up his appointment. Following the recent controversies in Cayman regarding the previous governor’s decisions regarding Operation Tempura, as well as the dispute with the UK over the conditions of further government borrowing to balance the budget among other issues, McKeeva Bush issued a warning to Taylor when he was sworn in as premier not to micro manage the jurisdiction.
Taylor will be accompanied by his wife, Marie-Beatrice, on his official arrival day and a schedule of events for the swearing-in ceremony will be issued shortly, the Governor’s Office stated. Taylor comes to Cayman from Barbados, where he completed a four-year tour of duty as British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
Earlier this year, the in-coming governor told the Caribbean media that he believed that Britain has a right to step in wherever there are perceived problems in its territories. Comparing Cayman to the situation in Turks and Caicos, where the UK has taken over the government, Taylor stated that he didn’t think the situation would happen in the Cayman Islands but made it clear the UK had the constitutional power if necessary.
“I hope it won’t come to that in the Cayman Islands and I would be very surprised if it did but the nature of the relationship with the British Overseas Territories is that they are still British Overseas Territories and that is the constitutional position,” he said.
The current situation between the UK and the Cayman Islands remains strained, with the UK not particularly happy about the circumstances surrounding the reviews of the country’s revenue bases and the civil service, which were conditions of the recent permission granted to the CIG to borrow more cash to operate government this fiscal year.
As yet, little news has been released about the talks between the UK’s FCO minister Chris Bryant and Bush, which took place last week during the annual Overseas Territories Consultative Council in London.
Category: Local News
I hope the new governor is strong and can stand-up for what is best for the Cayman Islands. There has been underlying suggestions about independence and taxation. Independence is completely out of the question for the Cayman Islands. Come on, Cayman. We have nothing to become independent with. With independence, comes taxation, increase in prices and good-bye tourism and the tourist dollar. We have no other natural resources and take a look at what has happened to Jamaica through independence. They have natural resources and still they slipped way down on the economy scale. We have no natural resources and all our financial industries will abdicate, leaving us a shell. Something or someone needs to explain the economics to our Premier. The blustering and veiled threats remind me of Kim Il Jong.
Mr. Duncan Taylor will be a better Governor that the one that just left. In four years times, if the Cayman Islands Government does it’s part to be fiscally conservative and be forthright with all their dealings, we will then be able to say that Governor Taylor did a good job. Welcome to the Cayman Islands Mr. Taylor, you treat us fair and be straight up and we will do the same.
Note to Mr. McKeeva – try to work as best as you can with the new Governor – create an environment of working together and not against each other.
Sign Me,
U can get more done if u r truly committed (and don’t forget to keep God in your life!!!!!)
You can see where this is going already. The UK has been trying to find fault and create problems for Cayman for quite some time including a corruption enquiry. The countries in the Caribbean should keep a close eye on their goal toward sovreignty.
I think perhaps this was our future governor’s considered response to Mac’s messages to the uk:
* describing himself as "Chief Defender of the Cayman Islands" (best person I see fitting this cap to date is Travers… he got more tact and diplomacy)
* saying he had fought the UK’s representatives in the past and won and he would do so again
* warning the incoming governor not to try and micromanage
…and in all honesty I don’t blame him. Cayman chose to remain a BOT, that’s how it works for BOT’s, its a natural part of being a BOT.
Let’s not judge the new Gov yet, let’s see where this goes…. I hope he shocks us all and does good things for Cayman, standing up against the UK where it is in the best interests of Cayman rather than being a carbon copy of the previous Gov (God forbid)!
You mean the new Governor standing beside the UK with in the interest of Cayman Islands I would hope, because, without the UK we are nothing on our own and a lot of Caymanians don’t same to understand that and for Mr. Mcdinejad to say that he had fought the UK representitives in the past and won, i have’nt seen anything that he won them on, no more than pure talk and to warn the incoming Governor not to try to micromanage is more of a bully line to me. I think this Governor is not gonna let no Premier walk all over him and tell him what to do for is instructions comes from the Uk and when he tells to premier not to do something he must simply respect him for the Premier is not above the Governor Nor the UK.
We are still a BOT. My feeling is that our elected officials should be respectful and have respect in return, should not judge the new Governor until he has time to unpack and until everyone has an opprtunity to get to know each other there should be no place for shallow ‘sound bite" politrickin.
Well I for one won’t put horse before cart and judge this man before he even lands. I’ll wait and see what transpires first. But I hope and pray that he does a better job here than his predecessor…. which shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve!