Governor to leave Cayman in December
(CNS): Arguably one of Cayman’s most controversial governors in recent history, Stuart Jack will be bidding fare well to the islands in ten days time. Having clashed with the members of the politically elected on both sides of the Legislative Assembly, generated wide public condemnation and run up a substantial tab in the pursuit of good governance, he may go down in history as the governor that set Cayman on the road to independence. According to a release from GIS, Jack and his wife Mariko have announced their intention to depart the Cayman Islands on Wednesday, 2 December.
Deputy Governor, Donovan Ebanks, will act as governor until Duncan Taylor, takes over the position in January 2010.
Jack will be remembered among many other things for presiding over the Operation Tempura fiasco and the discredited Special Police Investigation Team, which is likely to cost the island well over $10 million before it is fully concluded. The so-called corruption investigation has included the unlawful arrest of a court judge, the suspension of the best part of the country’s police leadership, and a string of failed court cases and scandals surrounding the UK officers allegedly brought here to root out corruption.
The governor has been widely and publically criticised for his interpretation of good governance and what elected officials have described as his “derision for elected members” of government. For the best part of his time here Jack worked with the PPM government but first came into public conflict with them when he instigated a tribunal to examine the leaking of documents by Charles Clifford that exposed questions about the financing of the Turtle Farm under the previous UDP administration.
Following the unlawful arrest of Justice Alex Henderson by SPIT as part of Operation Tempura, the elected government began speaking out against him. The public, too, began questioning the motives of the latest representative from the UK and wondered if he was deliberately trying to undermine the stability of the jurisdiction. Following a judicial review which exonerated the judge and resulted in a damages award of CI$1.275 million, the governor was forced to admit mistakes had been made in the investigation.
Since the May general election, the governor has also clashed several times with the new UDP administration over the auditor general’s decision to look into the port tendering, as well as the issues concerning legal aid changes among others.
Since Jack took up his posting as governor and as events unfolded, including the growing rift between the UK and the CI government, the issue of independence has begun to be debated more widely than ever before.
At his recent signing in ceremony, on the day the 2009 Cayman Islands Constitution was enacted, the new premier, McKeeva Bush, warned that the day would come eventually when Cayman severed the ties with the UK. But in the meatime, he warned the incoming governor not to micro-manage — signalling possible further frictions ahead between the new governor and the new political administration.
Jack’s successor, Taylor, was the British High Commissioner for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, a position he held from 2005. Describe as a career diplomat, Taylor has served in the UK’s foreign office for 27 years and he has already made it clear that he too will be continuing the pursuit of what the UK has defined as good governance in its territories.
Category: Local News
He did rather well in difficult circumstances. I mean, corruption really is rife here (as an insider I see it up close), but the investigators available to the Governor were completely incompetent (by design of the corrupt). He did as well as anywone could, and deserves all the respect for that.
Now it is time they brought in a hardcore Governor. One that will not take any bullsh*t. We need our island back. Send the umempolyed expats back home. That’s why we have an Immigration office for.
We ahve obviously had a governor who majors in the minors. When you are lacking in substance, you make up for it in nitpicking at insignificant things or powerlessness (doing nothing when you should act) and being led by others (such as Bridger).
I am beyond sad. I feel nothing at all. I am just glad he is going.
I see one poster speaking about having heard good things about the incoming guy, but I am not very optimistic. Somehow when they get here they become contaminated and pretty soon things start to go haywire.
But it will be hard to be less effective than Jack for sure.
Thank God Jack is off this Island.
Personally, I have reason to want to see Papa Smurf (sorry, Stuart Jack) leave the Cayman Islands. But don’t be fooled, he was not acting per his own agenda, he was fulfilling the FCO’s and UK Government’s policies for it’s OT’s. His successor wil surely continue in the same vein. Bear in mind that the successor is the most senior foreign service diplomat ever appointed as Governor to Cayman; that is no coincidence.
As long as the Labour Government is in power in the UK we can expect this strong-arm, micro-managing policy and even if (when) the Tories get back in power, generally there will be little change in the policues relating to the OT’s. We just need to be able to make our position clear even if we are fighting a losing battle. Thankfully our Premier is not afraid to speak his mind on our behalf – even if his style is abrasive. Actually, that approach might even keep John Bull-dog at bay and focus on their own problems
What a shame, such a nice man with such a lovely wife. Will be sad to see them go. At least he hasn’t fathered any young Caymanian children, that we know about.
Of course some english expats are going to defend him, cause alot of them are here doing the same thing that he has done, sucking out money, destroying the culture of the country and the country itself, and then heading back to dreary, rat infested england to munch on cheese biscuits and drink tea all frigging day.. If i never see this so called governor ever again, it will be too soon! like someone said before! The worst governor cayman has ever had! it’s the truth.. And Caymanians, please don’t go out there and make a fool of yourselves and embarrass our country!! Trust me, a governor leaving a country with absolutely NO ONE at that airport to see him off whether it’s a "bashing" or "bidding him a good farewell" is probably the worst possible thing you could do.. Completely ignore him, and make him leave this paradise hanging his damn head in Shame with regrets! He will read in the papers when cayman and caymanians rise out of this mess of a global recession, just as we always have and always will, because we are strong caymanians, and with the help of all the other good hearted expat friends that actually care about Cayman, and someday wants it to be their paradise also, where they can raise their children!! We’re gonna do this, u can believe that!
Not this English Ex Pat – I don’t think he’s done Cayman any favours. Nor am I earning enough money to suck out and send to the UK, once I’ve paid the rent there’s little to nothing left. Nor do I eat cheese biscuits or drink tea! I don’t live in a gated development and I rarely mix with my own as I came here to experience Cayman and its people, not to make money to send home or to try and turn Cayman into another UK.
I agree that the best send-off we can give Jack is no send off at all, i.e. nobody there.
However, I do have strong hopes for the incoming Governor who has done good things in Barbados and has been known to make a stand against the British Government in defence of Barbados on certain issues from time to time. I can only hope he does the same here, but if he turns out anything like Jack you can be sure you’ll have my backing again.
The incoming Governor also has a wealth of experience and contacts in renewable energy… something I hope he could help us with here.
I WILL SPONSOR A PARTY IN TOWN!!!!
He made some bad decisions for sure, such as his decision to support the unlawful arrest of Justice Henderson with nothing to go on, but the policy to investigate corruption was appropriate. He did not cause the underlying situations that suggested rampant corruption in this country, and it was his duty to do something about it. I think his choice of people for the team was poor – Bridger and that lawyer XXXXXXXX? Really, THAT is what he is guilty of – poor judgment in the implementation of the investigation into corruption. Still, you can’t allow corruption to reign in a police force of any country as next it is anarchy and then the coup by criminals. You have to nip it in the bud and have a ‘no tolerance’ attitude about it. I hope the next Governor will have ‘no tolerance’ to corruption also, but have good judgement also.
Between the time he leaves and the next Governor arrives we should run wild and spend all our money!!!! ?Oops. we’re already doing that?
In that case let’s sell the limo and turn the Governor’s mansion into a food bank, and tell the new Governor there’s a mistake and he has to live amongst the people.
An unpopular personality, sure, but "the governor that set Cayman on the road to independence" is giving this departing representative more significance than he really deserves.
Afterall, we conveniently forget that it was the people of Cayman that demanded the corruption investigations he tried to carry out. Ask the many recipients of charity from the national recovery fund how they feel about his follow through on commitments to them. Bravo is what you will hear.
Although there are many separatists that openly fantasize about how life would be without the UK, the reality is that the Cayman Islands literally cannot afford to contemplate that course for what may be another decade or longer. The UK have effectively countersigned our future.
Hit the road, Jack! And never come back. No more, no more, no more!
Worst governor Cayman has seen in my lifetime.
Best news I have heard in a long time since he helped to put us in such a dire financial situation.
the dire financial situation has been caused by mis-management by incompetent cayman politicians not the govenor
The dire financial situation was helped along by the unnecessary law-suits thereby resulting in the spending of unneccesary funds to those that were unlawfully arrested etc. This added to the financial crisis we are in now.
of course it didn’t help, but why don’t you take aim at the real culprits for caymans finacial mess….. incompetent caymanian politicians and civil servants
Not soon enough, but I’ll have to do. Adios Jack, don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
Been reading up on Duncan Taylor and asking questions as I have many friends and family in Barbados – the feedback is good – I hope it turns out to be true!
GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!!
AMEN…Thank you Lord, the day has finally come!!!
CNS: Can you find out if he is leaving on British Airways that day?
I have got my wild chickens and green iguanas ready along with my placard to hold up to let him know how digusted I am with him for the destruction he has caused our country and how happy I am to see him go!
I encourage as many people and the local and international press to gather at the airport that day for his departure. We must not let him leave without letting know how happy we are to see him go.
Finally we get JACK OFF this island!!!!
SWEEEEET!!!!
Yes, let’s get as many people as possible at the airport to protest against this Governor when he leaves and invite the international press, because what Cayman needs right now is as much bad international publicity as possible! Let’s have images of natives waving wild chickens and green iguanas broadcast on the internet as Bush tries to woo foreign investors.
15 minutes of revenge and months of international embarrassment. Another genius idea.
His wife is very nice but I say good riddance to this guy.