Archive for June, 2008

A losing battle that must be won

By Wendy Ledger – Posted Friday, 6 June 2008

2 comments

George Town (CNS): Yet again this week, those in
Cayman who have conjured up an evil spectre to represent the horrors
of human rights legislation remain the most vociferous in our
community. Cayman News Service recently reported on Minister Alden
McLaughlin’s valiant efforts to literally spell out to a local radio
host why human rights are good and why a government would offer its
citizens access to them.

In what cannot be truly be described as an interview, not least
because of the obvious inexperience (and perhaps political aspirations
of the host) the Minister madea commendable effort to explain the
issue of why this government re-instated the lapsed Individual Right
to Petition to the European Court for cases of infringed rights by
government.

He also presented the positive elements of human rights in general and
pressed the need for Cayman to have a Bill of Rights which can protect
people here rather than have them seek redress in Europe. However,
because radio talk show hosts can always shout louder, and by the very
fact that they broadcast on our airwaves on a daily basis at prime
time, their voices are often given far more credibility than their
intellect might warrant, the Minister’s message was probably drowned
out.

Consequently, the problem which CNS has visited on numerous occasions
remains – as important and justified as a Bill of Rights for Cayman
is, those who see it purely in terms of something that will lead to
gay marriage and undermine the dominance of Christianity are winning
the argument, not because they are right but because they are playing
to the fears of the crowd.

Racism in many Western countries, for example, remains a problem but
over the years it has been addressed in many ways. Yet the one weapon
that remains in the racist’s arsenal is fear. Fear is one of the
easiest ways to win over public opinion. The fear of being swamped by
foreigners,the fear of terrorists moving in next door, the fear of an
immigrant taking your job and the money out of your pocket are all
fodder for the xenophobes and racists in all communities who conjure
up these fears to promote totalitarian agendas.

Here, the monster of human rights is being created through this same
sort of rhetoric. Opposers say that a Bill of Rights will change
Cayman culture, and at a time when the culture is perceived by many to
be already to be under attack, this method of winning public opinion
is easy. Moreover, it is made easier by the failure of human rights
advocates to be more vociferous. With a few notable exceptions, not
least Gordon Barlow, the arguments for why we need to have rights
protected and enshrined in a constitution is being lost at every turn.
The church, the talk show hosts, the opposition United Democratic
Party and even, it could be said based on recent comments in Finance
Committee, that some of the government’s own supporters are all
pushing the fear message.

It is time now for the Human Rights Committee to really get the word
out and step up the game. Perhaps members of the committee could be
given some airtime to articulate the benefits of rights and the
dangers of not having them to at least redress the balance on our
airwaves. Maybe the churches would be willing to open their pulpits to
have the case for rights presented to their congregations. Whatever
the method, it is clear something has to be done to change the
direction of the debate.

The recent round of Human Rights Committee meetings and their
appearance at one or two constitutional meetings, and even the star
performance by the government’s consultant Prof. Jeffrey Jowell, does
not appear to have beaten the fear-mongers. The fact that their fear-
mongering is based entirely on incorrect sentiments and ideologies
does not seem to deter them from drumming up the necessary level of
scariness to ensure a ‘no’ vote come polling day.

Whether, for most, this is political posturing to undermine the
current government and help to secure its exit from office next year
or because, as Minister McLaughlin pointed out this week, they fear an
empowered people, remains to be seen. However, any politician or
potential politician that fears an electorate that has rights should
be cause for concern to all of us. Furthermore, even if some
politicians or church leaders genuinely do fear a Bill of Rights
rather than having tyrannical aspirations, the problem is that their
fears and theones they are advocating are unfounded.

Victor Look Loy: The fear of human rights is Cayman may not be
as unfounded as you try to make it appear. I do not believe for a
moment that the people who speak out against human rights want to
torture or enslave anyone. I believe that for the genuine ones, their
concern is more to do with their rights as Caymanians becoming
secondary to the rights of other residents or visitors who cannot lay
claim to either the history or culture of these islands.

There is scare-mongering and there are exaggerations, but in an island
where more than half of the residents are not indigenous and where
there are over 1 million visitors each year, it is not too difficult
to hear the receding cries of the local population. The homosexual
issue is just as emotive here as it is elsewhere in the world. The
reason is the fact that many of those people who claim to be gay also
want to show everyone just how gay they are. Some of them have become
confrontational and provocative, and even offensive in their
demonstrative behavior. 

In a small island where homosexuals have existed peacefully  for
centuries alongside heterosexuals, there is suddenly public behavior,
social and legal demands which many people find unacceptable. Right or
wrong, one must understand that Cayman is not very different from many
other places, the difference is in the numbers of different people.

The talk show host you referred to may be a bit over the top in some
of his comments, he may also have political ambitions, but he does ask
questions and if his approach was a bit less of an inquisition
and his outlook less judgmental, he may get a lot more answers. I
admit some answers he probably does not want to get because it is more
expedient for some questions to remain unanswered and the public
allowed to speculate. I personally would one day like to see this
host as a Government Minister for four years so that he can practice
what he preaches.

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The cost of oil: implications for the Cayman Islands

 By Nick Robson (The Cayman Institute)

3 comments

Goldman Sachs analysts have predicted $200 per barrel oil by the end
of the year. This would mean gas in the Cayman Islands approaching
$8.00 per gallon. I do very little driving in a four-cylinder vehicle
and spend $100 per month, and can only imagine what it costs the
family with numerous children, all active in numerous extracurricular
activities.

The problem in the Cayman Islands is that we have no choice; we have
to drive, we have no functional public transport system. Yes, we have
a bus system composed of independent operators, but this is not a
functional public transport system in the true sense of the word.

And not only are our transportation costs being effected by the cost
of oil, but all other goods and services are or certainly will reflect
the rising energy costs. Caribbean Utilities Company will obviously
pass through the rising energy charge; your Water Authority bills will
also reflect the increasing oil prices as all our water is produced
using electrical energy. One has to question where this ends?

President George Bush asked the Saudi’s / OPEC last month to increase
production and was basically to given a resounding NO. Yes King
Abdullah did agree to an extra 300,000 barrels per day, an
insignificant amount. Airlines are adding fuel surcharges, which not
only affects our travel it also affects tourists thinking of visiting
these islands. Where will this end?

Oil is a finite resource. It will eventually be depleted. And it is
not a renewable resource. The oil reserves of Saudi Arabia are a state
secret but are believed by those in the know to be less that the
Saudi’s would like you to think. There have been a few large finds
recently in places like Brazil and in extremely deep waters of the
Gulf of Mexico, but like the Canadian tar sands, this oil is very
expensive to extract and, as in the case of tar sands or oil shale, it
takes a lot of energy to extract. All of which makes it more expensive
for the consumer.

There is also the theory of Peak Oil. First propounded by geology
professor M. King Hubbert in 1949, it states that the fossil fuel era
would be of short duration. His prediction in 1956 that US oil
production would peak in about 1970 and decline thereafter was scoffed
at then but his analysis has since proved to be remarkably accurate.
This theory has since been applied to global petroleum reserves and
the outcome would suggest that we may be approaching a plateau in
world production. We are certainly seeing a tremendous surge in
demand, fueled in part by the rising affluence in China and India,
with the demand for private transportation, not to mention the
continued consumption in the United States.

How, you may ask, does this apply to the Cayman Islands? The answer is
of course obvious. We have no petroleum reserves of our own, no rivers
to produce hydro-electricity, no volcanic activity to give geo-thermal
energy. But what we do have is an unending source of energy, the sun
and wind (see Cayman Net News 4 June 2008 Article on Cayman Brac
Wind Power). The Cayman Islands needs to start looking at
alternative energy very seriously. Our Energy Security is precarious
to say the least. The geo-political situation in the Middle East is
volatile to put it mildly and as has been made clear above we have no
Plan B.

We are now able, under the new franchise agreement between CUC and
Cayman Islands Government to install photovoltaic panels on our homes
and businesses as well as utilize wind and geo-thermal power and, if
we are creating more that we need to power our homes, sell the excess
to CUC. And think of the advantages besides lowering our electric
bills – in a blackout or in the aftermath of a hurricane one would not
be inconvenienced by a lack of electricity. Ground has just been
broken in the Cayman Islands for our first home powered entirely be
alternative energy. Naturally the home will be connected to the
electrical grid but the owner never envisions having to draw from it,
just the opposite in fact.

Not that many years ago all homes in the country were built with a
cistern or tanks to store rainwater. Your roof was your catchment area
that fed into the cistern providing free water. I would suggest that
anyone building a home give consideration to spending a little extra
money and putting in a cistern. It may also be the time to consider
whether you really need a lawn that needs artificial irrigation on a
daily basis. It may be time to return to an old Cayman tradition of
the sand yard. As an added bonus you do not have to mow it with
another petroleum burning piece of equipment!

Electric and Hybrid vehicles are ideal for this country as we do not
have far to drive nor are our speed limits particularly high. If one
were generating electricity at home with solar power and driving an
electric vehicle, not only would you be saving a considerable sum of
money but also your vehicular carbon footprint would be zero. The
legislation and policy to make use of these vehicles will hopefully
soon be in place to make this a reality.

I recommend that all residents of these islands start investigating
how they can economize on their consumption of energy. Think about
car-pooling, get together with your neighbors and take turns in
filling one car going to work rather than driving with only yourself.
Studies have shown that only 7% of the energy used to propel your
vehicle is moving you the driver.

Replace all the bulbs in your home and businesses with compact
fluorescent bulbs. They cost more to purchase but not only will they
last much longer than a incandescent bulb they will make a significant
difference in your utility bill.

Not only should we be economizing to save unnecessary expenditure, we
should be cutting our carbon footprint. Carbon Dioxide emissions from
our vehicles, from CUC and many other sources are contributing to
global warming, which is already having a serious impact in places
like Kiribati and Tuvalu, islands that are being inundated by rising
sea level.

Olivaire Watler: You make some excellent points in your article
as well as provide good tips for energy conservation. These are tough
times not simply for residents of Cayman but in every oil-
consuming country. It would be lovely if we could be
insulated from what the rest of the world is experiencing by
Government and CUC but that is neither realistic nor reasonable. 

However, we differ in one respect: you present the scarcity
of oil as the cause for spiraling oil prices. While it is true that
demand has increased significantly in places like Russia and China, I
believe the major influence on oil prices today is speculation in the
markets. The President of OPEC was recently quoted as saying
that the weak U.S. dollar, market speculation and the subprime crisis
are the causes for the spiraling price of oil. Add to that the effect
of the comments by an Israeli Cabinet Minister that suggested
Israel would attack Iran if it continues its nuclear-development
program and we have most if not all of the picture. 

Olivaire Watler: Gerry, you are right that demand and supply
theory of price is basic economics. I believe you are also right that
at these prices there is likely to be a reduction in demand for oil
which could reduce prices. However, in the real world the
influences on price are a little more varied and complex than demand
and supply and include such matters as speculation. That is
why the demand and supply theory has a qualification,
ceteris paribus (all other things being equal). For
example, even if demand and supply of oil remained constant, but
the value of the US dollar declined (as it has done over the past
several years), the price of a barrel of oil (in US dollars)
would be likely to increase. Also, if the market believes
(whether correctly or incorrectly) there will be a shortage of
oil in the near to medium term (but is not presently) this
will also cause prices to spiral.      

In 1999 the price of a barrel of oil was US$10.00. Since then supply
has actually increased, and while demand has increased
it certainly has not increased by 1300% to take oil to its
present price.

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The freedom to insult?

By Judy Singh – Monday, 2 June 2008

7 comments

Having read MLA JuliannaO’Connor Connolly’s recent comments during
the Finance Committee hearing (here)
I am compelled to respond. I am deeply disturbed by Ms O’Connor
Connolly’s comments regarding Radio Cayman’s potential
obligations under the proposed Bill of Rights to give equal airtime to
religions other than Christianity, and specifically her reference to
Hinduism and Satanism in the same phrasing. How can an educated woman
and member of our country’s government say something so insulting?

Hinduism is a peaceful and loving religion that preaches devotion to
God and integrity of self above all other things. I can’t think of
anything less satanic than that. My parents are devout Hindus and are
the most honest and compassionate people I know in this world and they
most certainly are not devil worshipers.

They have always taught me to have the utmost integrity in myself and
to be gentle with others.  God, they say, will always be there
for the pure-hearted person, regardless of the ifs, whats and hows of
his/her theology. I have always admired their ability to sift through
the often outdated rhetoric of organized religion (including their
own) to focus on what’s really important – God and Love.

As a non-practicing Hindu I would like to offer a few points worth
noting about my family’s ancient practice of “Satanism.” 
Hinduism has been practiced for thousands of years (since at least
1500 BCE) and is the world’s oldest organized religion.  Hinduism
has been around longer than Satan himself! It is the 3rd most
practiced religion in the world after Christianity and Islam. It
is also not polytheistic as many people assume. Hindus worship
one supreme God and the other lesser deities are the equivalent to
Catholic Saints, representing various aspects of life and
virtue. I think many will also be surprised to know there is even
a Holy Trinity in Hinduism made up of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – much
like the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Many of the old religions of
the world are not really that different if you look closer at the
framework of their doctrine, and I think upon such closer examination
one might find several parallels both structurally and contextually.

I take great offense to these brash assumptions that any religion
other than Christianity is the equivalent to Satanism, which by the
way isn’t even a religion!  I make this retort, not for Hindus,
but for everyone, including Christians and non believers, so that no
person of any faith or non faith should have their beliefs insulted so
recklessly in a public forum – during government business no less!
Regurgitating rumours, stereotypes and uninformed misconceptions is
hardly appropriate behaviour for members of government. The above
circumstance is case in point of the true necessity of “Freedom of
Religion” in this country. Are all non-Christians supposed evil
devil worshippers by our government? Why not then make sworn
Christianity a prerequisite for all work permit holders?  Heck,
why not make church attendance mandatory for everyone? 

That all being said, we might all do well with a little reality check.
Thousands of people from numerous backgrounds and faiths have co-
existed on our little islands for decades and we can all agree that
this is a Christian country – and always has been.  How many
other faiths really practice openly here that aren’t denominations of
Christianity anyway? There is the beautiful little Jewish Synagogue on
the Brac, but other than that, probably nothing of substantial
noteworthiness.  Has anyone ever heard of devil worshipers here?
What about Hindus for that matter? Of all the hundreds of Indians I’ve
met who actually live and work here, very few are practicing Hindus
most are Catholics from Goa. 

Don’t you think it’s just a little ridiculous to think that passing
the proposed Bill of Rights (which nearly every democratic country
employs and every other British Overseas Territory honours) is going
to magically bring devil worshippers (or Hindus) to the island to set
up shop and take over the island or its airwaves?

 If there have been no signs of religious combat to Christianity
now, it stands to reason that there aren’t any. Under a Bill of
Rights, Radio Cayman, or any other government agency for that matter,
doesn’t have to do anything different than what it’s already doing
unless it’s actually asked to – which is simply unlikely. If it
is asked, requests can be dealt with in a reasonable manner. If a
small group of Hindus wished to put together a half hour segment to
celebrate God and educate the people of Cayman about the true and pure
nature of their religious beliefs would that really be such a bad
thing? Looks like we could use a little education on the
religions of the world around here!  

Freedom of religion is about acceptance, and we all accept that this
is a Christian country. Christianity is deeply ingrained in the
social fabric of Cayman and a law saying that it’s OK for someone to
be Hindu is not going to change that one bit. Yes, there are crazies
in the world, but our population is equivalent to a small town in the
US and simply cannot be weighed against the stories we hear on the
news from places with millions of people.  Let’s be realistic and
not cater to our pedantic whims. Shouldn’t we be focusing on how
the Bill of Rights will empower us by making us equal as human
beings? Shouldn’t we examine how it will bring the incredible
cultural mosaic that is Cayman together? Fear mongering and
propagating unlikely scenarios is just a waste of time.  Why are
some people so obtuse to the reality of the world? Is it because
they are afraid that if Cayman is educated about other religions that
some might choose to explore these faiths?

Nicky: Della, first of all, Grand Cayman is not a country. It
is one of a trio of islands that make up a country, and having lived
on Cayman Brac for 20 years, I can tell you that people on the Sister
Islands get pretty tired of being dismissed out of existence.
Secondly, the United States was founded on the basis of tolerance and
acceptance of people and their right to their own beliefs – a reaction
away from the religious intolerance that dominated Europe throughout
most of its history, which the Founding Fathers recognised as a bad
thing for nation building. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of
the Declaration of Independence, said, “The constitutional freedom of
religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights.”

Thirdly, as a mother of two Caymanian children, one of them teenager,
I can say that yes, you are right – one of the great things about
raising children here (on the Brac) is the emotional and physical
security of a small community, and I wouldn’t want to raise them
anywhere else. However, Caymanians are human beings not a
nation of saints, and child abuse, including sexual abuse, certainly
does happen in these islands and always has. 

Godfrey McLean: After reading these letters it makes you
realize how many of the expats we so depend on are ignoramuses, and
the scariest part is many of our leaders subscribe to this type of
thinking. After listening to the circus called legislative meetings on
the radio, it leaves you wondering what is going to happen to us. So
much intolerance and hate mixed with vindictiveness that is spouted
each session.

reply@caymannewsservice.com

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