Bush snubs protestors’ pleas
(CNS): The Cayman Islands premier has rejected pleas from campaigners seeking to preserve the West Bay Road to meet him to discuss the planned deal with the Dart Group, describing them as “destructive”. In a short letter to the protestors McKeeva Bush said their views and reasons for objecting to the road closure were repetitions of past misrepresentations and he had other “national priorities” and “urgent community” needs to deal with. He told the activists that the meeting they wanted would come after other government business. Disappointed with the response, representatives from the various community groups said Tuesday that the premier had a duty to listen to the electorate.
In his correspondence to the activists (posted below) Bush said that he would hold another public meeting at some point to give “factual information” to the people who elected him.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, representatives from the Concerned Citizens Group, the West Bay Action Committee, Save Cayman and the Coalition to Keep Bodden Town Dump Free circulated correspondence between the groups, the premier and the FCO to the media.
Alice Mae Coe, chair of the Concerned Citizens Group, questioned the government’s position of ignoring their objections given the fact that they had collected over 4,000 signatures on the petition against the road closure, more than 2,300 of which were registered voters.
“We have been working for the greater part of a year to try and get government to listen to our concerns about the closure of the West Bay Road, but our concerns continue to fall on deaf ears,” Coe said. She added that the campaign would continue and she was still hopeful that the premier may listen and try to understand what the objections are about and why the campaign is continuing.
Rejecting what the campaigners said was an unfounded allegation, Coe said the groups were not “destructive” and had written back to the premier accusing him of failing to deliver good governance. In the most recent letter they also remind the premier that there are more than 4,000 people supporting the campaign against the road closure, more than half of which are voters.
Mervin Smith, representing Save Cayman, pointed out that as an elected politician, the premier had an obligation to listen to both sides and not just that of the developer. He said when the ForCayman Alliance with Dart was announced there had been no previous discussion in public about whether this was something the people supported or not. Government, he said, simply announced the road was going to close. He reminded Bush that he represented the people of Cayman as well as Mr Dart.
Smith was not as hopeful of a positive response as Coe and said he did not believe that it was likely the premier would “see things our way”, but the campaign would continue.
Despite the fact that an agreement has now been signed between government, Dart and the NRA to begin work on the Esterley Tibbetts Highway into West Bay, which needs to be completed before the more than 4,000 feet of the original road can be closed, Coe said that there were thousands of people ready to stand up and stop the closure if need be.
Smith confirmed that if it came to it they would be prepared to occupy the road. “We will not allow this to happen,” he said as he accused government of trying to sell out Caymanians with an insulting deal.
The activists are holding a meeting Thursday evening at 7:30pm (details below) across from the Foster’s Republic in West Bay to drum up further support for the campaign and to follow on from the recent motorcade.
See correspondence between activists, premier and FCO below.
Category: Politics
@ Uriel. Kadafe’s Corner.
My opinion is still that the Cayman Islands would be much better off in the direct control of England
Or some representative from there such as the governor. I am yes a born Caymanian born to Caymanian parents not that it matters in this comment. But I do in fact have self interest at heart, I am afraid and yes politically ignorant! I have self interest at heart because at 25 yrs. old and gas threatening to be $7 a gal by summer and have not started a family yet must I not be afraid to wonder how I will support myself much-less support a family over the next 20 years with prices and gas escalating every season? Iay not know the in and outs of politics but I am smart enough to realize that the rich are getting richer and poor aregetting poorer. Many promises are given before election but little relief or much is actually done during the term. It has been like that for years and is getting worse.Yea there may be a lot of development on the table but what is actually being done to help the ppl making less than $2500 – $3000 a month that actually have to live here full time? Cost of living is squeezing every dime out of us. Soon we have to be refugees and run away! A lot of people need jobs but we all every color and nationality need to be able to live a comfortable and affordable life that should be afforded to us. I have not heard anyone anywhere speaking of trying or considering to make life more affordable for the lower income earners. That my friends is why they are six of one half dozen of the other!
Six of one or half dozen of the other. If we vote out bush the opposition will shortly face the same opposition he faces. I say the Govenor and the likes of him who are sent over from England with the proper education and experience should be placed in charge of running and sorting out the country!
Only at that time with someone who is properly qualified to hold the position will our islands have any hope of recovery.
Its said that it will not work with a foriegner running the country because of them not being familiar with our culture. But lets face it we as caymanians need to man up and ask for help from the motherland! And i dont mean borrowing i mean humbling ourselves and taking direction from those who know how to do it!
Huh!!
18,000,000 people dislike this! 🙂
Dear Kadfe, If you are an expat, I totally understand where you are coming from. No interest ,other than self interest. If you are a born Caymanian, you are frightening and may I add, politically ignorant. What concerns me most, is that persons with your mindset will be responsible for the future of these Islands. I pray for some relevation before that happens.
While I respect your right to peacefully protest I would ask you to kindly look around. 10 percent unemployment, empty stores and buildings still run down from Ivan. Cayman needs needs investment and if that means taking some of westbay road so be it. You will still have access to public beach and for letting him have it for now he gets to clean up the eye sore entrance to govenors harbour and that hotel and beach area…all of which will bring more money to the Cayman Islands and produce jobs. Get your heads out of the sand and get with it. Dont ruin good investment for younger caymanians who need work and a future. The previous generation already sold it all off its gone and we are not getting it back so lets at least get some jobs out of it. Go ahead and let the older Caymanians protest who obviously dont have much else to do.
And when another hotel opens you will have even MORE vanancies at other hotels. So they will have to laid people off. I don't see this as a fix for Cayman.
What is the vacancy rate at hotels now?
Is taht a statement of fact, if so, why do you ask what is now the vacancy rate. You should know this before you start trying to articulate god knows what. Clearly a "johnny come follow"
Ask yourself, why is the road remaining open a 'deal-breaker' for the dart group? Why cant we do all of the other things but keep the WB road open?
Well said. Let the by pass be built BUT then keep West Bay Road open. As the by pass has gradually been increased in length over the years nowhere else has any portion of West Bay Road been closed, You do not have to be an expert in traffic management to realise that closing part of our Road will lead to massive traffic jams.
Dart has attempted to claim more of our Road by claiming that the link road can not be perpendicular to our Road and so has to be at an angle that means it is well beyond Yacht Drive. All of the other link roads are perpendicular to our Road!! Even the one Dart is building near Public Beach! Would I be a cynic if I thought that Dart were building this link a few yards away from Governor's Way, a very adequate dual carriageway, so that they can plough up Governor's Way and grab even more prime land……
What are you getting out of it? dont tell me nothing i wont believe you, i say we have to stand up for what we want because our government is not for us, there has been many promises and persons talking just like you talk, and at the end of the day, we keep seeing the same results, we cannot liston to anymore lies, lies and more lies jobs, jobs, jobs and more jobs but for who?.
Maybe your new tactic should be to tell the truth about you and many more greedy persons like you to let us know what your real motives are because we are not as dumb as you think, we have awaken and we are angry, work with us and we will work with you.
Seeing thru you is not hard to do, what good is development if my kids cannot get a job in his or her own country? or should they just have jobs cleaning your houses and bowing to you?.
Stop letting greed take away your braines, why do you want to live in a country where you antagonise the people untill they want to run you, we were doing fine untill greed steped in, you and the so called investers are not Gods that we have to accept anything you want to do to us, invest but let us have something too, or no one will win the kid are not like us be aware.
As far as i am concerned you can be a crook too just like anyone else, what have you really done to help your fellow human being? not your fellows pocket , when expats are protesting in there countries they are not considered fools, you will say that is a human right, why cant it be our human right to protest, we want some of that democrecy too, or is it just for some people only, look at yourself in the mirror you might see something or maybe not.
Surely it is the public duty of West Bay MLA's to meet any concerned residents of West Bay.
This should be regardless of whom they voted for or even if they had a vote.
But it is so much easier to meet with the unconcerned residents. Some of the unconcerned people purchased trucks because they were told they would get contracts to haul the fill for the new road, and they are unconcerned about your old road because a new road is money for them.
Some unconcerned people brought in explosives, unconcerned about the legalities or danger, because you have to blow the fill up out of the quarries, and they are unconcerned about the damage it might do to the foundation of any houses nearby,
I could go on, but I think you are starting to understand that it is a lot easier to meet with unconcerned citizens than those concerned devils who ask questions.
What happened to the big Lord Blencathra meeting with this group aaaah finally they have come to learn exactly how much some in our much beloved mother country really care about their loyal subjects. Some who have work tirelessly to help hold us under the tyranny and yoke of colonialsm now bawl out fa mercy about her mechanisms which now holds our well manicured hands to the fire of change. Alas Cayman there here to exorcise us of the economic wealth and not of the many difficult issues and problems we now have to confront on our own. Yet many still cling to floating flotsam of false hope of the sinking Caymanian schooner now going down beneath the huge waves of change and instead of looking for help or to our survival are sending out SOS signals on the very foolish belief that the governing power is going send help for us. Our forefathers would bow their heads in shame if they were alive to see how this island and its resources have been given away and mismanaged.
And to think that"he" says he does not like to be called a DICTATOR! Unbelievable! No, not really unbelievable!
If his promised Public Meeting is to provide factual information to those who elected him, it should be restricted to the registered voters of West Bay – they were the ones who elected him – not the island as a whole.
Thanks to mr bush for not see this truble maker people wasting time
Huh?
The key McKeewa demographic has posted a comment!
Judging by your comment 12:09, you must be one of the educated voters that Mac is going to address, now go and put your head back in the sand.
and cluttering up his infrastructure too, no doubt.
McKeeva describes the protestors as “destructive”. "In a short letter to the protestors McKeeva Bush said their views and reasons for objecting to the road closure were repetitions of past misrepresentations and he had other 'national priorities' and 'urgent community' needs to deal with. But that is McKeeva's opinion. Hence, I suggest the protestors do whatever they can to find or support solutions to boosting the economy. It doesn't make since to war against someone who has made up his mind, criticize and can't offer any solutions to the table. Better keep your mouths shut if you have no answers; or else, indeed you will be contributing to the destructiveness that even McKeeva has mentioned or God forbid, predicts.
This man is unbelievable!!! His" factual" meeting will only be to smear the character of any one, who opposes him. It will NOT be factual folks. Mac cannot help himself, he is all for the Investors and not for the people nor the Islands. He falls for everything$$$$$ and loses his soul along the way.
He will give you the facts that he has already signed the deal, but the Dart Group needs to know that "he" McKeeva Bush is NOT the fully elected Government nor is he the people. The people are the voices and strength of these Islands and we the people needs to unite and detrone this runaway freight train, soon. this man is a nice man, don't get me wrong, but its just that he is a crazy, nice man. He uses the pulpit to enslave his people and intimidate anyone who opposes him in a debate. Is that pleasing in the eyes of GOD? Remember brother Jonesy!!
This shows you what kind person he really is and how he sees himself.
Don't trust a person just because hegoes to church. . . . ..
I sure hope Ms Alice Mae can give me a job!
You sound like someone who only supports someone who will give you a job. You obviously don't realise that allows someone to OWN you by giving you things when they please and taking them away when they don't. Get a backbone and stand up for something once in your life.
thats a truly pathetic attitude
My friend. After 3 years of Mac and Crew you still dont have a job?
So you are still being suckered into believing you might get one in the last year of their term?
They say a sucker is born every minute – and you obviously are a 'bottla' sucker…
I would like alice Mae Coe to cease from speaking positively of what McKeeva Bush did in the days of yester year. It may be misinterpreted by people who do not understand politics and may begin to see him to be a better person than he really is.
sometimes I get the impression that Alice may consider voting for him again. Alice must realise that the worst people in the world have something good about them. so why give him any credit at all if he is so disrespectful of you and the people of these islands causing you to spend hours ata time seeking signatures, risking sun stroke, and health risks. It makes no sense. McKeeva is not the person you want to praise in any way at all. He ineeds to be ousted forever. We are fighting for demoocracy day and night with this man in charge.
The reality is that this same man put on a good show until he got to the top of the Premier ladder.
He's now looking down with contempt and scorn on the faces of all those who's shoulders he used to lift him to these heights in government and society. Now suddenly our people
are no more viable to him, and he feels thay are inferior and does not need to answer to those who elected him to office.
How about giving him a wakeup call on July l8, 2012. Stop posting your travel plans and your business on these social websites.
Reschedule your vacation plans for you to be on island on this important Day July 18, 2012.
Do not respond to any surveys looking suspicious regarding your travel plans or otherwise strange content.
Vote the premeir out of office come May 2013
I guess you are too blind to see that ALice MAe Coe is a righteous lady, whi is balnce in her thinking, unlike mayny of you sad , negative blustering bloggers who cant reveal their names.
Mac is a premier , not a king. A spineless gutless leader who thrives on deceit and american politics style spin doctoring. How dare he say he cannot meet the elctorate. Cutting deals cannot be more important than meeting 4000 petitioners. The man is tongue tied and slightly lost.
why involve america, this is all Caymanian home-style politics
It matters not whether American politics are mentioned or not. Politicians are the same the world over……. they'd sell their souls to enrich themselves,
Will we also be able to sign the "one man one vote" petition there?
He will give "factual information to the people who elected him". Well that pretty much says it all !!! So he spews a bunch of lies and rubbish to the rest of the nation!!! Sounds about right. Thanks for clearing that up Big Mac, ya big embarrassment to our country!
Notice he did not say he would sit down and have a dialouge with the people he said he would "give" not give and take. He care not what the people want nor about the people. Unless you are rich .
By this time, everyone should be aware that the Premier is not the least bit interested in listening to the electorate. He will do whatever he wants to do.
wow! that's all I can say.
Mac refuses to discuss this issue. He will hold a meeting to Tell the pople why we are wrong but will not enter into meaningful give and take.
Mac, The people want their government back!!!!
Your premier is in effect owned by this bunch. You can see it time after time, and it isnt just them, it has in the past been other commercially interested parties.
You see it over and over again, remember the Ritz Carlton building height issue? No problem boys we can get it changed.
Waste disposal, too near your commercial interests, dont worry, we can dump it on an area you dont have investment.
West Bay road in the way, same thing!
You want to dredge North Sound, ok, we will take a look at that!
Borrowing facilities? I can fix that one too, can I borrow a jet?
And thats just a few of them, you guys know many more, so why do you allow him to do it? Actually, you must take some of the blame, he does it because he can, because he has perpetuated a crazy voting system and you let him. The result is all of the above, and an LA he doesnt even bother to call in. So, learn from this and make sure you get one man one vote, and dont waste any of them on him or his cronies!