PPM: Stimulus disappointing
(CNS): The government has offered nothing new, the opposition has said in response to the premier’s stimulus plan. With the exception of the announcement that government is talking to the banks about a possible loan moratorium, the PPM’s Alden McLaughlin said the plan was essentially a rehash of the various announcements and ideas government has made over the last year. What the country needed to stimulate the economy, the opposition MLA said, was a roll back of the massive fee increases imposed at the beginning of the year. McLaughlin also noted that in his plan the premier had again failed to appreciate the impact crime was having, especially as recent comments suggested he believed crime was going down.
McLaughlin said that, with the exception of the issue over the East End Seaport, there was nothing bad in the plan but he suggested it was not really a stimulus package.
“It was not what it was hyped up to be,” the opposition member said. “Itremains to be seen if it will have any real impact. What we have seen again is the stubborn refusal to accept that it was the hike in fees which have had the most damaging effect on the economy. If the government really wants to give investors help then it must roll back the increase in fees that took effect in January.”
McLaughlin said he was delighted that the school projects were being restarted but he noted that the year or more during which work had stopped had also had a detrimental impact on the local economy. He said that while the previous administration was condemned over the public sector projects it was clear that they had played a very important part in keeping people in work.
“When it was clear we were in for a recession it was our belief that government was obliged to keep the projects going to protect jobs,” he said. “Government has an obligation to its people, and if that means you can’t balance the budget that year well, that’s just what government has to do as we need to look out for the people.”
Although the premier has criticised Keynesian economic policy, McLaughlin said he was glad to see that the premier was still putting the principles into practice where the schools were concerned. He questioned why government had allowed the work to stop for so long and added that a lost year was lost potential trickle down and economic stimulation. As the man behind the projects, he noted that the two high schools would have been finished by now if the current government had fought as hard as the previous administration to keep the work going.
The opposition member also pointed to the continuing failure of the current government to face the crime problem, which was having a direct and negative impact on the economy. McLaughlin said that, despite the comment by the premier last week that statistics revealed a decline in crime, it was nothing short of insensitive not to recognise that the community was exceptionally concerned and fearful which it came to the day to day realities of crime in Cayman.
“These are desperate times and those who don’t appreciate that are insensitive at best,” he said. “Unless we can get some kind of check on what is perceived as the realities of crime in the community, we cannot hope to have any significant economic recovery.”
The independent member for North Side was also less than enthusiastic about the premier’s stimulus package suggesting there was “nothing in it” and wondering where the specifics were. Ezzard Miller told CNS that he was disappointed.
“I really was hoping to see more specifics and something to get the economy going over Christmas,” he said, adding that the premier could have actually made things worse. “I am concerned that the hint of duty reduction could even have a negative impact on the Christmas sales period. People who were going to buy may hold on now and wait to see if there is a significant duty reduction in the New Year instead,” he added.
Category: Headline News
Hindsight is always 20/20 Mr. McLaughlin.
I am now aware of some of the tactics you use, such as getting someone to talk to other individuals for you while recording the conversion then you cherry pick from the topics discussed and present them as your own. This is a clear demonstration of someone’s inability to be a proactive thinker and unsuitable for the leadership position.
It seems the decision has already been made in regards to the PPM leadership I don’t think you would be an effective leader Mr. McLaughlin because of some the decisions you made when the PPM was the government, one reason being your attempt to build three schools at the same time which was then scaled back to two. This attempt was made while you and the PPM government were fully aware the local economy was in a downturn, which was evident because of the ongoing recession in the USA and other countries worldwide, hence the ‘global recession’ but you proceeded anyway. Don’t get me wrong the schools are direly needed but better planning such as building one school at time would have been better, one campus would have been finished for the start of this school year 2010.
The decisions of your government are the part of the reasons which lead the current UDP government to have to take measures to ensure the budgets presented were balanced which lead to Cayman getting approval from the UK to secure financing for a continuation of business for the government and to sustain the economy at a much more steady and affordable pace. Work has now restarted on the schools and is now ramping back up to a steady pace. Work has been ongoing on the low cost housing for some time now, I know several small contractors along with their workers who are benefiting tremendously from this.
An eventual increase in cutbacks on expenditure has and will to take place. All of the measures put into place can be considered necessary if not mandatory. We as citizens and business owners have to make adjustments just as the current government has, focus has to given to essential needs and not wants which eliminates waste in these slow economical times.
For the short, mid and long term we all need to commit and play our part Mr. McLaughlin whether as individuals, as a family, as a community, as a district and ultimately as a country for the betterment as a whole which will lead us back to the days of prosperity. We as Caymanians at varying levels need to plot and chart or own course through this downturn and not sit around and expect government to do everything for us everyone has to play their role no matter how small or insignificant one may consider it to be.
The increases in fees that you mentioned Mr. McLaughlin has dampen my business plans but it has lead me to revaluate and readjust certain aspects which has now proven to be more beneficial through to the long term and based on the projected outcome will prove to be more rewarding mainly because of a reduction of expenditure/overheads.
I look forward to a response from you or maybe some of your supporters.
Its a meaningless response anyway…because like previous posters have said – 1. It is too late to have any impact; and 2. Ezzard, Chucky, The Lion, Miss Daphne and others responded immediately after the Premier’s address and said precisely what Alden is now saying some one week plus later.
Is it that Alden couldn’t figure out what to say in response to McKeeva and had to get ideas from listening to others or is it the usual PPM approach that they must first guage what people are thinking about the situation before opening their mouths out of fear that they might say something unpopular…….that by the way is called cowardice !
What a mess we in…..A dictatorship government and a weak and slow opposition……..not a very good situation. WAKE UP CAYMAN !!!
This is a very slippery slope.
Always presenting a collection of other peoples ideas and responces. Never his own promp responce.
On the matter of the PPM leadership, I think he would do a great job.
Yes I agree this is another attempt by Alden to upstage Arden for the Leadership of the PPM.
Kurt should have made the statement….not Alden.
Has the PPM already voted in a new leader ? I thought Kirt was still in the driver’s seat ?
Or is Al just being presumptous ?
Alden has always spoken out and I am sure he spoke to Kurt first – they are a team after all.
Alden should be the new leader – has has more about him than anyone else, and has learnt from mistakes. He thinks and no one can say that his actions for schools were for hiom – he was the only one Educatoin Minister interested in really improving the education system, and he got o with it involving the whole community ,,,, look at the one now and his so called cheif officer – not a clue
Friend, you are voicing what you would like to have been the truth, but which sadly was not. Alden was a disaster as a minister, had not a clue, was intent on building some kind of dynasty for himself, and was basically hopeless. I was grateful that he wasn’t minister for health, we’d have been subject to quackery and all manner of unusual (and uncomfortable) procedures. A complete megalomaniac approach.
Alden,
Caymanians cannot find employment in their own country including our "Women." You and the rest of your PPM comrades are just as bad as the UDP. Not one time Alden have you addressed the unemployment issue. You did not even stand up for Caymanians when the UDP Minister for Labor and Education Rolston Anglin insulted the very intelligence of the most brilliant minds in our society by publicly stating that Caymanians are UNEMPLOYABLE! Alden as a former Minister for education you did not even attempt to answer Mr. Anglin in defense of the people who put you in office!
What kind of opposition member are you? Better yet, what kind of Opposition Leader are you trying to dupe us into believing that you are?
As far as our society is concerned both parties have failed Caymanians and you continue to do so by not addressing the key issues that concerns the well being of our people and that is EMPLOYMENT for Caymanians and that there needs to be a STOP put on the excessive granting of work permits that are the door stoppers to our people acquiring gainful employment, it is a shame that in you Mr. Alden Mclaughlin we find NO REPRESENTATION!.
Minister Anglin did not state that all Caymanians are UNEMPLOYABLE. He stated that there is a minority of Caymanians who lack the basic skill sets to be employed and focus has to be given to allow them to attain these skills sets.
That is what I understood Mr Anglin saying. I guess the next time he will
make his statements CRYSTAL CLEAR so as not to be misunderstood.
Because Mr Anglin is very absolutely correct: There is a group of Caymanians ( employees for that fact) that need to be trained to have a good work ethic. They need to be shown and told in no uncertain terms that
when they are paid for thier time by an employer they should not be chatting on Facebook, emailing about small talk, nor chatting away on their cell phones unless it is some problem they need to resolve back home with their children ( quickly and urgently)
I am saying that as a Caymanian myself; Many of us( those of you of whom this does not apply please let it go thru one ear because it does not apply to you as a hard worker) need serious training on being a productive, honest and meaningful employee.
JUNIOR ACHEIVEMENT —- is a Great program for young people where this these ethics can be thought.
MEDIA— Our Television Shows and Radio Shows should take more initiative and moral responsibility in Fostering and developing these kind of people. It is obvious the Govt can’t do all .
The TV — has BET , MTV, and Teen Mom —— which has so much of their Air Time teaching young people that they can get rich by creating Music, selling sex, being a Pimp, selling drugs, and young ladies by being " hoos"
Our TV shows have got to take more responsibility for the influences they have had on the MINDSET of the young generation ( 12 years – 35 yrs)
I would LOVE to see a Campaign on in which those TWO CHANNELS were BLOCKED.
I state again look again at the mindset, ambitions, dress code, mannerisms of our young girls, boys, ladies and men.
Look at how it has affected them in the Work environment
Our problem is not who is speaking for the PPM but how the UDP are trying to fool us.
Mac told us when he was elected that in no time he was going to turn this Country round – we still waiting!
Then came the big statement that in 90 days the Country would be back on its feet – we still waiting!
Now he is proclaiming that the year 2011 will be the year of recovery for Cayman when everything will be great again – we will continue to wait!
I dont know about the rest of you Caymanians, but I am really getting Pi–ed off as this Dictator is taking us as "fool fool" but as usual we will just sit down like stuffed dumies while he and his cronies continue to treat us as such.
You mean there was actually someonein the driver’s seat all this while
Why isn’t KT making this statement ? Watch it Arden !
So it took the Opposition over a week to respond to Mac’s regurgitation of all of his previous statements !
Mr. Chucky Clifford called in to the Rooster show shortly after the Premier’s address saying exactly what it has taken the Opposition over a week to put together and release.
Mr. Ezzard Miller responded on Rooster soon after the Premier’s statement as well saying the same thing.
Why is the Opposition so damn slow with everything ? And why is Alden responding and not the Leader of the Opposition, Kurt Tibbetts ? Note to Alden – Kurt is still the Leader until the party decides otherwise.
Is this Alden’s and KT’s attempt to undermine Arden’s bid for the leadership of the PPM ?
This does not bode well for a united PPM going forward.
No surprises here!
the opposition response is almost as dissapointing as the stimulus package itself!
hey arden mclean, what about that motion of no confidence????
This gets real tiring. The government says one thing the opposition says whatever the government said is bad, but doesn’t offer any alternative solutions. McLaughlin says it’s the increase of fees that damaged the economy, seemingly forgetting all about the PPM spending spree that helped caused the budget crisis. If you roll back the fees, how do you propose to replace the lost revenue Alden? The UK won’t allow the country to just borrow, borrow, borrow anymore. The PPM ran that well dry. What are the alternatives Alden, please tell us.