Archive for April 7th, 2009
UDP vows jobs and prosperity
(CNS): The United Democratic Party national campaign began last night in the car park of AL Thompson’s where party members each made promises on what a future UDP government would bring. At a meeting where every candidate and the partychair also spoke, the voters had a long wait for Cayman’s longest serving legislative member and party leader McKeeva Bush. Once on the podium Bush promised jobs and prosperity and told people to vote straight as a split vote would benefit the PPM.
He told the audience that they knew he could lead the country to prosperity again. “When we voted him out last time he said the country was broke but we made the money,” said Bush referring to the Kurt Tibbetts the Leader of Government Business. “We can bring back jobs and prosperity for everyone,” he promised.
Although he criticised the current administration Bush also criticised those who were standing as independents and said they should declare who they were for and that the electorate should not trust what they said. He said that voting for independents would only benefit the PPM. However, it was apparent that not all independents are created equal as he told the electorate that Ezzard Miller was willing to work with the UDP and the electorate in North Side should give him their vote. He also advised that East Enders give John McLean Jr. a chance in East End, but above all he said voters needed to vote straight.
During his address Bush continued the night’s theme of making promises to the electorate about what he would do if a UDP government was elected. Focusing on the Tourism sector he said the industry has had a virtual minister. “Our tourism industry is haemorrhaging, and the PPM has no plan,” Bush said. He added that his government would move quickly to set up an interim Tourism Advisory Council to develop and implement tourism repair and recovery plan. He promised a number of initiatives for the industry, including fully integrating Cayman Airways with the department of tourism, putting a permanent director in place and implementing a National Tourism Management Plan that includes appropriate initiatives for the eastern districts to bring the right kind of tourism.
Speaking about the failure to pass the National Conservation Bill he picked upon the recent words of the Director of that department, reported on CNS, who had warned that the window of opportunity to embrace sustainable development will soon be lost. Bush said his government would, “…. take steps to bring the right balanced environmental legislation to the House and get it approved within the first 12-18 months.” He added that sensitivity to the environment is needed but it must not be confused with ‘opposition to development’.
Bush also focused on the problems in the financial services and criticised the government’s failure to act until the last minute regarding G20. He accused the PPM of being like Rip van Winkle who fell asleep and when he woke up his gun was rusty. He said they had failed to follow through on the deals he had made when in office and he was concerned Cayman was still not out of the woods. He said he would elaborate on his plans to save the financial services in West Bay at the next UDP meet on Wednesday night.
Bush however, added that businesses were in a better financial position when he was leader – than they are the under of leadership of Alden McLaughlin and Kurt Tibbetts. “I fought for this country on the international stage and I will continue to fight for our economic interests no matter who is sitting across the table.” he noted.
Throughout the evening’s presentations the other ten candidates made various policy commitments but no one talked of revenue raising measures or cuts in spending to fund the new policies. However, the audience was promised jobs, wealth, vocational training, opportunities, strategies for small business, help for the poor, better health care, better drug counselling services, a transport plan and a resolution to the helicopter fiasco among others.
Two of the West Bay candidates likely to become ministers under a UDP government also made promises regarding education and energy. Rolston Anglin criticised the Minister for Education’s tenure and accused him of rushing the Education Bill through parliament without consulting the people even when there was no provision in the law for a truancy office. He said, “His arrogant style of leadership has gotten us nowhere,” and he described the PPM as pathologically incapable of accepting responsibility for their failure. He said the voters should give them a failing grade at the polls. He promised a focus on technical vocational training and an education system that would meet the needs of the workforce, as well as better pay for teachers. Cline Glidden spoke about energy and waste management and promised not only to address the infamous ‘Mount Trashmore’ but also to look at new cleaner, cheaper sources of energy. Julianna O’Connor Connolly who is also likely to be a minster once again, under a UDP government, lauded Bush’s continued promise to provide the Sister Islands with Cabinet representation which the PPM had failed to do. She spoke about the need for change and divine providence. She spoke of going into spiritual warfare in the last days of the Legislative Assembly to save the requirement to teach religious education in the new education law.
The new manifesto was also handed out to those who attended which sets out seventeen areas which the UDP says it will address, as well as message from the leader and the party’s vision for the future.
No tax havens on black list
(BBC): The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has removed all four countries from its blacklist of tax havens. The blacklist published last week included Costa Rica, Malaysia, the Philippines and Uruguay. OECD chief Angel Gurria said in Paris that all four countries had now agreed to adopt its regulations. The list was a part of efforts agreed at the G20 summit to clamp down on non-cooperative tax havens.
Cayman needs a child advocate program
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect in the Cayman Islands – a topic that is often ignored.
It has been my ongoing objective to keep this issue in the forefront of our minds so that we may begin to work on a holistic set of community-based solutions to this problem. The final objective is to put a set of measures in place that will offer our children optimal protectionso that they may grow up to be well adjusted adults.
Recently I attended the RCIP Bodden Town district meeting. When I inquired about the police’s approach to prioritizing this issue within the force I was told that there are not that many child abuse cases in the Cayman Islands. We should all bear in mind that this is the most under-reported type of crime, with at least 90% of cases never being reported to the authorities. This nonchalant attitude would explain why even when allegations are made very few result in a successful prosecution. If the senior members of the RCIP believe this is a minor matter because it does not affect that many people then they are not investing the money and resources to make sure that staff are properly trained to handle such cases.
In most jurisdictions it is customary to have police officers who have undergone extensive training as child abuse specialists. They comprise a special unit that deals with these delicate issues and have the necessary interviewing skills, evidence collection and an appropriate response list of criteria to be met.
During an investigation of alleged child sexual abuse there are so many factors that have to be taken into consideration. One of the most significant has to be the additional trauma that can be caused to a child and the actual investigation being handled as professionally as possible.
Since the safety and well being of the child has to be the most paramount consideration, I would like to advocate that we explore a legally appointed guardian for all children that have to go through the judicial system. In particular, this would be an extremely useful advocacy tool for child abuse victims. This child advocate is court-appointed, independent minded and has a specific legal ambit. Often referred to as a guardian ad litem, this individual’s only responsibility is to represent the child’s best interest.
These guardians are held to a very high legal standard – of fiduciary. This is such an important role as it gives a child a voice while being involved in the court system. The guardian ad litem represents the child’s interests even as it pertains to the judiciary proceedings. This person guarantees that the child has fair representation. In recent cases we could well question the efficacy of the legal department and even police officers in bringing the case to a successful conclusion. The guardian would be instrumental in keeping an eye on all of these aspects of the matter. If the child’s interests are jeopardized the guardian can bring that to the attention of the court.
When the court is making decisions that will affect a child’s future, the child needs and deserves a responsible and capable spokesperson – an objective adult to provide independent information about the best interests of the child. While other parties in the case may have their own interests to protect, the guardian ad litem is the only person in the case whose sole concern is the best interest of the child.
Our recent Child’s Law was a perfect opportunity to include the legal framework for such a program to be setup in the Cayman Islands. The logistics of the program could mean that the guardians are either paid or volunteer workers. They need specific training on how best to handle the child’s affairs in court. I would suggest an overseas advocacy qualification and additional child abuse training.
In addition, the police staff requires specially trained staff to deal with child trauma and abuse. This would include a focus on interviewing skills, internal case coordination and creating an instant response team.
For all of these efforts to work there needs to be a specific Child’s Unit created in Cayman to address all matters dealing with the welfare of children. Otherwise, the effort would be haphazard at best and not properly organized for maximum use of resources. There are far too many cases where the child falls through the proverbial crack. Sometimes I look around and I see person’s who are struggling in their adult lives. When I begin to scratch beneath the surface it becomes readily apparent that they were child victims of abuse and there was never any benefit of counseling and treatment – they will struggle their entire lives to live achieve some level of normalcy. Our focus has to be collective – prevention and education, treatment and counseling and, of course, the successful handling of child abuse cases through the court system.
As we continue to focus on our economy and other important aspects of this country’s development, I hope that we do not forget that unless we protect our children – our future – we are developing this country for naught.
"Justice for children cannot be sought, let alone achieved, if their voice is not represented in the hearings that determine their fate. Guardians ad Litem are that voice." -Former Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz, Minnesota Supreme Court