Archive for April, 2009
PPM appeals to its people
(CNS): The People’s Progressive Movement opened its bid for re-election at the country’s historic seat of democracy – Pedro St James, on Saturday when the ten candidates fighting the May 2009 General Election were introduced to the party faithful by Chairman Anton Duckworth. At the party’s National Council meeting, the party slogan of “Don’t stop the progress” was unveiled and the leader of government business told the audience that one good term deserves another, especially when a government has delivered.
Acting as MC, political veteran Anthony Eden, who has served in three cabinets, said that the PPM was beginning its campaign among members, as it was important to ensure the party was in order before taking to the hustings and they would reveal the achievements of the government.
When Kurt Tibbetts, the party leader, delivered his state of the nation address he said the PPM candidates were head and shoulders over the other contenders and the PPM was the better choice as the alternative was going back to the discredited ways of the past represented by the UDP. “A leopard can never change its spots, no matter how hard it may try,” Tibbetts added.
He reminded members that the UDP of today is the same UDP of yesteryear with the same leader whose way of doing things had made people uncomfortable. “I know you do not have short memories,” he said. “Certainly, you have vivid recollections of how the UDP – or more specifically McKeeva Bush – ran the government as a one-man show. It was either McKeeva’s way or the highway.”
He said the people had found McKeeva wanting, and banished him to the opposition and it would be an immense tragedy if the country were to be managed again by Bush and his inexperienced team.
He described the UDP administration between 2001 and 2005 as the most politically unstable period the country has ever known. “Three of five Cabinet ministers were abruptly changed. Scandal followed scandal. The inept and unprincipled government lurched from controversy to crisis. The auditor general felt compelled to investigate no less than five government projects and to write condemnatory reports in every instance,” he recalled. “There was the case of the wasted and missing money and sub-standard houses under the Affordable Housing Scheme, the preferential treatment given to Burns Connolly in the redevelopment of the port, and the Boatswain Beach financing scandal. No less than two of the five projects investigated by the auditor general were referred to the police for possible criminal investigation.”
What happened recently in the Turks and Caicos Islands served as a warning that an inept and corrupt government will bring shame,he said. “We must avoid that happening to us at all costs. Your choice on May 20th is therefore clear. Vote solidly and re-elect the PPM for continued honesty in government and to ensure continued progress.”
Tibbetts said the country had come too far to turn back. “Let’s keep moving forward because there’s no future in the past. Stay with PPM. Don’t stop the progress!” he exclaimed.
He said that after the last election the PPM had embarked on a journey to transform the country which was in deep crisis in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, with the former UDP regime failing the people in their hour of need.
Tibbetts said the journey the PPM had taken was not an easy one as it was faced from the first day in office with various daunting challenges, some of which were without recent precedent, but much had been achieved. “Within the next week or so, the PPM will be distributing a special campaign publication entitled, ‘From promise to performance’. It provides a comprehensive overview of our major accomplishments during the past four years so that you can have all the necessary facts to do your own assessment of our performance,” the LoGB stated.
He said it would take several hours to detail every single achievement of the PPM government over the past four years so it was important people get a copy of the report. “It is our way of accounting on our stewardship so that you can decide if we are truly worthy of your continued trust,” he added. “Making a clean break with dark and dismal days of the UDP regime, the PPM has run the business of government in a very open, transparent and accountable way.”
He said that was why the government had no problem passing a Freedom of Information Law and had introduced the press briefing, as well as never intimidating its critics. “This government has never faced any accusations of corruption,” he said. “Not even by our opponents during the heat of the present election campaign. Yes, they have accused us of various things but …. they can find no grounds on which to accuse us of corruption. The same cannot be said when the UDP held office.”
Tibbetts noted that while the political opponents complain about government spending, the benefits are plainly evident to everyone and people know where the money is going. Moreover, he stated that claims of financial mismanagement could not be substantiated, and despite the challenges the Cayman economy remained strong.
“The PPM government is acting quietly and decisively to promote and safeguard our economy in this most difficult of times,” he said. “It is simply not good enough for the UDP … to merely criticize and tear down the government’s programmes. If they are really serious about being seen as a viable alternative, they must outline their master plan.”
He concluded by telling the audience that the country needs the PPM for honest, trustworthy government. “We have raised the bar on standards of behaviour in public office. Cayman has prospered under our watch,” he said, adding that Cayman was in better shape today than four years ago and that they should not stop the progress.
Man robbed at gun point
The second man wore a black shirt with a gold colored design on it and detectives from George Town CID who are investigating the incident would like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time of the offence who might have important information or anyone who recognizes the description of the offenders.
Police aim to keep the Easter peace
(CNS): A mobile unit at Kiabo, increased road checks and joint patrols on the water are just some of the high visibility efforts police say they will be undertaking this coming weekend to ensure that the Easter vacation goes off peacefully. Urging the community to make safety the top priority, the RCIPS said officers are gearing up for the celebrations which are likely to involve an increase in water activities, family events, camping and road traffic, particularly in the Eastern Districts.
“We have had a number of Easter weekends pass peacefully without major incident and we want this trend to continue,” said Area Commander Chief Inspector Richard Barrow. "We want people to be responsible. We don’t want to stop people having fun; we just want them to do it safely.”
Police said operations will involve stationing the RCIPS’ mobile command unit at Kaibo and high visibility patrols being conducted in popular camping areas such as North Side, West Bay Public Beach and Barkers. The mobile command post will be manned full-time and people in the area are invited to make reports or police related enquiries at the unit.
Officers from the traffic management unit will be assisting with traffic control and checking for drunk drivers and cones will be placed around the North Side area to prevent double parking. Drivers are reminded that they need to obey all speed limits and should never get behind the wheel if they have had an alcoholic drink. “Anyone coming toNorth Side for the Easter celebrations should be mindful of their actions,” stressed CI Barrow. “No-one should trespass on private land, music should be kept to an acceptable level and visitors should park considerately.”
Officers from the joint Customs, Immigration and Police Marine Unit and the Department of Environment will be on hand to ensure safety on the water and reminded residents that lobster season is closed, and while conch is open until 30 April people are limited to five conchs per person or ten per boat, whichever is less. They also said that anyone under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult to operate any powered watercraft whether it is a boat or personal watercraft (wave runner) and no one should operate a boat under the influence of alcohol. Life vests are required to be worn by each person on Wave Runners and any vessel or watercraft must not exceed 5 mph within 200 yards of shore. People snorkeling and swimming are required to display a “divers down” buoy or flag outside of 200 yards from shore.
Campers are advised when cooking outdoors to stay 25 ft away from dry vegetation or flammable materials and ensure that all coals are properly extinguished before discarding by burying them in a deep hole or outing them with a bucket of water. While cooking you should have a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water on hand in case of emergencies. Use propane appliances in a well ventilated area and test for gas leaks in hoses or fittings by using soap and water. Residents should also remember to clean up after themselves as littering is dangerous to the environment and punishable by law. Residents are also reminded that when leaving their homes for camping or other Easter activities they should ensure that their property is completely secure. All windows and doors should be kept locked and if alarms are installed, they should be set.
Anyone with information about crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or 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.
Why we need a good night’s sleep
(The independent): To sleep, perchance to dream, said Hamlet. Now scientists have shown that sleep is more about getting rid of the previous day’s mental rubbish than it is about dreaming. A study into slumber has found that the nerve connections built up in the brain during a busy day are pruned back during the night in an attempt to keep the mind from overloading on junk information. The findings lend support to the idea that a good night’s sleep is essential for consolidating important memories of the previous day and getting rid of things that would otherwise clog up the system.
MACI signs new agreement with French society
(CNS): The top management of the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands was recently in France to sign an agreement with Bureau Veritas (BV), the French classification society. “We have official affiliations with seven global Class Societies to ensure our ability to meet the needs of our valued clients on a worldwide basis, and also to keep Cayman at the forefront of the international maritime safety arena,” explains MACI CEO, Joel Walton, head of the Cayman delegation.
The official signing took place at Bureau Veritas headquarters in Paris. Signing on behalf of that organisation was M. Pierre de Livois, Directeur Adjoint de la Division Marine (seated right), witnessed by BV’s M. Charles Delaneau (right), and Emmanuel Scanavino (second right).
At the conclusion of the signing ceremony, M. Livois presented a Bureau Veritas plaque to Mr. Walton.
Photo Joel Walton (seated left), Alfred Powery, Director, Global Commercial Services (standing left), Kenrick Ebanks, Director, Global Operations (second from left), and Greg Evans, Director, Global Safety and Compliance (third from left).
Hundreds out for Irish Jog
(CNS): The 17th Annual St. Patrick’s Day 5K Irish Jog held on 17th March 2009 attracted over 900 runners, walkers and joggers to the finish line. This was the 3rd largest turn-out in the event’s 17-year history, and all proceeds were donated to the Women’s Resource Centre. The event is co-sponsored each year by Butterfield Bank (Cayman) Limited and Grand Cayman Beach Suites. “It was wonderful to see so many enthusiastic participants partake in Cayman’s most popular fun walk/run for charity,” said Rhonda Serrano of Butterfield.
“We keep the entry feelow at just $10 per person so that we can raise as much money as possible for charity, and we are pleased to be able to support the Women’s Resource Centre this year.”
Participants received a T-shirt and were eligible to win one of several fabulous spot prizes, including Waterford crystal, sunset sails, dinners for two and spa services. There were free hats, face stickers, wigs and other fun wear for everyone. Complimentary food and refreshments were available after the event.
Photo Annual Irish Jog Attracts Hundreds: Marina Flynn of Grand Cayman Beach Suites (left) and Rhonda Serrano and Rebecca Ebanks of Butterfield (right) present the Irish Jog proceeds to Cindy Blekaitis (center left) of the Women’s Resource Centre.
CAACI exhibits at convention in Switzerland
(CNS): The Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI) will exhibit for the fourth consecutive time at EBACE 2009 (the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition) in Geneva, Switzerland to promote the Cayman Islands Aircraft Registry to appropriate audiences. At the CAACI exhibit, May 12-14, senior officials will be on-hand to answer questions in regards to registering a plane on the CI Aircraft Registry. Also joining the CAACI to speak to this highly affluent audience will be experts on registration of shipping vessels and yachts from the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry, and there will be general destination information from the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism.
According to CAACI, the Cayman Islands Aircraft Registry continues to be an increasingly attractive registry of choice for foreign individuals and corporations. With approximately 173 planes registered in the private aircraft category (such as Gulfstream, Boeing Business Jets, Airbus, Embraer, Dassault Falcon, Cessna) aircraft owners and brokers have voiced their pleasure at the process of registration on the CI Aircraft Registry. Functions of the CAACI Air Safety Regulation (ASR) staff who manage the registration process include stringent safety and technical standards with rigid airworthiness inspections and validations of flight personnel licenses. The CAACI ASR staff also liaises with legal and financial professionals in the industry who are familiar with registering mortgages and finding adequate solutions to most clients’ questions and situations.
The CAACI wishes to extend an invitation to all persons seeking information on aircraft registration, existing orpotential clients to visit the booth during EBACE or to logon to their website at www.caacayman.com
Rattray says prison not negligent
(CNS): Dr. William Rattray, the Commissioner of Corrections and Rehabilitation, has said that the Cayman Islands Prison Service (HMCIPS) did not negligently put Sabrina Schirn’s life at risk, following the announcement that a serving prisoner who was on a work release programme had been arrested for her murder. “Whilst recognising that this is a tragedy for the family, it could also undermine public confidence in HMCIPS,” he said before justifying how the work release programme is managed at a media briefing on Friday morning.
“This will be small consolation to the family but I hope that what I have to say will help Sabrina’s family and the wider community to understand that HMCIPS did, and continues to do, everything it can to reduce the risk to any member of the community.”
In what appeared to be an exercise of damage limitation regarding the prison’s responsibility, the commissioner said that before any prisoner can work outside the secure perimeter of HMP Northward, a thorough security risk assessment is undertaken.
“This risk assessment, which examines both static and dynamic factors, is the most sophisticated available. Prior to the introduction of this assessment, HMCIPS conducted an international review of available security risk assessment instruments and settled on the instrument currently used. It is impossible to find, let alone create, a risk assessment instrument that can possibly predict, with 100% certainty, human behaviour,” he added.
Rattray said he had 33 years as a prison professional and prison professionals have to take risks but he said there was no instrument that can predict human behaviour with one hundred percent certainty.
“Society wants us to ensure secure custody but also wants us to rehabilitate prisoners. Every time we reduce a prisoner’s security level to facilitate his/her rehabilitation we take a risk for, and I repeat again, there is no perfect predictive instrument. Nonetheless, we have confidence in the instruments we use whilst understanding they are not 100% reliable.”
He said the incident was an aberration which could not have been predicted by any instrument currently available to predict human behaviour anywhere in the world.
“HMCIPS is an internationally high performing prison service and our track record, benchmarked internationally, is something the Cayman people can be proud of despite this tragic incident. Having said that, whilst we have confidence in our procedures, clearly, we have begun a thorough review to determine what lessons can be learned.”
Despite the fact that a serving prisoner at HMP Northward has been arrested, Rattray said he has not been found guilty of any crime and therefore he would not focus on the individual who has been arrested as that could both prejudice the investigation and any subsequent prosecution whilst also potentially prejudicing the individual’s right to a fair trial.
Answering questions, Rattray revealed more about the details of how the prisoners on the farm work programme are supervised. He said that some 8-12 prisoners work on 200 acres of open land, and are supervised by two horticultural prison officers.
He said the prisoners on the programme were category C and D but could be serving time for violent offences, though he said they would have had to have served a considerable amount of their sentence before they would be eligible to join. He did, however, say that the 38 year old prisoner that has been arrested for Sabrina’s murder was not serving time for a violent offence. He said there would not be a knee jerk reaction to the situation but there would be a review of the supervision situation.
CIFSA condemns grey listing
(CNS): The mixed result at the G20 summit for the Cayman Islands has also been given a mixed reception by the private sector. Over the weekend the Cayman Islands Financial Services Association said it was extremely disappointed to see the Cayman Islands on the OECD “grey” list and condemned the international organization. Meanwhile, Walkers issued a statement saying it would be inconceivable that any adverse measures would be applied to Cayman and Maples also said it was pleased to see that the OECD recognised the significant cooperation by the Cayman Islands.
CIFSA, however, expressed in no uncertain terms that Cayman should have been on the white list. It said that it had been hoped that the OECD would undertake a rational objective analysis of the tax transparency established by the Cayman Islands over the past decade. “In reverting to its political origins, the OECD has not improved its credibility and indeed, in acting in an arbitrary and prejudicial manner, raises questions about the value that is attributed by the G20 to the cooperation in tax and criminal matters that the Cayman Islands has demonstrated, “ the Association said in a statement . In one of its most assertive statements ever concerning the unfair treatment of the jurisdiction, CIFSA explained that Cayman has full and relevant tax transparency, not only with the United States but proactive reporting with 27 European Union nations under the 2005 European Union Savings Tax Directive.
“However, according to the OECD the Cayman Islands finds itself characterized with the wholly non compliant nations which are the root cause of the current tax evasion furor,” the statement noted. “The determination by the OECD to ignore the unilateral mechanism, which is well respected by a number of OECD members, shows the OECD still applies a double standard which clearly has nothing whatsoever to do with the good faith disclosure of information in tax matters, assuming that Cayman Islands financial institutions have anything of interest to disclose.”
CIFSA stated that at least the OECD has now set an objective test for positioning on the “white” list and noted that this is less than the total number of tax exchange arrangements that the Cayman Islands currently has in place, and as Cayman has maintained its commitment to execution of further bilateral treaties, assuming its approaches are met in good faith, the OECD will be obliged to remove Cayman from its current list swiftly.
Walkers, however, seemed to be considerably happier with the outcome, not least because of the fact the crown dependencies are on the while list and Walkers has an office in Jersey, which it noted had recently signed new tax information exchange agreements with France and Ireland.
“Walkers has had a full service Jersey office since 2006. Jersey’s position on the ‘white list’ reaffirms that Jersey has a model tax regime which meets the highest standards of transparency and regulation,” Grant Stein, global Managing Partner said. “This endorsement will bolster Jersey’s reputation as a hub for investment funds and structured finance vehicles.”
He added that while Cayman was on the grey list it has the highest number of bilateral tax information exchange agreements, which it is understood is the principal yardstick by which the jurisdictions’ progress in tax matters has been measured. Stein said that as the OECD did not specify what the consequences would be, if any, for the "grey list", It is likely that all of the jurisdictions’ progress in tax information exchange matters would be assessed over the coming months, and those that are deemed to have made insufficient strides may be subject to certain sanctions in due course.
“It therefore seems to us to be inconceivable that any adverse measures will be applied to Cayman or the BVI. In addition, it should be noted that the sophisticated international finance transactions for which Cayman, the BVI and Jersey are used are not what this initiative seeks to target, namely tax evasion.”
He said the achievements of these jurisdictions, in which it operates in the areas of exchange of tax information and transparency, anti-money laundering and financial regulation, stand up to the closest scrutiny. “We are confident that their progress in tax information exchange matters will continue to be applauded. In turn, we will welcome those G-20 and OECD members which currently have deficient anti-money laundering regimes bringing their regimes up to the accepted international standards long applied by Cayman, the BVI and Jersey,” Stein added.
Meanwhile Maples said it was pleased to see that the decision by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to place Cayman on a list of jurisdictions that have committed to "internationally agreed tax standard[s]" recognises the significant cooperation by the jurisdiction. It said that while the OECD is still reviewing the Cayman Islands legislation introducing the unilateral mechanism, it chose not to include the unilateral arrangements in the total number of commitments that the Cayman Islands have entered into.
“Earlier this week, the OECD praised the Cayman Islands for ‘setting a good example’ in relation to tax information exchange agreements and noted that it was one of the first jurisdictions to commit to the OECD standards,” the Maples statement said. “We therefore look forward to the Cayman Islands being moved to the list of jurisdictions that have substantially implemented internationally agreed tax standards as soon as the OECD review is complete.”
The reality of violence
Although there has been a lot of talk recently about addressing the issues of gender violence in our community we will not succeed without a significant shift in cultural perception.
The way Cayman currently views the abuse of women by men they know as somehow different to a violent attack by a stranger demonstrates that the community still has a long way to go before the rhetoric regarding violence against women becomes a reality. A recent news story about a woman who had been severely beaten by her boyfriend, a man who has now been charged for the offence of Grievous Bodily Harm among others, was greeted by some troubling comments in the reader’s forum on Cayman News Service.
A number of commentators berated CNS for the headline Woman attacked at home, which was precisely what had happened — a woman had been attacked at home and beaten very severely by a man she knew. It is extremely unlikely that her pain was any less unbearable or her injuries any less sever because they were cause by hands familiar rather than strange to her. If anything the emotional pain would have been worse as the violence was committed by someone she might have trusted and even loved.
The issue is quite simple: violence is violence wherever and between whomever it occurs andit must be roundly condemned. Moreover, this violence that occurs in the home is something that all woman need to fear as much as they fear stranger-danger. Women are much more likely to be hurt or even killed by the men they know and often love. Fathers, husbands, brothers, uncles, boyfriends are the men that commit violent acts on women.
If we continue to perceive and define domestic violence as something we should fear less than stranger violence we will not change the cultural particularism that makes it acceptable in this community and allows it to go on while friends, family and neighbours turn a blind eye. Violence of any kind is unacceptable and we must repeat that mantra. We should not be bringing our children up in a culture that accepts violence as the way to resolve conflict and problems.
People often talk of Cayman as a very peaceful and law abiding community, and by and large this is true. Yet behind closed doors violence reigns as the way to address relationship and family problems. Parents still beat children and men still beat women as a way of managing family life. Violence is tied in with issues of masculinity, control and conflict resolution in a way that the modern world is rejecting. Violence cannot be the answer to any of the complex and stressful issues that are associated with families and relationships. Violence is always wrong.
With tough economic times ahead those triggers to violence and short fuses often associated with violence in the home may be shorter than ever, resulting in more men using their fists to try and control the world around them. It is now that women need more than ever to firstly be on their guard at home as much as on the street, and above all when it happens they must have the courage not to take the beating but to call the police and see through the prosecution. Until these men face the consequences of what they do and are given an opportunity to understand their violent behaviour and why they behave and react as they do, women will continue to live in fear in our community.
The idea that anyone could have breathed a sigh of relief when she read beyond that headline is terribly sad and more importantly completed misguided. All women need to be afraid of men who have been socialised in a community where violence is used as a reaction to conflict and stress. We need our women to fight back, not with violence but with words and the law. We need to speak out against this cultural practice and we need laws with teeth as well as understanding in the community at large that a woman attacked in her home by a man she knows is no less a victim of crime than one attacked by a stranger.