Mac to reveal 3 projects
(CNS): The premier has said that by moving away from the exclusive cruise port deal with GLF construction, new potential development partners are offering three infrastructure projects instead of one. In another address to the nation broadcast on radio and TV Monday evening McKeeva Bush said he plans to reveal the full details of these projects at a public meeting tomorrow.Although he did not say what the other two projects besides the cruise port would be, sources close to government have suggested the redevelopment of the airport and the construction of a pier at the Cayman Turtle Fam in West Bay are on the agenda.
Reflecting on the work of his government since taking office two years ago, Bush said that it had stabilized public finances, resisted “the dark shadows" of direct taxation and encouraged investment. Although times had been hard, he said that was down to the previous administration and the world recession but things were now turning around and it was not the time to change horses.
As government approached its midterm point, he said, it had substantially accomplished two key priorities — restoring investor confidence and eliminating the budget deficit. Despite the recent memo to civil service bosses that the country was facing a $5 million deficit for the end of this fiscal year, he said that he would not accept that deficit. Bush announced that he had instructed the civil service to spend only on “the most vital of necessities” and anything else would not be honoured by the Treasury.
He pointed out that government had forecast a core government deficit of $30 million for this year so it had done an excellent job of stabilizing the government’s financial affairs. His government had, he said, resolutely resisted "the dark shadow of direct income and/or property tax."
Although the country was not out of the economic woods yet, government had stabilized things, Bush claimed. “We escaped all of these risks — and we are getting through these difficult times in reasonably good shape,” he said. The people should not to be fooled by the opposition, the premeir added, saying that while it had a democratic right to bring the motion of no confidence, what was immoral were the lies being told about members of his government.
“Despite the problems we inherited – unemployment, increasing crime, the world financial crisis – we have halted the downward slide, we have stabilized the situation, and now we are re-starting our economic assent. So keep your eyes focused on reaping the rewards that your government has worked hard in preparing for you,” the premier told the people of Cayman.
Now was the time to get to work and begin “driving those shovels into the ground”, Bush said, referring to the various development and investment projects, such as the proposed economic zone and the Shetty hospital.
Government had to prioritize the development projects, he said, as they were needed to get as many people as possible back to work and to create spinoff benefits across the economy.
Bush said that was why he had to “move away from our agreement with GLF” but that in the new proposal being considered, “The Cayman Islands will get three projects instead of one,” he revealed, adding that he would explain in more detail tomorrow night.
The public meeting will be held outside the court house in George Town on Tuesday evening at 8pm.
Read the Premier's speech in full as given to the media, which differed slightly from the broadcast statement.
Category: Politics
Can we have a National Day of Prayer for the budget Mac Daddy? The last one for the criminals worked so well.
More proof that you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time and no one will do anything about it here. Caymanian people have lost their dignity.
Nice work! More distraction and more pies in the sky. Just what we need to help us pay our bills and put food on our tables.
Mac is the embodiment of the old saying "If you cannot dazzle 'em with brilliance baffle 'em with bulls**t".
Just in from my global MJD (Mac Joke of the Day) newswire: Taking a cue from the government of Haiti which officially sanctioned voodoo as a religion, in the Cayman Islands, Primiere McKeeva Bush and his UDP Cabinet have embraced voodoo as an economic plan.
CNS Note: Anyone using a real name now needs to register using the link on the left hand side column. See this article for more.
If the energy that has gone into these blogs was put to good use and directed towards making Cayman a better place we would not have any problems here.
I don't think so. Our energy is spent on posting because we realise that there is nothing else we can do.
We assume that includes YOUR energy?
This is a MUST read for all that are considering backing this deal. It may not look as it seems on the surface to deal with the Chinese. Carry a big stick and walk softly.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/110325/china-caribbean-investment-tourism
While Mac is making noise about these new projects the giving awayof West Bay Road to Dart is quietly taking place in the background without any feedback from the people.
Exactly, my friend. Exactly.
I wager Dart will soon have approval to move west bay road, to enable old courtyard marriott to be redeveloped at prime SMB price to a casino resort
I bet tonight Macdinejad will create at least one new crisis to detract people’s attention from the real issues.
More blame and blasphemy, and Rhetoric!
I can wait to see his act on TV, beats watching any Tuesday night comedy!
CNS Note: We've introduced a new rule that if you use a real name you have to be registered. One major reason for this is so other people cannot use your name to comment.
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CNS Note: We've introduced a new rule that if you use a real name you have to be registered. One major reason for this is so other people cannot use your name to comment.
It's explained in this article: CNS introduces optional log in for users
You can sign up using the link below.
If only he would just reveal the truth! But that would take listening to somone smarter than himself. Not gonna happen. Till then just keep revealing just how good you are at getting anything actually up and running much less done. Amazing what the Caymanian people will put up with. They must be the worlds most tolerant people or something else.
CNS: Could we please have a "CRY" button next to the "LOL" button, as some of these postings are enough to make us sane posters cry?
It's nice to know the Premier is behind us, a kiss first would benice.
A million LOLs would be too few. This is the funniest comment I have read in years.
We should all go out to the meeting to hear him out, and then throw him out of office.
Sorry, I find my time is spent more useful if I watch the flowers grow in my yard that evening!
I hope somebody reminds him that our children are going without a proper education because we already have a few projects that we don't have money to finish.
Ha! If you think there are that many of us that would be able to sit thru the drivel.
Would have been better to show up and turn to leave once we found out that it was only a campaign junket.
Whining and slinging mud and never addressing the issues listed in the memorandum of no confidence.
I had to shut it off before I threw up
If you want to send a message to the Premier and his blind followers, then just don't bother to attend any of their public meetings. We know it is all just some sensless rambling and disrespectful behavior towards the attending public (who may dare to get up and ask questions)!
Nothing will send a bigger message to the UDP than the UDP sitting in front of a handful people who attend those meetings just to see and be seen!
XXXX
You mean sitting in front of the plants that they "bussed" to their own meetings, as usual
At last, a good Chinese restaurant on the island!
Mc Keeva do not worry with the do nothing bomb throwing crowd that do not seem to have anything to do but right stupidness into CNS, the majority of this contry wants progress and action, thats why we threw the last crowd out. Big up.
Based on the comments here I would have to say you're in the minority in support of the current administration. Unless you have verifiable evidence of continued support of a majority of the voters do not speak for anyone but yourself. Yes we did and do want progress and the last administration couldn't make a decision. However in my opinion Big Mac has not lived up to expectations.
– He has waffled on every issue seemingly at a whim or possibly out of self interest (Government building, pier contract, etc).
– There has been extravagant, unnecessary, and unjustified travel (Venice, Barcelona, etc).
– There appears to be a nepotistic appointment of liaison position in Tampa hidden under the guise of consulting.
– There has been little progress on or concern with ministry reporting which would provide transparency of government operations
– He has for unknown reasons circumvented established process of the CTC.
Poster 11:29
I would not be fooled into calling the posters to these forums a majority, one person can make multiple postings and we do know that the majority of the users of this site are PPM supporters and in actuality grieved civil servants who have no other way to voice their opinions. My point is this, it is futile to judge a majority by what you read on CNS, though it is a very good forum for debate.
@ Sachamo – Hahahahaha That's funny because;
One post on this article alone has more smiley face votes than the number of people in attendance at the "Great Campaign Speech of 2011" last night.
Looked like the line up of a wedding party with the identical dark suits and shiney blue ties. And the Matron of Honour with the Azure colored one.
Going on about the previous government like a jilted spouse obsessing about a breakup
Umm its write not right – typical UDP follower, keep them ignorant and voting seems to be the order of the day
Its also country not contry…thats why we need the last crowd back, the one that was giving us all the progress and action.
Anonymous @22:24 you have got to be smoking arsenic tainted bush!!!what progress and action are you talking about…….80+ million in deficit prior to UDP taking office,not one affordable home built by the PPM and many many more stupid moves by the Poor People Mistake.Keep off the bush!!!
Not sure whether you are smoking the Bush or the Bush is smoking you. At least you got your spelling right. Please note that 'what progress' should have been the start of a new sentence, with a space between the 'w' and the three exclamation marks preceeding it, and it should be an upper case 'W'. OK? Understand?
You want to see stupid moves? Go ask McKeeva to let you see the list of stupid moves in the no confidence motion. Thats where you'll find stupid moves. And there are more, trust me.
Hmmmm. It would also be "it's" rather than "its", and "that's" rather than "thats".
Pot, meet kettle.
Hi Kettle.
Shouldn'tthat be an upper case K?
Dealing with the Chinese is bad news for our fishermen. Once they take over their long lining fleets will be in our waters, as they are in the rest of the Caribbean. And our Government will not be able to do anything about it.
It is time we all stood together and said "not today bo bo"!
Cayman has waters? How far off the shore does Cayman claim exclusive fishing rights?
As far as you can see. Same deal as the Israelites.
Have you ever heard of "The Cayman Trench"??? Maybe you should google that.
Yes that's what Mac has dug for us!!!!!!!!!!!!
Only 12 miles.
Our successive governments refuse to apply for the available 200 mile economic zone.
I assume these projects will be open for public comment and debate and if supported by the people will properly be put out for tender.
For sale; Rosetta Stone, Manadarin edition. Excellent prices. A must have for all Cayman Islands residents.
1-800-GCHINGS
Spaceport and Nuclear Fusion plant to be built on North Sound
The UDP Government announced today plans to build a $2.5bn space port in North Side. This development would bring in many jobs for Caymanians struggling to find employment in the international space travel sector.
The Premier, drawing on his wide business experience, said that the plans for the spaceport made absolute sense. He noted that this would not be a public investment but a private business led by a Mr. Tiberius Ebanks of North Side. Mr. Ebanks, a school teacher, had the experience and connections to turn this idea into gold for Cayman, as he was a long time member of the Star Trek fan club and shared a name with Captain Kirk.
In an address to the nation the Premier noted that he could not see why anyone would disagree with him. He blamed opposition on individuals who had been supplied with drugs by Al-Qaeda.
Mac confirmed that had bought the latest version of SimCity recently and built an oil refinery, giga-hospital, international seaport and a world class space station on a virtual Cayman and it all seemed to work fine provided you disabled the natural disaster toggle, so he could not see what all the fuss was about. The Space Port is to be built next to the site of the proposed nuclear fusion plant being developed by someone who studied physics at school.
Tiberius Ebanks's plans for the space port are available for inspection at the Library in George Town this week. Any opposition to the proposed development must be filed in writing by last week in any of the public garbage cans located nearby.
The Supreme Leader, as the Premier now prefers to be called, said that the investors in his project would remain secret but they had given him a "Little Red Book" which he found very useful as a means for guiding his Supreme Leadership.
A government spokesman noted "Dissent is pointless. We will be checking the names of anyone who signs a petition. Free speech discourages investment. The party is supreme".
A comment worthy of the much missed Cayman Blogger…..
OMG. This is the funniest posting I've read on here in a long time! Well done Boldy Go.
Well done Boldy Go!
"The Supreme Leader, formerly known as the Premier, reminds all his subjects formerly known as citizens, that Resistance Is Futile. The Primer Directive has been re-interpreted; to Develop is Divine. All hail the Supreme Leader!"
Where's my little red book….
Priceless!
A port in West Bay, I'm shocked! We have pumped in millions upon millions to support this white elephant in West Bay and now, guess what? We are going to pump in millions and million more . It makes me sick!
Progress is one thing, stupidity is another. While the fear of repercussion has been thrown on the civil service lap if they sign the vote of no confidence petition yet they are told to find and cut more $$$ or else ! The very next day 3 projects are thrown at us like we did not expect it ? mr. premier you are becoming predictable. While reflecting @ yesterday's prayer breakfast hosted by Madame Speaker and House of the Legislative Assembly with most of our elected members present , I could not help but wonder what Mac. was up to as he was not present and there we have it. I find that these are similar actions of a spoilt child doing anything and everything to have his own way in the end, no matter what ! Even though there are no hopes of a vote of no confidence being succesful the message is loud and clear Mr. Bush and company. No more. If you think that we are going to take this like so and just plain lay at your feet, YOU ARE WRONG. Go ahead and do what you gotta do and we will do what WE HAVE TO DO !
This is definitely Chinese now. Dart days are now behind us. There is a new Sherif in town someone with seemingly deeper pockets.
Let's install term limits to curb this cronyism with politicians and beg our wonderful business leaders to give four years to serve the people. We would be grateful and really DO need your expertise. The current party system has simply created an avenue for these career politicians to find a way to cling onto their votes and line their pockets.
Please let the people vote for some decent successful Cayman businessmen and just see how our country would change. If I ran my business like our politicians, I'd be prosecuted and bankrupt by now.
Term limits and dissolve the parties. It is time that serving the public means just that again, to SERVE the public, not abuse the public.
Term Limit for Premier
At least the new Constitution give a term limit for Premiers, only 2 successive terms…but it does not stop them having a break and coming back!!!
Section 49 Appointment of the Premier and other Ministers……
(4) Notwithstanding subsections (2) and (3), the Governor shall not appoint as Premier a person who has held office as Premier during two consecutive parliamentary terms unless at least one parliamentary term has expired since he or she last held that office; and for the purposes of this subsection a parliamentary term shall be deemed to be a period commencing when the Legislative Assembly first meets after being constituted under this Constitution or after its dissolution at any time, and terminating when the Assembly is next dissolved.
What the Constitution doesn't give us is the option to vote that they spend the second term at Northward Prison.
And that should be only one term, no recycling!
Politicians are not good for reuse.
I agree with the idea of eliminating the enshrinement of party politics in the constitution. We were all morons for allowing this to be done. We are really regretting it now, eh?
(Regarding term limits for Big Mac, see below…)
……………………………
Big Mac Joke of the Hour:
(For the best in Big Mac humour watch for my comments on Mac articles, collect 'em all and share with your friends!)
Q: Why can Premiere Bush run for a third term?
A: Because if you count the time he's spent on trips overseas, he's barely served one."
Whenever I've had a deficit…I close my eyes and say "Go away deficit I won't accept you!!" When I open my eyes…the deficit is gone!
Or it's just hiding or disguised itself as a surplus.
Nonetheless it's excellent idea to do away with all non-essential housekeepers, personal chefs, new vehicles, and bodyguards.
The three new projects are;
1) An oil refinery on an island in North Sound
2) Disney World Caribbean on an island in North Sound
3) The Winter Olympics on Mount Trashmore
OR may be it is the bridge to the Brac
The way to go UDP, keep standing by your dictator .
mmmm, lemme guess…!
we're gonna build a space station. Because we can launch ships cheaper than the US cuz we are closer to the equator. It will bring 'thousands of jobs' for Caymanians.
Ready, fire, AIM!
Nope, guesses are a bit off… MOU requires airport to be relocated to EE for all the business "Shetty" and Gene are bringing to Cayman…sometime in future
Map located at the end of a rainbow
More of this again?
Didnt we wait to hear an 18-mon strategic plan to balance the budget in one year with a $5m surplus (hence the ridiculous fees imposed on businesses) — still waiting now its a $4.6m DEFICIT haha….
didnt we wait for an economic stimulus plans: turtle meat discount and lifting visa requirements for Jamaica hahaha– still waiting….
didnt we wait for these investors that Macspent all this $$$$ to go get– all we heard is fluff, fart and effry about an oil refinery, dredging the sound, Shetty hospital, scrapped port deal…still waiting
hahaa. Not funny any more.
Sigh.
Mckeeva is hopelessly out of his depth. Dont just resign, retire.
Times have changed and your dinosaur political tactics dont work anymore. Most people do see you for what you are — inept.
The Premier resisted the dark shadows of direct taxation; well he was the only one casting that shadow!
And yet they taxed the Civil Servants, taking 3+% off their salaries, can’t be more direct than that!
They have encouraged investment, but he can not state what investment they have encouraged!
He needs to tell the truth about the Doctor Shetty Hospital! Because this is one of the biggest smoke screens I have ever seen. Only God knows what is behind the smoke. People need to see through this! It is a hoax. No Shetty Hospital will be built in Cayman. The Premier constantly invites criticism of this project, because he knows the truth that the hospital will not be built, but when it is finally announced that it will not be built, the Premier wants to be in a position to say “The opposition and the local doctors stopped this project!” Look at what they did, the stopped this wonderful thing that I worked so hard at!
Times are hard but they still found money to spend on luxury travel and paving private parking lots in Cayman Brac.
The scare tactics of this government never stops.
Seems the Premier may have taken a suggestion on the Pier idea.
See – http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/viewpoint/2011/02/25/suggestions-enhancement-tourism
Therein offers this and several other suggestions that could be used as non-disastrous Economic Stimulus and the betterment of our Tourism product, hence MORE economics and betterment for the Islands period.
The only pier I'l like to see is a long concrete one like Costa Maya for the cruise ships to tie up to. It would cost peanuts and not kill the environment by digging up Hog Sty Bay. A real win-win if you take GREED out of the equation. A simple long cement pier and the cruise companies would be happy to come back. Forget the shops, restaurants, casinos, and t-shirt stores…..the cruise lines only want to land and we have enough shopping in George Town already, just let the business people who have already invested get their money back….stop trying to line your pockets and just build a fricking dock.
Yawn… His lips move and more b******* is served…
I thought the public meeting was called to discuss the vote of no confidence.
It now appears that the UDP will thow out an outragious plan to take the focus away from answering the peoples concerns.
McKeeva Bush, The country is PUKING up from all the BS that you have rammed down our throats.
The country is TIRED of your ABUSE, BS, RHETORIC and GROSS FAILURE.
Do the country a HUGE favour… GET OUT OF GOVERNMENT NOW AND STAY THE HELL OUT!!!
Ultimately IRON CLAD
I repeat my earlier comment:
This reminds me of the final episodes of Boston Legal.
Beware Caman.
You want fry rice with that ? Special price for you!
At this point I'd welcome a Chinese takeover. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING, would be better than going where MacDropout Bush is taking the Island (which, for those new to this part of the planet, is straight to hell).
Nín hǎo, our new Chinese friends. Welcome.
At least the Chinese government don't have to be going and borrowing money instead they are the ones who lend out and when they say they going to do a project they do it without hesitation.
On no, here we go again! More promises! I am tired of this man's empty promises. How many times has this man made a grand announcement one day & then have to shame-facedly flip-flop & tell us that the 'grand announcement' did not work out, AGAIN! Well, here we go again, an announcement today & by weekend it will be a different story, plans have changed again. We are tired of it already, try get something done for a change. In other words, less mouth & more action!
Let me guess. mmmm Chinese, Dart, and or Imparato.
Yup I will go with that bet.
Just the Chinese my friend…. just the chinese, and it will be the dock, the airport and oil refinery all of which are projects that they are involved or have been involved with in other countries.
Great! Now that is a people progressive iniative! Instead of one, come out with three. Good job Premier! I would love to see the plans in your pursuit to better the economy!