Premier goes fact finding in Jersey

| 09/02/2011

(CNS): Following his visit to the UK’s FCO to meet with the overseas territories minister, the premier has moved on to Jersey, where he is expected to meet with the island’s lieutenant-governor, other government officials and people from the jurisdiction’s financial sector. According to sources close to the visit, McKeeva Bush and the Cayman delegation will be looking at Jersey’s Public Finance Law, accounting procedures and budgeting process to determine whether it could help inform changes planned for Cayman’s Public Management and Finance Law. Meanwhile, officials from Jersey are hoping to not only strengthen relations but learn how Cayman is defending its 0% tax rate against hostility from other countries, as well as the sustainability of its public finances.

Although a release was circulated by the premier’s office regarding Bush’s trip to the UK to meet with the overseas territories minister, Henry Bellingham, there was no mention of the three day visit to the UK crown dependency of Jersey, located in the English channel and also famed for its financial services industry.

The premier is being accompanied by MLAs Cline Glidden, Ellio Solomon, Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson, his political advisor Richard Parchment, and Richard Smith, the director of Civil Aviation Authority, who is expected to attend meetings with Jersey’s aviation officials.

The premier and his party will be departing Jersey on Thursday evening. It is not known if he will be returning directly to Cayman or if there are further meetings planned at other overseas destinations.

Education Minister Rolston Anglin currently remains acting premier. Despite requests, no details have been supplied to the media on the whereabouts of Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly.

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  1. Thinking before speaking... says:

    jep_news_header.gif

    Cayman delegation learns from Jersey

     

    Cayman Islands premier W McKeeva Bush and Assistant Chief Minister Freddie Cohen

    CAYMAN Islands premier W McKeeva Bush led a delegation to the Island last week.

    Mr Bush led a group of politicians on the trip to Jersey, which followed a scheduled meeting in London with the Foreign Office.

    Politicians in Cayman are considering reforming the way they manage public finances and were apparently keen to learn from Jersey’s experience of setting up a new Public Finances Law from 2005, and in moving towards GAAP – or generally accepted accounting principles – accounts.

    During the two-day visit on Wednesday and Thursday, the delegation met the Lieutenant-Governor, Lieutenant-General Andrew Ridgway, Bailiff Michael Birt, Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur, ‘foreign secretary’ Senator Freddie Cohen and Assistant Treasury Minister Eddie Noel.

    Article posted on 14th February, 2011 – 2.57pm

     

    Read more:

    http://www.thisisjersey.com/2011/02/14/cayman-delegation-learns-from-jersey/#ixzz1E2wTLoAF

    Those who believe that the Premier’s side trip to Jersey will result in improving the law governing Cayman’s finances may conclude otherwise after reading the Jersey people’s comments on this article… Certainly the last thing Cayman needs is to allow its Premier/leaders to create more ways to pull the wool over the eyes of the Caymanian electorate!   

  2. anonymous says:

    Can’t you pull down that Jersey Public Finance Law from the Internet?
    http://www.jerseylaw.je/Law/display.aspx?url=lawsinforce%2Fconsolidated%2F24%2F24.900.85_PublicFinances(TransitionalProvisions-StatesTradingOperations)Regulations2005_RevisedEdition_1January2006.htm

    Why do you have to waste so much money travelling with your cronies? When you should be here dealing with the Crime issues?

  3. Miller says:

    An excellent decisions from our Premier to inquire about the Jersey’s Public Finance Law, as the UK sends down a man to review ours here. That is what you call strategy. Precisely what will this person from the UK conclude, looking into our Public Finance Management law? Ezzard has question the way it is done, and the Premier is simply comparing. I wish him all the best, and I am grateful to God that we have him as Premier, because anyone else would be clueless as to what to do. His travels are all warranted. Interacting with potentates and special interest people, is better than what his opponents are proposing… like staying home in West Bay and surfing the internet – Rediculous! That is not how you market and run a country!

  4. Anonymous says:

    the premierina is missing??!!  alas, who is sailing this ship??

  5. Lachlan MacTavish says:

     The leader of the Cayman Islands Government should be in the Cayman Islands addressing the needs of the people of the country. I would stand behind any elected official with the conch shells to stand up and say " I am here for the people, I will stay in the country and I will deal with our pressing problems and issues instead of flying around the world and playing politricks".

    Personally I believe our leader of government travels more than any of the G20 nation leaders.

     

     

    • Anonymous says:

      On the Appointed Day, McKeeva Bush stood in front of the people of the Cayman Islands and pointedly addressed the new Governor, telling him and all of us that Mr. Bush stood before us as the "Defender of the Cayman Islands."

      And here in a time of turmoil and need, he seems to be off-island more than on.

       

      • ex-footballer says:

        "Defender of the Cayman islands"…………..where in this statement does it says a defender must remain home at all times or only travel once every blue moon? Anonymous @ 07:57 you are making it sound like its wrong for our premier to travel, for your information turmoil and need is affecting us overseas as much as its affecting us at home. It’s all about strategy and knowing whats in your opponents half,a good defender in football knows that in order to defend his own goal he must also go forward and attack with power and skill, only a stupid defender stays in his own goal mouth and hardly go forward  for the full 90 minutes.Well done Mr Premier and may God continue to bless you and our beautiful islands.

      • Anonymous says:

        While the local crabs do put up quite a bite and certainly need to be addressed; perhaps Mr. Bush and others are addressing the external challenges, which would destroy both the local crabs and their future crablings.

  6. sandra says:

    Good for the Premier. We can learn from Jersey just like they can learn from us.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Jersey?  Premier Bush could learn from Anguilla Chief Minister Hubert Hughes, who recently took a crowd of people on a secret trip to South Africa, on their way home from a London meeting.

    Most Anguillians don’t know about this.  It’s too bad we don’t have a real newspaper like you do in Cayman.

    The Town Fool, Anguilla

  8. Anonymous says:

    COME BACK AND DEAL WITH CRIME

  9. UCCI student says:

    And I guess such travels to strengthen the relationship between us and the UK, such travels to sign important tax transparency deals to keep our banking industry going, such travels to market the Cayman Islands, are all a waste of money! And the Premier like all the anti-expatriate politicians here, should just be home roosting, hoping for the Lord to just pour his blessings whilst nothing is being done! Lol… I can see the negative and ignorant bloggers now… attacking the poor Premier on “travel expenses.”

  10. Anonymous says:

    What a joke! Jersey accounts and budgets properly, in other words, it accrues for known or expected expenses as well as actual costs when doing its accounts, its various departments keep proper accounts, produced on time, audited independantly and accountable to the public (auditors are never fired for exposing wrongdoing). If Bush had done his homework he could have saved you the expense of his travelling band of expense account spenders, because there is no way he wants what Jersey has!

    The plus point for Cayman is that there are no first class seats for the flights from London, XXXX

  11. Anonymous says:

    “Fact finding”. My boss has a similar term when he and a co-worker disappears from work in the afternoon to go to the bar!

  12. Newsflash! says:

    Hey everyone, I just heard about this new thing called "The internet". Apparently you can send "email’s" and stuff through it, even attach documents they say.

    It sounds a bit fishy and I’m not sure if I believe it or not.

    Rumour has it that there may even be a "website" where everyone could look at this Jersey Public Finance Law without even having to get up from behind their desk!

    Surely they jest.

    • Cybyll Savant says:

      What’s worse is Jersey’s got a fiscal responsibility law like the PMFL but of course we wont hear that because Ken n’ Sonia don’t like it. Too much trouble for the poor diddums.

      • very concerned says:

        hope he look at their immigration law. they protect their people. by only letting in workers that can benifit the islands, and will not increase their population to please the chamber of commerce

        • Anonymous says:

          Jersey do NOT have an immigration law like yours, they relate higher level jobs to the persons housing requirements, and only permit you to have accomodation if you can contribute. There are time limits to your occupancy. Unlike Cayman, the percentage of jobs filled by outsiders is low, because Jersey has a first class education system, people take proper further education and professional qualification, so most jobs are filled by locals. They do not expect outsiders to do their work, and they do not work on the presumption of a right to a job if they are not qualified2#.

          Thats what you need to copy, then you wont need immigration laws or work permits!

          • very concerned says:

            you speak as if you are an authority on work ethics???
            whare do u spend your afternoons???.
            for your information most of us Caymanians ARE HARD WORKING as are most permit holders
            . i agree with you that our education system have failed MOST of us,
            , but that do not give you the right to degrade all
            . HAVE SOME RESPECT FOR YOURSELF AND ASSOCIATE WITH YOUR HOST
            . you HAD to get that punch in b. t. b eh,
            makes u feel better i guess..