Miller warns of unrest among country’s educated
(CNS): Government needs to be careful of young educated Caymanians who are returning home qualified and ready to work but who are being turned away from local firms and economic opportunities in their own country, despite their hard work. Ezzard Miller said that with 18 per cent unemployment among local people while every day there were hundreds of work permit jobs advertised in the press, the growing group of disaffected young and educated unemployed presented a powder keg that was ready to explode, the independent member warned his legislative colleagues. He said it was the educated, not the poor, that started revolutions.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly recently, the North Side member warned of the potential unrest that could be caused by these young people if they continued to be marginalised.
“The greatest threat to the stability of the Cayman Islands today is young educated Caymanians,” Miller warned, as he explained how many young people have gone overseas, studied hard and got their academic and professional qualifications only to find when they return home that they can’t even get an interview for a job.
“They repeatedly say that they don’t understand why it is this way in Cayman. All of their friends from other places are being head hunted by the larger global corporations months before they graduate.”
Those that performed the best academically are being wined and dined by the firms, but it was a very different story for young educated Caymanians who are returning home, Miller added.
“When they approach the local law and accounting firms and banks with their qualifications, they are treated like they are performing a criminal act,” he said, but all the while there are thousands of people here on work permits.
He said their parents have invested heavily in their children to get them the best education even when they can ill afford to do so but when they are coming home they see that their children can’t get any jobs.
“We need to address this situation as it is a powder keg waiting to explode. I would caution the government that revolutions in other countries are not started by the poor and uneducated. They use them, of course, but they are started by the young educated people who no longer believe that they have an opportunity to participate in the economy of their own country,” Miller said.
He warned that there was a situation in the Cayman Islands where now both the young people and their parents were feeling this way as he warned that government had to do something before it was too late.
Category: Politics
Just think of the kind of country and community we would have if we started hearing stories, or at least one single story, of just one intelligent, educated ambitious expatriate coming to this country and saying, OK, I have come to Cayman on a temporary basis to better myself financially and to serve this country and it's people to the best of my ability. I have a country of my birth and a family and friends there that I love very dearly and very much look forward to going back to. So I will do my utmost to make a positive contribution to this country for the time I am here by teaching all of the indigenious people of this country that I possibly can, all of the imperative skills and knowledge and experience that I claim to possess, so that when I do return to my country I will not only have improved my own station in life but I will have contributed in a very positive way to the betterment of another country and it's people. I will NOT adopt the prevailing mindset that Caymanians are all lazy, ignorant folks with no desire to improve their situation in life, and that I have to walk all over them and do my very best to disgrace them if I am going to get ahead in this country and make lots of money so that I will be very comfortable in life when I do eventually go back to my own country and to my family and the people that I love. I am truly intelligent enough to understand that it is an immutable law of the universe that I reside in, that it is ONLY in the giving of genuine love and respect, that I recieve genuine love and respect in return. It cannot possibly be any other way. It is genuine love and respect that I desire to recieve from people so I will treat them with genuine love and respect and truly teach and help them to the very best of my ability, just the way that I would want to be treated. I am fully conscious of the universal law of cause and effect and I will conduct myself accordingly in this country for the betterment of both myself and the people of this country…Just think.
"Just think of the kind of country and community we would have if we started hearing stories, or at least one single story, of just one intelligent, educated ambitious expatriate coming to this country and saying, OK, I have come to Cayman on a temporary basis to better myself financially and to serve this country and it's people to the best of my ability…"
If you can't find even one story like this, you are not bothering to look at all.
Tell us about yours, we'd sincerely love to hear it.
Now, what is it that makes me think you don't care in the slightest what my story is? You've already decided you know everything there is to know about me, based on the fact that I was born elsewhere.
However, I have no doubt that you, like me, know plenty of expatriate workers who have come and gone over the years. Some of these may have been rapacious swines, but many will have been just the sort of altruistic souls for whom the original poster pines. You know the ones. They volunteer at every charitable and sporting event that takes place on these blessed islands, attend your heritage days to learn a little about your culture, spend their weekends soaking up the sun, earn a little money and then go home to raise their children close to their grandparents. I'm quite sure I don't have to tell you about them. If you've lived here any length of time and bothered to speak to anyone outside your immediate circle of family and high school chums, you'll already have known them.
Sorry Ezzard, we poor, ignorant, lazy, uneducated, second class citizens in our own country are hopelessly outnumbered by intelligent, ambitious, educated, piss on you expatriates and have no right whatsoever to stand up for our own rights, never mind those of our fellow Caymanians, in our own country. The thing that horrifies me most is that many of our very own Caymanians, for their own benefit and in their own greedy self interests, are stabbing their own Caymanians in the back by supporting this obnoxious, pitiful mindset in this country. And we have a government that is interested in nothing more than collecting their work permit fees so they can travel the world in style and give it to their churches rather than finish our schools to help give Caymanians something of a fighting chance in their own country. Yes, we are to a large extent doing it to ourselves or allowing it to be done to us in our own greed, selfishness, ignorance, and indifference. You are quite correct Mr. Miller, in spite of the obviously significant expatriate AND Caymanian denial in this thread that the situation is and MUST eventually come to an ugly head. Thank you for caring, and for seeing, and for defending Cayman and it's citizens Ezzard, because neither our current government and certainly not our expatriate population is ever going to ackmowledge that we have a problem and DO something about it before it finally reaches that stage. They are all way, way too busy lining their own pockets for THAT crap. If every politician in this country were EARNING their fat paychecks they way you are we would certainly eventually drag ourselves out of the deep, dark hole we find ourselves in in this country.
"They are all way, way too busy lining their own pockets for THAT crap."
If this is the way you feel about your expatriate neighbours, you are not looking very hard to see the good in people. You can't even bother to edit your "all" to read "some" — broad brush strokes, when contrary evidence is all around you. Take a long look at some of the people trying to do good in your community, and you will find that many of them have accents a little different than your own.
Why must we continue this pointless, overly simplistic and untrue bashing of one another? What, really, does it help? I am discouraged to find this post here today. You are obviously an intelligent person, a thinking person, and a feeling person, and yet you are unable even to acknowledge that expatriates contribute anything at all to this community. You fail completely to see the humanity in anyone who doesn't belong to your own cultural group.
And yes, some of the expatriates posting here are just like you. A shame, when we have so much to gain by working together.
Your positive remarks concerning me are appreciated. The 10:01 post above is mine also, so while i acknowledge your comments in regards to my all inclusive statement regarding my expatriate neighbors, I believe you will also agree that I am very much in sync with your statement that Caymanians and expatriates have so much to gain by working together. I am a human being, just like you, and just like all the other expatriates and just like all the other Caymanians on this island, so please forgive me for my generalising remarks. When you sit for fifty five years and hopelessly watch your own people being trampled by strangers in the name of greed and 'progress', and when you battle with that yourself for your entire life it becomes very easy to put all those strangers in the same negative basket. Yes there are people who have come to this country and contributed very significantly to our 'progress', and I offer my apologies and appreciation to those people. Sometimes it simply seems that those people are so very grossly out-numbered by the piss on you type.
Thanks for your response. This comment, I can understand. When it is expressed in this more balanced way, it is easy to empathize with your frustration. I think you will find there are still many, many expatriates who would like to do away with the "piss on you" types — expat and Caymanian alike. And I can appreciate your use of parentheses around the word "progress". I have only been here for 15 years, but I also wonder just who the "progress" we see around us is meant to benefit. I can only imagine how those of you who were fortunate enough to grow up in the islands must feel about it all.
I appreciate your candor and clarity, and hope that comments like this one will continue to build bridges of understanding and empathy between us.
I am pleased to share my Island with you.
Let the current employment practices continue and very soon we will all experience "The Cayman Storm" . I only hope and pray that it will not have to come to that because many on this blog will see the dark side and will curse the hour and dam the day that they underestimate "Native Caymanians" especially the young and educated.
Who is it that will see the dark side? Expats are packing up and going home in droves because you’re all robbing and killing and let’s face it, it just isn’t safe or fun here anymore. Once they’re all gone, maybe they’ll keep an eye on CNS so you can blog at them, but I don’t expect much will come of that.
2 Points.
1) People have to seperate education from jobs.Paying fo a college education no more ensures gainful employment in the field than piano lessons ensure you a job as a professional musician.
2) Anyone who has ever listened to Ezzard Miller once need never listen again. He just doesnt have that much material.
Sorry, you just don't have that much material.
Dont be sorry, be grateful.
Maybe we can ask the educated and experienced Caymanians to quit job hopping in search of higher pay and less stress so the new graduates have a real chance to get the jobs they're applying for.
The "REAL" problem here in Cayman at least for "returning" wanna be Caymanian workers is that they are returning to an economy that has tried Caymanian workers AND expat workers and have found expat workers to be SO MUCH MORE motivated, skilled, experianced, and dependable then Caymanian workers and they don't come with a built in "you must hire me because I am intitled to it" attitude. End of story. The responsibility for the dismal reputation of Caymanian workers on Cayman rest on the shoulders of the Caymanian workers on Cayman. Blame them. Then change your employers mind by proving yourself worthy.
well said…they can't handle the truth….
Obviously he can't even handle himself.
I'll better the Caymanians can spell better than you, "experianced" and "intitled though you are. This is exaclty the sort of ignorance and prejudice that Caymanians have to combat on a daily basis. How dare you come into these Islands to declare Caymanians "unworthy" to be employed. I guess you dare because we let you. Enough is enough.
Forget Ezzard and his sound-bite nonsense.
I think the Ministry of Education should set up a panel to interview extensively and test (numeracy, literacy, performance during interview etc) all these supposedly bright young graduates we keep hearing about on CNS who can't get jobs because they are "overqualified" or whatever. Then the panel should publish its findings so we can see whether they really are as bright as we are told or whether they have, in essence, "gained degrees" from Michael Rodent University. If they are found to be genuinely well qualified, however, then the ante must be upped by Government and efforts made to ensure they secure positions.
Ezzard loves to throw these sound bytes for constant attention with total disregard for the divisiveness such comments cause within this community. This irresponsible obstructionist who is against changing the island and who wants bed and breakfast in North Side as his big plan for that district's growth is complaining about jobs.
Shame on you.
10:51, is not you one leaving, I am leaving too. I am a Caymanian that gained citizenship in USA and Jamaica. Right now, Jamaica seems to be cooler than here if a civil unrest should start. At least they have the Jamaica Defense Force and mountains which I could go hang out and hide. The United States will have all the returning soldiers out of Iraq by the end of this month to protect it's citizens. These two homes of mine seems safer than the land of my birth and my forefathers. Ta Ta, goodbye.
So sound ridiculous and not much of a Caymanian.
You "gained" citizenship in Jamaica? LOL.
Yes, and here we are PAYING for our government to learn from the Jamaican government.
Seriously????!!!! Educated young people face the same dilemma ALL over the world…anyone stop to think that the way in North America, Europe and the rest of the developed world has always been to graduate from university and struggle abit, because although you may have that degree, you have ZERO or very little work experience. And that is because you have been in SCHOOL the last 4-5 years!!! It's the way of the world, so unless you are willing to start entry level (which is exactly what a recent graduate can expect anywhere…sigh…) stop complaining! Put yourselves out there and start at the bottom and work your way up like everybody else has in the last 20th century…Geez! The self-entitlement and war-mongering is just ridiculous for an island of perhps 50,000 people (Caymanian and Expats) on a good day…
I totally agree with Mr. Miller and Dr. Goring- Nozza. I have been saying this for quite some time and each generation is becoming less and less tolerant. And for you information in most problematic countries having riots, it is very often students who realize that the way the many dictators and corrupt Gvts. are ruling their people and Country they stand no chance. For the record however guns will not be needed at first but if it continues they will come out of the wood work. Let's hope we are wrong!
Postive discrimination towards young Caymanians will not compensate for the gowernments total failure to provide a high-class high-school (and beyond) education. It also breeds an entitlement mentality that will hold back young Caymanian's throughout their whole working life. Three things to make young Caymanian's competitive in finding jobs: education, education, and education.
Same old sing-song. Positive discrimination is needed, not because Caymanians lack a "high class high school (and beyond) education" (and there are obviously some who do) but because there is negative discrimination practised against them in the workplace.
In the 1980s Caymanians were told they needed to get an education. Then it was that we needed experience. Well we now have hundreds upon hundreds of educated Caymanians – CPAs, CAs, MBAs, LLBs, MScs, PhDs etc. some with much experience.
To deny that there is unrest among young educated Caymanians and to ignore the fact that there is growing hostility, is to support the bigots' notion that Caymanians are2nd class and are willing to be subordinate to expats.
These educated youth out-qualify and out-think most of the current LA. Hey kids, why not start by dislocating some of those dinosaurs before next elections? Your country needs you!
Yes indeed! What an excellent opportunity for some of Cayman's bright young stars. Wonder how many will take up the challenge?
I agree with the writer of 2:24. This kind of outburst makes our Premier looks like a rose. I am sure we would rather to keep our Premier anyday over a person in authority who is seeking civil unrest amongst the people of these islands. Can you just imagine what he would do if he should be at the helm and being opposed? Dog woulda nam wi suppa an den wi wouda afi tun roun an nam di dog. While our Premier might make some blunders, I am confident is because he is trying to please everybody including the ones who do not like him. Nevertheless, the Premier does not instigate war and bloodshed between Caymanians and Ex-pats. However, to Mr. Premier, is time for you to stop dragging your feet and get the ball rolling. Once this is done and people are working there will be no time to listen to evil people as we will be busy working. Please put your balls in gear.
If Ezzard is smart enough to make McKeeva look like a rose then I say we replace McKeeva with Ezzard without further delay.
Is this an opportunity squandered?!
It appears that the majority of bloggers on this specific post unfortunately do not like and or agree with Mr. Miler’s address to the LA recently. From my perspective, it could be due to a couple of reasons; (1) insolated middle-aged folk that are secured in their jobs thus a little out of touch with what is happening on the ground, (2) those on work permits feeling highly threatened by his sentiments. Nevertheless, however you want to slice the apple the fact of the matter is that the core will always be there.
Mr. Miller is absolutely correct; there is a growing resentment amongst the ever increasing educated younger generation. I simply urge all of you to take time and simply listen to them, moreover observe what is transpiring; specially crafted help wanted ads in the local paper speaks volumes. These younger citizens no longer bask in the light of ignorance and rely solely on the word of a selected few as did the majority of the past generations of Caymanians. These young Caymanians now have life experiences, framed by tertiary education, and the confidence these two critical components convey to an enlightened life.
Failure to address these growing negatives at this juncture in Cayman’s history could very well result in what Mr. Miller expressed insofar as a REVOLUTION. There is a statement that seems to be relevant in this matter and that it “History tends to repeat itself” Sadly if we burrow our heads in the sand for whatever reason, the little piece of this apple we are all now enjoying could very well be lost to such acts of social unrest as expressed by Mr. Miller.
In closing, I urge everyone enjoying the Cayman sunshine and whatever benefits these shores are and have provided, to be Proactive and Open Minded in such expressions of social concern by not being too quick to dismiss them but to take time to address it because it not a trivial matter at all. Lest we forget many of our dear kids will come to know the Cayman Islands as home and could very well empathize with this movement.
You may try to paint this is any brush but this was simply a stupid statement by Mr. Miller looking political mileage. Plain & simple. I say that particularly with the level of dissent / rebellion that is happening around the world today and the international nature of our media.
We will have a lot more respect for Mr. Miller if he actually came up with SOLUTIONS rather than just trying to breakdown our country, spewing anti-expat, anti-government garbage each day. He should realise that. What are your solutions Mr. Miller to the problems? Run the expats and have us go back to thatching??
Two things:
1. Is Mr. Miller saying that there is a global conspiracy against Caymanians? He mentions headhunters recruting the friends of Caymanians but not the Caymanians? Is he serious? When I was in university (granted it was 20 years ago) I had just as many recruiters contact me as my non-Caymanian friends did. The reason? I put myself out there. Maybe young Caymanians need mentoring/training on how to network. I honestly don't think the global headhunter network has put out a "Don't talk to Caymanians" order.
2. Did he really use the word revolution? Or is that CNS' word? Whoever the word belongs to should be ashamed of themselves!!! I don't think we should pander to the needs of every foreigner, but we are a part of the global economy, and the internet is worldwide in case you didn't know. People around the world read this stuff….and make decisions where to invest based on perceptions gleaned from crap like this. For those who are reading this and don't know Cayman well: THERE IS NO BREWING REVOLUTION!!!! Ezzard and/or CNS are just jacka@@es with nothing better to do with their time!
The greatest threat to politicians like Ezzard Miller in the Cayman Islands today is young educated Caymanians.
Ezzard might impress the drunks at Driftwood with his anecdotal myths of the hundreds of educated Caymanians who can't find a job. Politicians should deal in facts and realistic solutions.
Fortunately the more young educated Caymanians we have, the sooner politicians like Ezzard Miller will become a thing of the past.
Come on Ezzard…pull your head out from that very dark place between your legs and look at the real world…any business owner needs the best person for the job, if that's a Caymanian, then fine, but if it's a person from another country who is better quallified and more able to do the job, then so be it….we live in a very compettitive world (at least most of us do) so stop bellyaching and stirring thing up and get back to the issue of kicking our "Premier" out of his job (Strangely enough, you are the one person best quallified to do this)…pretending there is pending civil unrest, from all these inexperiencedover quallified Caymanian graduates is utter nonsense, sometimes your self publicity just beggars belief!
Well said, no businessman would go through the pain of getting expensive time consuming work permits for a foreigner if a suitable, reliable Caymanian was available for the post.
I am afraid that contention, while it sounds reasonable, is flatly refuted by common experience. There are expat employers who choose to employ persons of their own nationality regardless of the availability of any Caymanian with equivalent or better qualifications and experience. People are subject to emotions and prejudices. They are not all Spocks. And please, none of the racist diatribe suggesting that to be Caymanian must mean that you are inferior and not worthy to be employed.
Can I just remind you that all Caymanians businesses are owned by a Caymanian majority shareholder and presumably their HR strategies are aimed at making the business as competitive and marketable as possible…..which kind of shoots your sad theory in the foot!
No, not all Caymanian employers are owned by a Caymanian majority shareholder. First, none of the banks, trust companies or fund administrators are Caymanian owned. None of the hotels are Caymanian-owned. None of the law firms and accounting firms are Caymanian-owned. LIME and CUC are not Caymanian owned. That represents thousands of jobs. You have shot yourself in the foot.
People in authority should not insight riot amongst it's people. We can go a lot further together than we can alone. Therefore, before you instigate unrest in your island, please read 1 Corinthians 12:25. Please exercise some love for each other. As a Public Servant, you wear two hats, that as master and the other as a servant. Therefore, the people of these islands look forward to you to master the role that you were assigned to do in an intelligent way and serve us to the best of your ability in a normal way by not seeking and preparing negative movements. I will close with a prayer for you in authority. 'Help us Lord, to work together with the gifts that You bestow; Give us unity of purpose as we serve You here and now.
Please answer this Mr. Ezzard. Who is directly responsible for the dismal reputation of Caymanian workers. Its is so bad Caymanians won't hire Caymanians. Before you say EXPATS take a momment and think. This is for you to figure out. Most of us have figured it out a long time ago.
What are you are really asking is who is responsible for the prejudice against Caymanian workers. The answer to that is obvious: those who hold the prejudice.
You honestly can't see that the reputation of Caymanian workers is the result of what kind of work they have done on the island over the past many years? Then "others" came to work here and most business owners realized just how good the "others" were compared to Caymanian workers. Instead of upping their game (getting better at working) Caymanians are instead trying to get rid of the "other" workers so they will be hired. It won't work. the ones who are prejudiced against Cayymanian workers are the very people who have had Caymanian workers and payed the price.
Are the best answers any of us can imagine really either, "Caymanians suck," or "Expats suck"? If so, none of us deserve even the current level of prosperity this country has to offer.
Clearly the problem is much more complex than either of these two positions can even begin to express. Honestly, if this is the best we can think of to post, why would anyone bother? It is completely unhelpful, repetitive, simplistic, and as thinking goes, the most shallow imaginable.
The obvious is not that obvious to those like you. The responsibility lies with the many Caymanian workers who have done such a terrible job in the past that now employees do not want to do it again. The truth hurts. But its the Truth. The ONLY way this gets better for Caymanian workers is they start to PROVE they are as good or better than expat workers. Without proper (off island) education and training they have little chance. With proper training they still have to come back and face employers who have learned that hireing Caymanian is very risky. And thats the truth.
When you make statements like "hireing [sic] Caymanian is very risky" it reflects prejudice. It is like saying that you should be suspicious of all Jamaicans as criminals. Generalisation is the essence of prejudice. The problem is that prejudice is so deeply ingrained in you that you think it is normal and justified.
Many Caymanians have proved themselves to be excellent workers and better than some expat workers. However, if you were to get past your prejudice and hire Caymanians at all it would nevertheless likely affect the employment relationship.
You are a part of the problem.
Until this statement, Mr. Miller had my support for a number of his initiatives; but this scaremongering tactic and rally to civil unrest is a step too far. Behave yourself, Mr.Miller.
More populist nonsense from the golden boy of CNS.
Is there nothing else to do up there in North Side?
Miller is correct. And it is not only jobs for the returning Caymanians, but also jobs for all those who are graduating from the local schools.
It usedto be that higher education was the key to a secure future. Not any more, and not just in Cayman. The US and other countries are also full of people with degrees who are driving taxis and working for MacDonald's.
This is a world wide problem which is associated with all the other world problems, and we all know that there are many of these. Included is the vast growth and expense of government bureaucracies , sopping up the world's capital faster than a dry wick sucks up water. In many countries, people have to work most of year just to pay taxes, before they can keep any of their own to live on.
If people are not allowed to grow their capital, who is is going to be an entrepreneur? And without many startups, who will be the employers?
Apparently all the recent gun crime was caused by highly educated underemployed bands of wannabee accountants or lawyers preparing for a revolution that will destroy Cayman's two core economic interests overnight.
What nonsense. If someone cannot get a job here as a lawyer or an accountant they are simply not up to it. Just because your momma said you can be anything you want to be, does not make it true.
Let them eat turtle.
With this kind of talk you’re only guaranteeing Mac’s re-election.
He had no where to go but out.
You’ve helped him more than you’ve helped yourself with this article.
Smart move?
Ezzard, I do like the way you make sure that just as the pond is settling down and the water looking clear, you dredge the shit off the bottom with it’s associated smells – that is good. However, be careful about stirring up social unrest. Big Mac hasn’t got an armed ” Cadet Force ( Militia ?) ” , I believe he suggested of ” up to 3/4000 “, just for Public Holiday parades………
For a business man who has made his fortune in a capitalistic economy to be speaking about a revolution in an English Overseas Teritory, it is really outrageous. You could never get my vote. I am not saying that things are not bad in the Country but to even suggest the possibility of a revolution is madness. Have you considered what happens in a revolution?. Citizens against citizens, family members fighting against each others, fires, blood in the streets, deaths? If you really want to be elected to the Pemier's position,consider this,when you become the Government, there will be an Opposition and the cycle goes around again. After a revolution investors will flee in droves, your own citizens will flee, your economy will be destroyed. the revolutionists will be looking for capitalists to target including you Mr Miller.
Remember what you put on CNS is being read in England, Europe ,USA, Canada, Australia,Cuba, Russia, Germany, South Africa etc. etc.. What conclusion might these people draw of you?. The world is now referred to as a "Global Village" and Cayman can't just do anything as if we are a world unto ourselves we must take account of what the world think of us.
It is unfortunate that we have educated caymanians unemployed, and indeed it saddens the heart for indeed it is a heavy cost for university education. One would have thought that the alleged premonition MLA in his discourse on this subject would give a comprehensive solution other than ex pat bashing and crying revolution. Further, a Senior Politician should know that people can’t be fooled any more with his hoopla,tell the people Mr. Miller how many of the returning graduates have applied to accounting firms,how,ant to aw firms etc and,provide the types of degreesthatthesereturning Caymanianshave.
In order to have a constructive dialogue andsolutionsto the issue heal eloquently describes Mr Miller should be able to readily provide the statistics that support his argument,rather than continueintje o,stored worn out political shenanigans of Hester year,
You area servant of the people Mr.. Miller dot network youarepaid todo and stopthescaremongering tactics.
I am a Caymanian.
Really a silly, irresponsible statement and headline given the world's situation. Obviously too much CNN in North Side.
Thank you Mr. Ezzard…what a headline to pop up online across the globe. You really have to think outside of Old Man Bay before you say silly stuff like this particularly when we have so much unrest in the world.
I do realise it is easy to try to get attention in Cayman but you are also one of our 15 representatives and your personal ambitions should never be greater than that of the national good.
Think next time before you put your mouth in gear.
Why continue to sweep things undr the rug? He is not lying, and he is not saying we have social unrest, he is saying how we can prevent it. Obviously you are one of those guilty employers who want to demonize Mr Miller for speaking the truth.
PS I am a Caymanian with a Masters Degree who has gone through it all, including the "Over Qualified" excuse so do not make excuses for your fellow discriminators
Heed Mr Millers warning! it is good advice….
..or what?..you will take to civil unrest. Not very professional are you. Our much larger 'elephant in the room' are the unemployed Caymanians who dont have work, can never find work and will be a burden on society for years to come. That is what Mr. Miller should be trying to fix.
I am an expatriate and I have also been told I was "over-qualified" for several jobs — probably because it was true. It IS possible to be over-qualified, under-qualified or just plain wrong for the job. A Masters degree (I have one, too) does not make anyone qualified for any particular job, and, if the employer has had to withstand a revolving door in any particular post, is likely to be a hindrance to you — unless it is very finely matched to the position.
Let's not forget that in any interview, both parties are interested in finding the correct fit. Just because I want or even need a job does not mean that any employer is obligated to employ me, or that I am right for the job that needs filling. It is frustrating, for sure, but it is not unreasonable or an excuse to say that someone's experience does not fit the job. A busy employer does not WANT to spend days on end interviewing candidates, and if you had been right for the post, he or she would no doubt have been glad to get back to the everyday boatload of work waiting and hire you.
You missed my point entirely, I said "Excuse" I was qualified for the positon, despite having performed in a role that was senior in the past, however I was quite happy to accept the current positon as I do need to work. In my case the employer was applying for a work permit renewal and spend a good 8 hours in total interviewing and going back and fourth with me. the sad truth was that the expat whose job I was applying for did nto have my qualifications or experience and they were doing what they could to discourage me. In the end I gave up because my attitude is it is their business and I cannto "force" myself on them.
the young educated and experienced Caymanians are getting frustratred and in time the chickens will come home to roost, I just hope certain people are prepared to deal with it.
Again! heed Mr Millers warning and do something now to correct the problem before its too late.
I did not miss your point. I can appreciate that this is your interpretation of events; however, in replying that you had "performed in a role that was senior in the past" you illustrate my point. The employer likely felt you would not be satisfied to remain in a lesser post and that you would soon leave for something better. I also wonder how you have any idea how much time the employer spent interviewing or why "eight hours…going back and fourth [sic]" with you does not represent an honest attempt to determine whether you were right for the post.
Very unfortunately, young people all over the world are frustrated in the current economic climate and the threat of having "chickens come home to roost" is not going to help anyone's cause. I do not deny, by the way, that discrimination exists in Cayman's workforce. On the contrary, I am well aware that it exists the world over and perhaps in offshore jurisdictions, in particular, there is the fear that potential clients will feel more comfortable with someone who shares their accent and background. Perhaps this is a justified fear; perhaps it is not. Certainly it is up to us in Cayman (as it is elsewhere) to prove that we are up to the job — and yes, that includes a necessity for employers to hire those Caymanians they feel will persuade their clients globally that Cayman represents good value for money.
However, none of this proves that you and I were not, in fact, overqualified for the positions from which we have been excluded.
My daughter has a university degree and has been looking for work for a year. She is intelligent, professional, and mostly told that she needs experience or is overqualified. Beat that.
What type of degree? And what is her GPA? Hopefully at least a 2.7 or else she will have trouble landing an interview. And that is worldwide. A degree alone is simply not enough. Performance in university is an excellent indicator to employers as to that person’s future performance with a company.
And please tell me what charity work and blue collar job these unemployed youths are doing while they bide their time? Tell me what would impress an HR manager? Tell me about the inexpensive online studies that they are continuing? Their big brother big sister or JA mentoring???
OR.. Are they sitting around waiting for the world to love them as much as you do???
And without a job please tell me how they are to do online studies – who is going to pay for these online studies??? Bright spark!!!!!
Itunes and many universities have free classes you can watch online. Obviously no credit, but they can be listed on resume's as voluntary learning. Anything that shows initiative and the will to improve oneself can do the trick.
The point is to show the willingness and it will create a topic of conversation that the candidate can get excited about during the interview. Something that makes them different from the crowd.
Stop leading our kids away with this garbage advice, honest to goodness degrees are not good enough much less "voluntary learning".
Welcome to the real world.
I got the same s**t when I arrived back with my education. Responses were: 1. Too little experinece, 2. Over qualified or 3. None whatsoever. Took me a year to find a job and its not even in the field I was educated in.
Maybe the problem was that you were educated in a field. Most employers prefer people educated in schools.
I agree with you – I have two children with college degrees in the health field and neither can get a job in this field – not even as cashiers as the HSA. The government is also the worst offender with hiring foreigners over qualified Caymanians. I just say tell me who I have to sleep with to get ahead and let ME decide if its worth it – someone is sleeping with someone to be getting ahead while others more qualified cant even get a job.
Steady on there…surely you only need to sleep with someone if you want Status.
And you didn't get it, did you? You shouldn't let the immigration officers trick you like that!
Obviously, I do not know your daughter or her particular situation, and I mean no disrespect, but I am curious to know what types of jobs she is applying for. I ask only because I found myself in a similar position when I graduated, over 20 years ago and in another country, with my first degree. I applied for many, many jobs and was never called for a single interview, despite having earned a very good degree and "experience" of the sort university grads routinely acquire in their attempts to secure employment. Initially, I was flummoxed. Why wasn't anyone interested? Much later, I realized that I was applying for jobs for which I was not remotely qualified. I had no idea what employers were looking for and naively assumed that a degree had earned me the right to participate at the higher (though obviously not the highest) levels of the employment ladder.
This is untrue at the best of times, and particularly untrue in lean financial times. Your daughter will now be competing with candidates who have not only the requisite degree, but who have already been working for years. In many cases, employers will now be screening new candidates for very high pass levels, simply because they need some efficient way to deal with the extra applications they receive. And yes, for better or for worse, because of Cayman's international playing field, your daughter will be competing against expatriates, new Caymanians, and permanent residents. This is both a benefit and a hindrance for Caymanians, just as it is in any country that welcomes and encourages offshore business and expertise. I can appreciate (as I have felt it myself, in my country of origin) that this can be frustrating and can feel like the ultimate injustice, but the fact remains that your daughter faces a double-edged sword. On the one hand, opportunities abound because Cayman has built for itself flourishing industries. On the other hand, Caymanians are not the only people who can see these opportunities, or who will need to compete for them.
To return to my own situation, it was resolved when, out of necessity, I applied for jobs a little lower on the totem pole. I was granted a "starter" job (for which I was paid barely a living wage), and eventually realized that I had been competing against candidates (yes, many of whom hailed from other countries) with better degrees, more real-world experience and a clearer sense of what was required. I would not have stood a chance against them then, but I do now, because I have worked up from the bottom and have a much clearer understanding of what my employers require. At the time, I stuck my student hat back on my head, lived on Ramen noodles, and did my best to be grateful for the opportunity to learn. Today, I am only too well aware of the gratitude I owe to that first employer — without her, a great many doors would have remained firmly closed to me.
All of this may be moot in your daughter's case, but perhaps it is worth saying anyway, for any other university graduates who may be reading. Find something you can sink your teeth into, even if it feels below you, for now. Once you start the job, you may find that in fact it is a perfect fit.
To 19:35
If your daughter did not have the degree the crooked criminal minded employer would have told her while applying that ‘ SHE WAS NOT QUALIFIED!”
Guys, we know what time of day it is. This government is provoking the young people to wrath no doubt about it.
And there are signs on every business saying ‘CAYMANIANS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE, QUALIFIED OR NOT”
no jobs for anyone that is ‘CAYMANIAN”
and the UDP is saying ‘AMEN” including their work Permit Chairman who suddenly is admitting to the hostility that have arisen from this situation.
How hypocritical!
WE MUST SWEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN IN 2013.
What the hell?
This is the kind of prophetic talk that instigated the fall of the Czars in Mother Russian and the rise of the People's Movement…..Communism. We all know how well that worked out.
We're talking unemployemnt at this point. Not the educated leading the masses to revolution.
By the way, what does the banner say, what country is the picture in and why was it used for this article.
This is Cayman, not the Middle east.
We've got enough sense, hopefully, not to go down this self destructive route.
I think not going to the South Harmon Institute of Technology has something to do with the lack of post-graduate job prospects.
I think the biggest threat is the uneducated ones we have in power
and the myth of caymanian unemployment continues………………….
you will only be able to address the problem if you start being honest on why some caymanians will not take jobs………………..
People like you are contributing to the problem….
What an idiot. People can't pay their bulls because they are unemployed and this jack*ss is talking about myths. Yes, "let them eat cake".
zzzzzzzzzz…..ah yes….gather round and listen to the old caymanian scare story about the degree qualified unemployed caymanian who is discriminated against in his own country for unknown reasons ………zzzzzzzzzzzzz
All over Europe and the USA unemployment amongst young people is in excess of 20%. Cayman is not alone in this and Mr Miller shoudl be aware of this.
Employers are taking the cream of graduates but the question Mr Miller needs to ask is what quaulity of education are young Caymanians receiving abroad. Anybody can get a degree nowadays but is it a good degree from a top class university? If it isn't employers don't want to know and who can blame them.
Lastly for an elected politician to be talking of "revolution" is the height of irresponsibility. By all means Mr Miller can and should be addressing the problems of youth unemployment but crude, ill informed, rabble rousing will achieve nothing.
I think Miller got it all wrong, "it was the enlightened, not the educated, not the poor, that started revolutions." We got alot of educated fools already!
Well, we at least know who is NOT going to start a revolution.
I would caution Mr Miller that young educated people no longer believe in their politicians particularly those that make outlandish statements and provide no real solutions.
Mr. Miller is absolutely right.
I foresee a civil war if things do not change I will be addressing this subject
further as the people of the Cayman Islands do not realize just how serious
things are under this current administration that has totally disenfranchised our skilled, unskilled as well as our owned well educated young people and has provoked the very elite among us..
Why do you think Commissioner David Baines is adamantly against guns in the possession of everyone. He likeany educated RCIP Administrator is taking careful note of the socioeconomic state of affairs of the Cayman Islands and the unceasing corruption in our society. The commissioner is preparing himself for what is ahead as he like myself and others realize that a civil war or uprising is inevitable. He is very wise in being adamant about gun control, it will make his job a little bit easier, he knows what is ahead. We are praying every day for the peace of Cayman and for change; but if Pharoah’s heart is hardened and determined to keep Caymanians disenfranchised and in political, social and economic bondage, then God has no choice but to send the horse, his riders and chariots into the depths of the Red sea to be destroyed. Ancient cities and nations have been fallen and destroyed because the poor among them were being oppressed and disenfranchised daily by rich people and corrupt governments of that day. Nations and kingdoms are still falling, Lybia, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and many more….
Wake up Caymanians every day will not be a holiday. Take nothing for granted, and call this government in.Demand this government step down or demand that the UK stamp out corruption from our midst and continue to pray for deliverance from this evil that is to come.
Dr. Goring-Nozza
Kudos to you again.
Take a moment to notice some of the response commentary on this topic. Do you see the words 'educated fools' popping up; does it remind you of your time as a civil servant ?
It certainly does for me. Do you see the excuses being offered now about the quality of foreign-earned degrees for Caymanians, simply now because that is the only pathetic excuse someone can come up with ?
Unless one earned their degree from some hicktown community college in the USA or Canada or elsewhere for that matter, almost any reputable or accredited university abroad is better than what is currently available in Cayman; no disrespect intended to Cayman's tertiary institutions.
The reponses here are indicative of the attitudes that exist which has kept educated Caymanians on the fringe of Cayman's society for generations if they didn't come from certain privileged backgrounds and families or were not lucky enough to get a break that they and others deserved.
And these comments are coming from expatriates with vested interests to protect their own positions in Cayman, as well as jealous Caymanians who never earned a peice of educational qualification in their lives….some of them, not even a decent high school diploma.
BTW, both you and Mr. Miller are totally correct.
"And these comments are coming from expatriates with vested interests to protect their own positions in Cayman…"
I don't think anyone can reasonably deny this, but I am not sure what else is to be expected. Surely it is human nature to ensure one's own survival and it would be naive in the extreme to expect people to come here, invest heavily in their lives and experiences, and then simply hand everything over on their happy way to the plane. It would be absurd to believe such a thing would happen. It does make things tricky for Caymanians, and I completely understand your frustration, and even — to a point — your belief that it is unjust. It would certainly be wonderful for Caymanians if foreigners were willing to build empires here and then vacate the premises. It hardly seems a realistic wish, though, especially today.
It is a sticky part of doing offshore business that the very people who have helped us build thatbusiness will be the same people we must compete with later on. In my Caymanian shoes, I can see your frustration, but in my expatriate ones I have to wonder just how fair it is for you to expect to rightfully and solely inherit a castle someone else may have spent years building. In many cases, expatriates in senior finance positions are not just earning a salary but assuming a fair amount of personal risk, both financially and professionally, to build a business here. Surely it is not surprising when they are reluctant to leave.
There must be a way for everyone to profit…but we will need to work together — and appreciate one another's situations — to find it.
Hey Dr. Nozza,
Ezard is not right, there are not hundreds of jobs being advertized in the news papers. THis is the kind if sensationalism and bs rhetoric that he and others who are struggling for power want you and others to believe,but,yet where is the solution for the numbers he claims he is trying to represent. We have a problem, Dr Nozza, indeed we do, but think carefully that the good ole days you presented in your book, yes, some ouf us have read it ,were not created by rash statements, or ludicrouus arguments seeking power, but by reasonable thinking men who loved country and would do nothing to hurt this island or our economy. Times have changed indeed, but the ranting and raving will only make it worse.
Let us find progreesive solutions, and stop looking like idiots to the rest of the world.
My advice to young educated Caymanians who are recent overseas graduates:
After you graduate overseas, stay and work overseas for at least 5 or more years. That way you get off-island experience and mentoring. You will prove that you can swim in the real world without the need for the caymanian entitlement life jacket.
Get an overseas accreditation. If you are an engineer, get your P.E. in the USA or P.Eng. in Canada. The same applies for accounting and legal professions.
Oh yes, before you enrol in an overseas university, make sure that it is an accredited university.
And just to add, consider taking a degree in a subject that is likely to further your employment aspirations both off island and when you return to the island. Having a degree in jewlery design for example is all fine and dandy but the opportunities to use this, as a line of work, especially in Cayman, is very limited.
How about paying your dues like the rest of us did!?! Instead if whining that your C+ average is not going to give you the ideal white collar job at a big firm, go out and wait on tables, sell copiers, be a delivery driver. HR managers are NOT stupid and they may even respect your work ethics. If I was hiring – I would give the person a chance if I knew they were applying themselves instead of waiting around!
The old saying is true. It is easier to get a job when you have a job. Answer the phones, go sell jewelry during Christmas season, but don’t expect me to give you a white collar job unless you work blue collar to show me you are worth it!!! I bet everyone ever worked their way up the ladder will agree with me!
(used to be a waitress and now a VP)
Great advice!
Great advice, this is something I would have loved to do and agree would be a huge benefit to many of our graduates. However, most bright Caymanians who complete tertiary education overseas at renowned institutions are on Government scholarships and, like myself, have to return home to work as a condition of that scholarship.
One year might be possible to stay on an OPT and gain some experience, and I have heard of some who were allowed to do this. Truth be told I know of a few that haven't yet returned home at all, but they tend to be doctors or specialised engineers with no real opportunity to complete internships/residency or gain employment in their field at their current level of experience.
But a lot of us have been pretty much forced to return home immediately and while it worked out well for me and I enjoy my job (took me a few months to find it but I did find it) I agree that there are others who have a small island mentality.
That said, I've heard this is no longer a requirement but can't say for sure whether the policy has changed since my own scholarship. I can certainly understand the fears of brain drain that caused the Ministry to put this policy in place/
And while they are doing their extra 5 years of work experience, if it is available to them, the Cayman Islands is continuing to import work-permit holders for every position that, supposedly, there is no Caymanian to fill.
Do you see the hypocrisy of your own statements, which, in some instances, could be considered good advice but….
Most foreign students abroad are restricted by those countries IMMIGRATION rules from working after their student visas have run out….and why is this so ??
You've got it, Sherlock, or should that be Mr. Watson…..
Elementary my dear Watson…TO PROTECT THE JOBS OF THE NATIONALS OF THOSE COUNTRIES WHO ARE ALSO GRADUATING IN THEIR OWN COUNTRIES AND EXPECT TO FIND WORK…..sorry for shouting.
You would be pressed to name me one country where Caymanian graduates are not restricted by strict immigration and labour laws from working in that country, except the United Kingdom and even there, that Caymanian must be a holder of a full British passport to have the automatic right of employment.
Other countries do not SELL WORK PERMITS….as the Cayman Islands does.
Any graduate should be able to continue professional education and qualifications from Cayman, once they have a job….these qualifications are expensive and most professional qualifications come with a requirement of a period of work experience.
To suggest that Caymanian graduates should remain in a foreign country to gain work experience that can be gained in Cayman, their home, is a lame excuse….as so many others offered here on this topic.
I am not the original poster, but I can tell you that as a Canadian, I have worked, on work permits, in both the US and in the UK. My husband, a UK national, had an H-1B visa to work in the states for several years, and a student visa which allowed him to work in Canada before that. If we can do it, why can't Caymanians?
Is your husband white?
His skin colour is kind of….beige. Does that help?
I'll take that as a "yes" in which case you have answered your own question.
Meanwhile – you come over here and strap on the entitlement jacket.
But then you wont give it back when these educated and experienced locals come back home…zzzzzzzzzzz
Please make no assumptions.
I am a senior professional expat. I left Cayman after a number of wonderful and enjoyable years in your country, thank you for that wonderful experience.
While in Cayman I mentored two exceptional young Caymanian professionals who are now working in their profession in Cayman.
Your bigotry is a big part of Cayman's problem. I urge you to don a positive attitude and work at becoming part of the solution.
Ah… please!! Too much talk as usual and no walk. The only ones starting the revolution are the gangs
I would love for Mr. Miller to provide statistics regarding the number of returning Caymanian students, their university and degree programmes, as well as their achieved GPA. In light of his statement, one would believe that we have tons of unemployed graduates from the highest eschelons of academia. Somehow, I doubt that. As much as I often appreciate Mr. Miller's propensity to speak his mind on local issues, I feel he's tilting at windmills on this one, with his evidence based on anecdotal submissions.
statistics and hard evidence have no place in a backward small town soundbite…..
Hi everyone,
All these negative contributors opposing Mr. Miller’s truthfull comments are none other than people of the Compass X-pat dominated forum.
CAN’T EXPECT ANY BETTER.
They transferred over to Caymannewsservice to beat Mr. Millers truthful statements down.
They need to shut up. Because we are organizing for Cayman and we are forcing Government to do what is right whoever does not like it
HIT THE DOOR JACK AND DON’T COME BACK HERE NO MORE …..
the fact that x-pats love McKeeva Bush is evidence that he is the wrong person in office and was a huge mistake.
Caymanians listen up the very fact that x-pats hate Ezzard miller is ‘CONFIRMATION” that he is the right man for the job as Premier.
..
Try to get him in thatseat or lose everything.
Don't worry, I plan to leave after Christmas. This talk of revolution will make the rest of the world (and any investors and tourists) either laugh or avoid Cayman. Avoidance is probably what you want, then I wish you good luck, as you will need it. All countries need outside help with immigrants etc., this is not unique to Cayman. Canada was built by immigrants and it is one of the most successful countries in the world and came through the recession fine. Not to say that it is perfect and without problems, but the problems are not blamed on the "foreigners".
Please stop pretending that immigrants have no issues in Canada. There is plenty of discrimination and you know it. Much of the crime in Canada is also blamed on immigration from certain countries.
I am not the original poster, but I am Canadian. You are right that some Canadians blame crime on "foreigners" — but these people are largely dinosaurs. My own grandparents (to my great chagrin) went on and on about "boat people" while they were alive. However, younger Canadians, bar the odd extremist skinhead or insecure jerk, celebrate Canada's multiculturalism. We are proud of it. Most of us in recent generations grew up with friends from all over the globe — in my own case, three of my four best friends in high school were foreign born, one from India, one from Trinidad, and one from England. My experience is quite common, particularly in larger cities (and I did not grow up in one of those). This is not because Canadians are better than Caymanians, or more humane, or more tolerant. It is because the government of Canada undertook (and still undertakes) a very comprehensive educational programme to encourage its citizenry to view immigration and immigrants in a positive light. In almost every Canadian city, you will find annual festivals showcasing and celebrating the various immigrant groups among us — Toronto's Caribana is an example of that.
The poster above made a point of saying that there were problems in Canada, in so many words. That, perhaps, is the difference between our countries. The majority of (younger) Canadians will condemn racism where it occurs and are quite comfortable with the country's immigration policies. We are not perfect, and we acknowledge that. We are ashamed of Canadians who adopt racist attitudes, and who fail to recognize the contributions of our country's immigrants. You?
The irony is that in Cayman it is the grandparents who were most welcoming to expats. It is the negative experiences of young, educated Caymanians in the workplace that has tended to breed resentments. There is a fundamental difference between Canada and Cayman which you ignore. Unlike Canada, in Cayman managers who make hiring and promotion decisions tend to be expat rather than Caymanian. In Canada immigrants from certain countries find themselves discriminated against in the workplace in terms of salary commensurate with qualifications and experience while in Cayman it is younger, educated Caymanians who often find themselves discriminated against in the workplace.
Discrimination in Canada is not practised merely by those on the fringe of society as you suggest but is systemic. One study found that "immigrants, particularly racial minority immigrants may be perceived as unlikely to command managerial authority in the workplace. As as result, they may encounter a "glass ceiling", similar to that experienced by women" and that "although most Canadians deny harbouring racist views, they do express "social distance" from minorities, that is, a preference not to interact with members of various other racial groups in neighbourhoods and workplaces".
Although Canada is a nation of immigrants, its foreign born immigrants comprise only 20% of the population as compared to Cayman's roughly 50%. Yet according to a recent poll in Canada, 61% of those surveyed believes that Canada makes too many accommodations for visible minorities. In Quebec, 72% of those surveyed feel that way, i.e. there are some resentments.
Merely because you have not experienced discrimination as a racial minority immigrant in Canada or as a Caymanian in Cayman does not mean that it does not exist in either case. The point is not to condemn Canada but to demonstrate that what you hold as true very much depends on your perspective.
Personally I deplore racism by whomever it is practised. However, the issue is rather more complex than that.
All of this is true — as both I and the original poster admit, problems do exist. Thedifference I tried to point out is that Canada's official stance (and the one most Canadians attempt to embrace) is anti-racism. The study from which you cite is posted on governmental websites in Canada offering advice to new Canadians. It is not hidden or swept under the carpet. Our faults in this area are freely acknowledged and an ongoing campaign is in place to combat them. The fact that most Canadians give voice to pro-immigrant attitudes (though they may not always succeed in bridging the gaps in person) at least suggests that some psychological headway is being made.
Here in Cayman, governments present and past have used immigrants as fodder for votes, granting status to some to garner support at the polls while at the same time stirring unrest (as Miller is doing now) amongst native Caymanians by using immigration as a bogeyman. How will we ever get past our differences if even the official line in Cayman is that expats are endangering the livelihoods of Caymanians? Of course, this is partly true, and I don't deny it. But the other side of that truth is that a great many of the jobs that are available to Caymanians in the first place are here because global companies first sent their expatriate employees to set up shop. It's a double-edged sword, and there is no simple solution.
I think you make an interesting point about younger Caymanians being more prone to discriminate while older ones are more welcoming — and logically, this makes sense. It hasn't been true in my experience, but I am only one person.
Actually I said that "it is the negative experiences of young, educated Caymanians in the workplace that has tended to breed resentments". In the private sector at least, Caymanians are generally not in a position of power to enable them to discriminate. They are more likely to be on the receiving end.
It should go without saying that we need foreign investment and expats for many Caymanians to have jobs at all. I don't think that is being denied by anyone. However, the attitude of many expats seems to be that because of that fact Caymanians should simply accept whatever treatment they are given, however discriminatory. We are insulted and demeaned in their own country. That in turn lowers the morale of many Caymanian workers leading to lower performance and surly attitudes which in turn plays into the negative stereotype of Caymanians that we are inundated with on CNS, and so the downward spiral continues. It is a complex issue.
Sorry, you're right. I didn't paraphrase your point very well. However, I must disagree that only those in positions of power have the ability to discriminate. Discrimination is perceptual in the first instance and can be expressed in many ways. It is not only a reality in the workplace. Where a distinction is made, and expressed within the community, it has a negative effect on our ability to tolerate one another, whether the person expressing that distinction is in a position of authority or not. That is why I have argued that Canada's official stance on immigration is a positive one, and that something like it could benefit Cayman. It sets an appropriately high expectation for our behaviour, to which we can aspire even when our human nature fails to measure up.
I think you are also wrong that only those "in positions of power" (by which I assume you mean positions of authority or responsibility) are capable of dishing out the negative effects of discrimination. I have seen many lower level workers, both Caymanian and expatriate, dish out negativity in the workplace and elsewhere by voicing loudly (or more subtly) their discrimination. These people quite obviously do have power to affect others, to set a particular tone and to stymie cooperation — often with serious, albeit less immediate and direct, consequences.
I stand by my point that it is the government's responsibility, where they have solicited and/or enabled immigration of any degree, to help foster positive relationships between the various ethnic and national groups that depend upon one another here. If they do not set a positive tone, but instead incite mistrust between us, then there is little hope a solution will be found to the problem Miller has posited in his speech.
Sorry, I just realized that I clicked on "reply" before acknowledging the last half of your post. I do not work in any of the country's high-flying industries, so I can't comment on Caymanians being "insulted and demeaned" in those places. I have no doubt that this does occur. I acknowledge that it happens here on CNS, and I have certainly overheard a drunken boor or two (or three) giving off about Caymanians in a stereotypical and typically boorish way. The people who make these comments are clearly not very bright, or they are jackasses. It is obvious to anyone with half a brain that Caymanians, like people of any other nationality, come in many stripes, and are as variable in their competence and likability as any other group on earth.
However, I disagree that it is only Caymanians who are insulted and demeaned. I don't believe the expatriate community has a lock on boorish behaviour here in Cayman. I myself have been the subject of discrimination many times *because* I am an expat — though admittedly not one with a lot of the power you attribute to us all. I am only a teacher, and a young, female teacher at that — not someone who commands a lot of immediate respect from some of your most powerful personalities. I have been bullied and insulted many times over the years by powerful Caymanians and expatriates alike, and I can assure you that my "morale" has been sufficiently low at points over the years that even you would empathize, were we to talk face to face. The surly attitudes, unfortunately, exist on both sides — not everywhere, I am thankful to say, but enough to ruin your day now and then.
The other side of that, for anyone reading from overseas, is that by far the majority of the people I have dealt with over the years have been wonderful — many more than have been surly, on both sides of the immigration divide. Most have taken the time to get to know me before making a judgment about my character based on the colour of my skin or the country in which I was born. Most have been friendly, and welcoming, and curious, in a positive way, about my background and experiences and the contributions I have tried to make here. It is this attitude that I feel could be fostered by government, and made the "official" lens through which we try, at least, to view one another.
As you say, the issue is complex, the resentments often deeply felt on both sides, and the solution not to be found in the constant one-sided bashing that goes on here.
"I disagree that it is only Caymanians who are insulted and demeaned. I don't believe the expatriate community has a lock on boorish behaviour here in Cayman".
I don't think I suggested that either was the case. In fact I specifically identified surly attitudes on the part of some Caymanians.
"…my "morale" has been sufficiently low at points over the years that EVEN you would empathize"
I do empathise with expats on a number of issues. I have many friends who are expats. The problem is that when Caymanians speak up on their own behalf, particularly on this forum, they are immediately labelled as anti-expat or xenophobic. We are simply not being heard and so we must shout louder.
We disagree re the nature of discrimination (as opposed to prejudice, resentment or racism) which in my view necessarily implies that the discriminator has some authority or power in the situation. The fact that someone may have a prejudiced view about Caymanians has no impact at all unless he has some authority or power over them.
Other than those points, we agree completely.
You are truly and idiot and obviously not one the Educated Caymanians Ezzard is referring to. Trust me because of people like Ezzard people like you will so be past history.
Your post was exactly what was said in jamaica in 1974 and you know what…the expats all left and took the "educated" Jamaicans with them too. Jamaica has not recovered since.
Mr. Miller is in a small minority that think like he does, thank God. Angry gentleman with no solutions other than expat hatred.