Archive for January, 2011
Competitive sailing during the J22 Commodores Cup
(CISC): The annual J22 Commodores Cup was held over the weekend of 8 and 9 January. Seven boats competed in the first major J22 sailing regatta of the year in what turned out to be one of the most competitive Commodores Cup regattas for many years. The regatta was hosted by the Cayman Islands Sailing Club’s (CISC) Commodore who had just returned from his Antarctic expedition to face considerably more hospitable conditions in the North Sound.Two courses, one a triangular course the other a windward / leeward course, were set in the North Sound by the well organized Race Committee, headed up by Peta Adams.
It was immediately apparent that the Christmas break had provided an opportunity for upgrades to various boats and that some of the crews had been finding time for some extra training. Of particular note was Sunshine, skippered by Peter Cunningham, which was sporting a brand new set of sails
The winds on Saturday were generally light with ten degree oscillation that meant the skippers had to keep in phase to stay with the fleet. The first race saw Tomeaka McTaggart (Just Leaving) display the form that would see her through the weekend as she sailed into 1st place. The rest of the fleet were close behind and all fighting for room at the marks. After a very close last upwind beat Jo Richards (Mayhem) showed some cool nerves to grasp second from Peter Cunningham (Sunshine).
The second race saw Raph Harvey, the CISC new Lead Sailing Instructor, on DMS show good form and pull away from the fleet with Tomeaka Mc Taggart working her way into second place ahead of Peter Cunningham (Sunshine). Jo Richards (Mayhem) was caught on port at the top windward mark of the first beat and was forced to do penalty turns pushing her to the back of the fleet, but she clawed her way back to 4th. The third race, and the last of the day for Saturday, saw Tomeaka McTaggart regain her form and take another first, just ahead of a hard charging Peter Cunningham who was followed closely by Jane Moon (Ciao) who was now getting used to her new crew.
The racing on Sunday started with stronger winds that had clocked to the East. During the fourth race of the regatta Steve Adams (Wreckless) started to show the form that had eluded him on Saturday as he finished a very close second to Tomeaka McTaggart, with Jane Moon a close third. Fourth place was hotly contested with Bruce Johnson (Yahoo) trying unsuccessfully to edge out Peter Cunningham at the pin end of the finish line. The fleet experienced gusty conditions in the fifth race which saw Tomeaka McTaggart consolidate her grip on the fleet with another 1st place with Jane Moon finding her form with another 2nd place and Steve Adams close behind in 3rd.
Technical difficulties befell Tomeaka McTaggart in the sixth race, the crew was unable to drop the spinnaker, putting her in last place, whilst Jane Moon took advantage grabbing 1st place and Raph Harvey (DMS) was back in the mix finishing 2nd just ahead of Peter Cunningham. For the final race of the regatta the winds dropped a litte. Tomeaka McTaggart made another good start whilst Jo Richards (Mayhem) got shut out and had to tack across the back of the fleet to the right side of the course. Obviously clear air and an early lift helped Jo out and she round the windward mark on Tomeaka’s stern and ahead of the rest of the fleet. Again Jo Richards displayed cool nerves as she managed to stay ahead of the pack to pull out a 2nd place to finish ahead of Jane Moon.
‘Uncharted waters’ navigated at business conference
(CNS): Movers and shakers from the Cayman Islands’ business community will be contemplating the tough times ahead today (Thursday 20 January) as they gather at the Ritz-Carlton for the annual Cayman Business Outlook. The conference will be opened by Anwer Sunderji, Chairman & CEO of Fidelity Group, the main sponsors, followed by a presentation from McKeeva Bush, the country’s premier. A range of speakers will be putting forward their view of the “uncharted waters” ahead for the business community throughout the day. The popular afternoon panel debate will start at 4:15pm, which promises to throw up a degree of controversy.
With the provocative title “Things Tough! So Don’t Cut My Pay, Tax Me Less & Give Me More Free Services … And Do Something About Crime … Education … and Jobs. And What About Those Expats?”, the panel discussion will bring together a group of well known local faces to discuss the current “angst in the community”.
The panel is made up of Theo Bullmore, Tom McCallum, Roy Bodden, Burns Connolly, Sherri Bodden-Cowan and Canover Watson (as the list currently stands) – and will be hosted by Austin Harris of Rooster 101. Panelists will receive questions that have been previously compiled by the organisers and the public is invited to send in their questions.
“There is a good deal of angst in Cayman right now driven by populist anger and frustration, but said anonymously,” said Sunderji, “We believe we need a more considered approach to issues facing the country right now via thoughtful and sensible discussion such as this.”
Mediation smoothes FOI
(CNS): The Information Commissioner’s Office has revealed that the process of mediation following refusals of, or problems with, freedom of information requests has proved invaluable to the system. Smoothing out some of the procedural wrinkles, officials say requesters don’t have to wait till they are formally refused and had an internal review before contacting the office for help with requests. From the inception of the law it has been the information commissioner’s policy to seek a resolution to any FOI dispute, be it by Micky Mouse or a named requester, in the first instance through mediation before moving to a formal hearing. Since the implementation of the law in January 2009, the office has mediated in a range of issues, not just refusals but where the procedures have fallen down.
“Mediation has proven to be an invaluable step when dealing with appeals filed under the FOI law in that it enables the ICO to deal more efficiently with minor issues; some of which may essentially be procedural in nature,” a spokesperson for the office stated. “The mediation phase also allows the ICO to work with the parties in an attempt to help negotiate an amicable outcome before the case proceeds to a formal hearing before the commissioner.”
The office is now reviewing the mediation procedures to make sure that they continue to be effective in processing appeals and the office says an updated version of the policies and procedures will be published in the coming months.
The mediation process can, in some cases, help the two parties reach a compromise over a refusal but the office can intervene at anytime to address the process to help get records released in accordance with the law.
CNS has used the mediation service offered by the ICO on a number of occasions for different reasons. The mediation process helped to find a compromise when the Auditor General’s Office refused to release the list of government authorities that had not met the requirements under the Public Management and Finance Law to provide their year-end accounts to his office by the end of August .
The AG believed the release of the names would compromise his reporting to the Legislative Assembly and give a false impression of the situation as the list would be out of context. CNS believed the information should be public in order to ensure that public authorities knew that the public had expectations of them to abide by the law to provide timely and accurate accounts of public spending. In the end CNS agreed to accept the list with the numbers of ministries and portfolios and statutory authorities that had and had not complied rather than naming the individual public authorities.
As a result CNS was able to publish an article reminding the public of the government’s continuing problems with producing timely and accurate financial accounts, allowing them to put pressure on their political representatives for this important issue to remain at the forefront of public awareness.
On another occasion the office assisted in getting the Ministry of Finance to answer a request made by CNS regarding details of the travel expenses for the premier. Although the ministry had acknowledged the receipt and had made a commitment to respond and release the information, the difficulties finding the necessary documentation as well as staffing issue meant the request went unanswered for several months. The intervention of the ICO and an order by the commissionercompelling the authority to respond resulted in the records finally being released and published on the CNS website.
“I would urge all FOI applicants who are experiencing any issues to contact the ICO’s office as the staff there are extremely helpful,” said Wendy Ledger, CNS’s reporter. “As journalists it’s part of our job to deal with the difficulties that go along with trying to get information from government officials so we are used to the struggles but still find it very frustrating sometimes. We can only imagine how infuriating it must be for the general public when they are seeking information that may be very important to them. A word with the ICO, however, can really help – there is no need for requesters to battle alone."
Other applicants have also been assisted through the mediation process. When the immigration department told an applicant that the documents they wanted relating to an interview conducted by officials was missing, the applicant asked for an internal review. The department did not conduct the review so the requester approached the ICO, which ordered the authority to provide the applicant with the required response to the review. As a result the lost documents were found and given to the requester.
Given the continuing administrative and procedural issues relating to the FOI process, the office encourages applicants to contact the ICO whenever they are facing difficulties as mediation is proving to be a useful tool in smoothing out the on-going FOI wrinkles.
CNS is continuing to build up the FOI library and would ask readers to continue sending us the responses they receive under the law.
Horse killed by car on Walkers Road
(CNS): Updated – A horse, which was being trained by its owner broke loose on Monday afternoon and was killed on Walkers Road, near Mulberry Drive. Police have confirmed that it appears the horse, which was saddled but without a rider, ran into the road. Despite the driver’s attempts to swerve and avoid the animal as it ran into the busy road, it was hit by the Ford Taurus which was heading south and appears to have died soon after. The 49 year old female driver was unhurt in the incident which occurred at around 5;15pm (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)
Police said that enquiries into the incident are ongoing.
Alden unopposed for top job
(CNS): Opposition member Alden McLaughlin will almost certainly become the leader of the opposition next month as he will be running for election as leader of the People’s Progressive Movement unopposed. It appears that the candidate who had been expected to run against him in the party’s leadership, Arden McLean, has opted not to contest the party’s top spot. The role of leadership of the opposition and the party became vacant following the announcement in November last year by former leader of government business and the PPM’s original head, Kurt Tibbetts, that he was stepping down. The veteran politician said that after the party’s defeat at the polls in May 2009 it was time for a change in leadership. (Photo Dennie Warren Jr)
The vote, which is now merely a formality, is due to take place at the party’s national conference next month, when other positions within the PPM as well as deputy leader will also be decided by the party membership.
McLaughlin, who served as education minister in the previous administration, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2000, was tipped as ‘heir apparent’ soon after Tibbetts’ resignation, though any one of the other four members of the PPM that serve in the country’s parliament could have stood for election by party members. A qualified lawyer, the George Town member has proved himself to be one of the most articulate members of the LA but in doing so has also become a major target for criticism by the government’s front bench.
Kurt Tibbetts, the PPM leader who will be relinquishing not just the leadership of the party but the formal position of opposition leader, has served in the Legislative Assembly since 1992. When he announced his resignation from the top job he said thatonce the new leader and other party officials were elected he would be there to offer support but would allow “the new blood of the party to take the PPM forward” and would not impose on them.
“I have always been a firm believer in succession planning and now the PPM needs new blood at the top, new people to lead the movement and carry out its mission. From time to time every organization needs a change of leadership to foster growth and allow for continuity and the PPM is no exception,” he said.
The PPM national party conference, which is open to the public, will take place at the Mary Miller Hall in Red Bay on the 12 February from 6pm.
Dart buys 7MB hotel
(CNS): Despite denying that the company had purchased the Courtyard Marriott to CNS on 6 January, Dart Realty announced on Wednesday afternoon (19 January) that it that it had in fact bought the derelict hotel. At a groundbreaking ceremony for Camana Bay’s latest commercial building officials from the company revealed that the group had not only purchased the West Bay Road hotel but had also purchased the 232 acres of land formerly held by developer Stan Thomas. Although officials did not reveal any specific plans for the hotel and the land, Jim Lammers, Managing Director of Dart Realty and a director of Dart Enterprises, said the property presented a great opportunity for development.
Less than two weeks ago CNS contacted the communications manager at Dart Enterprizes and asked if Dart had purchased the hotel and the land and if so what plans were afoot for the property. However, the communications manager said that Dart had not bought the hotel or the land.
The future of the hotel had been in question for some time as it has been deserted since Hurricane Paloma in November 2008, when the former owners said it was being closed because of damage incurred during the storm, although the reason was disputed by many when the staff were soon laid off and the beach front bar was also closed.
Together with the derelict former Hyatt, the loss of the Courtyard Marriott represented a significant reduction in the number of beds on island and raised further concerns in the tourism sector of the poor impression the property gave, given its prominent position on the Seven Mile Beach stretch.
It is not yet clear whether Dart intends to re-vamp the hotel in its current position or whether it will be looking to tear the property down and start again.
When he owned the property, Thomas had reportedly asked the government to move the West Bay Road so that the hotel would not be dissected from the beach but it is understood that the previous administration had refused the request. It remains to be seen if Dart will be making the same request of the current government.
Cayman downgraded in insurer’s risk assessment
(CNS): The Cayman Islands is one of 19 countries that have been downgraded in an annual review of political and economic risks. Aon Corporation, a leading international provider of risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, has lowered the country’s rating from a low-risk jurisdiction to medium low-risk in its 2011 Political Risk Map. Cayman was downgraded along with other Caribbean countries and territories, including Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, Antilles, St Vincent, Trinidad, St. Lucia and St. Kitts & Nevis “due to tighter global credit conditions which could lead to an increase in sovereign non-payment risk”, Aon said.
Beverley Marsden, associate director of Aon Risk Solutions’ Crisis Management Practice, said, “The perceived or actual risk of sovereign non-payment continues to be an issue in countries across the globe. For example, we have seen 13 island nations move into a higher risk category this year because of the effect of a decline in tourism on their economy.”
Aon’s Political Risk Map ranks countries on a six-point scale, from low risk to very high risk, and although the nineteen countries were downgraded, eleven countries were upgraded.
"Globalization has been blamed for recent incidents of economic volatility, but it has also had a positive impact on global political and economic stability. Many countries previously designated as medium high or high have taken advantage of global trade links and have seen political risk levels decrease,” Marsden added.
Whistleblower re-arrested over new leaks
(CNS): Following his conviction on Wednesday for breaching Swiss secrecy laws, former banker and employee of Julius Baer, Rudolph Elmer, has been re-arrested on newcharges of breaking the country’s secrecy laws by passing on new material to the WikiLeaks founder, Jullian Assange, in London at a press conference on Monday, 16 January. The whistleblower was arrested hours after being found guilty of breaching another bank secrecy law by a Zurich court and fined over $6,000, as well as being found guilty of threatening an employee at his former bank. Swiss authorities, who have 48 hours to hold him in custody, are expected to question Elmer today in connection with the latest leak.
The documents that Elmer is said to have stolen and then leaked relate to his time as head of operations for the Swiss bank at its subsidiary in the Cayman Islands. Elmer first leaked private bank details about Baer clients to WikiLeaks three years ago. Assange said he will publish the new information within weeks, once it has been checked.
Minister says commitment on vocational training met
(CNS): The opening of the Cayman Islands Further Education Centre has honoured the United Democratic Party’s commitment to delivering vocational education, Rolston Anglin the minister for education has stated. The centre which is located at the George Hicks high school campus is home to the first of Cayman’s year twelve students who are now in the extra compulsory year which was added as part of the education reforms introduced by the previous minister. The centre offers opportunities for academic students to do the advanced placement programme to gain a place in college or university, as well as students who want to do exam re-sits but it is also offering BTEC qualifications to ease many students into the world of work.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly last week Anglin said that for the first time in over thirty years of government promises his ministry had delivered appropriate and internationally recognised technical and vocational education and training for the young people of Cayman.
The vocational training is provided through the UK’s Business and Education Technology Council known as BTEC and since September Anglin said that students have been following courses in business, IT, motor vehicle maintenance, creative media, hospitality and sports and leisure. All the vocational courses require two days a week work placement and places he said have now been found for the students despite the high take up.
“All of the 250 students on vocational courses are on work placements,” he told the members. “I am pleased to report that in some subjects nearly 50 percent of the students are on track with their vocational course to achieve the BTEC diplomas (equivalent of 4 level 2 CXC/ GCSE passes) by June…the rest are on track to obtain the BTEC certificate (equal to 2 level 2 CXC/ GCSE passes)”
He said regular monitoring was showing that all but a handful of students were embracing the opportunities offered to them but the handful of students. He said the students who had difficulties because of health or emotional and behavioural issues were being accommodated on a level 1 CIFEC programme called introductory vocational studies which he said the centre would be offering as a standard programme from next September.
“These programmes are about providing the critical bridge to success for students of all abilities and interests,” Anglin stated. “We must embrace training and learning opportunities and keep our children in school as long as possible. We must ensure they are prepared for their next phase of life, the world of work.”
He said the reorganisation of secondary education and accommodating year twelve was an enormous challenge but it was off to a good start. With the anticipated move of the students in Clifton Hunter High school to Frank Sound before the end of this year more space would becoming available at George hicks to accommodate the BTEC courses at the further education centre.
Two tourists die at sea on Cayman Brac
(CNS): In two separate incidents two visitors from the United States who were vacationing in Cayman Brac have died while snorkeling and diving within 24 hours of each other. In the first incident, at around 5pm on Monday a 68-year-old man was snorkelling in the harbour close to the Buccaneer’s Inn when he apparently lost consciousness, and in the second a 67-year-old man, also a tourist from the USA, was part of an organised tour on Tuesday when he lost consciousness while diving in around 8 feet of water near Charlie’s Reef.
In the first incident a member of staff from Paradise Tours took the snorkeller to shore and attempted to perform CPR. But he was pronounced dead at the scene. The second man, who was disabled, had been diving along with his wife with Reef Divers. He was brought to shore at around 3:40 and transferred to the Faith Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Police said enquiries are ongoing in both incidents. However, there would appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths.