Jamaican helper ban could be lifted for PRs
(CNS): The immigration policy which prohibits permanent residents from hiring nannies and helpers from Jamaica could soon be lifted. The premier described the policy as a clear example of the kind of discrimination Jamaicans have experienced in Cayman over the years and that he was prepared to remove it. The policy was introduced by Cayman’s Immigration Board and not government and does not form part of the Immigration Law. Franz Manderson, the chief officer in the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs, said it was put in place at a time when the boards were trying to introduce more balance in the nationalities coming to the country to work and when there were only a few permanent residents.
During Tuesday’s meeting of Finance Committee in the Legislative Assembly, the member for East End, Arden McLean, questioned whether the policy was still in place. Manderson told the opposition MLA that there was a policy introduced some ten years ago restricting the employment of Jamaican nannies and helpers to Caymanians. He said it was still the case that only Caymanians could employ helpers from that country. Manderson explained that permanent residents could employ domestic worker but they had to be from another country.
McLean pointed out that most people with PR would eventually become Caymanians if they stay here long enough so there was no real point in the policy. “Those people are part of us now so why do we have the policy?” he asked, adding that it did not seem right that the immigration boards were introducing policies which should be the remit of elected legislators.
West Bay government backbencher Cline Glidden also questioned how such discrimination would sit with the Bill of Rights when comes into effect in 2012.
Manderson, who used to be the head of the Immigration Department, explained that it was introduced when there were a lot less permanent residents living in Cayman but now, he believed there was over 2,000. “I will ask the boards to look at that policy,” he said. Manderson also indicated that the department was working on having policies such as this posted on the website to better inform people, in line with freedom of information.
McKeeva Bush said it was just one example of how Jamaicans have been treated. “For too long we’ve discrimination against that country,” he said, adding that he would change the policy. If he did, however, he warned opposition members and the people not to march against him again wearing straw hats and whompers.
Category: Local News
Why doesn’t government help out it’s CAYMANIAN PEOPLE!
Before again assisting more foreigner what the "GOVERNMENT" shouldn’t forget is that us born CAYMANIANS is who put them in power hoping for a better change but instead that’s how they re-pay us by putting others before their own!
It’s a shame on both Mckeeva Bush! & Kurt Tibbetts!
You both should feel shame and embrassed that you both aren’t even helping your own people out!
And whats worst is that they are overseas telling lies that cayman doesn’t have poverty and no one is homeless some of them are homeless they are either living with family members and or friends because their homes were destroyed in hurricane ivan and yes that may have been five years ago but if they don’t have the money to fix their homes back what else are they to do huh?
Government needs to step up and do their jobs because the people are fed up with the two political parties who continue to trick people around election time and say they are gonna do better but we all know that’s bullsh*t talk!
Because if that was the case i wouldn’t be writting my thoughts across nor would anyone else be do the same as I am! … But as usual they don’t do their jobs!
And I’m also aware that Mr.Brian Rankine who was murdered on school road in the george town area was also homeless and was trying by all means to be with his family in England but because he didn’t have sufficient funds therefore he had no other choice but becoming homeless because he didn’t have documents that could help him get a job and take care of himself so he basically lived pillow to post day in day out …. and he was a born caymanian as well but government wouldn’t help because he also went to the nearest social services and they couldn’t help with somewhere to stay and food at night!
It’s a shame what the cayman islands has come to were the jewel of the caribbean we should be known for positive things but instead were highlighted as crimes , crimes , crimes and more crimes!
Well all i have to say is that mckeeva bush and kurt tibbetts better step up because the people are fed up i shouldn’t have to say anymore than that true caymanians can read between those lines and know what that means for them!
Hey Ruby Ronalds,
Congrats on that good piece of your mind, very well put. You were doing quite well in your open message to these two leaders, until you asked McKeeva Bush and Kurt Tibbitts to step up.
We understand you make mistakes, we’re all human.
I’m sure you meant to ask them to ‘STEP DOWN!"
Keeping it real
Ezzard Miller,
Your turn now for the whip Ezzard, we need to hear more noise from you as an Independent Leader, Yu may have to lead in 2013, if you play yur cards right. We know this is a second chance for you so don’t blow it, God didn’t give you this second chance to throw it all away, you need to get up off your blessed assurance now and between now and 2010 we want to have a strong independent party to sweep right into the L.A. Don’t expect to do it over night during a 12 month campaign. That won;t do the trick. Independents now need to start having political rallys, conventions, get your articles together, and put this show on the road. The people are fed up and while you’re at it. Do all you can to stop Big Mac from packing up his inventory by increasing the x-pat votes to put Caymanians further out in the ocean as he has already. We want Bush out in 2013. and we definitely do not want any more of those sorry PPM at all. them and the UDP are 6 of one and half dozen of the other. MORE OF THE SAME
Any government is only good as its opposition. te Reason our government is sorry is because our opposition is sorry!
Re: "Whodatis does have a negative view of Britain and the British which was no doubt formed by his experiences. To the extent that he extrapolates that to all things British this would reflect prejudice"
Untrue!
I like;
Greggs bakery
English muffins
Kylie
Wayne Rooney
The Isle of Skye
Riding the Underground
Nikki Sanderson (How hot is she?)
London in the summertime
Jason Statham
Christopher Hitchens
Gimme Gimme Gimme (love that show!)
Only Fools and Horses (By this time next year, we’ll be … MILLIONAIRES!) Ironic huh?
Greenwich
Nairn
Kelly Brook
Nell McAndrew
That lady from "Countdown" … name slips me
Are You Being Served?
Soul 2 Soul
Omar (the singer – not the you know what)
Boris Johnson
Tower Bridge
Soho
Virgin trains
Virgin Airlines
The Lion’s Den
East is East
The M11 (ideal for a late-night road race)
The DLR
Graham Norton
On Anon
Tiger Tiger
Knightsbridge shopping
Southampton port
Leona Lewis
Jon Snow …
… should I go on?
:o)
Please do – and try to mention points regarding Britain and not focussing on London in particular.
I know you mentioned Southampton Port (guess you’re referring to Ocean Village, Southampton is a bit of a dump) and a few places up in Scotland – but by the looks of it you’re experiences are rooted to London.
There is more to Britain than London – much, much more.
You’re list just demonstrates how small minded you are – showing your main experiences have been rooted to one part of the country whilst it appears you have not experienced what there is to offer in Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Blackpool, Brighton, Exeter, Nowrich, Ipswich, Cardiff, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Swansea, Bristol, Bath, Oldham, Hull, Bournemouth, Plymouth, Kent and many, many other places.
All I’m trying to do is point out how ignorant you are being to the rest of Britain. It would be like a tourist coming to Cayman, staying in their hotel – only going to the beach outside their hotel & only eating in their hotel then forming an opinion on the Cayman Islands based on that experience.
Also, Kylie is Australian & Graham Norton is Irish. If you’re calling them British, you can call me Caymanian.
Geesh!
Is that a typical example of British hospitality? I see the point you are making but I am a big city type of individual therefore, my memoirs may be somewhat biased.
By the way I have visited 12 of the cities / towns you have mentioned … but I must say I think you are being a bit pushy – meaning, what percentage of Brits do you reckon have been to all of the areas on your list?
Anyway, I am laying down my sword on this thread.
Its been good folks – honestly … love the exchanges that take place on here.
Take care.
" They Have Been Mistreated For Far Too Long Huh?"
1) Well what about they born Caymanians they are the ones who have been mistreated by both political parties for far too many years and are still being mistreated.
2) What I cannot take is that Mr.Bush and Mr.Tibbetts would both quickly help out the foreigners and can know of some CAYMANIAN BY BIRTH families that are struggling to make ends meet and they would ignore those families to assist the foreigners why is that? …. I would think if I was in either political party(s) that I would put ALL CAYMANIANS BY BIRTH FIRST ON MY TO DO LIST!
3) And a to do list is to help them out and not by giving them money here and there … but build them a home and ensure that all of the kids in the household are in school getting a education to help the family as soon as they graduate from high school .
4) What should be a mandatory policy that ALL Premier/Leader Of Government should have to do : is on a list of Caymanians that are in need of help! … Is to be sorted out before any other nationality! … Meaning they are in a secured home!
And yes many people would say that government shouldn’t be helping them but if you do NOT! know the situation then don’t stick your nose into this conversation because people do want better in life it just that the financial area is not sufficient enough to do so!
Therefore the government that continues to spend money on "projects" which we the Caymanians don’t get any use off of and still has to pay for it in the end!
Instead of them using it on "projects" which are no use to us in the end just another excuse the government uses to hide money that they spend it on something they can’t account for! … should be used on helping the CAYMANIANS BY BIRTH! … to get somewhere in life! … and they can actually be able to say that government has finally made a change after so many years.
I believe you when you say that people do want better in life. I don’t pretend to know the answers, and I certainly don’t want to stick my nose into this conversation with my opinions about what I don’t really know or understand. But I do have some questions and I wonder whether you could answer them for me.
One of your points was:
And a to do list is to help them out and not by giving them money here and there … but build them a home and ensure that all of the kids in the household are in school getting a education to help the family as soon as they graduate from high school .
I ask you, with all due respect, do you believe that it’s government’s responsibility to build homes for Caymanians because they are Caymanian by birth? If they build them a home, does it stop there? Should they pay their bills? Buy their food? If so, why? If they do build one Caymanian a home, or twenty Caymanians homes, then what do they tell the other Caymanians by birth who work hard for the roof over their family’s head, the food on their dinner table and make the sacrifices that they make to send their children to school, all of this unassisted by government?
I ask you, and I ask you again with all due respect, are these particular positions(nannies/housekeepers) ones that Caymanians want? If so, I read numerous ads for these very positions all the time, in the papers, on Ecay, hear about them through friends and co-workers. Predominantly, these positions are filled by expats and I don’t think it’s because they’re taking away a Caymanian’s rightful post. I see it in this field, I see it when I go to a restaurant as I’m being served, again predominantly, by foreigners. I once asked a friend, who is Caymanian, why don’t I see many Caymanians as waiters/waitresses, and he told me it was because Caymanians don’t want the job. He, himself, is a waiter here and so I figured, as a Caymanian, he would know better than I.
And what would the attitude be if the norm was that a foreign family employed a Caymanian as a housekeeper/nanny? Wouldn’t that open up a whole new can of worms? I’m afraid to even think about it.
I agree that there are qualified Caymanians who are being overlooked and I think that that is absolutely wrong. I know some of those Caymanians and I am insulted for them. But in this specific instance, is this really the case? Or are the MLAs and former Chief Immigration Officer being politically correct and "looking into this further" because it’s a nice way of saying because of the nature of this work, why should we cut off our nose to spite our face? I don’t think it would just be the employees affected by this, I think the employers (perhaps even those same MLAs, et cetera) would be affected as well. Again, I ask because I don’t know.
I am an expat and I am directly affected (like every Caymanian and expat here) by the cuts that have come, and are continuing to come, as well as by all of the price hikes that are coming right along with those cuts. I pay my rent, CUC, water, buy my food here, have donated my time and money to local charities. I could just "go home" as many expats have, but, on the flip side, hasn’t that also proved not to be the quick fix that it was believed to be? It has caused a noticeable strain on Cayman’s economy. Work permits are down and that is one of the major sources of income for government. I would consider getting a part time job to supplement my already humble income (which will become even more humble soon enough), and I definitely wouldn’t say no to housekeeping/babysitting or waiting tables because these are all absolutely respectable positions, but I can’t because I’m not Caymanian, nor do I have Permanent Residency. Hey, maybe government should reconsider that law and maybe work permits would be on the rise again. Hence more money for government.
Forgive my ignorance, but I ask because I’d rather you tell me the true facts than just think I know what they are.
Prejudice, prejudice, prejudice … seems to be the word of the day.
Do me a favor – review my posts and kindly list the number of times I have made "prejudicial" remarks in regards to the UK.
99.5% of my posts were simply outlining historical truths of British society.
I have mentioned one – I repeat – one actual personal experience in total.
How exactly am I prejudiced?
Because I speak truth that cannot be debunked by those that wish to do so?
Regardless, I have been labeled and accused of; having a chip on my shoulder, racism, overall underachievement in life, lying, misrepresentation etc.
Talk about shooting the messenger.
You people (and I am referringto the posters and ‘thumbers’ – not all Brits in general) are ridiculous – such arrogance. I apologize for shattering the false illusion of the utopia that is British society – but please tell me … have I lied?
You see, I understand what is truly behind the mass resistance to my sentiments – truth is truth and many tend to refuse to come to terms with that truth – yet at the same time they have no reservations of criticizing Cayman society when an individual has suffered a form of discrimination therein.
I am no blind champion of all things Caymanian (as evidenced in my initial post), however, I will not sit back and allow anyone to unfairly bash my people from a fraudulent superior position as they have far greater and more severe issues to sort out within their own circles.
(I am quite certain that no innocent, white, British 18 year old kid has been set upon by a gang of racist Caymanian men, backed into a narrow passage and slaughtered by way of an ice axe hacked into his skull and left to die like his life was absolutely of no value all because of the color of his skin in the Cayman Islands.)
Whoops … there goes my "prejudice" again … sorry Anthony – I have a chip on my shoulder – I would love to speak on your behalf but I am too much of an under-achiever in life (clearly this is true as I have dared to refer to your brutal slaying – why else would one do such a thing?).
Is that better?
"Talk about shooting the messenger." – "I will not sit back and allow anyone to unfairly bash my people from a fraudulent superior position as they have far greater and more severe issues to sort out within their own circles "
You’ve answered your own question here – people (myself included) aren’t going to sit back and accept these lies.
"I have mentioned one – I repeat – one actual personal experience in total"
You mentioned both your gym application & being stopped & searched by the police.
"99.5% of my posts were simply outlining historical truths of British society"
No you never. They were outlining instances of historical events which took place in Great Britain. To judge the British Society based on only these events is completely one sided.
You fail to mention:
Sir Trevor McDonald (began hosting a prime time news programme since 1992 – knighted for his services – has won more awards than any other British broadcaster),
Steve McQueen (winner of the Turner Prize),
Michael Fuller (Chief Constable of Kent Police – first black Chief Constable in Britain)
Damon Buffini (head of Primire – private equity fund with 20 billion euros under their control)
Adam Afriyie (Conservative MP for Windsor)
Johnson Beharry (recipiant of the VC – first VC handed out since the Falklands War)
Will Morris aka Baron Morris of Handsworth (life peer in the House of Lords – former general secretary of the TGWU)
Daley Thompson (won gold medals in the Olympics in 2 seperate games)
Wilfred Wood (first black bishop in the Church of England)
Ellery Hanley (former rugby league player – voted the greatest rugby league player of all time in 2007)
Professor Stuart Hall (one of Britain’s leading cultural theorists – former president of the British Sociological Association)
Shirley Bassey (famous for her opening title songs for several James Bond films – was knighted by the Queen in 1999)
Do you think these people achieved their success despite British Society being inherently racist?
Or maybe the racism itself is rooted to a small (but noticable) population existing within the country.
If you need further proof, have a look at the British National Party (a far right wing party with ties to the National Front which existed in the past – the National Front being the group which were the "white face" of racism existing in the UK).
During the recent elections, there were fears more people were turning towards the BNP and away from mainstream parties – there were fears the BNP would increase the number of seats they had in the House of Commons. The BNP lost all of their seats.
The only reason I am replying to your comment is because of how inaccurate it is. UK is not a utopia – no British person on this island thinks so otherwise they would still be there. It is definately not as bad as you make it out to be though.
(Sigh)
Some people just don’t get it.
I still haven’t told any lies in my posts.
That is quite an impressive list you have there (quite a pathetic tactic in my opinion) … should we do a comparison of acclaimed Brits in the Cayman Islands? I am sure we will discover many a decorated person … however, at the same time we will not discover a single incident or period of "institutional racism", (2005!) ice axe racist "hate crimes" of murder and such.
Why are you guys so upset anyway? Look at the posts below – we Caymanians, myself included, accept the fact that there are some of our people that are ignorant and prejudiced, even apologizing on the behalf of the offender – why are you folks s****ing bricks over this issue?
*Re: "You mentioned both your gym application & being stopped & searched by the police."
Hmmm – yes I did, didnt I. I forgot my oh so slight mention of the "stop and search" issue … I see someone is paying close attention. Hope you’ve learned / remembered a thing or two about your country along the way.
:o)
The list was just taken from Wikipedia – if you think it’s pathetic the same could be said of you for constantly mentioning the murder of two innocentpeople (I’m in no way condoning the murders).
I’m just putting perspective & a balanced view to your replies.
No one is saying the UK is 100% not racist. Don’t recall anyone ever writing that. What we are saying though is to call British society in general racist due to the actions of a few is wrong.
Please explain to me how the ice axe murder shows institutional racism. As far as I was aware, it was the actions of small minded people who represent but a fraction of the whole UK society – where does the "institution" come into this?
re. "why are you folks s****ing bricks over this issue?"
Because you are tainting the whole of the UK with the actions of a fraction of society. All Brits know these people exist in the country – we aren’t proud of them in the slightest, but it is a free country and they are entitled to their opinion.
There are a few small minded people who take things too far within that group as there are in all groups.
You apologise on behalf of the offenders when someone takes a handicapped parking space. Congratulations – I guess that takes you one step closer to the big man upstairs.
Thank you, you saved me a lot of time this morning!
Me too!
Don’t forget Baroness Scotland, by the way! Attorney General in the last government.
"Do you think these people achieved their success despite British Society being inherently racist?"
Yes, but it is making progress.
The United States has elected a black President but in many facets of its life it too is still inherently racist.
How about we just open a forum topic entitled "all nationalities air your grievances against other nationalities" and call it george? 100+ comments on this thread, many of which are repetitive. Everyone can share their experiences, you know a little internet therapy, & not clog up the comment section of a news story to the point that people are no longer reading the article itself?
-_-
Dear 19:05
I congratulate you for standing up for Caymanians.
You spoke for all of us and you deserve a medal!
Tell it like it is. They all feel we owe them something. If they don’t like something you are right they should leave!.They act as though their our savior!
We don’t go to their country and tell them how to run it. so why is the whole world here in Grand Cayman telling us what we should do to accommodate them and stomp on our own people, reducing our numbers and increasing theirs sos they can vote in all x-pats one of these days if McKeeva continues to get elected?
they are daydreaming! we’re not going to let that happen.
Please do not fan this fire between Caymanians and Jamaicans because they are like little children or husband and wife. Take my word and do not get between them.
I am going to speak the truth nowof what I know. This back an forth has been going on between Caymnians an Jamaicans for a long time. Dont know what started it, and there will be no end to it either. Jamaicans like anyone else have their bad faults but so have we. Among the people living here Ido find the yardies to be more associating with us. We eat in the same restaurants, wash at the same laundry. We go to the same church and sing the same tune. We go to the same supermarket and drink the same beer. We play the same numbers and listen to Radio Cayman. We go to the same mango tree, even if there is none left for us. Get a flat tyre or your car suddenly stops on the high way. No one is going to stop and help you except a yardie. They will curse us, but when show become push, they will stand up for us. I know we have other nationalities who are doubling up on us; but ask yourselves this question"HOW MUCH DO WE KNOW THEM:" luckily we can guess every move a yardie make. Can we really say the same about the others. Some times I would hear the old folks say Stick to the foolisness ye know.
Discourage those who bring crime to our shores,….but they do not put a gun to any Caymnian head and say buy my weed or my gun
No matter what illness we have, there is only one thing that kills us,and that is the heart stops beating. Caymnians and Jamaicans need to learn to live with each other, because just as long as the heart keeps beating Jamaicans will be in Cayman and so as Granny would say, "Its Tempest in a Teapot" Stop the stress every thing god fe eat naw good fe talk.
If I was to list the incidents of blatant discrimination and racism that I was forced to endure in the UK many folks on here would swallow their words.
All I am saying is … let us keep things in perspective please.
Thank you.
Re: Caymanians vs. Jamaicans debate – I wouldn’t be here if it were not for "Jamaicans" … on both sides of my bloodline. Oddly enough – many "Caymanians" are in this very same boat.
Re: Hondurans / Cubans / Nicaraguans / Filipinos … they gots’ some preddy, preddy gyurls so dey alrite wit’ me!
:o)
In all seriousness though – Cayman has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to "racial", "national", "color" and socio-economic issues.
However, this is not unique to us – I mean, we do have members of the U.S. Senate referring to President Obama as a "raghead" as he outlined his reasons for opposing another campaigning "raghead".
The FCO of the UK referred to the Black and Brown peoples of the Chagos Islands as "tarzans" and "Man Fridays" as they ejected them (fellow British nationals) from their homeland just 30 years ago – and that saga is still ongoing.
These are but a few examples – I wont go into the rising support of far right political parties in the UK and Europe today – haven’t the time.
Perspective people … perspective.
Whodatis: Please list the "blatant discrimination and racism" you experienced in the UK so we can understand better what you endured. Pleasealso give us specific references to the parts in FCO documents you seem to have accessed where the FCO referred to the Chagos Islanders as"Tarzans" and "Man Fridays". Thanks.
Re: "Whodatis: Please list the "blatant discrimination and racism" you experienced in the UK so we can understand better what you endured."
In the spirit of anonymity I will not meet your requests, however, I am happy to refer you to a certain Mr. Stephen Lawrence (be sure to pick up a copy of the recent review as well – not much has changed it seems) and a certain Mr. Anthony Walker (innocent A-Level 18 year old killed by way of ice axe to the head). Granted, my experiences were less severe than theirs for I obviously still have my life … they weren’t so lucky.
Re: "Please also give us specific references to the parts in FCO documents you seem to have accessed where the FCO referred to the Chagos Islanders as"Tarzans" and "Man Fridays". "
A simple Google search of the following keywords will shine some light on this matter for you; "chagos islands tarzans".
Britain may be "constitutionally racist" (not my words) but they are not stupid enough to officially document such despicable terminology.
You know it always amazes me just how much importance is placed upon "the system" when it comes to many Brits. Regardless of the evidence that you are sure to uncover subsequent to your internet search I am quite certain that many will dismiss it as immaterial for it was not contained in the "official FCO documents". (In an event, in regards to the overall Chagos issue – what redemption is there to be gained if we were to submit to such logic?)
An overwhelming presence of similar mindsets was precisely what led to the UK being branded in the way it was when the Lawrence Inquiry was initially presented.
A reality exists but there is a never ending web of jargon, methodology, spin, deflection and all around b.s. to create an illusion of another.
The thing that truly perplexes me is the implied suggestion that one should shy away from reality and swallow the fiction as fact.
It is 2010. Try again.
* I am aware that many Brits do not fully appreciate the reality of their country so I tend not to discuss such issues with them. It is not until one is faced with direct comparisons of simple day to day life of different individuals that one begins to understand.
For example, I once shared a flat with a British friend of mine. We were of the same age and both enrolled at the same university. We decided to join our local Fitness First gym – we did so on different occasions.
I was required to present:
– a letter from my university
– 3 forms of official I.d.
– a "signing up fee" of £150.00 (oh the "Black fees" of Britain – you guys have no idea!)
– 2 x proofs of address etc.
The process for me took in total about 2 weeks.
I recall remarking to him on how the process is so complicated and with a look of bewilderment he asked, "What do you mean?"
You see folks, my white British friend walked into the gym, told them he wanted a membership – they handed him a form and he was good to go. Literally 5 minutes. No questions asked.
This was quite an eye-opener for him.
This was a simple gym membership and one of my more minor experiences however I believe the point has been made.
Anyway, I really did not intend to delve into such issues today – it stirs up far too much negative energy.
My overall point is discrimination, prejudice, and ignorance is ripe and rampant in every single nook and cranny of all nations in this world. Some a bit more severe and lethal than others – but present nonetheless.
Not trying to provoke an angry reaction – but do you think the reason why you were treated so badly had nothing to do with the colour of your skin – but had more to do with the person you were dealing with not actually liking you?
It’s very easy to jump to the conclusion you are being treated in a certain manner due to the colour of your skin. If you wrote your article 20 years ago – I would think many people to take your word for it.
But having grown up in the UK as part of an ethnic minority before moving to the Cayman Islands – I can say with some certainty I have never experienced anything similar to what you have.
The population of the Cayman Islands makes up that of a normal sized town in the UK – so to generalise like you have done is very unfair. Unless you travelled vastly throughout the UK during your time there – you are being highly misrepresentative of the UK population as a whole.
Also – you were a student! Now I don’t know if you were aware, but student (of all colours & backgrounds) are amongst the most despised people in the UK with the general view of them being lazy people who go to university because they don’t want to work yet.
To me it looks like you are going through life with a ready made excuse for all your failings and setbacks. That excuse has nothing to do with you as a person – but rather the colour of your skin.
It’s like you have put yourself in a prison locked away behind your skin colour. A cell of cell’s if you will.
As a 15 year old in the UK I had the crap beat out of me in a park because I attended the local "public" school. The assault had nothing to do with race. Purely a dislike based on perceptions of what my public scholl uniform represented. Cayman has problems, but the divides in our society do not touch those in that.
Oh goodness gracious!
I won’t even dignify your post with a decent response. (Btw, I’m sure the thumbers will go crazy on that one – as is the case of the relentless pro-British thumb ratio on this forum.)
Re: "If you wrote your article 20 years ago – I would think many people to take your word for it."
Okay, but I am quite sure that if he could Anthony Walker (21 February 1987 – 30 July 2005) would strongly disagree with you.
Such incidents are merely evidence of a deep-rooted reality in that country. If such a thing can take place do you honestly believe that other forms of discrimination are nothing but paranoia on the part of the "victims"?
Only in the UK …
You know – this is one reason why I prefer traveling to, dealing with and meeting people from Eastern Europe. At least they are not afraid to let someone know exactly what time it is. I can at least respect that.
The two-faced fakeness’ that is so commonly found in the UK is quite insulting to my basic common sense. Brits as a collective should be ashamed of this as well.
Shall we recap? From a simple gym membership, to disproportionate "stop and searches" (personally experienced as well), from Stephen Lawrence to Anthony Walker to the plight of my "tarzanian" socio-political brothers and sisters of the Chagos Islands —– what more evidence can anyone ask for?
Geesh! It is what it is folks. Don’t get mad – instead try to focus on improving the conditions of your nation / people.
Re: "To me it looks like you are going through life with a ready made excuse for all your failings and setbacks."
You obviously don’t know me personally. My life is sweet my friend. Furthermore, please do not place an unwarranted level of importance of my experience in the UK – that was but a page in my contented book of life.
:o)
(I am signing off on this one now. It is a Monday morning after all – got work to do. Cheers!)
So your experiences in total are:
Gym membership – took a while to happen – your white friend got theirs quicker. Personally I would have thought you would have had a monumental case if they denied your membership, but you got it – so what’s the problem?
Police stop & searches – when did you become above the law? They are doing their job – you could call it racial profiling, I would just call it profiling. A group of young men (regardless of their skin colour) wearing tracksuits, hoodies & baseball cap are more likely to get searched than a middle aged man wearing a suit purely because one of them are more likely to commit a crime based on previous experiences.
Steven Lawrence & Anthony Walker. Inexcusable murders – however one of these took place 17 years ago the other 5 years ago. Both cases were high profile cases and had severe reprecussions.
Now the UK is no havan – no country on earth is. But the way in which you describe it is absurd. There are problems with gang cultures, no fearful punishment for unruly youths, immigration overkill etc. but institutional racism isn’t one I would place in the top 10 list of problems in the country.
It’s only a problem if you want it to be a problem.
i lived in the UK for two years and all i heard were Brits bashing ‘half casts’ (black and white mixed), ‘Pakis’ (Indian decendants) etc… so yes I must agree with you, it most certainly still exists in England (all parts of the UK for that matter!).
Not sure what the thumbs down are about. Anyone who has lived in the UK knows that the lady is telling the truth.
"If I was to list the incidents of blatant discrimination and racism that I was forced to endure in the UK…"
Thanks for the insight. I have often wondered why you display such animosity towards all things British and now I know.
You ask for perspective so I will give it to you. You are prejudiced.
Whether people in the UK are equally prejudiced or more prejudiced is irrelevant, because you bring your prejudice here and we all have to live with it. Your attitude really is part of the problem that is causing increasing racial/nationality conflict in Cayman. I am certain you will not understand this point and that too is part of the broader problem we all face.
Where in the British Isle’s did you live? I have been to UK and stayed for month’s at a time. have alway’s been made to feel welcome.and anyway If you go to London you will find it hard to find anyone who is English.
Whoever you are, sounds like you have a huge chip on your shoulder, maybe you take a bad attituide with you and give off negative vibes?easy solution, dont go back. go visit another counrty were you think you are welcome.
O’Really do you draw the same conclusion re expats here, ie that those expats who complain that Cayman is rife with blatant discrimination, xenophobia etc.and show great animosity towards Cayman and Caymanians are themselves prejudiced and increasing the nationality/racial conflict in Cayman, or is this a purely one-sided approach?
Hear, hear!!
Interestingly phrased, but in essence yet another variation of Cayman’s favourite argument, that two wrongs make a right. Of course there are parties on both sides equally guilty, but does that make whodatis consistently prejudiced posts right?
My concern is not with one prejudiced poster per se. It is what he represents that is of more concern. For the most part expats ( and I am referring to the nationalities who most get up whodatis nose ) are transitory. Yes, the permanent expat/paper Caymanian population has been growing for years and some will have prejudiced views, but in general expats move on after a few years, particularly with rollover in place. When they leave, if they had any prejudice, they take it with them.
Whodatis is here to stay. His prejudice is here to stay ( along with that of many Caymanians ) and only grows over time. It worries me that the prejudice he displays mirrors society more generally, a fact not at all helped by the tendency of Cayman’s politicians to fan the flames of anti-expat sentiment any time they feel their own position is threatened. The vast majority of expats do not come to Cayman with some genetic dislike for Caymanians already in place; for the most part they have to develop this gene by exposure over time to Cayman’s own prejudices and whodatis is a great source for irrational prejudice based on a few experiences some time ago in a country 5000 miles away.
I’ve admitted that prejudice is a two way street. Are you big enough to admit whodatis’ prejudice is just plain wrong?
Even as you admit the prejudice of some expats you seek to justify and minimise it by suggesting that they learned prejudice here from Caymanians and it is not of lasting significance since, you say, they take it with them when they leave. Therefore the prejudice that you believe whodatis represents is more dangerous.
1. For the sake of clarity, it appears that you have acknowledged that the railing of some expats against Cayman and Caymanians simply reflect prejudice.
2. My point was not about two wrongs making a right. It was to hold a mirror that you might see the hypocrisy of your comments.
3. Expats do not necessarily arrive with a blank slate. An expat planning to move to Cayman might just read the various blogs together with the expat posts on this site. In Jamaica, for example, because of the way issues are covered by the Jamaican press and because of individual reports many Jamaicans in Jamaica have a very negative view of Cayman. Their minds are poisoned before they ever set foot on these Islands. I remember my wife, who is Jamaican, being warned not to come to Cayman because all Jamaicans were being strip-searched at the airport.
4. Expats tend to have their own social circles. Some in those circles will be newcomers and others will be nearing their term limits. If the newcomers have managed to arrive without prejudice then that is often cured simply by listening to the negativity that is all too often found to these circles. It is therefore self-perpetuating and does not die when one group of expats leave.
5. There are some criticisms by expats which have merit. However, this is overshadowed by the comments which have no other purpose than to insult and to denigrate and what should be constructive dialogue degenerates into a tit-for-tat slugfest. The vitriol serves only to polarise the respective communities further and, contrary to what you believe, this is not suddenly erased because some individuals have left.
6. Whodatis does have a negative view of Britain and the British which was no doubt formed by his experiences. To the extent that he extrapolates that to all things British this would reflect prejudice. However, much of what he says does have merit and I do not think I have seen any case where he is saying nasty things for the sake of insult. On the other hand you are seeking to evade what he says by simply labelling him as prejudiced.
"However, much of what he says does have merit and I do not think I have seen any case where he is saying nasty things for the sake of insult. On the other hand you are seeking to evade what he says by simply labeling him as prejudiced."
Thank you!
Btw, I don’t actually hate all things British. Had any of you been in my immediate area on Sunday afternoon (England v Germany) you would have sworn I was Prince Harry’s long lost cousin!
What does get to me however, is the way in which so many Brits tend to promote and uphold the positive elements of their society and at the same time ignore or pretend as if the negative elements do not exist. (E.g. Globally televised declaration of "war" to militarily "defend" the Falklands but not a single back page newspaper clipping in regards to the ejection of the Chagossians. That is quite worrying for me for a number of reasons – apparently many do not feel the same way.)
I am a Caymanian but I have criticized and hacked away at the negative points of my own people at times I saw fit. Of all my posts in regards to the UK, I can comfortably state that I have not told a single lie. There are simply a plethora of issues that constantly swept under the rug in British society / history in order to preserve the status quo.
I am a free-minded individual and not bound to any b.s. agenda … I seek balance and talk truth. End of.
Are you sure you are not part Chagossian? You bleat on enough about them.
You are speaking nonsense about the non-reporting of the Chagossian campaign for more money than the agreed compensation and new land rights. There has been a great deal of reporting of their recent legal and political steps. The bottom line is that the islands are no longer considered inhabitable and the recent legal battles have been nothing more than attempts by activists to force massive capital expenditure to place modern infrastructure on those islands via claims to request visits to the islands. I hope the Cameron/Clegg regime keep the same firm stance on these agitators.
Rubbish! The fact that you and I are so often on opposite sides of this debate is precisely because you do not have a balanced and truthful point of view. You have an agenda and push it relentlessly.
You are guilty of lying by omission and implication. You edit any examples you give so that they support your entrenched position. The Chagos Islands is one of your favourite examples, because it is a situation where the UK government was clearly wrong. The reality is that the original decision was made in 1965 ( 45 years ago, not 30 ) but it is politicians now who have to deal with the legacy. This passage of time seems to have completely escaped you because you chose to ignore it in all your posts and instead imply that the conditions prevailing then continue to prevail now. You recognise no social progress in the UK in your posts, bring no historic perspective to your analysis ( is Cayman the same now as it was in 1965?), you have never posted anything that suggests that modern day Britain is seeking to address the wrongdoing that the Chagos Islanders suffered, so you have never posted that half of the islanders were given UK passports and now have a thriving community in the south of England. Nor have you reported that one of the main concerns of this group is that others with no connection to Chagos are using their plight for their own political ends against the interests of the islanders. This should sound familiar to you.
Further down this page is this example of one of your posts on Chagos, should not be hard to find.
"The FCO of the UK referred to the Black and Brown peoples of the Chagos Islands as "tarzans" and "Man Fridays" as they ejected them (fellow British nationals) from their homeland just 30 years ago – and that saga is still ongoing."
Your argument ( and that of your appeasers ) is that in writing this, you are simply setting out facts. But communication is more than the simple words written, it requires interpretation of many things, including motive. You did not post the above simply to remind readers that there was racial prejudice in the UK in 1965, you posted it to imply that this level of prejudice still exists and that Caymanians can expect to face it, particularly from the FCO. You do not recognise, for example, that a UK government capable of appointing a flaming gay man who married his lover, to oversee BOT’s is hardly likely to accept discrimination in any form, not simply in speech but in thought. This is a real world fact, not some entrenched prejudiced view based on your limited personal experience.
You say you are free-minded. I would like to believe you but I am afraid I have read some of your posts! What you are is self-delusional.
O’Really: I give you massive credit for trying to combat Whodatis. But I would give up if I were you. I have tried to put in a few gentle comments to his posts but as you can see he/she is obsessed by the heinous Stephen Lawrence affair (er..admitted many many years ago by the British Government and people as appalling) and the whole Diego Garcia thing (er..admitted by most British citizens as appalling if not the Government for heinous political reasons).
So the British or some of them are racist! Hot Damn! That’s unusual in this modern world! Thank God we have none ofthat in Cayman. Erm..at least until the Court of Human Rights in Europe gets hold of a whole range of policies and procedures, immigration and otherwise, that we Caymanians think are just fine and dandy to protect us from these nasty foreigners who think they should be treated the same way we are.
Thanks for the input. I don’t expect to change whodatis’ thinking, or that of his somewhat mindless supporters, but I do think it is important that his worst untruths, particularly his favourites of omission and false implication, are challenged here so anyone interested can get a different perspective.
The reason you and whodatis are on the opposite sides in this debate is because he is your exact counterpart and you both think that you are being objective.
"You do not recognise, for example, that a UK government capable of appointing a flaming gay man who married his lover, to oversee BOT’s is hardly likely to accept discrimination in any form, not simply in speech but in thought"
This is of course a complete non-sequitur. The UK Govt. was well aware of the disapproval of homosexuality in most of the OTs. The appointment of Capt. Underpants was almost certainly intended as a slap in the face.
I imagine it is precisely this false sense of moral superiority that gets whodatis’s goat.
I see, appointing a homosexual to oversee the BOT’s was an intentional act of disrespect intended to slap the BOT’s in the face and in no way reflects a more liberal social attitude in the UK where gays are not discriminated against far less.
Way to miss the point!!
I do indeed believe that whodatis’ prejudice is more dangerous, because it is entrenched in Cayman society. And let’s just get it clear, his prejudice has a racial component so for the purposes of my issue with him, Jamaica is not on my radar. Does the Cayman Islands get bad press on a daily basis in the UK such that white UK professionals, for example, are indoctrinated against Caymanians? The answer is no. Yet to read whodatis posts is to believe that UK politicians ( and I assume everyone else in his mind ) go around thinking of any non-Caucasian as a Tarzan or man-Friday. He takes 1965 thinking and implies it is still prevalent today. He is guilty in almost every post of lying by omission or implication; I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you understand these concepts but for some reason ( maybe the idea that blood is thicker than water?) chose to ignore their existence.
Is it rational for someone with any significant level of racial prejudice to move to a society dominated by non-white citizens with a clearly stated desire to prefer themselves to all others, even when this promotes discrimination itself? The answer is no. It does happen sometimes, but the vast majority of professional expats come pleasantly unencumbered. I know this directly because I recruited hundreds and an assessment of their ability to fit into Cayman was a crucial part of the interview process. In all my years in the finance industry I only had to fire 2 individuals for racism and this in a firm with a zero tolerance policy towards all forms of prejudice.
I find your point 4 massively disingenuous. You do not recognise any Caymanian input, just negative feedback in an expat loop. I admire patriotism, but not when it stands in the way of recognising a problem as a pre-requisite for finding a solution. In fact, read your last post again. Nowhere in it do you recognise that prejudice and discrimination exist in the Caymanian population. You did not even have theballs to condemn whodatis’ clear prejudice as I challenged you; you are part of the problem because you are a denier.
Need an example? You wrote: " …because of the way issues are covered by the Jamaican press and because of individual reports many Jamaicans in Jamaica have a very negative view of Cayman. Their minds are poisoned before they ever set foot in the islands."" Are you seriously suggesting that complaints that Jamaicans have arising from how they are treated in Cayman are all baseless and any anti-Caymanian sentiment they might have is a function of biased reporting? They may be exaggerated, some maybe outright lies, but as a group they face heavy discrimination here and you fail to accept this. In my book this is denial. Isn’t that Cayman’s and your speciality?
Ironically, you are guilty of the very thing of which you accuse me. Your posts have been massively disingenuous even as you do not recognize any expat input, just negative feedback in a Caymanian loop. Expats only learn prejudice here from Caymanians etc. The purpose of my post was not to examine all forms of discrimination in Cayman but instead to correct some of your disingenuous misrepresentations and address the points specifically raised by you. Obviously there are prejudiced Caymanians.
You have asserted that no expat comes to Cayman with prejudice against Cayman/Caymanians and I have demonstrated that that is simply not the case. But rather than acknowledge that your point has been disproved you disingenuously ask the question "are you seriously suggesting that complaints that Jamaicans have arising from how they are treated in Cayman are all baseless and any anti-Caymanian sentiment they might have is a function of biased reporting?". As you know perfectly well, that was not the point at all. It was about how prejudice arises before one even enters the Island. I could equally ask "are you seriously suggesting that Whodatis had no valid experiences of discrimination in England or that the cases he points to are not true?", but of course that would be besides the point.
You have also declared that expat prejudice leaves when a group of expats leave. I have also shown how that is false.
You say "you did not even have the balls to condemn whodatis’ clear prejudice as I challenged you; you are part of the problem because you are a denier".
Perhaps you should read my post again where my response on this ‘challenge’ was listed last so that it would remain in your consciousness: "Whodatis does have a negative view of Britain and the British which was no doubt formed by his experiences. To the extent that he extrapolates that to all things British this would reflect prejudice".
Which part of that did you not understand?
You continue to be hypocritical.
I see you are reduced to distorting my post by way of rebuttal, so I will just point out a few distortions and then call it a day here:
1) " You have asserted that no expat comes to Cayman with prejudice against Cayman/Caymanians". I actually wrote ( and it’s above, so won’t be hard to check ) "but the vast majority of professional expats come pleasantly unencumbered." Having a comprehension problem are we?
2) "Expats only learn prejudice here from Caymanians.." Please show me where I wrote this. Try to find the words, not your tailored interpretation, I’ve seen how that works.
3) You seem to think you condemned whodatis prejudice. Yet your words show you have not accepted his posts are prejudiced. You use a conditional term " To the extent … this would reflect prejudice" which is short hand for " I don’t see any prejudice, but if I did, it would be wrong" Hardly a ringing condemnation.
4) " You have also declared that expat prejudice leaves when a group of expats leave". Close but again lacking comprehension. What I wrote was "When they leave, if they had any prejudice, they take it with them." I fail to see how this can be wrong – the individuals leave and whatever their feelings, they take them with them. This is not to say that afterwards there are no expats left on island who are prejudiced, or that the departing expat has not somehow left a legacy of prejudice, but in the most simple of terms, the "pool" of prejudice attributable to the expat population decreases when prejudiced individuals leave the island. I see no similar mechanism for putting the brake on the growth of prejudice and discrimination in the Caymanian population.
The irony of this debate is that the majority of Caymanians are Jamaicans who have been here long enough to think they can look down on Jamaicans who have not been here for as long.
The irony of you comment is that you have not the foggiest notion of what you are talking about.
Has it occurred to anyone that perhaps Jamaican nannies were kept for Caymanians purely due to cost? The fees to get Filipinos, American or English nannies here alone is enough to choose a Jamaican. As well, Jamaican nannies have been known to work the long hours, clean, cook the way Caymanians are accustomed and take care of the children. The irony is that most Jamaican nannies would not work for a local because they expected their household to be taken care of for a measly $200 a week. Therefore, by not allowing any other nationality to hold a permit for a Jamaican kept the wages unreasonably low and they never had to raise their salaries because they had no other option for work. XXXXX
I also find it interesting that in immigration there is a distinction between nanny and helper, while most people that are hired ona work permit to care for our children are called helpers.
Check out the permit fees now….nannies are $500 for the year, I do believe, while helpers remain at $150 for the year. But helpers are pretty much caring for our children, meaning they are nannies.
I wonder why the distinction, unless nannies are not doing housework therefore not called a helper? Not sure.
Nanny = CI$500
Helper= CI$150
Therefore, if you’re a nanny and a helper (which is usually the case with Filipinos and Jamaicans), the employer should be paying CI$650.
The government coffers here is losing CI$500 for every helper (who is almost always a nanny, too).
ALL I HAVE TO SAY –
As a Caymanian with colored skin, let us not forget history and our roots. Most Jamaicans (if not all) came from Africa to the Caribbean when the British had them for slaves. Cayman was part of the Jamaican territory, and colored-skin Caymanians at the time were slaves to their fair skin Caymanians. They too came from Africa. The fair-skin ones gave their allegiance to Britain. Thatis history!
Moreover, whether you are a fair or dark skin Caymanian, Jamaica was Caymans main supplier for food and produce before Jamaica’s Independence. And after, Jamaican government helped us with paving our roads, constructing our Airport.
Alll I got to say, we better learn to stop ignoring our neighbors, because one day it will haunt us
Most if not all Jamaicans came from Africa? Little disparaging of the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese, Portuguese, British, Chinese that used to co-exist, but were largely forced to flee, isn’t that? Where do you think "Out of Many, One people" came from.
91% of Jamaicans are black while 7% are mixed. Lebanese, Chinese, Indian etc. make up the remaining 2%.
Yes – but what were the proportions in 1965 – when out of many, one people, was a promise rather than a lie?
The issue was about the present, not who constituted the population in 1965. In any event the population was even then predominantly black. There has always been a number of minorities but they are very small minorities.
The racial make-up of the Jamaican population in Jamaica, and the racial make up of "Janmaicans" are two different things. The reference was toJamaicans, not to Jamaicans in Jamaica.
I am not sure what your point is. Whether it is Jamaicans in our outside of Jamaica the fact remains that the overwhelming majority were and are black. Even as light-skinned Jamaicans left Jamaica so did dark-skinned Jamaicans.
And 100% are mixed up… There is no purbred anything who is Jamaican. Have you not met the big nose black man with the last name Chin?
Add to that most of your African ancestors likely arrived here via Jamaica… and most Jamaicans ancestors are… African as they were taken to Jamaica for the same reason. In fact believers of the bible would say we all African regardless of which part of the earth we inhabit now so…
WHY ARE YOU ALL ARGUING AND DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN RACES?
The longer this continues the deeper the divides will be and the more bitter and pathetic you will become.
Thank you for the comments of support and those apologising for the experiences that I had on Saturday. I would be interested if those of you who have given it a thumbs down would briefly explain why. A couple of further observations:
1) Several months ago I printed a number of leaflets which I put under the windscreen wipers of vehicles not displaying ‘disabled signs’ but were parked in disabled bays. They read,
"You have taken my parking space. Perhaps you would like to have my disability too."
I stopped after I was physically assaulted by a huge Caymanian woman who saw me placing it. I just managed to blurt out, "Obesity isn’t a disability," before she landed a really good punch on the side of my head.
2) It is only Caymanian women who react aggressively. I have remonstrated with several men who were, without exception, embarrassed and often apologetic.
3) Finally, I’d like to say that there is not one Caymanian whom I know and dislike. As my wife said to me just now: "You dislike all Caymanians except for those whom you actually know."
Sorry to say, you wont’ get an explanation from those who thumbed down. I’m unsure who are bigger cowards our bigots who hide behind Immigration or our attorneys who are afraid of Immigration.
As a long time resident here but not born here I too am sorry about your treatment Mr Wilton. It is distressing and disgraceful.Cayman has its fair share of brainless, bigoted "I’m a Caymanian" female and male yobbos but there are many more who are not like that. And -although it’s no excuse -they are abundant in other countries too nowadays. I am appalled every time I return to the UK at the uncouthness of so many of its inhabitants compared to when I left long years ago.
I don’t think I would risk a comment like "Obesity isn’t a disability" in the UK as it just might provoke a similar or worse response than the one you got here in Cayman.
Terry – I am sorry you endured that. Did you report her to the police? Did they do anything?
The fact that they do not apply the law firmly and evenly is why you were placed in this predicament in the first place. It is time they recognised that and did something about it!
Ok…. permanent residency = non-Caymanian, right? Therefore, non-Caymanians are the ones who cannot employ Jamaicans, but Caymanians can. That doesn’t sound like racism, but rather appears that Caymanians want to keep the Jamaicans to themselves 🙂
Try tell immigration that. They currently turning down Caymanian applicants trying to renew Jamaican workers permits now and state plainly in their refusals that they don’t want too many from that ‘demographic region to dominate the workforce’; don’t want to entitle them to apply for status, and to do so ‘would cause social unrest…’ etc. etc. But that’s under the new Immigration Law not under the old rule. So make no mistake, whether the applicant Caymanian or not, they giving trouble for many renewals and applications for permits right now, and getting rid of the old rule will make no difference to their policies if they continue to manipulate the current Immigration Law to achieve the same objective.
As a Caymanian with a disabled family member, I apologise to you for having to endure the ignorance of those who do not understand the plights faced by the disabled. I really wish you had taken photos of the morons so I could personally "give them a good lickin’." Even though my family is Caymanian, we almost always have to ‘fight’ for the handicapped parking spaces, so although the second comment you endured was particularly outrageous, please don’t think the ignorance is solely directed at expatriates with disabilities. It would appear that many seem to think that obesity qualifies as a disability. Or in some cases, having a hot, little car entitles you to the spot as well.
Once again, I am so sorry. Hopefully when looking back on your time here you are able to remember the good times instead of the unfortunate brushes with sheer ignorance.
Excuse my ignorance because as a disabled myself we expect more than we pay for.
The problem you fail to understand is that the disabled parking bays are for disable caymanians, not disabled expats.
As you explained in your post, those persons occupying those disabled bays were clearly disabled in one way or another. Physical disability is one type, mental disability is another.
There have been comments earlier about "the degree of racial hatred I’ve found among Caymanians."
Two examples of things that happened to me to illustrate this from this morning (Saturday).
I am 63, white, English and speak with an English accent. There is no doubt that I am not Caymanian. I am also chronically disabled and find walking to be very painful. I rely greatly on the disabled parking bays at various places.
As I arrived at Countryside this morning I knew that the two bays outside Fosters would be occupied because it was raining heavily. They were. I managed to park some 40 yards away. As I was hobbling past the two SUVs in the disabled bays, a Caymanian female got out of one of them.
"Excuse me," I said, politely, "Are you aware that this is a disabled parking bay?"
She stared at me with contempt. "If you weren’t a ******* cripple, I’d give you a good lickin’.
Twenty minutes later I came back and in the bay was another SUV in the same bay but this time the woman was still sitting in the driver’s seat.
"Excuse me," I said, politely, "Are you aware that this is a disabled parking bay?"
"SO?" she said, belligerently.
"So you shouldn’t be here."
"You shouldn’t be on my island," was her reply.
I soon won’t be. Next Tuesday, after five years we fly home. I won’t be in a hurry to return.
Its my country, my island, my job, my school, my road, my parking spot. Go home. Who are you to come here and tell us how to run our country?
I’m sorry for your experiences. I would like to tell you the majority of us don’t think this way, but I cant get a proper reading on the "hate / ignorant numbers". Ican’t tell you though, this group has a lot of influence in Immigration. You can tell from some of the posts here pleading to Mr. Manderson to keep things as they are. The self proclaimed Protectors readily listen to the self proclaimed victims.
My real fear for Cayman is that we don’t appreciate our success anymore. We now believe we are entitled to it and others just get in our way. That isn’t how life works. Thats not how God works.
The Jamaicans have a saying "The higher monkey climb, the more him expose him behind." Based on your experiences of yesterday alone it is clear you can see a number of ***holes here. Unfortunately, we all can and there are way too many. With all the hate, gangs, crime, corruption, I can no longer see how we can call ourselves a predominantly Christian nation.
This is no longer paradise. It is paradise lost.
As a Caymanian I would like to thank you for your excellent post.
If you were in Jamaica in the 70s, you would have been called a "White Pig."
But this is Cayman, the new jewel of the Caribbean. Many of us believe we are so much better than Jamaicans, and everyone else for that matter. This is why even your post will get thumbs down.
I’m ashamed of what my people have become. How easy it is to become arrogant and take success for granted. I can’t imagine the price we will soon have to pay.
You would have been called white pig alright, but likely after you had already been shot, so you wouldn’t have minded. Put it in that context, and the treatment of many Jamaicans by Caymanians is nothing short of generous.
You are right. Its a good thing we don’t have, robberies, machete and gun crime here.
To even pretend to compare the violence in Jamaica in the 70’s to that in Cayman today only demonstrates your ignorance of the whole issue.
What do you know about crime in Jamaica in the 1970’s?
I was there and am now here as a result of it – and I will forever love and appreciate what Cayman did for me, and have anger and sadness for what Jamaica did to itself.
Beauty is only skin deep but ugly shines all the way through
Pant’s on the ground I think you are really really funny,anyway that’s besides the point, your last comment beauty only skin deep but ugly shines all the way through, is spot on.
Mr. Wilton,
As a Caymanian I am very embarrassed and sorry to hear of your experience. It goes without saying that there is no justification for that sort of behaviour. I really do not think that that is representative of Caymanians. I do hope that during your stay you had some pleasant experiences.
What you X-pats and Mr. Wilton who I sympathisize with fail to understand is that the UDP is agitating the people with making promises to import thousands of off shore labor.Caymanianians are up to their necks , they have had it!
This angers any native in any country and the leadership s resonsible for all the unrest. they are doing nothing to imp[rove the opportunity of making an honest living for the natives in their own country, while granting thousands of work permits non stop. Every two or three months they do a blurry press release to pull some trick from under their hat, to fool the people into believing that they are looking out for them. Look at McKeeva have the nerve to agree to not banning the PR Jamaican nannys! he’s letting you know right then and there he don’t care about you. The fact that they state publicly that a crime and poverty stricken region such as Jamaica should have the ban on Nannys from that area"" lifted is even more agitating. Not because of them taking the nanny jobs but because Mr. McKeeva Bush and the UDP are the only ones that will benefit from this as they will give them key status employee and then a path to citizenship. More votes ! The PPM are no better Alden and Kurt should be on this subject like Eagles on a piece of meat, but they will only comment if its something in it for them or not in it for them, they’re all a bunch of selfish, self-seeking, pretenders. We need new blood in the house, no UDP, no PPM new Independents, I’ve had it with these pretending to serve and have no intention of helping their people one way or another. They are all helping themselves!
Personally I can’t see anyone benefitting from opening up PR to nannies or helpers. By the very virtue of their work they are underpaid, overworked, have inadequate or no pension and healthcare cover, and are sure to become a burden on society as time progresses and they retire.
Regardless of what is going on in this country with regards to expats vs caymanians in terms of jobs NO ONE SHOULD TREAT A HANDYCAP THAT WAY.
As a Caymanian you have my apologies.
This Expat vs Caymanian has gone too far.
First we dont have enough Caymanians to do all the jobs so expats are a must.
Second the contention is that we also do not have enough qualified Caymanians to take a lot of top positions.
With regards to the Jamaicans and other nationalities.
I have no problem with any of you. We have lived in peace and harmony for years now. Everyone is claiming apart of the Cayman Islands. The big problem is that we are using a "big broom". What we dont what are expats that comit crimes in this country. Some try to link the Jamaicans with crime and use a large broom and collect all Jamaicans. Jamaica is like any country it has its good and its bad just like Cayman has.
The discrimination with the helpers will not stand and makes little sense.
There was another similarily discriminatory policy by immigration back i the 80s; No rastafarians of persons with dreadlocks hairstyle allowed.
There was no policy as regards to hippies or long hair or any other hairstyle. This was changed when some white people from the north started growing dreadlocks.
The Cayman Ministers Association nor any lawyers said anything about this as far as i know, and the policy (directed by the upper echelons of Govt.) remained ineffect for years.
But we in Cayman don’t discriminate…just like we didn’t/don’t have gangs or homosexuals either.
One answer … drugs. That is not prejudice. The rastafarian sacrement is ganja. The faith encourages its use. That is why there were restrictions.
It is discrimination!
Don’t other people (clean cut and white included) use drugs? It would have been discriminatory enough to have singled dreadlocks out for a search, but to have an unwritten but sanctioned Dept/Govt. policy to refuse them entry based on hairstyle alone (not all dreadlocks are rastafarians either) is nothing short of discrimination.
And keep in mind that the policy was eventually challenged and changed, indicating that even the Dept. of Immigration and Govt finally did see it as wrong, albeit after some external preassure!
"There was no policy as regards to hippies or long hair or any other hairstyle. This was changed when some white people from the north started growing dreadlocks".
I am sorry but that is false. The policy was changed after there was an outcry by the Jamaican govt. It had nothing whatever to do with whie people wearing dreadlocks.
I stand corrected on why the policy was changed. Do you agree then that it was discriminatory or not?
As the main purpose of my post was to point out a discriminatory policy.
It goes without saying that it was discriminatory. However, there were reasons for the policy (e.g. the association between wearing of dreadlocks and marijuana consumption and the general sense that rastafarians were subversive and opposed to authority (Babylon)) which had nothing to do with race as you suggested.
Jamaicans have helped Cayman from the start. I love Jamaicans, it’s a pity that they are often frowned upon by some.
Caymanians have been using blind fear to make rash, discriminatory and hasty decisions against Jamaicans for a long time. They say this is a Christian country. Every Saturday or Sunday, various churches will be filled with Caymanians and then come Monday morning they go to their various offices and plan how to rid this blessed country of the Jamaican parasites – the same parasites who, for years have been cleaning their mess, doing menial jobs that they would not lift a finger to do themselves, marrying Jamaicans because they see that we are ambitious and know that they would get ahead with us. They implemented roll over and visa to get rid of us. Guess what happened – the economy has suffered for it. Not much air travel, it affected real estate sales. Also the Caymanians who build apartments to rent to expatriates are now in trouble with the Banks because you ran all the Jamaicans who would have rented. The God whom you claimed you love has allowed you to go ahead with your policies to prove that you were wrong. It has failed – you have chopped off the hand that fed you. God has ordained it that we should not be independent of each other so that none can rejoice against the other.
The Premier’s eyes were clearly opened to the truth, thus he campaigned.We came out in droves and voted for him. Now out of fear for the people whom he cannot please, he has now regressed on his promise to help us and is now persecuting us. Nowadays, Permanent Residence has no value. We are being persecuted and destroyed out of fear, but be warned (JEREMIAH 34:8-22). Every Jamaican here admire that you must put your country men first and according to law, those that you have given liberty, by protocol of law, to become a part of your citizenship should now be also treated like the citizens that they now are and are becoming, but you promised us liberty, took our hard earned monies at Immigration to purchase that liberty, now out of fear for those who cannot see your vision, most of whom never cared to vote for you, you go back on your covenant and are persecuting us.
May God bless you though and give you wisdom and strength. The task that you have is very difficult as your born country men are some of the most narrow minded and difficult people to deal with.
People open your eyes and do not be willingly ignorant. How many mistakes have you made in your lifetime with your own mind, thoughts and actions? Too many to count, yet God has never made a mistake. Seek His guidance in implementing policies and the policies you ask your leaders to implement, which are to a large degree, fueled by baseless fear, hatred, ghoulish anger and evil discrimination against a nation that God has placed as your brother forever. Be careful! Cayman did not get renown on its own cognizance – GOD GAVE YOU FAVOUR and He can take it back too!
This is all madness. Is it unlawful discrimination to "reserve" Jamaicans for Caymanians? … almost certainly. Should it change? Yes! But the solution of "reserving Jamaicans" for Caymanians and Permanent Residents is just as discriminatory. Why can a work permit holder not employ a Jamaican?
Get your heads out of the sand. You all seem perfectly happy that exactly the same restriction is in place for Hondurans – why no outcry from the Jamaican community? Does mentioning that fact undermine your (false) argument that the whole thing is racially motivated? Anyway – try and hire a black Haitian or Bajan and in most cases you will be told yes. There is no racial element to any of this.
The policy was put in place because there are "too many" Jamaicans in Cayman. What constitutes "too many" and how can I make such an "outrageous statement"? Too many is when the number of persons identifying themselves as Jamaican outnumbers the number of persons identifying themselves as Caymanian. Weare almost certainly at that point. Why is this not good for Caymanians? Because it causes one local culture to be overwhelmed. There is nothing wrong with large numbers of Jamaicans being here – they ought to be embraced and appreciated as individuals as much as anyone else, but when Canadians tell me that Jerk is THE national dish of the Cayman Islands, and local music is dancehall, AND (as you admit in your post) Jamiacans can determine the leadership of the Cayman Islands at election time over any other group, including Hondurans, Americans, the English, AND Caymanians, then we have a problem.
The response to that issue has been wrong. If Caymanians are concerned about the foreign influence of any nationality then they need to be told that they too will be disappointed in their permit applications on demographic grounds. That is the only solution that would be both legal and fair. It is proportionate, and just, but many posters here would not like that either.
And FYI demographic issues apply to every nationality in Cayman. One business (that seemed to employ all Canadians) was told if they could not find a Caymanian then they could employ anyone (including Jamaicans) but could not get a permit for another Canadian. If you have a problem with that then come up with an alternative solution that will permit an identifiable Caymanian culture to exist.
come on lawyers – take a stand – you have the training – do you have the heart? the courage?
file some lawsuits – push the government to ammend the laws – stand up for the less fortunate – pretty sure its says somewhere in the bible – we are obliged to care for the less fortunate…
come on – just before we roll your butt over – make a stand – take this to the UN for human rights violations – the bad pubicity for the island won’t last for long – look at jamaica’s bad publicity … and their booming tourism…
this law is one of many: expats cant catch fish from the shore or dock caymanians can ( i know the reasoning – but its still bigotry )
expats cant open a company with majority ownership
expats can’t pay local school fees after living here for a year
expats cant get a 30 year mortgage
expats are threatened regularly about being deported
expats are denied return of deposits on rental units
expats are screwed out of health and pension regularly by employers
expats are forced out of jobs
maybe there is a courageous god fearing lawyer who will stand up for what is right and reduce the abuses of our expats…write a couple letters to the right people – you can do it…
i will lead the campaign to make you a national hero…
( billy billy – where are you???? we need you – )
Don’t waste your time. If there was even one attorney here with the balls and integrity, he would name himself and offer his services on your post. Of course, he would quickly become an outcast. I know Caymanians don’t like that foreigners "want to run their country" and that Caymanians think "It is their country and they should run it the way the want." I’m fine with that, but can you please run the country within the laws, human rights and with integrity. Otherwise Cayman is no better than the corrupt third world countries they look down at.
The reason no attorneys are coming forward is because no-one will pay their fees, and because the demographic control elements of the immigration law are likely "proportionate" under human rights principles applied to a small Island nation overrun by foreign influence.
Clearly you are a bitter expat living in our islands and if Cayman is so horrible maybe you should leave because you are only igniting hate. Let me add that I am born Caymanian of two Jamaican parents so I feel and understand the discrimination being placed on Jamaicans. Might I add you are living in the Cayman Islands where its native people are a minority. They need to preserve these islands for Caymanians. They have to protect their people. Why would they sell it out to expats, that would be silly. We would be lost because the reality is expats look out for their own. This is Cayman not Canada, not the US, not the UK or wherever you may be from. Respect the people and their policies. That is the issue I have with expats that think the way you do. Cayman does not owe you anything, as long as you are getting paid for your services you have received all you need from us. You cannot enter another man’s country and demand they change policies to suit your liking. We owe no one anything and if you don’t like something leave. Our laws are our laws accept it, live with it or buy your own country and make your laws because clearly your country is missing something and that is why you are in our islands because the reality is the best of the best does not come to Cayman. Your earning potential is far greater on Wall Street. Do you think Warren Buffet would come here……. I think not.
I attended college in the US for 4years and I did not receive in-state fees, I had to pay international student rate which were significantly greater than US residents.
Am assuming you work within financial services so you should understand financial suicide the banks would experience if they gave expats 30yr mortgages will the 7 year roll over policy. Also, there is just that inherent risk embedded in expats. I recently purchased a home overseas and I can assure you my lending terms were just as stringent as they are here. I was not approved for a 30yr mortgage either.
I visit the States every quarter and I am finger printed on each entry and if I do something illegal I will be deported and visa revoked indefinitely and so it should be. It’s just ashame one can’t be deported for making outrageous suggestions, like yours, on the internet.
Denied deposit and screwd health and pension is pinned to specific firms, so you can’t blame Cayman for that and I’m sure if you dig deeper, it would an expat doing the books and not making required payments since most businesses are managed by expats.
For the record, it is predominantly Caymanians becoming redundant as employers don’t have the capacity to control and threaten at leisure in the way they would work permit holders.
Am sure everyone would appreciate you leading the exportation campaign on single minded, pretentious expats that think the way you do. If you are so unhappy here just leave.
Oh my Lord. Did you say you are a born Caymanian of two Jamaican parents? How is that possible? Doesn’t that make you a "Paper Caymanian"? Don’t you understand YOU are a prime example of the unwanted Jamaican culture dominating Cayman? In addition to your generation, aren’t people currently saying that the 3,000 who got status will bring their children and ruin this place?
Do you have any Jamaican ancestors? I don’t mean your mom, or grandpa I mean historically, what is your ancestry?
Guyanese.
So you a paper Caymanian too eh? God I hate that distinction – that in itself is stirring up too much unnecessary conflict here. What is wrong with people?
One clarification, you are NOT a born Caymanian! You might have been naturalized but not a born Caymanian. Remember that – its all paper!
Actually that individual IS a BORN Caymanian and there are several people who fall into that category because they were born in a year before the law was changed. So no naturalization or status needed!
That’s why we will never get anywhere as a nation too much hatred against our "own". "Caymanians" can never seem to unite on any issue because there is so much division and deep seated hate amongst each other. That’s why it is easy for "expats" to come in and do so well because whilst we are tearing each other apart they are working in unison to get ahead.
I understand the legality of the person’s claim to be Caymanian. My question is, would you speak as strongly in support of the "born Caymanian"ness" of the current 5 year old child born the Cayman Islands of expat parents who continues to reside here and who possibly will until adulthood? I was merely pointing out that writer is fooling him/herself if s/he thinks s/he could ever claim to be Caymanian — your mother and father are considered "pan heads" and that makes you a second tier Caymanian. Thats the reality! Sad but true!
Please Mr. Manderson do not lift that band. If you know what’s good for Cayman please don’t. Jamaicans dominate the nationalities in Cayman presently and the majority have Status or PR and will find a loop hole to get their nationality in here.
Perhaps Caymanians should stop marrying Jamaicans. Its a pity Caymanians don’t realize that Cayman’s choice to remain with England was only because of a last minute push from Brackers. There was a real movement, on Grand Cayman, to remain with Jamaica. An inconvenient truth. Once again, the Brackers saved the day.
God help us if that had taken place.
Caymanians ARE Jamaicans.
Since this is obviously nonsense I suspect that it was posted to get a rise out of Caymanians.
One of the historical reasons for Caymanians disliking Jamaicans is that when Cayman was reliant on Jamaica, Jamaicans looked down on Caymanians. This is an unfortunate fact. One would think, as self proclaimed Christians we would not return the favour, but we do. Have you thought your post makes no sense at all? Since only Caymanians can hire Jamaican helpers, it is PURELY the fault of Caymanians that Jamaican helpers are here. But who do we blame? The Jamaican for trying to better her life. We are so filled with hate we have lost all common sense, compassion and ability to reason.
weird, I thought most caymanians were a good percentage Jamaican.
False perception, arising out of the fact that you have moved here at a time when Jamaican influences overwhelm many aspects of Caymanian life.
I don’t think that’s what the poster meant I think they were speaking more of Jamaican ancestry and the historical link that has perpetually linked the two islands… In the case of Caymanians with Jamaican descendants, I completely concur with this thinking and constantly struggle to understand why this ‘superiority comples’ and so much hatred exists; why so many appear to deny their own ancestry, and so vehemently seem to want to cut off all Jamaican ties.
Let that Band stay where it is!!!! For too long we have been giving away everything that our country owns, and forgetting our people. – Please do not upset the apple cart. You have already seen where suggestions are made for Lawyers to come forward and deal with the problem at hand. One has to look no further than the "Streets" certain "Developments" "Public" and "Private Sectors" our "Schools" and "Churches" that highlight our irregularities, and these together reveal that our country has falling backwards. Not enough training for School Leavers, no job placements for the natives. who are being deprived of their rights in their ocountry, and the questions facing us : -(1) Do we have another country? (2) How can we live here? (3 Where is our progress and, (4) Who is looking after our welfare?
Posters what are your comments.
6:38 you are brilliant., The sartest X-pat I’ve come accross in a long time!
"McKeeva Bush said it was just one example of how Jamaicans have been treated. “For too long we’ve discrimination against that country,” he said, adding that he would change the policy. If he did, however, he warned opposition members and the people not to march against him again wearing straw hats and whompers"
Not withstanding that the issue was raised by a member of the opposition (Mr. McLean) Mr Bush is using it to insinuate that the Opposition is anti-Jamaican. Apparently it does not occur to him that that is self-contradictory.
The Plain truth here is Pot Cursing Kettle Black.
Not sure I follow. Who is the pot and who is the kettle?
Absolutely it has to be the UDP pot and PPM Kettle. You should have had your ear to the ground during last election.
Nothing but a drowning man grabbing at a straw.
It is not the norm to discriminate against any Nationality. What does a Nanny or Caregiver has to offer our Islands?? What is the life span of elderly persons? and, How long does children take to grow from infants to teenagers then adults . – In my opinion there is no qualification for residency unless there is mental or handicap cases within these families to qualify for Residency of "Special Circumstances" which of course, has to be proven by doctors.
In earlier years many Caymanians did much of the same in the USA but never thought of inhabiting or becoming their burden. Their money was invested back home either to purchase property, build their homes and secure themselves
McKeeva Please, please go to the USA and any other country and you will see how you would be treated as an ordinary person trying for a residency or citizenship. Those Immigration Policies and Laws are what is making Cayman the way it is – too many Noah nun-skulls with no common sense. duplicating and triplicating all our woes.
Most people are happy with the Filippino helpers and nannys so why bother?
Perhaps you are unaware of Immigration’s latest policy "Filipinos are not to have their permits renewed as we have too many unemployed Caymanians."
You forgot to mention single caymanian women who had their husbands taken away by filipinos.
Right. And the husband cannot say no if he does not want to be taken?
ah, but is it not just fair to have the permits denied if they cannot pay the salary of their helper/nanny/caregiver because they are unemployed?
Nah, they doin that to all nationalities right now hun particularly Jamaicans.
What a good and pleasant day it will be when one of the many lawyers in Cayman stand up to fight the grotesque discrimination laws and that are levied against our brothers and sisters from Jamaica and other countries.
Try dont start this up again.its bad enough as it is. Jamaicans and Caymanians are like husband and wife, dont get between the two of them, because next day they are kissing up. take my word for it, I see it happening every day.
This staggering discrimination policy would last 5 mins in the European Court of Human Rights. Any word from the Cayman Ministers Association against it? Thought not!
Yeah throw it out. They now use s.24 of the Immigration Law to achieve the same objective – andit makes no difference if you Caymanian or not.
So its officially been made public. We have Immigration laws and we have policies set by the Immigration Boards that may contradict our laws and human rights.
So many questions come to mind:
1) How did this policy remain quite for 10 years?
2) How many other policies like this one are there? Perhaps one is "We are to tell applicants that letters of complaints against them are ignored – but kept on file and read to everyone on the Board before a decision is made." Perhaps a second is "We can have meetings before meetings." Perhaps a third is "Not from that geographical jurisdiction." Perhaps a fourth is "No points for country of birth on one’s residency application despite the law stating that points should be given." Perhaps a fifth is, "We can call persons who we know are against the applicant on the phone and not record the conversation." Perhaps a sixth is "No more work permits for Filipinos." And here is a kicker – "Perhaps the minutes taken are as vague as can be so little detail is provided, the applicant doesn’t know who voted yes or no in order to make appeals difficult and justice near impossible to obtain."
3) Although I’m happy to see the two parties actually agreeing, why did it take them so long to bring this up? Surely they knew beforehand?
4) How did our Chief Immigration Officer, who has a law degree, allow these policies to be practiced?
It all goes to show Immigration, and its Boards, have their own agendas, despite laws and human rights. I highly recommend that any applicant should have the legal right to have his attorney sit in on board meetings that determine the applicant’s fate. If the Boards are as honest as they claim, they should have no objection to this. I also recommend that any complaint against someone should be in the form of a sworn affidavit. This make the writer think twice and provide some protection to the unknowing victims who cant afford an attorney. Imagine thinking of the poorer among us. (Please don’t tell me an applicant must be informed of a complaint against him before a decision is made. I know this is the law. But I also know, as a fact, this law isn’t always applied. In fact, the last case I know of occurred in March May 2010.)
I hope the public sees this subject as a major human rights opportunity. Our Boards are outdated. For God’s sake, the qualification is one’s district and one’s willingness to get on powerful boards to play God and determine the fate of businesses and peoples’ lives. The majority of members see themselves as Protectors of all Caymanian irrespective of business practices, truth, law, humanity and natural justice.
My apologies to the minority of good, honest, well meaning, members of these Boards. I’m well aware of the names you are called "Uncle Tom’s", "Expat Lovers", "Traitors", the list goes on.
You could add that there is no need for applicants’ names to be put on applications. After all, one doesn’t get points for a name. This would go a long way in changing the system from being one of a banana republic to one of objectivity.
Very silly. How do you propose it would be determined whether the medical questionnaire, police clearance certificate etc. relates to the applicant? You would create a situation that is wide open for fraud.
With the use of a number. Its really very simple and prevents rampant corruption.
It is very simple, but in no way does it prevent rampant corruption. Who is going to assign this number? There is obviously room for information and numbers to be crossed.
What it prevents are legitimate complaints being taken into account by the Board which no doubt is the real objective. Such things as discrimination by managers would be shielded by anonymity. There would be no reliable way of checking claims made by applicants. A case in point: one applicant for PR claimed to have worked as a volunteer for the Red Cross and to have been a blood donor. When it was checked it was found that that though they had signed up they had never actually donated any blood or provided any voluntary assistance.
No doubt this post will have lots of expats thumbs down because many do not wish to have that level of scrutiny but that the Boards should accept everything at face value so that they can undermine the system.
Another policy must be "keep refusing the applications and have them re-apply to increase our revenue and once we have made enough – approve it."
As a long-time visitor, I’ve always been amazed at the degree of racial hatred I’ve found among Caymanians. I grew up in the US in the 50’s and 60’s when police chiefs set dogs and turned water hoses on African-Americans and those bastards are are dainty angels compared to some of the Caymanians I’ve met. Christian nation, indeed.
Shut your untruth mouth. There is no place on earth that shows more prejudice than the USA. I worked there before.
Further more Jamaican nanies do not want to work for Jamaicans here on the Island. Talk about bad treatment and letting them eat outside under tree and washing clothes by hand when there is a machine. Mr Bush dont need to change that law. As much as we fuss with Cayanians we prefer working for them. They will run up they mouth but they are not bad to work for. Many of them are very kind.
I’ve worked both places as well and am only stating my experience. Your experience may be different than mine, but it isn’t more true or "untrue" than mine. I stand by my statement.
That is so true. Ask any Jamaican – they would never work for another Jamaican as a nanny or domestic.
But unfortunately, it is also true of the Caymanians. They do not want to work as domestics or nannies for Caymanians. That’s the reason for bringing in Jamaicans to work for us in the first place.
Your first point was correct, but your second is not. We had a Jamaican helper for a number of years who after she was rolled over was very happy to come back to work for us and did not even consider another employer.
Well said. It is the Permanent Residents that treat their countrymen badly.
Caymanians generally say alot but really mean no hate to anyone.
In case you don’t understand the article. Permanent Residents aren’t allowed to hire Jamaican nannies.
I don’t think you understood the post. I am personally aware of a situation where a Filipina employer treated her Filipina helper terribly to the point of only allowing her to eat the scraps from her table, working 12-14 hours a day and paid $600/month. When I employed her she could not believe that helpers were treated so well here.
Certainly true. I am one such lucky helper with my Caymanian employer who is a very prominent businessman.
Worked for him for 8 years now and we may have differing opinions on certain matters but have never been made to feel that his blood is more royal than mine nor my poop is stinkier than his (LOL).
Maybe you should not be too quick to jump up and make such generalizations about Caymanians people.
In any place you go you are going to find some good and some bad. So you should not make assumuptions and make it sound like all Caymanians are bad people, rather most of the time they tend to be some of the best people to work for, and be around.
The statement was "some of the Caymanians". I did not say all. Please read before responding.
Nows that is a ridiculous exaggeration and libel if I ever read one. There is NOTHING in Cayman that in any way remotely compares to what was experienced by black people in the American South with its Klu Klux Klan, lynchings, beatings, false trials, segregated public bathrooms etc. You do a grave injustice by trivializing the suffering of black people in the struggle for civil rights. You must be out of your mind. Why would you want to be a long time visitor to such an awful place? Your post simply reeks of malice.