Miller calls for ‘human shield’
(CNS): The independent member for North Side has warned that the people of North Side, East End and Bodden Town may have to form a “human shield” to protect their districts from the threat of the commercial seaport proposed by Joseph Imparato that has received government backing. Speaking at a meeting in his district on Tuesday night, Ezzard Miller said that while he and his fellow legislator and member for East End, Arden McLean, were doing all they could to fight the proposal, they needed the backing of the people to prevent it from happening and save their districts. He warned that once government commits itself to the project it will be very difficult for the MLAs to prevent it from happening and it would need a strong public outcry.
“We can’t do this alone,” Miller told the crowd that had gathered at the civic centre. “If we can’t get the governor to stop it, we will go to London to try and stop it,but once it passes into law we can’t stop it.”
Miller called on the people to be ready to go to George Town and demonstrate on the stairs of the Legislative Assembly and close George Town down if necessary to get the message out. Warning that the premier already seemed fully committed to the project, Miller said real action would be required to stop it from going ahead. “We may need to put up a human shield to stop this,” Miller said.
During the meeting, which was well attended, Miller, who was joined by McLean, listed the many issues he had with the proposal to construct a commercial seaport in High Rock that included home cruise porting, transhipment and oil and gas storage, among other things. As well as the environmental hazards, the North Side representative pointed out that the developer did not have a proper business plan and, more importantly, no commitments from any shipping or cruise lines to use the port. He dismissed Imparato’s claims that if he built the port, people would come.
Miller listed a catalogue of problems with the proposal and trashed the latest reports from Deloitte, stating that the figures were unrealistic. He said most of the information being put out by the developer was hype and the figures were plucked from thin air. He also pointed to the absence of key information.
“The glaring omission from all the propaganda is the missing statistics about the current port,” he added. With no assessments about the current George Town cargo facility, which he believed was some forty years away from reaching its capacity as it is now, Miller said he was unable to understand the need to move the port. He also noted the existing cargo facility was earmarked to be improved during the cruise berthing development and it was evident the country did not need a new cargo dock in East End.
Miller further revealed that Imparato proposed to develop an oil pipeline from his port to George Town so he could move the oil storage tanks from South Sound, which was gaining support from some people living in that neighbourhood. Warning of the obvious environmental disaster, Miller also pointed to the very real dangers inherent in such a proposal. However, as CUC is in George Town, if the oil loading dock was moved to East End it had to get back to the capital somehow.
This was just once example, the MLA said, of the obvious problems with so much of the proposal and that people had to use their common sense. The real motivation, Miller stated, was simple: it was to quarry the fill that he was currently prevented from accessing on the land he owned. “I can’t believe anything in these proposals is real except the quarrying,” he said. Depending on the use of the fill, Miller said the developer stood to gain more than $300 million in profit from selling a chunk of the Cayman Islands overseas.
Miller implored the people of the Cayman Islands not to take the information the developer was circulating at face value and to drill down and ask questions about all of his claims, as he said they would soon discover none of them made any commercial sense.
Arden McLean, who is spearheading the opposition to the project as it will be situated in the heart of his district, said that while the issues was physically about East Enders, North Siders and Bodden Towners, it was really about the whole country and it was not a case of “not in my back yard”.
He noted that this was the first time that politicians were taking up against a development because they recognised it was not a positive project and because they genuinely believe it would be to the detriment of the Cayman Islands and all of its people.
“We don’t have his money to campaign but we have you,” the opposition politician said as he called on the public countrywide to get behind the campaign and stop the project. McLean said that the petition would be distributed islandwide for everyone to sign, as well as registered voters. He said they were aiming for thousands of signatures to show government the strength of feeling against the proposal, which he knew was out there, he said.
On the launch of the petition on Saturday morning, the MLAs collected over 200 signatures and more people have signed on-line. People at the meeting were also signing on Tuesday evening and agreed to take sheets away with them to circulate. Many people at the meeting pledged their support for the politicians in their campaign, including 89-year-old former sea captain Ashton Smith, who warned the proposal was foolhardy and dangerous.
A number of audience members spoke about the underlying and simmering unrest in the country at present and warned that the opposition to the seaport was not the only thing that may drive people to civil disobedience.
Sign the on line petition here
Go to East End Seaport website
Category: Headline News
Absolutely No!….to this shortsighted and selfish proposal.
Our forefathers situated the current port at GT on the lee (not windward) side of the island for good reason.
We cannot allow a very few greedy rich people to completely destroy the only remaining environmentally prestine part of Grand Cayman, the last part which even resembles a Caribbean island (with this Heavy Industrial project).
Develop GT Port and let’s leave the eastern districts for more "island style" environmentally friendly projects.
With rising seas all over the world, Cayman Islands will cease to exist before too long. All problems will be solved at once, including this one. And when I hear about "progress", only crude materiality and overconsumption come to mind.
The only option for a country like Cayman Islands is to preserve it as pristine as possible and invest into ecotourism, a growing trend globally as people become increasingly environmentally conscious.
Hope you do not ask Government to provide services to you when the money leaves this country! We will really have “progress” then! Remember you cannot eat maiden plum and cliff rock.
I guess you can eat quarry dust and drink salt water coz that’s all you’re going to get. Cayman is not good enough for Joe and his family; he only wants to bleed the island and leave a mess as usual. No, he is not going to hire Caymanians. Who does?
Yeesh, just let the man dig his quarry. At least then we will have somewhere to dump all the garbage.
AN OBSERVATION:
What would Ezzard be without Arden the Brawn; and Arden be without Ezzard the Brains! If Arden spearheaded this project by himself, we would know so little. He has mouth and that’s it! If Ezzard spearheaded this project by himself, he would not have all the support of East End without Arden rallying them. Northsiders are to quiet in their hammocks.
I have one question! Please excuse me if it is repetition!
"Can the Cayman Islands residents obtain access or a copy of the signed Deloitte assessment report of the East End Port"?
This is a reasonable request as we can view the issues with a view to make their own decision to either support or disapprove the project.
Moreover knowledge is "power" and trust can only go so far; so let us review this information so we are able to support our MLAs for what is best for our country and its people!
You could always make a FOI request.
I must say I am impressed that these two politicians have opposed the proposed port. I really don’t even care if it’s a politicial stunt..the Eastern Districts are as close as we get to the real Cayman in my humble opinion. How many people, local and otherwise do you hear commenting on the quietude and the tranquility that comes with this part of the island? Plenty plenty!! If the developer is so keen on building a port, he can help out Decco/Royal whathever the heck their name is and those working on the port in town! Is nothing sacred anymore? Can we just leave the East alone??!!! Sheeesh!
Human Shields!
The more i think about that ‘human shields’ i cringe
Opportunists might use the occassion to perpetrate unlawful activities.It seems that all the robberies and murders and burglaries in the Islands already is not enough .Now we are hearing about human shields. So-called innocent actions like these can lead to civil disturbance and unrest which can result in a greater evil than the evil the activists are protesting against. Those of us who watch international events and documentaries must have seen in other countries where university students demonstration, socker victory celebrations, gas hike protest, and similar passive resistances caused wide scale destruction and loss of lives and yet we are willing to risk it in the islands. Just be careful how we enjoy our freedoms and civil rights and think what picture we want to create to the world and especially the tourist and foreign investors. There are no iron ore, or coal mines or car assembly plants or large farms exporting farm produce from here.
mr milller shuould be running this island….by far the only man with some real sense.
Where were these 2 "Environmentalists" during the proposal for the project that was similar in South Sound?
Guess they didn’t care much about the effects it would have on George Town or its people at that time. Guess they have gone green over night.
This is clearly a political stunt, Why don’t they point out that they would like the government to have a MOU done so that at least 1 out of every 3 ships that visits the island each day must dock in this proposed port?
Then allow the people in East End to set up their stores / cabanas / shops / etc. under the same duty concessions that will be offered to the developer, if any.
Or at least secure some of the facilities to East Enders, they could even ensure that East End and North Side companies (such as those working on the Schools) have guaranteed work with the project.
These are the things that these two politicians should be concentrating on. Not stopping progress work and economic growth.
How about not only ensuring that CUC has a direct line to Fuel, but that the Country moves forward in distributing propane on a grid type scale. This would ensure that we will all have access to cleaner more efficient fuel.
How about we really be environmentally logical and ensure that all ships Cargo or Cruise must only burn diesel fuel or cleaner when in port and not heavy fuel as they do now?
Why don’t they ensure that the fill is supplied to Government and us regular folks at the same discounted rate he will be selling it to the abroad companies?
Why don’t they ensure that the cargo facility must be equipped with proper scanning equipment so that we can decrease the number of drugs and weapons coming into Cayman?
This is what I would want a real politician to do for me and my country men/women. Please guys, think of all those who cannot afford lunch for their children at school, or the family that cannot get groceries. The money that we will spend on this petition, we could use to help those in need. The time you take going from door to door, or even to London as you intend, we can use to feed our own that are in need.
Caymanian.
Just wanted to say …
As a young Caymanian I am truly impressed by the strong opposition to this project. Finally we as a people are seeing the bigger picture and looking beyond the smoke and mirrors being erected around us.
Hopefully this will be the beginning of a new type of "Caymanian spirit".
Let us keep the momentum going folks – talk is cheap!
When the time comes I trust we will all back our words with our deeds.
All the best Cayman.
Come on Cayman, let’s show support for these two elected members and all lay down in front of the equipment and stop this project. You all know Arden and Ezzard love us. They would do it for us. Come on now. While we are laying down in the path of the equipment our two heros here can be sitting in their ac trucks cheering us on. Come on Cayman.
No jobs for Caymanians…wonder why? When is this island going to wake up and realise that the whole world is passing us by. Is ok for Miller how much does he earn??
Think of your sons and daughters and their employment opportunities…you will drive all foreign investment (which is what 90% of the jobs on this islands are dervived from) away for good.
Wake up Cayman before it is too late!!
What side you two MLAs are on? Are you for PEACE and Order in these Islands or you wants civil diobedience and all the evil effects that goes with it?
Its showtime!
Time for CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE!
better known as our RIGHTS TO OPPOSE A PLAN THAT WILL CAUSE US GREAT HARM! for which the UDP is responsible!
Ezzard has said publicly that the EE Seaport will cause flooding in North Side during a Hurricane. What a load of utter rubbish and sadly, people believe him. Here is an opportunity for the people of the Eastern Districts to obtain a piece of this economic miracle and these two XXXX are going all out to prevent their constituents from doing so. Keep them poor and beholding to you and you will always have their vote.
XXXX
To Anon Wed. 12/08/10 I suppose you also believed that Grand Cayman would not be affected by storm surge from Hurricane Ivan.
@ Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/08/2010 – 09:03.
DUH!!! If the port is built and if we get a pesky little hurricane, where do you think all that lovely miles-deep sea water is going? Throughout East End & North Side. Remember what Ivan did to High Rock Road – well imagine that without the High Rock to protect the people of East End and North Side.
Use your head before you comment…smh*
Are you really that dense? Have you seen the proposed design? Have you? Do you realize that this project has not received Planning approval and there are many requirements that will need to be incorporated into the design?
Obviously I have seen the design, and obviously you have not driven past Savannah to even have an inkling of an idea of what I am talking about.
I will repeat for you – THINK BEFORE YOU TYPE…smh*
If we ever get a Hurricane that floods North Side via this port, I promise you, that even without the Port, EE and BT will be destroyed. Now please, go back to the "Jesus told me in a dream last night…." BS and stop repeating stupidity of dumb and dumber.
Camana Bay was a mistake. Ritz was a mistake. Let’s save the mangroves. If it was not for Camana Bay and the Ritz today many of us would be unemployed including the owners of this online rag.
XXXX
My understanding of this project is that it’s on a privately owned land and privately funded. I would think that as owner and developer he will have to submit his project to the planning department. Will it not be more efficient to use all legal options within the planning department and other governmental bodies to stop this project prior of the use of human shield???A referendum appears more democratic to me than those ultimate tactics! If this project has the potential to impact people lives as apprehended than let the people decide!
I thought the people would be the ones to form the objection not Ezzard and Arden dictating what they would like the people to do. Something sounds very fishy here to me…..If all the facts are in and the people of BT, NS, and EE all agree then it is time. I see a personal vendetta here…….
To A Welcome Wed 12/08/10 12:50 The people who sign the petition are expressing their objection;the people who do not sign are not .The two Mlas are doing their duty by explaining their stances ,while at the same time seeking guidance from the people that they represent.Both have said that their votes will be guided by the wishes of their constituents,thus the meetings and petition.By the way of clarification , some people who do not sign may not have done so for various reasons such as fear of intimidation, it does not mean that they are in support of the project.And that fishy smell ;that’s from all the fish and other marine life that will be rotting in The Botanic Park after being washed up during a hurricane.
only country in the world not encouraging forigin investment . will only learn a lesson whhe forigin currency dry up.
Its miller TIME 5 o clock somewere
Re: "what has the east end seaport got to do with northside?"
Actually, the proposed "East End Seaport" concerns every single Caymanian national and resident my friend.
For example, do you think our visitorswill come and say;
"Oh, I really don’t like that huge and imposing eyesore of a misplaced monstrosity in East End."
No. Instead they will question where is the vision of the country and why wassomeone not able to realize that such a proposal should have been nipped in its budding stages.
Hence the evident mass opposition today.
Personally, I find it ridiculous for any proposed project of such magnitude to be whittled down to the sole concern of a particular district(s).
However, such an approach simplifies the wishes of "developers" and "investors" therefore I doubt that we will see any changes in that regard.
I really wish the "leaders" of Cayman would wake up.
(Who knows, perhaps they are sharing their beds – if you know what I mean.)
Unless I missed it and stand to be corrected if I did so, a glaring omission was the basic information as to the turnout at this North side event. Were there 5 people there or 50?
How can you write about an event like this and omit the number of people there?
This issue really has little to do with the North Side.
Too few to mention! There were 6 and 4 were for the project!!!
To Wed 12/08/2010 14:11 To err is human but to tell an outright lie is something else.Perhaps you should take a look at the Cayman 27 video ,and apologise for passing out misleading information.
‘This issue really has little to do with the North Side.’
What? This issue has alot to do with everybody residing on these Islands.
This project will give the Cayman Islands a much needed economic shot in the arm, we can all sit here and complain about everything the government has proposed to do but we have to realize that money does not grow on a tree nor does it fall from the sky. We need this to get money flowing again. Mr Miller and Mr. Mclean are playing politricks at a time when Caymanians are desperate and starving , this does not sit well with me.
The only thing you will get to eat from this quarry is flying dust
Over the years the MLA’s and people of East End and North Side have been asking for investment and employment for their districts. But every time someone proposes any project, there is the same response of "it will damage the environment and the pristine look of the area" and that the "investor is only out to make money". However, there is no suggestion of what would be acceptable. It seems that the objectors just want someone to "give" the area money, go away, get no return and let the people spend it as they want. No investor is ever going to do that – in fact it is surprising that any investor is still trying to help the area, given the flack they have to take
If you want to oppose these projects, then come up with some sensible and practicable alternatives that will benefit the area’s unemployment problems and the country but will still give an investor an acceptable return – don’t just oppose it for the sake of opposing it
My point exactly, first the say to GO EAST, when someone finally does They are saying NO….what two jokers…
What rubbish. EEnders were happy about the proposal for the Oriental Mandarin. We need to develop the area for tourists and enhance their experience not chase them away by destroying the environment.
In light of the discussion see;
<http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/federal/judicial/fed/opinions/95opinions/95-1354.html>
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. Plato
Very true statement as we have see in Cayman for the last few years.
Everything
EZZARD AND ARDEN YOU WOULD BETTER UTILIZE ALL OF OUR TIME IF THIS PETITION WAS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST THE PORT IN EAST END. Tomorrow Big Mac will have more work for You and the rest of us to do trying to keep him straight! you need a more comprehensive petition that deals with the following issues:
1. Removing Big Mac from Office
2 Stop the Imparato Project
3. No mining of our Mt. Trashmore. (Too dangerous for a little 144 square miles territory like ours if it explodes!)
4.Petition to preserve and protect ourselves as a TAX FREE HAVEN FOREVER! if we don’t we are doomed. Its all we have to offer offshore investment.Don’t let Big Mac take that away from us!.
5.Stop the raping of Bank accounts 7 years young! this is way too early It takes 10 – 15 years to save up for a College fund., Stop Raping college fund bank accounts! Only 30 to 50 year old accounts should be considered DORMANT OR UNCLAIMED. Any 6 or 7 years old bank account is normal time for poor people saving up for anything.
6. The Berthing Dock in George Town our land protected from being lost in a lease that is TOO LONG! We need the property to be leased in a way that we will not lose our public land to Billionaire developers.
The Premier is destroying the country’s wealth and our natural resources at a very fast pace and we want him out of office. The man is a loose cannon!
Please add Items One thru 6 to the petition, it will make more sense and you can say that you are really looking out for everyone.
I have to agree with 11:11. Don’t fall for Mckeeva with that human shield business. he will turn it around and use it against you. And all those who now say they would support you (too many civil servants at risk. It could de stabilize our country and as one said could be used for other reasons than just Imperato proposal. Time to take a stand, get a well tought strategy and go for it. Too many things not right. Too many people ticked off. It’s not a human shield we need it’s the Premier out. It’s getty mighty scary and don’t look too good. Time to take sides now and work TOGETHER. We have very little say when you come and think of it and it don’t take a rocket scientist to see what we are becoming.
Whether you like it or not, it is a fact that the Developer of this project already has a substantial amount of control over the lives of Caymanians.
He is into CUC and just about everything else that Caymaniansdepend on and balking about this project will not have any effect on stopping it.
Money talks, and the developer has already invested heavily in this project so balking wont mean anything here.
By the way, wasnt the go east initiative the brainchild of Chuckie who now seems to be grasping at any straw like the drowning man. Would someone toss him a life-ring. Looks like he really could use one.
The "Go East Initiative" had nothing to do with turning EE into a heavy industrial zone or destroying the environment but rather enhancing and developing tourism attractions and building cottage industries.
We are enthusiastically encouraged by Mr. Imperato to inform and educate ourselves by visiting his East End port website, yet it yields little meaningful information.
It’s like reading one of those ads for a dietary supplement that’s supposed to address every possible illness, but the further you read, the more you realize it’s just froth and pretty pictures, and very little froth at that. The port is presented in complete isolation from its enormous infrastructural needs and social consequences, prices to be paid by the Caymanian people.
How it does relate to the $200 million expansion of the G.T. cruise facility and the separately proposed mega-yacht marina in George Town? The necessary airport extension? The diesel pipeline into town to feed CUC? The design and location of all the new roads and the cutting off of the coastal scenic road? There is no mention of a treatment plant for the effluent and waste from the returning home-port cruise ships. No cash flow analysis of the existing port to help us understand the potential economic model for the new port. No mention of the effects on residents and their property values, caused by an incessant stream of aggregate trucks and buses. In short, there is nothing to help one form a decision as to its desirability, or its location, a decision which will have huge consequences for Cayman, good or bad.
It just goes on and on, and confirms my belief that this is about manipulating the law to allow a quarry. A port appears to make no economic or logistical sense. Even the simplest plans, such as shipping aggregate overseas, appear to lack economic reason, and if they supply locally, what about the other suppliers? Will they be forced under? If we do need a port, then we already have deep man-made lakes inland that can be joined together, and which are now environmentally useless and make Cayman look a Swiss cheese from the air.
This guy’s an absolute political demagogue opportunist and is willing to sell out the country’s interest to gain some immediate public admiration while using peoples emotions to defeat projects from pure ignorant stances!. Sir, you are no statesman, you have a lot of people fooled, but you, and others like you are exactly what the country DOES NOT NEED. Rather tyhan promoting anger and emotions. you would point to them to the FACTS and NOT ONLY THE DOWN SIDES, BUT THE UPSIDES AS WELL and allow people to make their own conclusions, NOT TO FORM FREAKING HUMAN SHIELDS!!
Which idiot would stand in the way of the creation of economic inward flow to an area where there is virtually NONE!
The downtown sea port is an absolute eyesore, its has horrendous traffic management and incredibly limited capacity. But we WANTAND EXPECT economic growth, more jobs, better opportunity.
These are the types of projects that should be SUPPORTED IRRESPECTIVE OF POLITICS AND PARTY.
Cayman needs statesmen, not these types of circus clowns, because that’s exactly what they are!
please can he use all the elected MLA’s in this current joke of a governing body as the human shield, and please can Mr Imparato purchase some very large bulldozers
this country is nuts….we’re looking gift-horses in the mouth…..so what if imparato never builds out all his plans, just put a decent levy on the export of quarry and lets ride this wave……so what if dart wants to build an insane project in the cruise harbour, make him pay us for it……so what if Shetty wants to build a million hotel rooms or whatever craziness that whole thing is, lets tax him to do it……where else in the world are people turning AWAY massive infrastructure projects???
and for what? a sense of timeless romance for a land long, long forgotten? we dont live in 1950 mosquito cayman anymore….but we’re going back there very, very fast if we’re not careful
all we ever do is moan about how it was, and who’s making what…whilst all the time the other countries in this region get on with it, planning for the future….we’re not planning, we’re digging graves
Tax Shetty. Didn’t you read he’s getting virtually everything tax free?
what has the east end seaport got to do with northside?
ezzard miller using an opportunity for a backward, small town, soundbite…..
I think you had better go look at the plans for this sea port … It’s HUGE ! And will effect everyone and everything, wake up people !
What does this proposed development have to do with Bodden Town?
At the site of the proposed development there is a ridge running parallel to shore a short distance inland. As it stands now, this ridge has been the effective breakwater holding back the highest seas as hurricanes pass. There is dead vegatation on the narrow strip of land on the sea side of this ridge. Salt water poured into the area and fouled the soil during Hurricane Ivan. On the inland side of the ridge the soil was protected.
Development of a seaport at the proposed location would require blasting a hole in the island, and right through this protective ridge.
When – not if – a significant hurricane hits, sea water would rush through the gap created by this proposed sea port. Naturally this water would flow downhill. Downhill from this location is the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (can we make little life jackets for the blue iguanas to ride the wave of sea water?) and Frank Sound. Salt water would keep flowing until it either 1) subsided into the soil poisoning the freshwater aquifer and killing the plantlife in the farming areas of North Side and East End, and/or 2) reached all the way to North Sound near the natural drainage point in the area of Booby Cay.
East End, North Side, Bodden Town and all of Cayman stand to lose.
Who cares? At least he’s doing SOMETHING! Please go back to contemplating your belly button or annoy some other publication.
This has to do with anybody and everybody living on these Islands.
This kind of menatility is exactly why Cayman continues to slide downhill.
A project of this magnitude and any Government backing/financing/contracts/permissions/waivers etc. exposes the entire country, not just East End.
Stop looking at your district only and consider the entire country. If the country suffers, your district will suffer also!
I WILL be part of that Human Shield, even though I am not from either East End, North Side or Bodden Town.
I am Caymanian and these Districts are all part of my interest, so that is what North Side has to do with East End – We ARE ONE!
To Anon Wed12/08/10 09:03 Your description of North Side/ East End as backward small towns says all that we need to know about you.Therefore we would expect you to support something that will destroy these districts.