UDP wasted year says PPM
(CNS): The last minute scrambling to put together a three year plan and the 2010/11 budget is a result of a wasted first year in office by government, a member of the opposition has said. Former Cabinet minister Alden McLaughlin told CNS that it was a shame that the premier had not chosen to take a longer view of the country’s financial future and enter into negotiations with the UK when first elected to office instead of bringing a pretend budget then subjecting the country to a yo-yoing of decisions. He said that on the eve of the UDP’s second budget the country was still very unsure about its short and long term financial future.
“The process underway now is a year late and ought to have started when government recognised the seriousness of the declining revenues and the situation with the deficit,” the George Town representative said, adding there was a serious degree of indecisiveness. “We had bold announcements one day and then retreats from the position the next, which has left us all unsure about the financial future of the Cayman Islands. Here we are at the second budget and no one at this late stage is sure what the situation is.”
McLaughlin said the UDP government may have announced its intention to cut operating expenditure but following bold announcements about cutting salaries and benefits nothing had happened. He said even the MLA salaries have not been cut, despite an announcement to the parliament and the country. He said that again in the latest announcements about spending the government had asked for cuts but left the decisions in the hands of the civil service, who had been told that cuts were needed and they needed to figure out what to do.
“The government has taken no policy directions to reduce the expenditure save to express the wish, the desire, the hope that it will be reduced,” McLaughlin said. “They have done nothing to ensure it will happen. So at this late stage on the eve of budget day we are no further ahead than a year ago.”
He said it was yet another example of the continuing indecision of the government, where announcement after announcement was made without anything actually happening. “Whatever has and will be said about the PPM administration and our role in the last deficit, the fact is this government has been in office for over a year now and their handling has been disastrous.”
He said that McKeeva Bush started his time in office creating panic by telling the world that the country was bankrupt. “Then we had the pretend budget just a few months later to reassure everybody which gave a false impression about government finances,” McLaughlin added. “Eventually he was forced to admit that the operating revenues were much lower than predicted in the pretend budget and that the country was facing another significant deficit.”
McLaughlin said the disadvantage for the opposition was that it no longer had access to government figures, but they believed from the information that they had received that the deficit was worse as a result of the pretend budget, which gave a distorted impression to the civil service that all was well.
“The last year has been wasted when the country could have been further ahead with a longer term financial plan and as yet none of the fundamental issues have been addressed,” the former minster said.
The Legislative Assembly is expected to resume next week as according to the PMFL government must table its budget before 1 May.
Category: Headline News
Thinking about doing some thing better,then why not cut their salaries ,take some more money out of their pockets and they would keep their mouths closed,insted of just having all of them non reelected member in the house,just putting the same amount of money in their pockets as the Leaders reelected,at least they are working trying to get some thing done,mean while all the non reelected are just ocupying a seat in the house to critice every thing the PRESENT GOVERMENT DOES AND HAS DONE.
LESS MONEY FOR THEM ,LESS TIME TO TALK ,THEN THEY WOULD GO AND TEND TO THEIR PRIVATE BUSSINES.SHAME ON THEM,FOR DOING NOTHING STILL,THEY ALL MAKE MORE MONEY THAN ALL OF US.
Hearing Alden these days kind of like listening to a man who just wrecked his car taking a sharp bend at 30 over the speed limit car giving you tips on how to drive safely! Listen up you PPM fanatics – your party spent too much too quickly and left the country with massive debt. It’s an historical fact. Please, no nonsense about not being able to anticipate the recession. You’re all in denial, clearly. So glad I’m not a party follower – evidently it clouds the mind.
Perhaps the giuy who took the corner too sharply can give the benefit of his experience to the other drivers who so arrogant as to think they could never be in an accident.
Mr. Mclaughlin u wasting cayman ilands time we dont want u any more
Alden, you and Kurt and that bunch of lunatics called the PPM were the ones that created this mess. It is okay to blame the UDP now but remember your government was the first government in history to ever leave the country in such a disgraceful financial mess.
Alden, you and Kurt and that bunch of lunatics called the PPM were the ones that created this mess. It is okay to blame the UDP now but remember your government was the first government in history to ever leave the country in such a disgraceful financial mess.
It has also been one year for the PPM as well. I have yet to see a counter budget proposal from the PPM. I don’t think it will be forthcoming niether do I think if anything the PPM brought to the table would be considered credible based on their track record.
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Really, really… should we hear this from the PPM administration now?
I personally do not want to hear this crap we are a thin line from theUK
UDP spent a year cleaning up PPM mess….. Call it like it is
And the way it looks when they (PPM) went in no auditing was done so the country is probably in a deeper hole than what is recorded now April 23, 2010.
I don’t believe the nerve of Alden saying that UDP wasted one year. He need to remember all that PPM wasted and that wasn’t just time look at the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that they wasted.
To post 18:00, let me clarify your perception. The schools are not Alden’s schools, but the schools were meant to housed our Caymanian Children and they were badly needed. After many, many years of neglect by Governments, the schools were badly needed. I should know, as I am very much involved in the schools. It is not healthy to housed so many students in such deplorable unsafe buildings. We have an urgent need to build them across the board, as to not let one district be ahead of the other with the roll out of the new systems and the new curriculum. We the parents were requesting a change and a roll out of the technical schools, but before this could happen, we had to make these drastic changes and build the schools. Can you not see what has been happening to those children, especially the young men of our society. These are smart, intelligent young men that did not want to become Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, but rather wanted to do something Technical with their hands. So do me and the Cayman people a favour, stop blaming Alden for your negligence and ignorance. These schools once again were for the Caymanian Children.
To let me clarify. Yes we needed the schools but be honest with your self, did we need to start two at the same time, this is the problem until you all admit that someone or something went wrong there, it will still be a lemon of an idea to start two schools. So like the writer said It was a no brainer. A god idea can be destroyed by selfish arrogant people, thats what we got.
So lets get at least one school up and running and stop the finger pointing,
Our Island’s financial situation today was not created overnight, this is a LONG outstanding OLD problem. So don’t try to lay the blame for this at the doorstep of Ken Jefferson, or Alden McLaughlin or McKeeva Bush. They have, without a doubt, contributed to this crisis but are not the creators of this crisis.
It seems like it is so much easier for PPM to blame UDP and UDP to blame PPM and everyone in-between to blame Ken Jefferson and the Civil Servants than to actually DO SOMETHING about fixing thisproblem.
Come on PPM and UDP, start acting like men (instead of pre-school children), responsible men with backbone and work together and fix this problem (which you all, every one of you,) are to some degree responsible.
EveryOne is intitle to there opinion but God have merct some of you people aretoo dam blind to see who the blame should be put on its not the PPM or the UDP it the financial secretary Mr. Ken Jefferson everyone is ready to bleam this one and that one and this man should be hold accountable for the Financial state this country is in why havent this man come forward and tell us the people of this country how and why we are in such a finaicial mess.Why is the elected members protecting him . Honestly if this doesnt stop the people will have to take action againt all those that are elected and call on England to come in and take over becasue with this attitude that these so call elected memebers we have repersenting us we are heading straingt to ruins.
This really isn’t down to UDP or PPM, it is the result of decades of neglect by all in Government. There hasn’t been one true standard-bearer in the past 20 years, one who has truly got to grips with the fundamentals of governing a country like this. It needed sensible policies, sensible government spending and revenue measures, and accountability for same through the Govt Departments.
Every single MLA and senior Civil Service officer for the past 2 decades has just allowed the old sloppy habits to become the expected norm, and never made the serious effort to truly understand and control their bit of the Cayman economy. It is years of laziness pervading every level of Govt. coupled with an inability or unwillingness to truly problem solve the bigger issues that has put us in this mess, with the worst offenders at the top of the tree – the past and present MLAs.
to post 15.53 the UDP spent a year trying to figure out how they could get around the new system without being accountable. Alden and the PPM made sure to close most of the loop holes so Mckeeva could not run wild with the people’s money. Like his usual style. On another note for all you bloggers about the schools and the CIG bldg, at lease the schools and the Administrative Bldg were domestic and not foreign and very much needed. Tell me if Boatswaine is needed? Tell me if the dock cannot wait until the financial situation gets better, tell me if that massive hospital is needed now and tell me why should the poor Civil Servants needs to suffer for the mistakes of the Governments? Tell me why McKeeva and his croonies don’t take that pay cut and leave the lower paid CS Salaries alone. Why put all the pressure on them? They are the workers, they are not the ones messing up, except for one, the Financial Secretary. Alden is right, they have wasted a whole year blaming the PPM, because they had no money to waste like they always do. McKeeva is a XXXX uneducated man, who can only think with money and he has no care for the Cayman people nor for rules and regulations.
Tell me if Boatswaine is needed? – agreed waste of money
Tell me if the dock cannot wait until the financial situation gets better – it can’t wait Cayman needs cruise ship dollars as cruise ship passengers make up over 90% of the visitors per year
tell me if that massive hospital is needed now – yes it will hopefully create a third leg to the economy and will bring in lots of $ at practically no cost to the Islands
and tell me why should the poor Civil Servants needs to suffer for the mistakes of the Governments? – because there are 50% too many of them employed and many are overpaid, lazy and not needed
Tell me why McKeeva and his croonies don’t take that pay cut and leave the lower paid CS Salaries alone. – they have taken a pay cut
Why put all the pressure on them? – you are obviously a civil servant and it is about time you have some pressure put on you rather than just collecting a pay check
WOW!!! in response to the unidentified blogger who obviously has no clue what he/she is talking about you make mention about how the CIGbldg, and school was needed yes we can all agree on that. but only if we can afford it which in this case we could not…you also mention why boatswaine beach /crew ship port and massive hospital is needed..well just for you’re information the hospital and the cruise dock will benefit this country greatly and won’t cost the caymanian people a single dime….and you talk about poor civil servant you listen carefully cayman is a bleeding country directly because of the PPM…..
Poor
People’s
Mistake
and people like you and the civil servants don’t want to do there part…every body wants to go to heaven and no one wants die to get there…i’ll bet that if you’re car hit a pot hole you would be the first to complain "oh why government don’t try and fix that old pot hole. well you know why because you would also be the first to complain if there were road taxes proposed but yet we need to fix these things so when you are called upon to help you’re bleeding country please buy you’re own bandage and go out and do you’re part and stop the complaining……this is not a UDP OR A PPM problem this is a caymanian problem…..
"unidentified blogger". I see that both the UDP Leader and his minions do not understand the term "blogger". This is not a "blog", Mario.
Mario, you have not begun to understand the problem but are content to throw out party slogans. You do not have the slightest comprehension of what the impact of the port or the hospital would be in terms of demands on other infrastructure and social impact. Typical UDP – always grabbing at a dollar and never seeing the big picture. .By the way, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Clarification:
From my earlier post one may have gotten the impression that I am putting the blame of the current economic position of the Cayman Islands on the Civil Service – not so.
The point that I was trying to make is that in any crisis one needs to know where they stand. This is the responsibility of the Civil Service, and as I see it they have failed in this regard.
No question there has been a long history of mismanagement and a bad work ethic within this entity, however, so long as the money is flowing – as was the case for decades – it really did not matter.
In a nutshell the entire administrative approach to this country has failed. This includes the relevant areas of the Civil Service and of course our elected officials (UDP & PPM) … then again – all of this reflects badly on us as a people, for as the saying goes – a country gets the government it deserves.
However, that brings us back to my earlier point – "as long as the money was flowing…"
UDP vs. PPM?!
My fellow Caymanians truly disappoint me at times.
Anyway – this is the way of just about every modern democratic society – USA, UK – same thing.
Neither of our "political parties" are fully culpable or blameless in the mess we find ourselves. It appears that many of us are unaware that we just so happen to be in the midst of a global economic recession.
In any event, recent revelations of the long-standing shortcomings in our Civil Service clearly demonstrate that this country has a tremendous issue to resolve when it comes toadministration / government.
We have created an untouchable mega-force of incompetence (CS) as our politicians lack the testes (and ovaries?) to call a spade a spade and take the unpopular yet necessary steps to remedy the situation.
As a collective our elected officials are a bunch of egotistical clowns, unwilling to put the welfare of their country before their own selfish pride and political survival.
It appears as if the only thing that will save Cayman is a super-wealthy patriot with nothing to lose, as he or she is already sitting pretty, that possesses the foresight, drive and determination to sort out this mess that our equally beloved and despised UDP and PPM jokers are unable to execute.
It is actually quite depressing that so many of our Caymanians are a part of the entity that has been clearly identified as one of if not the greatest threat to our survival … our Civil Service.
**Apologies to the hard working and well-intentioned civil servants – I know you guys exist, but at this point we cannot afford to split hairs.
Cayman, we need to get our house in order. Get off your knees and remove the crippling colonial wax from your ears – only us can save us now. Leave Jesus and Elizabeth on the sidelines for just a moment … it will work wonders for us – trust me.
Alden McLaughin is neither a politician or could ever be a statesman.
PPM knew that the country was broke long long before the last election. He and all the other PPM members are all upset and behaving like little school boys because they are no longer at the helm. It is through their being in control why we are in this mess!! Our memories are short don’t you all remember who was the captain of the last ship…and the state of the captain?
So admit it, get to work, earn your salary and try and make things better for all of us who call this little paradise home!!
You damn right our memories are short! Don’t you remember who was the captain between between the years 2001 & 2005 when this country was not only put in this mess but was also sold out? It was Bush & his cronies in the UDP, that’s who! Our memories sure are short! Have we forgotten the destruction that was caused between those years & why we threw them out of office? That is when our problems really started! "Our memories are short"!!!!
By the comment I know that you are PPM (Poor People Menace) admit the last Government was the only one in history to leave the country is such a dire financial mess!!
PPM should stop walking round with long faces and get up off their high horses and do what they are being paid to do!!
The last govt. was the only one in history to leave govt. in the middle of the most serious economic crisis the world has experienced since the Great Depression. Contrary to UDP propaganda the UDP did not leave the finances of the country in good shape when it left office in 2005. The surplus was purely due to insurance payout by Cayman General (which by the way was a poor deal since it was for less than 1/2 the amount claimed) which obviously had to be spent on rebuilding infrastructure for which it was claimed.
Notice that the accounts of the HSA which are still unaudited (and probably unauditable) are for the years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 when the UDP was in govt. There was the disastrous overinvestment inBoatswain Beach on the presumption that the cruise ship port would be relocated to West Bay which is still contributing to the deficit.
The National Team, the UDP and the PPM all contributed to this mess.
The current govt. need to do what they are being paid to do instead of jetsetting around the world with entourages on junckets.
Seriously does the word "paradise" mean something completely different here? I keep seeing references to "paradise" and with the usual meaning it makes no sense whatsoever.
Could someone please remind me how much Aldens Schools are costing us? By the time the school projects are completed it would have cost us a quarter of a BILLION DOLLARS CI.
CNS, please do a story on the real scary FACTS that our children’s illiteracy rate is is a whopping 50% or HIGHER!?!.
Over HALF our the children that attend our schools in the high school area cannot read past an 8 year old level!!! With the recent WHO report, it is now sadly true that Cayman’s children and high school graduates are fat, lazy, and stupid.
This is a national crisis and the future of these failed children is our own cost. They can either try to get a job in the bloated civil service, compete (poorly) in the private sector, or head for a life of low wages and crime.
There should be strong focus on Reading , Math, and science to stamp out illiteracy and obesity., or the kids are doomed so it the country if this generation is going to lead! ..
I’d much prefer to see my hard earned money go into new schools than to see my hard earned money go into someones personal accounts in Panama & Andora!
I willingly put my money into government but not into politicians pockets, sorry!
Instead of Alden and Kurt pouting because their party lost. Why don’t they act like a mature politicians as Mr. Ezzard Miller and put a Bill on the table that will help the people and the youth of this country. It is their basic duty to the constituients that elected them into office! What part of this responsibility do they not understand?
After all Mr. Alden and Mr. Kurt are making thousands of dollars monthly,paid for by us tax payers. Its no joke that we can not afford to pay elected back benchers just to sit and pout like little boys because they are not in control. It should be team work putting away partisan politics . This proves that these kinds of people do not get elected to serve the people, they are there to serve themselves.
If the two parties work together, te people win, obvious they want the people to lose!
Signed,
Independent, and proud
Very Sad! To think that here and now the PPM administration still wont accept responsibility for OVER SPENDING. How could anyone ever have confidence in the PPM if they cant see their own mistakes.
Better yet can I tell you how much Alden’s seat as Chairman of the Labor Tribune has cost Cayanian’s working class? while he was there. I do not forget.
Our Jobs, Abuse, No Pay, and ‘NO COMPENSATION for anything bad that employers did to us. foreign or x-pat. Aalden Made sure the poor man lost! and that the wealthy win! I have’nt forgotten, Have you?.
NOTHING ! Yes, everyone walked away from his tribunal hearings with ‘NOTHING!"
How about a SOLUTION from Government ?
what the hell do we pay these people for ?
Stop taking the term "opposition" to mean oppose every thing !
They don’t. We have very little from the Opposition opposing govt.’s plans. In fact they have had a bit of a honeymoon since being elected last May and the people were wondering what had become of the PPM. However, it is the proper role of the Opposition to examine govt.’s policies and actions (or inaction) and hold them to account. If they are sound you should have nothing to worry about.
Howevever, I do recall that when Mr. Bush was in opposition he did oppose everything including the Constitutional negotiations which he tried to scuttle but is now taking full advantage of.
"bit of a honeymoon"…..they need to be living like an old married couple !
How about what is good for the family ?…"The Children need food…school fee’s paid…the oldest boy need to get off him back side and find work"
They should be united in the concerns of the family…not individual agendas
I MUST ADMIT THAT ALTHOUGH PPM SCREWED UP DURING THEIR TERM, UDP IS WASTING PRECIOUS TIME!
But is it time well spent?
"Time alone, oh! time will tell
You think you’re in heaven, but you living in hell…
JAH would never give the power to a baldhead
Run come crucify the dread" – Bob Marley
“The process underway now is a year late and ought to have started when government recognised the seriousness of the declining revenues and the situation with the deficit,”
I thought the PPM was in power when all this started coming to light ?
Blame, blame, blame and pass the buck.
Seems like the usual POLITRICKS!
When will the government ever just do its job?
Aye boy! Looks like we got the UDP out in force on this one! They must have mustered up a lil group to hit back hard as they could – hahaha, thanks for the laugh – so funny! And oh yes, UDP has wasted a full year although I must admit they have provided us with much entertainment!
The PPM have it right with this one. I voted for UDP in the elections last year because they promised so much & times were so hard, & I can truthfully say that I was struggling. I was desperate for a change with the hope that my situation & that of Cayman would get better, & the UDP promised to make things better.
I know that 2 or 3 months is not enough time to make a difference, but one year is plenty of time. I have waited patiently but my situation has gotten worse & I hear more & more of my friends & family complaining. The UDP have only intensified the problems & our struggles have worsened.
It has now been almost one year & I cannot in all honesty write down anything that the UDP have done that has helped Cayman or Caymanians. In fact I can honestly say that the UDP have made things worse, they have made things harder, & they have made my struggles tougher. I am very disappointed because I put my trust in their empty promises & I voted straight for UDP, but I must agree that the PPM are correct because the UDP have failed misreably after one year.
Wasted year!!! UDP was busy cleaning up the mess left by the PPM.
When is everyone going to get it into their heads???? the problems we are having are not the doing of 1 government/party but of all previous/current ELECTED leaders!!
why don’t you all STOP complaining and for the sake of our country try and come up with some sensible ideas do get us out of the mess that WE are in??!
They are playing the blame Game again. PPM made this mess years ago, because they thought they were indispensible. UDP, trying to clean up a mess and making a bigger mess in doing so. It is all a big power struggle, which has caused the Island to suffer, buy the hands of these two parties. It is hight time they behave like men and stop playing the blame game. Killing the Cayman Islands. What they are doing is much worse than putting a gun to people’s head. Fix the problem.
I am sure the PPM knew that the island was broke way before the last election. Maybe they are counting their blessings that they were voted out just in time because now they DONT have to explain the mystery of the missing funds!
What mystery of the missing funds? You mean the same mystery that caused the UDP to forecast a $5m dollar surplus in October 2009 which turned into a $60m deficit by March, 2010?
AND PPM WASTED 4 YEARS
No they didn’t. Don’t you realize how many people they kicked off the island? That’s progress, isn’t it? By the way, anyone know why I can’t find a tenant for my rental unit? Come on now, I have a mortgage to pay.
PPM supporters, please don’t write that the UDP created the law. We all know this. But, if the PPM didn’t agree with the law, they could have abolished with as much vigor as they used to enforce it. The fact is BOTH parties support the rollover because that is what the majority of "we the people" want. Not I.
It is necessary to point out that the UDP passed the law, because rollover is being ‘blamed’ on the PPM BY THE UDP. How hypocritical can you get? Personally I support rollover although it was clearly necessary to examine the key employee concept. Unfortunately, there are some who are taking a short-sighted view about the issue and believe that unbridled growth is the answer.
Do you think I care who’s fault it is? Will my children & childrens’ children? We continue to shovel the sand out of the pit not realising we’re getting deeper into the hole. Can we (as a country) move on with a change of focus not on who’s fault but on what/ how the best solution is for our future well being (and I mean objectively with no strings for personal political gain)??? Am I the only one who is tired of the finger pointing that our very fingers block our vision? Am I the only one who is disgusted that our country has become divided by political teams asif we are fighting one another? Helloooo, same country! Same home! Same team! … I hope.
please don’t mistake this as me getting at Alden but rather a call for the entire gov’t to step up.
Well said! I hope all Caymanians heed your advice.
Ok people enough is enough this tit for tat crap has gotten old and it needs to STOP these elected members are acting like a bunch of pre school children when these three Islands are financialy Broke and there nothen being done about it instead of this one blaming this one and so on and this needs to stop. Why havent Mr. Bush and the rest of the elected members question Mr. Ken Jefferson regarding why the finances for these Islands are in such of a mess how in the world can he tell the memebers that there is X Y & Z available for the year when the books hasnt been done in how many years honestly if he was a empolyee of mine his head and may be some other parts would be on the table for this crap this crap with who is on who side needs to stop because I for one is sick and tired of hearing that we are broke yes broke but by how much is the question Mr. Jefferson you need to answer to the people of these Islands and let us know how in the world did we get to this state and please dont come about PPM becasue this was before there time answers please
Wow! That’s a lot of words for two sentences! Try using some punctuation – it makes your writing more comprehensible.
Through them all out, UDP & PPM.
The only skill any of them have is to play the blame game.
STOP THE PRESS. Did he really say the MLA’s salaries have NOT been cut? Is this true? Someone needs to call the Chief Financial Officer. No, wait a minute, he won’t be able to help. Should someone call the auditor general? No, he’s been relieved of his job.
What a farce this place has become. At this rate we are going to go from 500 offshore banks to 6 offshore banks, 12 Mile Bank, 60 Mile Bank, Pickle Bank, Little Cayman Bank, Brac Bank and Grand Cayman Bank. At least with all the foreigners gone, the fishing will be good again.
Dear Mr. McLaughlin,
I view you as one of the countries leading politicians. I also assume you love Cayman with all your heart. If I’m correct please answer the following questions. What, exactly, would you have done over the last year? Do you agree the process now under way is the correct one? Do you agree civil service salaries should be cut? As the true leader of the opposition, please tell us how to get out of the mess we are in.
Signed,
Voter looking for a Statesman
udp has wasted a year.. their lack of action and flip flopping has been shambolic,
however the ppm achieved very little in 4 years…except spending the country into bankruptcy….
solution = direct rule from the uk please!
Mr. McLaughlin is of course entirely correct. The UDP thinks it can silence any criticism by the PPM Opposition by saying that they have caused all the problems. Well for a start we that that is not the whole truth, and secondly that does not in any way excuse the UDP for its lack of leadership in the year since winning the elections. It is not the Opposition’s job to offer counter budget proposals, particularly when the Premier has announced that the Opposition has nothing to offer and these issues should not be discussed with them in Finance Committee. Finally, the Opposition its doing its job of holding the govt. accountable.
XXXX Stop posturing and start fixing stuff. The next cabinet minister who comes out blaming any party for current, past or future shortcomings should just be sacked. The next former cabinet minister spouting this useless diatribe should never be allowed to run again. If they spent half as much time actually doing something instead of fear mongering and pointing fingers in an attempt to keep, or get back, the seat with which they apparently do nothing they might actually help the country out. God forbid anyone put the country first or earn your paycheck.
I think we’re all sick to death of these guys playing he said/she said. How about in the next elections we all remember who the useless idiots doing this were and make sure they don’t get back into power, maybe get some new blood more concerned with helping the country (or at least doing their job) than actually having the position.
LOL so now the UDP is being blamed for not being proactive enough to fix the deficit or try and find ways to balance the budget and to create more income earning opportunities 1 year after they came to power. In case anyone has forgotten, the problems that we are now facing as a country were caused by the PPM and in particular Mr. McLaughlin’s penchant forspending money that the country does not have. How about not allowing the country to spend more than it was earning in the first place so that we would not be in this mess? How about that for a solution to the problem? Whatabout enforcing legislation (Public Finance and Management Law) which mandates what government could or could not do with its finances instead of sitting on the sidelines and playing Monday morning quarterback. This whole thing just disgusts me.
How about stop playing the blame game and not spending any further money until ALL audits are up to date. Any money to be spent from this point forward should be restricted to doing just that – sorting out the state of the country’s finances so that focused and accurate projections can be made as to the country’s ability to finance further projects moving forward. If we keep spending without doing this then the whole country is going to end up in the gutter – anyone with any sense can see that. The time for action is now… actually it was a year ago and still no action at all. Our politicians are not acting very responsibly at all. The whole thing just disgusts me too, but I am not about to point fingers at either party as I feel they are both euqally to blame, but I’m also grown up enought to realise that getting into the blame game won’t get anyone anywhere. Just get the long overdue audits up to date and lets see how bad things really are before spending any further money. To me it seems our politicians have been utilising the public purse about as effectively as an irresponsible person spending over the limit on their credit cards. Its pathetic and it needs addressing.
And to be bluntly honest, even though I am not a supporter of either party, I am inclined to agree with most of what Alden says regarding a wasted year, false promises and assurances, and yo-yoing of decisions. Bush did know how bad it was when coming into office (hence his announcement to the world that we’re broke). Knowing this, if he really wanted to make a difference to this country and show himself as an effective and responsible leader, he should have stopped all spending and immediately dedicated all time and resources to bringing the audits up to date before making ill-conceived comments and assurances to us, the UK and the rest of the world about our financial standing. This; his indecisiveness and fear/inability to address the CS draining the country dry speaks volumes about his ability to effectively lead us out of this mess in my view… he’s just digging a deeper hole and taking no remedial action.
Comments like yours really turn my stomach! So full of nothingness! Try really understanding the problems we are facing and how we got where we are before making such disgusting comments!
It seems that Mr. Mclaughlin’s memory is short, as he obviously has forgotten that his present leader in his tenor as Leader of the country in 2001 and underless pressing conditions was indecisive as to the country’s finances. Let us not make this representative, fool you, this is recorded in our news media archives.
Stop the blame game Alden, you did what you had to do and not even "Divine intervention: stopped you or apparently could not stop you from hanging the country’s hat higher than it could reach.
Its seems to me you are as quick to lay blame as anyone else. What the country desperately needs now is people to stop laying blame on each other and taking some decisive action… before its too late.
Gimme a break!Stop the blame game? Jeeze! Where you been living?!
they took out chuckie saying Mark andDwayne was better…hahahaahaha i have yet tosee that! a wole year has gone by and the UDP administration has done nothing for this country!
The previous government did nothing to help this country in the last 4 years they were in, but did everything to cripple it. yet you have the gall to say that this government has not done anything in one short year. I read your comment and still cannot believe you have the temerity to voice your opinion publicly.
Alden, you and Kurt and that bunch of lunatics called the PPM were the ones that created this mess. It is okay to blame the UDP now but remember your government was the first government in history to ever leave the country in such a disgraceful financial mess.
It has also been one year for the PPM as well. I have yet to see a counter budget proposal from the PPM. I don’t think it will be forthcoming niether do I think if anything the PPM brought to the table would be considered credible based on their track record.
You know you can only shout so long from a roof top before someone will tell you to shout your mouth and stop whining and get on with it.
That said WE GET IT. PPM did not do so much a smashing job managing the monies. The recession did not help any and neither did our short sighted, "all’s well" finance person.
Saying all that now what are you doing about it?
Are you saying that the recession is hurting you also and you can not find a way to make it work?
First mistake is to leave it to the wolves to sort their own stuff out. You would never let an accountant audit his own book right? You wouldn’t let a clientactually tell you what he thinks he should pay right? Then you don’t let the people who are part of the problem fix the problem BECAUSE well they’ll cut things instead of getting better at them.
There are many facts we all know full well. CIG is not efficient especially when compared against other governments even in our own neck of the woods. Saying that there has to be cut and saying that effeciency needs to be improved upon.
What needs to happen is department by department each position needs to be evaluated for their use of time. Each department needs to be evaluated in terms of who does what and why. Each task needs to have a basic time allowed to it or people will milk the clock. Each task being assigned needs to be reviewed for manpower and time. It’s no use sending 4 Roads Authority workers out for 4 hrs to do what 1 or max 2 could have done in 30 minutes. That’s simply a waste of MONEY.
Departments need to be held accountable for every dollar they spend. PERIOD!
Next thing I would advise is centralising stores in an effort to leverage CIG buying power. I believe significant savings can be made here not only in triming of the staff to achieve this but in savings on items. CIG needs another building much like the warehouse we have for port to consolidate ordering from and storage at.
Next thing is heavy equipment. There is no use for every department to have heavy equipment for themselves. I am 100% sure that there are many days when this equipment just sits there doing nothing depreciating in value. WHY? Why not have a department handling this function? It should give better control over usgage and the fuel they consume. Less chance of CIG equipment doing private staff work on their land.
If anyone takes a serious look at everything CIG is doing I’m sure they will find MANY ways to improve their position financially. There is far too much wastage and far too much stupid answers coming from CS heads. Fix the issues then talk, other make the difficult decisions and shut your mouth. PERIOD.
So Mr Premier you have always been known for a man to make decisions. How about making some and standing behind them. CIG needs trimming. Stop being scared of CS and do what you said you would do. Stop thinking about your next term in office and start thinking about us having a Cayman left for our children.
We should start now with immigration. Get Immigration to prepare a listing of Work permits in process. Identify staff being cut and then contacting the private companies seeking these staff and start moving them. We don’t want unemployment we want CIG excess staff moving to private companies and the remaining CIG staff to become more effecient personally or by upgraded technology.
Very true. This posting really gets to the gist of the matter, in my opinion.
Sorry, but the PPM just don’t appear to be very credible at the moment.
A floating voter.
How can you table any budget when no-one has any accurate accounts?
The actions of the current governmentmust really impress those using Cayman as a financial centre.
“The government has taken no policy directions to reduce the expenditure save to express the wish, the desire, the hope that it will be reduced,” McLaughlin said. “They have done nothing to ensure it will happen. So at this late stage on the eve of budget day we are no further ahead than a year ago".
Just out of curiousity, Alden, what did you do when you were in?
Wait, thats right, no auditing, worse financial crisis ever, annnnnnnddddddd
you STILL have no solutions. But you did get paid a whole lot to do the exact sdame thing that is happening now, NOTHING!!!
Stop being a prt of the problem and be a part of the solution, your 15 minutes of fame is done, get over it………
LOL! The best defence is a strong offence, eh? The point is that your party is now in govt. Mr. Bush was supposed to be Mr. Proactive, Mr. Leadership, Mr. Management, yet for all the bluster the only thing we have seen is Mis(s) Management, flipflopping, lack of focus, and making hasty and damaging remarks to the press. Even you acknowledge that NOTHING is happening now.
Let me get this right, you are blaming the PPM for "the worse financial crisis ever"?! McLaughlin is doing his job as a member of the Opposition – calling the govt. to account. Are you forgetting that Bush was doing this same thing this time last year?
Don’t be a lackey.