Archive for April, 2009
McLeans face off in East End
(CNS): East Enders were givan an opportunity to assess the suitability of their candidates last night when the district’s McLeans opened the Chamber of Commerce’s series of forums. Tackling the question of the Constitution, the younger McLean, John Jr, admitted that he had not read it but from what his advisers had told him he wouldn’t support it. The incumbent said he was sad to hear that his opponent didn’t know about the Constitution but would be telling people to vote no as it was an important decision. “It’s more important than the election,” said Arden McLean.
“MLA’s will come and go and the seats will remain no matter who fills them but the opportunity to shape a new constitution won’t come so easily. People need to understand the Constitution is not ours to modernise, it’s England’s. We can propose what we want, and we did, but in the end it is what England is prepared to give us.” He added that what had come out of the talks, while not perfect was a far cry for the current situation and had faced Cayman in a better direction for the future.
The forum was well attended and proved an informative evening for voters, who were clearly keen to see what the two candidates had to offer. Moderated by Chamber CEO Wil Pineau, the McLeans faced ten questions, which they had not seen, from the Chamber panel (Stuart Bostock and Peter Broadhurst) on behalf of Chamber members, and then a selection of questions directly from the audience.
The candidates were asked questions on the economy, environment and education, all of which proved revealing when it came to the candidates knowledge and understanding of the issues. Asked about strategies to mitigate the current global recession, ideas to stimulate new industry areas and generate more revenue J. McLean suggested developing local crafts. “I would encourage people to make, and businesses to buy, locally made things like straw hats — it sounds trivial but it would generate income.”
The young candidate also suggested taxing the remittances sent overseas by work permit holders, and to lower the cost of doing business, he said work permit holders should pay towards their own permits as they needed the job as much as the employer needed them. Employers shouldn’t have to pay their employee’s pensions either, he said, as they didn’t benefit from it. He also felt government contracts needed to go to local companies and not foreign ones with local people getting the jobs.
Minster McLean noted that all ordinary companies doing business in Cayman are locally owned because of the 60-40% law, and that by spending money on capital projects the government had succeed in keeping the Cayman economy going despite the worldwide recession. He said it was the government’s responsibility to stimulate the economy.
“We have been extremely lucky that we have not had to bail out our financial industry,” he said, adding that, in a way, the government spending and borrowing for capital projects was Cayman’s bail out. “People now recognise that government must spend to ease the impact of the recession.” Even if it meant owing money, he said it was better to pay that back down the line in order to keep the economy buoyant now.
When it came to new areas of business, the minister said that Cayman was well positioned to develop e-commerce. “This is an untapped source for lots of business,” he said. “Because of us being an offshore financial centre, it will be easier to do this type of business and I think we can attract it.” He also said the Film Commission was an important step forward for a new business idea. He said most of all the domestic economy was very dependent on small business and it was important that government continued to encourage entrepreneurs. He said when it came to reducing fees it was important to consider the balance of the treasury’s needs, but government had successfully reduced the cost of electricity by 30%, which had helped business.
The two men both agreed that government should keep spending on education, and while J.McLean seemed to lean towards the campaign mantra that the schools were too expensive, he said he would keep up current levels of spending. Arden McLean offered his full support to his colleague, the Education Minister, and said it was vital the work on education continued. He noted too that the Frank Sound school had been on the cards for 30 years and the Eastern districts needed it and should support it.
Minister McLean gave an emphatic “no” when asked if he supported the draft National Conservation Bill, which his colleague Charles Clifford had promised to bring to the Legislative Assembly before the end of this term. His evident opposition as a cabinet member revealed why Clifford had failed in that endeavour. “I have made it very clear to my cabinet colleagues that I am not supporting it as is,” he said. “There are a number of issues with it. It empowers certain individuals too much… and I cannot support it when the Director of the Environment has almost absolute power.” He said, however, that he did want to see an environmental law developed that was equitable and reasonable.
John McLean said he would support the enactment of the draft bill if elected as it was very important to preserve the natural flora and fauna and native trees. “I would definitely support it. I think it’s a goodthing and it’s not just about supporting it — it’s important to enforce it as well. We all need to preserve the environment.”
The two candidates also discussed the extension of the airport runway or moving it to East End, something J McLean said he wouldn’t support but preferred the idea of extending the existing runway in George Town. A McLean said eventually the airport may well have to be moved to the centre of the island but he supported the plans to develop Owen Roberts. J McLean said he supported cruise berthing and said it should have been done a long time ago. While A McLean said he supported the dock in principle, he said there was a need to ensure the cargo dock remained in government hands.
The desperate need to address the George Town landfill was also raised, with J McLean saying he was prepared to listen to anyone, including foreign companies, on how we address the problem, and there was a desperate need for a proper recycling programme. The dump, he said, needed to be addressed and not get involved in fiascos like the Matrix situation. A McLean said it was his biggest regret that he was unable to get the waste to energy management programme underway before the election, but the plans were in place and had been developed through cross party work with the aim of reducing the dump to zero in less than 2 decades.
Both men recognised the fear of rising serious crime and the need to tackle the problem of drug use in the district. While A McLean said the police needed to focus on the district’s vulnerable and deserted coastline to prevent the entry of drugs and guns, J McLean said it was a bottom up problem and that everyone had their problems, be it drugs or murder, and the community needed to look at ways to help people excel in their own way.
Possible link in shootings
(CNS): Police are investigating the possibility of a link between two shooting incidents in George Town that occurred within a 12-hour period, for which three people have been arrested. No injuries occurred in either incident. The first incident occurred at around 8:30 pm Tuesday night, 14 April. Police were alerted to a report of shots being fired in the Maple Road area. The second incident occurred at around 7:30 am Wednesday morning,15 April, when police received reports of shots fired in the Myles Road area of George Town.
In both incidents, police responded to the scene and found evidence that shots had been fired in the area but no-one had been injured. The scenes were secured and processed by scenes of crime officers.
“We are taking these incidents extremely seriously,” said Acting Chief Superintendent Marlon Bodden. “We are thankful that no-one was injured in either incident and are putting all our available resources into bringing those involved to justice.” Bodden confirmed that the police are investigating the possibility that these two incidents could be linked, but stressed that it is early days and officers must keep an open mind.
Three people have been arrested in connection with these incidents. They remain in police custody at this time.
Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to contact George Town CID
on 949-4222. All information received will be treated in the strictest of confidence. People
can also call Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling Crime Stoppers
remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information
lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.
Saudis ‘to regulate’ child brides
(BBC): Saudi Arabia says it plans to start regulating the marriage of young girls, amid controversy over a union between a 60-year-old man and a girl of eight. A court in Unaiza upheld the marriage on condition the groom does not have sex with her until she reaches puberty. Justice Minister Muhammad Issa said his ministry wanted to put an end to the "arbitrary" way in which parents and guardians can marry off underage girls. But he did not suggest the practice would be abolished. Human-rights groups oppose such marriages, which they say are often motivated by poverty.
Butterfield supports First Baptist art programme
(CNS): Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited recently presented the First Baptist Christian School with a sponsorship of $5,000 toward the FRCS’s art programme, which ranges from music to drama. Butterfield is an avid supporter of arts in the Cayman Islands. “Arts and music are an integral part of a child’s learning and education, and we are pleased to support this programme at our local school,” said Butterfield’s Rebecca Ebanks.
“All children at the school are given time for drawing, painting and construction, using a wide variety of techniques and materials. This encourages them to be aware of the visual environment and their relationship to it,” said Dr Linda Cross, Principal of FBCS. “We are very grateful to Butterfield for their sponsorship of our art programme, which will help fund the purchase of new art equipment.”
Photo: Dr. Linda Cross (centre left) and Butterfield’s Rebecca Ebanks with two of FRCS’s young students receive Butterfield’s sponsorship.
Reef Report on restoration
(CNS): Florida Aquarium’s Reef Restoration Project and educational programs will be the topic at the second Reef Report presented by the Central Caribbean Marine Institute (CCMI) and hosted by the Cracked Conch. The presentation, entitled “Growing Reefs One Piece at a Time”, will take place on Thursday April at 7:30pm, following a welcome and complimentary beverage reception at 7:00 pm. The guest speaker will be Craig A. Watson, the Vice President of Research and Conservation for the Florida Aquarium’s Board of Directors.
Watson also has an affiliation with the University of Florida, and has been developing a relationship with the Veterinary Department at St. Matthews University and CCMI.
Guests at the Reef Report will also be updated on the 2009/2010 educational initiatives that have been undertaken by CCMI, including Ocean Literacy, a program to increase the overall understanding of the important links between our lives and the water that surrounds us all.
Anyone interested in attending the lecture should contact Kellie at 949-1938 or members@reefresearch.org . For more information on CCMI, please see www.reefresearch.org
Six Rotary essay finalists
(CNS): The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman have announced today the six finalists of their essay competition, entitled Adventures in Citizenship. The competition, now in its forth year, promotes the interest and understanding of local citizenship. The contest was open to all high school juniors in both public and private schools in the Cayman Islands. This year, entries were received from John Gray High School, Cayman Brac High School, Triple C High, Cayman Prep, St Ignatius, and Cayman International, representing all high schoolsin the Cayman Islands.
Finalists for the 2009 Adventures in Citizenship essay contest, in alphabetical order, are:
Jordyn Taylor Williams St Ignatius Catholic School
Malcolm Hurlstone Cayman Brac High School
Max Parton Cayman Prep School
Melanie Bush Cayman International School
Shantal Martika Miller Triple C School
Sheyla Torres John Gray High School
All six finalists are invited to various government functions to learn and understand protocol and procedures, including lunch with Governor Stuart Jack, a meeting with Secretary to the Cabinet, visit with the Chief Justice, tour of the Legislative Assembly by the Speaker, and watching the weekly Cabinet press conference.
An overall grand prize winner will be announced on Thursday, 24 April, at the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman’s weekly luncheon meeting at The Westin Casaurina Resort. At that time, the six finalist will receive an electronic copy of the Encycolpdia Encarta compliments of Massive Equipment Rentals and the overall winner of the Adventures in Citizenship essay competition will be presented with a laptop computer courtesy of Royal Bank of Canada.
For more information on the Adventures in Citizenship program, please contact Isy Obi at i.obi@cmlor.com
RCIPS Commissioner candidates line up
(CNS): Update 5:00 pm: A staff member of the Public Affairs office of the Savannah-Chatham Metro Police has confirmed that their Police Chief Michael Berkow (left) is in the running for the position of Police Commissioner in the Cayman Islands, though she told CNS, when asked to confirm that he had applied for the job, that rather he had been approached by someone from the Cayman Islands, but declined to say who that person was. In 2005, the former head of the Los Angeles Police Department’s internal affairs unit faced a sexual harassment law suit by female LAPD officer Ya-May Christle, and while the suit was dismissed, she was awarded $1 million in damages from the LAPD for retaliating against her for bringing the suit.
Also on the shortlist is female Detective Superintendent with the British Transport Police Ellie Bird; Richard Cullen, Head of the Probation Area Co-ordination Unit in the Home Office; and Cheshire’s Assistant Chief Constable David Baines, to whom CNS offers a sincere apology as he is not the Baines facing an enquiry over a potential wrongful murder conviction as stated earlier.
Along side these candidates is the current Acting Commissioner James Smith, who failed to secure the position when he interviewed in 2005, and Richard Brunstrom, the Chief Constable of North Wales.
Following the revelations yesterday by CNS that Brunstrom, who has been dubbed the “Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban” because of his campaign against speeding motorists, had made the list, it has now been revealed that Berkow who is currently serving with the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan (Georgia) Police faced a law suit by a long serving female officer from the LAPD.
Ya-May Christle had served seventeen years when she claimed she was demoted after complaining that Berkow had been giving female officers preferential treatment in exchange for sexual favours. The suit was dismissed by Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz, who said he did not find enough evidence that the Berkow, who was a deputy chief at the time, had discriminated against five officers.
Depositions given to the court, which were opened after the Los Angeles Times filed a motion to request that the sealed document be made public, revealed that Berkow had been involved with a fellow female sergeant officer but had denied that he promoted her or was directly involved in her supervision.
In the deposition, Michael Berkow, who is married, said he met Sgt. Andrea Balter in 2003 and had sex with her over the next three years. Until January 2005, she worked for theinternal affairs division as an advocate, a kind of internal prosecutor handling police misconduct cases, including those involving inappropriate sexual relationships.
Christie, though the sexual harassment suit was dismissed, was awarded more than $1 million in damages after a jury found that the LAPD retaliated against her for complaining about Berkow. They rejected Christie’s claims that she was the victim of racial discrimination and that her protections under the Peace Officers Bill of Rights were infringed upon.
Aside from this most recent claim, Berkow has reportedly been named in at least six suits.
Meanwhile, besides sending Christmas cards to crime suspects reminding them that the police are watching, David Baines is a scuba diver and is not the UK police officer also named David Baines who is at the centre of a growing controversy of an old murder case as reported in The Times on 26 February.
Ellie Bird, who has 26 years service and is Vice President of the British Association for Women in Policing, has worked in uniform, detective and headquarters roles as well as Operations Superintendent on London Underground. Bird who was reportedly placed on the list after a Canadian candidate allegedly dropped out also has experience in policing child abuse and domestic violence investigations, as well as public protection and serious crime. In a recent article for international women’s day she noted there was still a long way to go regarding gender abuse. “Many people still believe discrimination, physical, mental and sexual abuses are no longer significant issues affecting millions of women across the world – clearly we still need to educate,” she said.
Richard Cullen a former Chief Superintendent with the Metropolitan Police and now serving as Head of the Probation Area Co-ordination Unit in the Home Office, learned to dive in 2007 for a charity event. He has also been something of a TV personality following his involvement in a BBC documentary which aimed to discover who killed Rasputin. An academic, Cullen previously served as the director of training and development at the UK police training college in Hendon and has trained officers overseas, including Russia. He has written a number of publications regarding frontline leadership.
Given that the Acting Commissioner is only on contract until June and most senior officers would require a notice period of two months, it is anticipated that an announcement as to who will be taking up the top cop job with the RCIPS will be made very soon. The vacancy for the senior RCIPS post came in the wake of the suspension of three senior police officers followed by the dismissal of Commissioner Stuart Kernohan. Acting Commissioner Smith was the third man in post since March 2008 when it was revealed that a Special Police Investigation Team (SPIT) from Scotland Yard was in the Cayman Islands investigating alleged corruption in the RCIPS and the judiciary.
Chamber opens debate
(CNS): With candidates on the campaign trail so far only presenting their own positions, the real debate finally begins this week when the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce starts its candidates’ forum in East End this evening. Throughout April, Wil Pineau, the Chamber CEO, will chair the forums in each of the districts where questions submitted by the electorate will be placed before the candidates, forcing them to address the issues that concern the voters. (Left Sandra Catron and Gilbert McLean face off at the 2005 forum)
Candidates will be encouraged to discuss the national, business and district concerns in front of the local audiences and face the real questions in a debate format, giving votersthe opportunity to decide for themselves who has the answers and who does not. Pineau said that this is the sixth election where the Chamber has offered this public service and it is the only platform where candidates are engaged in an open debate with each other.
“This is the only opportunity where the electorate gets to hear the different positions of the candidates from the same platform during the campaign,” he said. “We encourage the candidates to respond to each other’s answers and debate the questions that are put before them. Every single candidate has been invited and we hope that they will all attend.”
Closely guarding the questions that will be put before the candidates during this year’s eleven forum events, Pineau explained that at each of the district meetings the questions will differ slightly as there are specific issues relevant in each of the different constituencies.
The forums will be broadcast live and everyone is invited along to hear the candidates make their case for the people’s vote. In the past, the chamber debates have thrown some interesting topics into the arena for discussion, from trade unions to the impact of the status grants on Cayman society. At the 2005 most of the candidates welcomed the forums and said they had forced them to think on their feet.
They have also placed on the record some interesting opinions from familiar political candidates. In George Town, for example, Ellio Solomon, who was at the time was campaigning as an independent, said that the United Democratic Party government, the party of which he is now a member, had “unfortunately sacrificed democracy".
Batabano kids to kick off the carnival
(CNS): Anyone looking for a break from election fatigue may find the Cayman Carnival Batabano could be just the ticket. Ready to hit the streets with all its colour, splendor, vibrancy and multi-national mixture organizers have announced that this year’s festivities get underway with the Junior Batabano Street Parade and Family Fun Day on Saturday 25 April.
Carnival chair Donna Myrie-Stephen said was pleased that the community has embraced this family style display of Cayman Carnival for the youth of our country. “With the growing number of private and public schools taking part in colourful costumes it really gives the young people a dedicated opportunity to shine during their parade through downtown George Town,” she added.
The event offers young people the chance to enjoy every part of the celebration from creativity and construction of costumes to the display of themes combined in music and dance. At the conclusion of the Junior Parade, the Family Fun Day festivities continue on the lawns of the Glass House.
The parade starts at 3pm from the lawns of the Government Administration Building (Glass House). For more information such as parade routes and a complete calendar of events log on to: www.caymancarnival.com
Teacher to offer tips at books and books
(CNS): Internationally celebrated parental consultant Florence Bernard will be visiting Books & Books in Camana Bay next Monday, for a signing of her book, Better At School: The Essential Guide to Help Kids Improve at School. Having lived and taught all over the world Bernard now resides in the States but she spent seven years in Grand Cayman teaching languages, physical education and drama to grades 2 through 12 at St. Ignatius Catholic School.
Bernard developed her programs through seventeen years of teaching experience worldwide. She helped a number of families enjoy the positive experience that school should be. Working closely with parents and children, going back to the basics with them and exploring the source of the problems while focusing on the solutions, she manages to help bring back peace and harmony at home and at school for many. On 20 April Bernard will share her experience and proven training methods with everyone who wants to see the children in their life succeed.
Better At School has been described as the training you didn’t get before you became a parent. It offers tips to organize, motivate and train your children so that they can show their full potential at school.
"I haven’t invented any magical super cure for children’s laziness, lack of motivation or difficulties,” she said. “ I am just applying simple old principles to everyday life, so that students can function within the school system. As parents, you are not always aware of its intricacies. This is insider’s info, from someone who has seen many different school systems and has known to make them all work!"
The presentation is free and open to all members of the public and starts at 7pm