Archive for June, 2010

New board to examine government e-commerce

Cayman News | 21/06/2010 | 10 Comments

(CNS): The goal of allowing the public to do business with government electronically is to be examined by a newly created three-member board. The initiative aims to streamline government business with the use of information technology. Government officials said the move will help cut expenditure, boost efficiency, improve customer service and “foster interactions between government departments and members of the community” who do business with it.

Chaired by George Town MLA, Ellio Solomon Cabinet Secretary Orrett Connor; and Chief Officer in the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs Franz Manderson will also serve on the new “E-Government Board” which has been appointed by Cabinet.

The members are tasked with recommending and overseeing the application of technology to restructure and re-engineer business processes. The board will oversee a series of small review teams, including private-sector leaders and businessmen, who will help identify out-of-date official business processes and recommend to the board how best to develop a long-term e-government strategy.

The new board will beseeking the views of everyone involved and will allow the wider public the opportunity to provide feedback.

"The ‘E’ is no longer simply for ‘electronic’, but is equally about our pursuit for perfection, seeking to ‘evolve’ the way we do business," Solomon said. "I believe that the economic challenges that we now face as a country must be used to encourage a change in the way we do business and to take our position as leaders in the region."

E-commerce in general faces a number of hurdles in Cayman in the private sector as well as the public, not least because of the failure by most of the retail banks to offer on-line merchant accounts. With the exception of Butterfield, local banks are reluctant to offer the necessary facilities that would allow business to sell their goods on line.

Although the vast majority of Cayman Islands businesses have websites the lack of online payment systems is acting as a barrier to the development of local e-retail.

Before a business can accept money online it must set up an internet payment gateway and then have that gateway pass the money to their bank, but without a special online merchant account the business owner cannot receive the payments. Tower Market introduced a gateway to Cayman called C-pay some five years ago expecting it to facilitate the take off of online shopping, but because of the slow uptake by local banks to offer online merchant accounts, e-retail still only accounts for a tiny percentage of trade in Cayman.

Cayman’s broadband internet use has grown rapidly in the last few years, and according to the Economics and Statistics Office, more than 60% of households now have broadband internet access.

Law reformers circulate draft arbitration bill

Cayman News | 21/06/2010 | 5 Comments

(CNS): Following the development of a draft bill, the Law Reform Commission is asking the public to offer final comment on a proposed new Arbitration Bill. The Commission circulated the discussion paper ‘Review of the Arbitration Laws in the Cayman Islands’, which formed the basis of the new law over one year ago on 11 May 2009. The Bill seeks to modernise the conduct of domestic and international arbitration in the Cayman Islands by streamlining the current legislative regime and introducing provisions which, the commission said, are consistent with existing legislative models in other jurisdictions.

Comments are invited from the public on any aspect of the draft Arbitration Bill, 2010. The Bill may be viewed on the following website: www.gov.ky.

Submissions should be posted no later than 23 July, 2010 to the Director, Law Reform Commission, c/o Government Administration Building or delivered by hand to the offices of the Commission on 3rd Floor Anderson Square or emailed to cheryl.neblett@gov.ky.

Debate ends as ministers quiet

Cayman News | 21/06/2010 | 15 Comments

(CNS): Not one of the government’s minsters or back benchers stood to add anything to the 2010/11 budget debate in the Legislative Assembly on Friday. Even though the occasion traditionally offers all members of the House the opportunity to talk about their achievements and their future plans, none of the UDP members exercised their right to speak. Following opposition member Arden McLean, the premier stood to begin his right reply to the contributions from the opposition benches and wind up the debate. McKeeva Bush said they had no right to criticise the budget as all the problems he faced were the fault of the PPM and once again he had heard no solutions from the leader of the opposition. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)

On Friday evening the premier said he would make his full reply to end the budget debate on Monday morning (21 June) but not before he had criticised his opposition colleagues and once again blamed them for the continuing financial difficulties. He said the opposition had made a mess when in office and left the country without any money. He accused them of driving business away and doing nothing but “building a few roads” and starting some buildings.

“They are the very bunch that ruined everything,” Bush added.

The premier accused McLean and Miller of talking nonsense over their objections to the cargo port in East End and that the debate was over. “I have let people say what they want,” Bush said, adding that the member for East End could lay down in front of bulldozers or trucks but he was going to get it done.

Bush told the Legislative Assembly that the opposition did not know anything about developing and attracting business but yet he had to sit down and listen to them when they did not understand he was trying to build something for the future. He accused the opposition of trying to make a comeback before calling for an adjournment until Monday when he said he would be dealing more fully with their criticisms.

The debate on the budget will end once the premier finishes his right to reply this morning and the members will then begin the scrutiny of the government’s spending plans and revenue expectations in the finance committee.

The Finance Committee stage usually provides the members with the opportunity to talk to chief offices in each department and to question them directly on spending plans. This will be the first time the committee will be chaired by the premier in his role as Minister of Finance and he has already indicated that things will be done differently and he will be seeking to keep the deliberations short.

‘Port is excuse for quarry’

Cayman News | 20/06/2010 | 42 Comments

(CNS): The motive behind government plans to develop a cargo port in East End has been queried by local MLAs who say the real goal is to quarry aggregate from the land where a lake would be developed as part of the facility. On Friday Ezzard Miller, the independent representative for North Side, and the PPM representative for East End, Arden McLean, both voiced their strong opposition to the cargo port proposal, which government has cited as one of the public/private partnerships that will form part of its economic recovery plan. The MLAs said the developer who owns the land in the area and who has proposed the initiative is planning to build the cargo port in order to get at the fill, which is worth millions of dollars.

During his contribution to the budget debate Miller said he was very worried about the proposed East End cargo port and the talk of excavating a 50-60 foot deep lake in the middle of the island. He said that the people he had spoken with about the project who were knowledgeable about the commercial shipping industry said it was very unlikely the developer could recoup his investment as there was not enough business in the region to support it. However, it appeared that the fill that would be taken to create the lake would be extremely valuable.

Miller said he believed the excavation of the lake would produce some 14-15 million cubic yards of fill — a quantity that Cayman could never utilize. “If this is being done to send the fill somewhere else I have serious objections,” Miller told the Legislative Assembly, warning that the creation of the lake could have serious consequences for his constituents during storms, since they would be down hill from it. “I remain to be convinced this is a good thing,” Miller stated.

When McLean stood to make his comments, the East End MLA and former PPM minister for Public Works also said he had concerns about the proposal. He said if the country moved its cargo operations from town to the eastern district it would require substantially more investment in roads, including four lane highways to accommodate the container trucks.

But he too also had serious concerns about what the developer really wanted to do on this land in McLean’s constituency.

“They want to build a quarry not a dock!” he declared angrily, adding that as long as he had breath in his body he would not let it happen. “We must stop being so gullible,” McLean added as he inferred that too many developers had taken advantage of Caymanians in the past and he said he would not allow the same thing to happen in East End while he still occupied the seat in parliament for the district.

“While I have this little piece of real estate here, no premier and no Joe Imparato is going to walk all over me,” he said, referring to the land owner who is proposing to put the cargo dock on property he owns in McLean’s district. “This has to stop,” added McLean.

He suggested that the fill would be worth millions of dollars to the land owner, and that it would be sold offshore and Cayman would receive nothing for the literal loss of its land.

The issue of wealthy developers taking advantage of Cayman was also raised by Miller during his address. He said he had concerns about the wide impact on the country’s future. “We need to control people with massive wealth coming and buying up all the land and developing. What are we leaving our children?” Miller asked.

The North Side representative also asked where the money for the fill that would be generated from dredging a channel in the North Sound was mentioned in government’s revenue forecasts as he could not see it in the budget documents.

Miller told the House that, while he supported the idea of a channel, it should be shallower and not built for mega yachts or for the Ritz Carlton and Camana Bay but to assist the marina built at Barcadere by the Scotts, who are Caymanians.

He said government may also want to think twice about who it worked with on the development of the cruise piers in George Town, as he had recently learned a number of things about the developer with which it had signed an MOU. Miller questioned how he had come to be involved when the criteria on the original advertisement government had put out to find a partner for the facility asked for like experience. “It asked for people who had undertaken similar projects and I can’t find any such experience by the company that signed the MOU. So why was it not eliminated right away?” Miller asked the House.

He revealed other concerns about the developer when he said he had received a call from an overseas journalist recently to ask what he knew about this particular developer and vulture funds. Miller said he had known nothing at the time so went looking and learned what these funds were. He said they were so bad that the UK had outlawed them. Miller told the House they involved buying third world national debts and then forcing the governments in question to pay up through court orders.

Miller said he found articles on the web indicating that the individual developer was living in Cayman under armed guard and asked the government how, if it was indeed true, anyone in Cayman could legally have armed private guards. The North Side representatives said he advised members of the Legislative Assembly and the public to ‘Google’ the person in question and ask themselves if this was who they wanted their government to do business with.

Miller offers alternatives

Cayman News | 20/06/2010 | 11 Comments

(CNS): Echoing the leader of the opposition’s objections to a fuel duty increase, the independent member of the Legislative Assembly for North Side said there were other options government could pursue to raise money and eliminate more spending in this year’s budget. Ezzard Miller told the House on Friday during his contribution to the budget debate that government should change the customs tariffs, increase vehicle and driving license fees and cut more in operational expenses. He said he was almost prepared to support the fuel increase, but as Cayman Brac was exempt when his constituents had to travel so far to work meant he could not support such an inflationary increase. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)

In a speech that touched on a wide variety of issues, from MLAs claiming their pensions while still serving as members of the House to foreign nationals running tour operations in his constituency without proper licenses, Miller said he did not think the government had made any real cuts in the budget. The MLA for North Side also said government was expecting revenue to increase after it had predicted a decline in GDP, which did not make sense.

After close examination of the budget, he said it appeared operating expenses had gone up by $5 million, and civil service costshad not gone down by the $7 million as expected as a result of the 3.2% cut but appeared to have increased. Government had also predicted to earn $19 million more in revenue, which he told his parliamentary colleagues was “rather ambitious” as demand for goods was expected to be negative, according to other indicators.

Miller also raised questions about the medical director of health, the negative interviewing of Caymanians, and the lack of police in his constituency despite constantly asking for support. He said crime was a serious problem but Cayman had good laws that just needed to be enforced. Miller suggested clamping down on local real estate scams where people were leaving out sellers’ details in paperwork to avoid paying stamp duty on property transfers. Criticising the real estate sector in general, he said it was time to introduce a local realtor’s qualification at UCCI and a moratorium on work permits in the business to create opportunities for Caymanians.

Among the variety of topics he touched on, he voiced his concern that despite reassurances from government to him after tabling a motion, there was nothing in the budget documents to say the Public Management and Finance Law was being reviewed during this session of the LA. The North Side representative noted that as government was compliant with only two of the principles of responsible financial management it was clear the law had to be changed.

Offering alternatives to the fuel duty increase, Miller said that government could raise most of the $10 million expected to be generated by the 25 cents on fuel by increasing the various categories of vehicle licensing, which was a one off payment and easier for people to cope with. He also said there was room for an increase in the driving license fee as it had been several years since it was changed.

However, Miller’s focus was on the custom’s tariffs, as he said everyone would benefit from a flat rate of around 15% rather than so many different rates and so many indiscriminate things being duty free. He said there was no longer any justification for it and a flat rate would cut collection costs for government and preparation time for businesses. He pointed out that it could take several hours to work out the duty rates they needed to be paid on a forty-foot container of mixed goods.

Talking about “good governance”, Miller said it had been used to describe “a multitude of sins” but he said it was time for people to work together, especially in the Legislative Assembly where, he said, the rise of adversarial politics had been detrimental. “The recent history of adversarial politics needs to stop we all need to be able to contribute,” Miller observed. “Every single member of this House has something to offer in running the country; we need to be involved.”

As he wound up his diverse contribution, he warned that he would also be presenting some amendments to the budget during the Finance Committee hearings, which he hoped the government would consider.

Have you seen this man?

Cayman News | 18/06/2010 | 68 Comments

(CNS): Chad Anglin, aged 30, from the West Bay area (photo left) is wanted by police for questioning in connection with a violent assault on a woman in the early hours of Thursday morning (17 June). The RCIPS says the woman was rescued by two patrolling officers who approached the car in which the attack took place but she sustained bruising to her face and a cut to her throat. The police are calling on the public to assist in tracing Anglin and released a photograph of him Friday. According to the RCIPS, just before 2:00 am that morning two officers from the RCIPS Uniform Support Group were on patrol in Garvin Road, West Bay. They approached a parked vehicle and interrupted a savage attack which was taking place on a young woman in the car. The offender ran off into the bushes as the officers approached.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Kennett said, “The victim had sustained bruising to her face and a cut to her throat. She was bleeding heavily. Officers immediately called for assistance from other officers while they rendered first aid. An extensive police operation followed but as yet no arrests have been made. The officers, by going about their normal patrolling duty, clearly prevented what could have been an even worse attack. It’s imperative that we locate Chad Anglin as soon as possible. If anyone knows where he is they should contact police immediately.

“We hope the release of this photograph today will alert the public to the fact that we need to trace this individual urgently – butit also underlines our commitment in the RCIPS to use every means available to apprehend those suspected of violent crime as quickly as possible.”

Anyone with any information about this crime or the whereabouts of Anglin should inform the police immediately. Calls can also be made to Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS).

Spaghetti O’s with Meatballs recalled

Cayman News | 18/06/2010 | 2 Comments

(CNS): Foster’s Food Fair IGA has pulled “Campbell Spaghetti O’s with Meatballs” off their shelvesfollowing the voluntary recall of the product by Campbell Soup Supply Company, LLC. The proactive measure was taken, says Fosters, to ensure the safety and well-being of customers. Approximately 15,000,000 pounds of the canned product has been recalled due to possible under-processing, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The problem was discovered through a routine warehouse inspection by the company and its subsequent investigation. FSIS has received no reports of illnesses from consumption of these products.

Fosters said consumers who have purchased this product should stop using it immediately, and until Foster’s Food Fair IGA has a further correspondence from the manufacture on this affected product, moving forward, it will not be available. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, however the safety of our customers is our top priority,” a release said and urged all customers who have purchased this product to return the affected product to their Foster’s Food Fair IGA of purchase for a full refund.

As more information is available from Food Safety Inspection on the affected Campbell Spaghetti O’s product and the circumstances of this recalled item, Foster’s Food Fair IGA will make the information available via further communication with the media.

Tibbetts says no to fuel duty

Cayman News | 18/06/2010 | 42 Comments

(CNS): – Full story update-: Although the leader of the opposition said he was reluctant to vote no to the budget he told the Legislative Assembly on Friday that he could not support it while it contained the 25 cent rise in fuel duty. Kurt Tibbetts stated that the increase on a gallon of fuel would have a serious impact on everyone’s electricity bills and on the cost of living in general when business passed the increase on to customers. In his response to the premier’s budget presentation the opposition leader said he and his colleagues were relieved to see the three year plan, which they had advocated, even if it was vague, but criticized the budget statement for being short on detail and overly optimistic. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)

Tibbetts said the opposition agreed with a lot of things the premier had said in his statement but had concerns over the statistics. The PPM leader warned that government’s previous predictions were woefully in accurate. He reminded the House that in October the government had brought a budget which not only balanced but was expected to deliver a surplus of $5 million dollars but which had turned out to be a deficit of $50 million.

Tibbetts spoke for less than two hours in his response to McKeeva Bush’s budget presentation delivered to the House on Tuesday, when he asked the government to drop the fuel increases. The PPM leader also asked the premier to roll back the heavy business and work permit fees imposed on the private sector in the last budget whic had undermined the volume of business. He also called for action on public sector and pointed out that in an 88 page address the premier had dedicated a mere three paragraphs to address one of the country’s major concerns – the increase in violent crime.

The real cost of the proposed private finance initiatives such as the cargo port on the community, the dangers of a rising cost of living and the lack of specifics were the opposition leader’s main criticism as he delivered his response to a budget presentation which he said was full of inconsistencies and which would burden the community without addressing the burning issues.

Talking about the need for more consultation and offering support to government to improve the country’s future fortunes together, the leader of the opposition told the premier that the fuel increase was a dangerous and inflationary measure which he should reconsider.Tibbetts reminded the premier that the UDP had championed the interests of the average man and woman during the election but almost immediately had lost its concern. Government had already re-imposed the 20 cent gallon duty on diesel fuel used by CUC which had been removed by the PPM administration.

“Now a year later, the same government is proposing to further increase the cost of electricity by adding another 25 cents duty per gallon to the cost of diesel fuel. It will therefore cost the consumer 45 cents more for every gallon of diesel used to generate the electricity they consume than it did a year ago,” he said adding that this would translate to an increase in fuel bills of more then 10 percent.

The opposition leader also questioned the capital projects which the premier had cited as playing a key part in the governments economic recovery plans. He warned that private finance initiatives for public sector projects always cost the people in the end.

“The Premier talks about PFIs as though they solve the problem and make these projects affordable. Of course you can keep the cost of the project off the government’s balance sheet if you can find private investors to put up the money. But that does not make the cost disappear. The country must pay sooner or later, one way or another. The cargo dock and related facilities would be paid for by increased costs of everything landed there, everything we import by sea. The country would pay. It would pay not only for the cost of the project, but also for the profit made by the private financiers,” Tibbetts said.

He also queried the premier’s claim the projects would not require supporting infrastructure from government as it was already in place or would be built by the private investors. “How can a cargo facility be located at the East End of the Island without requiring a lot of work on roads and setting up additional operations and facilities for the Port Authority and Customs? How can Dr Shetty’s hospital project require no infrastructure? If it brings in great numbers of people to work and be treated there, will they not require all the usual range of government services? ” he asked.

When it came to the need for public sector reform, Tibbetts said the opposition agreed that it is crucial to the long term solution for controlling government spending but was disappointed to see so little detail. “We have been saying for some time that hacking at jobs and salaries is not the solution, so we are pleased to see the premier making remarks to the same effect,” Tibbetts noted. “But there is nothing in the premier’s address about other ways of reducing the cost of government, and nothing about the need for effective oversight of the public service by the governor or his delegates – which was the fundamental cause of government’s ballooning operational costs.

“After more than a full year in office and after having had the benefit of the Miller-Shaw Report….for some four months, the government should be able to say with some specificity what it is proposing to do about the fundamentals of government’s expenditure. But it hasn’t.”

He told the Legislative Assembly that government claims of cutting over 10% of the appropriations initially planned for 2010/2011 was an exercise common before very budget and nothing of consequence appears to have been done on Miller’s recommendations, much more needed to be said by government, than announcing its commitment to public sector reform.

“This late in the day the government should be telling us what exactly it proposes to do to secure a sustainable reduction in government’s operational expenditures. Surely the time for vague statements and nice sounding rhetoric on this issue must be past,” Tibbetts added.

Although the opposition leader said he recognised the premier’s statement was about the budget he was still disappointed to hear so little about crime as it was not possible to separate it from the economy. “Violent crime is already doing serious harm to our economy, and it is getting worse,” he said. “Let us put the crime problem front and centre in the country’s economic recovery plan. As long as crime remains a major national concern and there are persistent media images portraying Cayman as the new Wild West to the rest of the world, our economic fortunes will take a beating. Tourists will not feel comfortable here if our own people do not feel safe and secure. The same applies to investors whose support we need…”

Tibbetts also called on the premier to adopt a more consultative approach and proposed a national conference to discuss in detail the future options for Cayman.

“This conference should bring together key stakeholder groups and the best brains in the country – economists, sociologists, crime fighters, etc. — to engage in in-depth discussion and analysis of national problems over at least two days and agree on what needs to be done,” said Tibbetts. “Human history is essentially the history of ideas. Ideas have always served as the seeds of change for a better world.”

He said the Cayman Islands could benefit from an infusion of new ideas and challenging times call for visionary and inspiring leadership. “Caymanians are counting on us as legislators to make a difference,” Tibbetts reminded the members of the LA before he wound up his contribution to the debate.

Dive Pirates invade Cayman Brac

Cayman News | 18/06/2010 | 3 Comments

(CNS): A group of adaptive divers who make an annual week-long trip to Cayman Brac are returning tomorrow (Saturday 19 June), this time with a total of 83 people. The Dive Pirates, a non-profit organization based in Texas, gives people with disabilities and their dive buddies diving lessons and scuba gear, and then sponsors a vacation for them and their support teams at the Brac Reef Beach Resort. The DPF is funding nine new divers this year, including those who have suffered combat injuries, car accidents or illness, while six adaptive divers and their companions are self-funded.

The adaptive divers in this year’s group include 2 paraplegics, 5 quadriplegic, 4 amputees, one with partial paralysis, one closed head injury, one with burns and fused ankles, and one diver with an injured back. DPS says that this year the group will learn underwater photography with David Haas, enter various contests, and concoct “acts of piracy” during the week.

The Dive Pirates have been making annual trips to the Brac since 2004, bringing larger groups each year. The 2010 group of 83, which fills the resort to capacity, is the largest so far and the DPF may bring two groups next year, they say. The Brac Reef hotel, which was rebuilt after it was demolished in Hurricane Paloma, now has three rooms that are fully wheelchair accessible from the poolside, with all furniture, fixtures and fittings designed to accommodate wheelchairs, and boardwalks in the old property have been replaced with wheelchair-friendly concrete walkways. All dive staff at the resort’s dive operation, Reef Divers, are certified SSI Adaptive Specialty Instructors.

Last year, even though the resort was still in the construction process, the Dive Pirates made their annual trip, this time with 63 divers, 15 of whom were divers with disabilities. The group stayed at the new Alexander Hotel and at Breakers condominiums and dived with Reef Divers.

While the Brac Reef’s efforts to accommodate adaptive divers had been driven by their association with the Dive Pirates, Viers said they were also beginning to get other disabled guests who had heard of them through the DPF.

Bermuda-based KeyTech to acquire WestTel

Cayman News | 18/06/2010 | 3 Comments

(The Royal Gazette): KeyTech Ltd. is set to acquire a 33 percent stake in Cayman-based WestTel Ltd. giving it complete control of the company, it was revealed yesterday. WestStar TV Ltd, the sister company of telecommunications provider WestTel Ltd. has agreed to transfer its remaining shares in the company to KeyTech, pending approval by the country’s Information, Communication and Technology Authority. KeyTech already owns 67 per cent of the shares in WestTel and following the completion of the transaction would hold all of the company’s shares. KeyTech plans to expand WestTel’s fibre-optic cable network in Cayman.

A general commercial notice posted in the Cayman Islands gazette in May noted: "As part of this application, WestTel also requested an amendment to…its ICT licence in order to delete the requirement that at least 25 per cent of its equity be held by Caymanians."

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Archive for June, 2010

New board to examine government e-commerce

Law reformers circulate draft arbitration bill

Debate ends as ministers quiet

‘Port is excuse for quarry’

Miller offers alternatives

Have you seen this man?

Spaghetti O’s with Meatballs recalled

Tibbetts says no to fuel duty

Dive Pirates invade Cayman Brac

Bermuda-based KeyTech to acquire WestTel

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