Archive for August, 2011
CIG reneged on promise to young college student
(CNS): Community Affairs Minister Mike Adam and the Premier McKeeva Bush’s Young Nation Builders Programme have provided financial assistance in part to Japheth Ebanks, an American teenager with Caymanian parents who was accepted into the Florida Atlantic University (FAU)at age 13. According to Japheth’s mother, Marvel Ebanks, after the boy was accepted by FAU they were contacted by Adam, who said that the Cayman Islands Government would be there to support his educational expenses. However, she claims that the government has stopped paying their expenses and Japheth is now at risk of having to leave the university.
According to Marvel Ebanks, she and Japheth were living in Washington at the time he was accepted into FAU and was contacted by Adam, who said that the government would be there to support Japheth’s educational expenses. At the minister's request, government officials made flight arrangements for Ebanks and her son to get to Miami and assured them that they would be flown back to collect their remaining belongings.
“The Cayman Islands Government’s assistance at that point was the only reason that Japheth was able to start college at 13-years-old,” said Ebanks. “The child's momentum and enthusiasm was in high gear as he eagerly entered into a very demanding and challenging course load.”
Ebanks claims that when Japheth started college, they had no transportation or accommodation close to the campus and he was not eligible to live in the campus dormitories due to his age, so they were forced to walk miles to catch a bus or train to the university, and as a result they often experienced delays in getting there. When classes finished in the afternoon, the whole process of getting there was repeated again in reverse, and he often collapsed at night from exhaustion, she said.
Later on, he was offered a scholarship from the premier’s Young Nation Builders Programme. However, due to the fact that Ebanks was Caymanian and Japheth was American, they requested his birth certificate. “The premier emailed me a letter that government would pay for his educational and living expenses through his doctoral level,” said Ebanks. However, the application has yet to be approved, and they have also not been provided with the promised trip back to Washington to pick up their belongings, which they are now in danger of losing.
“It is unfortunate at this time that a way was provided and not sustained because of lack of follow-through and answers by the Cayman Islands Government,” she said.
Government also paid for motel accommodation that was six minutes away from the university and government officials even visited the university, met the owners of the motel, got billing information and amounts, and reassured them that they would cover the expenses. However, the accommodation was mouldy and this made Japheth so sick that he had to see his paediatrician.
“The paediatrician, who was gravely concernedabout the motel causing the child to become sick, wrote the Cayman Islands Government to inform them that accommodations were desperately needing to be changed since our current placement was causing the child to become sick and be prevented from remaining in school, being so sick,” said the boy's mother.
Ebanks and her son had to eventually leave the motel with over US$5,000 still owing and were forced to live with Ebanks’ mother, who lived in a different city. She then accompanied her son once more on a two hour trip each way by public transport.
“The lack of these basic necessities of food, accommodation and school supplies caused him to suffer, as well as his grades, from a 4.0 GPA the first semester college classes in his first year to failing some of his classes at the completion of his second year last month, which has caused him to be placed on academic probation with the university and could possibly exit him from the university if not rectified immediately”, said Ebanks
“I, as a Caymanian, am prayfully hoping that with the recent announcement that the Cayman Islands Government is seeking to increase the population, that they will now urgently re-visit this issue and grant my 15-year old son his Caymanian Status, so that he can continue to thrive, because he was on track to make history at Florida Atlantic University as being 17-years old with his Bachelors Degree,” said Ebanks.
“The delay of not getting paperwork done, as well as no answers being given to basic questions, is causing this amazing opportunity to be placed in jeopardy," she said.
All roads lead to Dartville
You have made up your minds. There is little anyone can say that will change your likes and dislikes when it comes to political thought and policy. I will not try to change your mind. Rather, this letter serves to enlighten and inform and to make clear what I see that others may have overlooked. In the Wizard of OZ, the Yellow Brick Road led to Emerald City, the golden glowing edifice that Dorothy and her friends were seeking in desperation for having their greatest wishes granted.
If you know the story, you know the Wizard turned out to be just a regular man who used trickery to deceive people in order to make Oz look most inviting.
In Cayman we have a similar scenario happening in the form of Camana Bay. And of course we all know who the Wizard is. I will not express my opinion on this matter. My concern lies more with the Yellow Brick Road. There is a major difference between the Yellow Brick Road leading to Oz and the roads leading to Camana Bay. The yellow brick road was barren. It meandered through hollow forests and open meadow. There was no commerce along that road. No place to stop and get a meal or see a movie. It was simply a means of getting the traveler to Oz.
In Cayman, all roads used to lead to the Capital of George Town. It was once the center of commerce. It was our Oz. Now we have a Wizard amongst us who has built his own Oz which I called Camana Bay. Of course to get there the Wizard needs a system of roads to capture the travelers and make it more likely that they will be diverted there. I have no problem with this either. If I were the Wizard I would want as many Yellow Brick Roads as possible leading to my Oz.
The problem here is this: this Wizard wants his village to be everything to everybody. In this effort he is opening shops and businesses that copy or duplicate others in the community to include, movie theater, book store, coffee shop, restaurants, clothing stores, office complexes, entertainment facilities, gyms, jewellery shops and more. It doesn’t matter to the Wizard that these establishments already exist in the community and are hurt by his doing this. He does what he wants to suit his needs under the pretense that it is for the greater good and the ultimate success of Oz. Again, although I do have a problem with this, I will not address it here.
The problem of greater concern, which most people have overlooked, is the road situation. By diverting the road on Seven Mile Beach and creating a parallel road leading to Camana Bay and his other developments, numerous existing businesses and shopping centers will have their existing Yellow Brick Road bypassed. And eventually, as the new route becomes the norm, new businesses will sprout up which the Wizard himself will likely have a hand in, which will completely destroy the existing businesses that managed to survive.
If this is for the greater good and serves to make us better, I would like someone to please show me what I’m missing here. If you own a business on West Bay Road and can see what’s coming, maybe now would be a good time for you to speak up.
Paypal Billionaire building new worlds out in ocean
(Orange news): The billionaire founder of PayPal is planning to create his own countries – by building them on giant floating platforms in international waters. Peter Thiel, 43, is funding a project that intends to create new societies governed in a radically different manner from conventional states. The communities would be run accordingto libertarian ideals and be housed on gargantuan ocean platforms. And the first experimental example of the radical scheme could be built off San Francisco as soon as next year. Thiel, 43, who is worth an estimated £910million, has given £763,000 to the Seasteading Institute planning to build the floating nations.
He admitted many saw it as a crackpot scheme but added: "There are quite a lot of people who think it's not possible. That's a good thing. We don't need to really worry about those people very much, because since they don't think it's possible they won't take us very seriously. And they will not actually try to stop us until it's too late."
Seasteading argues that building in the ocean "is the only option to create new societies on Earth".
Hit and run driver hands himself in to police
(CNS): Police have now confirmed that a 27 year old man has handed himself into George Town police station after leaving the scene of a crash on Wednesday night in which two people were hurt. He was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without insurance. The man was driving a black Nissan Skyliner motorcar and was making a left turn into the Jet Nightclub on West Bay Road at around 10:40 on 24 August when he hit a motorcycle which was travelling along West Bay Road towards George Town carrying two people. (Photo courtesy of Cayman27)
The rider and pillion passenger were thrown from the motorcycle and both were injured in the crash – the rider sustained injuries to his arm and the pillion passenger to his shoulder. The men were taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town for treatment and while the pillion passenger was released earlier Thursday the rider remained in the hospital.
The driver left the scene before police arrived.
Any witnesses to the incident are asked to contact their nearest police station, the Traffic Management Unit on 946-6254 or the confidential Crime Stoppers number 800-8477 (TIPS).
Young sailers ‘get better’ at special clinic
(CISC): As part of the preparations for Race Cayman 2012, the Cayman Islands Sailing Club recently held a week long Optimist sailing clinic. Six of our local sailors were joined by three sailors from Jamaica. Head Coach Raph Harvey ran the clinic himself. “It is vital that kids spend time on the water if they are to get to the top levels of the sport. However that time needs to be spent sailing the boat correctly and utilising skills learned from their coaching. A five day clinic allows for intense instruction and a variety of wind conditions.”
Although the kids ended up pretty exhausted at the end of each day they were enthusiastic about the progress they had made. Evan Langford from Montego Bay Yacht club in Jamaica commented, “We are having a great time and the conditions and coaching are awesome”.
Harbour House Marina heard about the clinic and offered to donate Gill sailing gloves to all the participants. Jonathan Cuff, manager of Harbour House said, “We are always pleased to support Youth sailing. After all, they are the sailors of tomorrow”.
The clinic ended with a mini regatta which saw Cayman sailors take the podium positions with Florence Allan winning from Pablo Bertran in second and Allena Rankine in third.
Rick Caley, the CISC manager said, “We know we have a great venue for sail training here on North Sound and we are delighted that our neighbours from Jamaica could come over and join us. Our coaching staff is excellent and they have proved that they can run high class training clinics like this one. We hope to host other overseas sailors with similar events in the build up to the Western Caribbean Optimist Dinghy Championships in March 2012”.
Evidence enough for safe conviction, says QC
(CNS): As Andrew Radcliff, QC made his closing speech to the judge in the case against Devon Anglin for the murder of four year old Jeremiah Barnes last year, he told the court that the eye-witness evidence supported by the circumstantial evidence was powerful enough for there to be no doubt of a safe conviction. He said that while the crown’s case depended heavily on the eye witness account from Jeremiah’s parents at the Hell gas station in West Bay that night he said it also relied on the CCTV footage analysis, clothes, the grudge between Anglin and Andy Barnes, gunshot residue and the defendant’s presence in the getaway car minutes after the murder.
The crown said that the discrepancies between the eye-witness evidence of Jeremiah’s father Andy Barnes and Dorlisa Ebanks his mother and inconsistencies in the various statements they gave were not so great and easily explained. The key issue was that both Barnes and his now wife (nee) Ebanks pointed the finger at Anglin immediately and spontaneously the very night of the shooting (15 February) evidence he said that there was no concoction between them.
Radcliffe said that the defence’s attack on Barnes’ character was an “unhelpful distraction” as he said there was no evidence that he was deliberately trying to frame Anglin.
“Logically and sensibly who would want an innocent man convicted of killing one’s child while the true murder remains free?” the QC asked the court to consider.
Radcliffe noted that Barnes said he saw the gunman’s face because the defendant had not fixed his mask before he came into view. This counsel said was the most important mistake the gun man made. He said this was supported by Ebanks’ evidence as she said he was not wearing a mask at all and as she instinctively ducked down under the dash board when the shooting started it followed that she would not have seen the gunman once the mask was across his face.
The crown counsel pointed out that the two witnesses were identifying someone they both knew very well, in very good lighting conditions with an unobstructed view. When they gave their statements just two hours after the incredibly traumatic event, Radcliffe said both of them spontaneously stated that Anglin was the gunman.
In response to numerous questions from the judge about where the crown’s case would be if he was to consider the eye witness evidence “worthless” Radcliffe said he had circumstantial evidence that supported the testimony. Radcliffe disagreed when Justice Howard Cooke said that circumstantialevidence could not “support worthless” if that’s what he was to decide, as the crown counsel said the judge must look at the totality of the evidence. Radcliffe pointed out however that the evidence could not be worthless as there was no evidence that the two witnesses were lying.
However, he said the CCTV analysis and other circumstantial evidence could stand alone. Support for the crown’s case came from the clothes which Anglin was wearing at court on the morning of the killing, as well as his hairline matching those of the gunman. His presence in the proven getaway car minutes after the shooting without a top and the evidence that he took a shower at someone else’s home very soon after the murder only yards from his own home and borrowed a shirt.
The CCTV expert had also matched the jeans, shoes and underclothes worn by Anglin to court on the morning of the shooting which was caught on CCTV by those worn by the gunman that night. Radcliffe conceded that the gunshot residue on Anglin's clothes at arrest could have come from contamination but it is also possible they did not and added to the “powerful eye witness accounts” as well as the known grudge between the men there could “be no question that it will be a safe conviction,” Radcliffe told the court.
Emphasising the quality and the certainty of the eyewitness accounts given by Jeremiah’s parents he added that the circumstantial evidence went a long way to support that evidence which he said was “the nub of the crown’s case” against Anglin.
The case continues Friday morning with a closing speech from the defence counsel before the judge retires to consider his verdict.
CAL offers more flight changes as Irene moves north
(CNS): As hurricane Irenemoved away from the Bahamas and continued on its track towards the US coast Cayman Airways announced an extension to its change-fee-waiver for people who have bought tickets for travel between the Cayman Islands and New York from 25 Augt -1Sept. The airline said that for tickets issued no later than 24 August customers will be allowed one change free of charge. Customers who made a previous change are allowed this additional change at no charge. Customers who wish to cancel their reservations and travel at a later date may be given a voucher for the value of the ticket which will be good for the next 12 months.
“Cayman Airways is continuing to monitor the development and path of this storm and will advise the travelling public if flight schedule changes become necessary over the next few days,” the airline said Thursday evening.
According to the National Hurricane Centre in Miami, Irene began moving away from the Bahamas at 7pm after causing extensive damage to property. Still a category three dangerous hurricane, Irene is packing winds of 115mph and travelling at NNW at 14mph. A turn toward the north is expected Friday and on its forecast track Irena will pass well offshore of the east coast of central and northern Florida later tonight and early Friday. The hurricane is forecast to approach the coast of North Carolina on Saturday.
Irene is a large tropical cyclone with hurricane force winds extending outward up to 80 milesfrom the centre and tropical storm force winds a further 290 miles
Cayman Airways Reservations can be reached by calling 345-949-2311 (within the Caribbean) or toll free on 1-800-4-cayman (within the United States).
Bureaucrats ‘harass’ Mac
(CNS): The country’s premier has accused officials of “bureaucratic harassment” when it comes to government policy. In a statement delivered on radio and TV Thursday evening the premier took aim once again at the auditor general and said that "so called good governance” experts were trying to make it look like his government was doing something wrong. McKeeva Bush said that he recognized that people were hurting but bureaucracy was stopping government from getting its projects done, which is what would help turn the economy around. He also told the people that he was only human and that “the constant accusations and persecutions” had taken a toll on him. (Photo Dennie Warren JR)
Bush also berated officials in government for preventing him from changing committees because they wanted to keep their “yes” men on them. In his attack on bureaucracy he said the auditor general, as well as the opposition, were not telling the truth when they tried to imply his government was not managing the country's finances properly.
In a statement that was intended to deliver the good news about government’s current financial situation and in which he thanked hard-working civil servants, he took aim at those he said were getting in the way of what he wanted to do to turn the economy around.
“What I see happening is bureaucratic harassment!” Bush exclaimed. “The government needs to turn this economy around but how can we do anything at a quick pace when we have these so called good governance experts trying to make the government look like we are doing something nefarious?”
He said he knew that people in the community were hurting, not able to pay their electrical bills and some even losing their homes. As a result, he said, government should be able to act quickly to help people and he said that could only be done by getting projects moving quickly.
“Bureaucratic harassment is stopping us. I can tell you as your premier and someone who cares that I’m only human and I too have feelings. The constant accusations and persecutions have taken a toll on me. The Government wants tohelp but if I can’t change government committees because an official feels he will lose his “yes man” on it, how can we govern in your best interest? How can we get anything done?” he asked rhetorically.
He added that his government had worked hard to stabilize government finances and wanted to reduce the current debt burden. The announcement that government had achieved a surplus for last year proved “that the efforts of the audit office and the opposition to show that I am not managing the finances of these Islands properly is not true,” he said.
“Their assumptions and accusations is (sic) coming from individuals who are partially informed, spiteful and their main motive is to cause bureaucratic interference and harassment. As we know, there are two types of lies: there are those committed by commission and those committed by omission. The majority of those now being committed by these people who are opposers are those of omission,” Bush told the country in his broadcast, adding that he believed they were deliberately doing so.
Referring to the criticisms made by the auditor general in his report about government’s efforts to secure financing for government’s loan at a cheaper rate, Bush said he tried his “best to find a better solution” for the our country. “Had I succeeded, I would have saved this country over $24 million. And yes I would do it again as it is my duty to try and save money,” he said.
However, he said nothing about the recommendations the auditor had made or the reasons why the main watchdog of how public funds are spent had criticised the way the financing arrangements were conducted, which resulted in the premier losing the public purse a half million dollars.
Bush said that the figures released today but which government has been aware of for several weeks were a robust testament to the “good stewardship" of the government over the country’s finances.
He said Cayman’s economy was delicately poised to take-off but it needed the support of the people for government’s recovery efforts.
“The government is encouraged by the modest growth of the economy in the first quarter of 2011. Government is doing its part to aid the economy’s growth; I humbly ask that our people assist this recovery effort by acting for the national good,” he added.
Vote in CNS poll: Does McKeeva Bush's performance as premier match your expectations?
See the premier's full speech posted below.
$25m surplus for 2010/11
(CNS): As a result of more income than expected and a cut in spending, the government has finished the 2010/11 financial year in the black, swelling the public purse with an a total surplusof $25 million against an expected deficit of more than $30 million. The positive result for government, Bush said in a statement, was down to the “sterling efforts” of government in guarding the islands’ finances. The premier explained that central government’s operating revenues was $535 million, which was $25 million more than had been budgeted in June 2010. With core government spending down to $483 million, $25 million less than expected, it was able to wipe out the anticipated deficit and move into a surplus.
The news comes in a statement the premier will deliver in a radio and television broadcast this evening (25 August).
“This is a tremendous testament to the prudent and responsible management of the country’s finances by the government,” Bush said as he congratulated and thanked all “the hard-working civil servants that contributed to this great achievement.”
With interest costs down by $3 million less than budgeted because government delayed taking out its $155 million loan, Bush said this was because government was “managing prudently” and watching revenues and expenditures, enabling it to stretch the time before it became critical to borrow.
Bush said this despite the fact that government had needed to take out a short term loan in October of $78 million and then another emergency loan in December of more than $30 million because it was unable to pay bills, according to details in the recent auditor general’s report. Bush claimed, however, that he had saved the country some $3 million in interest by delaying the main loan.
He stated that this was something the auditor general never took into consideration when they talked about what was paid as a result of the financing negotiations. “They never said we saved $3 million,” he said, referring to the latest report from Alastair Swarbrick’s office about government procurement and the events surrounding the financing of the $155 million loan approved by the UK Foreign Office.
Bush noted that instead of a $31 million deficit, central government made a surplus for the 2010/11 financial year of $22 million. The statutory authorities and government companies were expected to produce a deficit of around $1 million but instead, Bush said, a surplus of almost $3 milllion has been reported, bringing government’s surplus up to $25 million. He said this represented a turnaround in public finances, compared to the budget his government had said it would deliver, of some $59 million.
“Government well understands the need for the provision of timely information, and the importanceof certainty of information,” Bush stated as he explained that the results would be sent to the Office of the Auditor General for examination. He said while there may be some normal adjustments, government didn’t expect any significant revisions. “We firmly believe that we have struck a good balance between these two factors by waiting until now to announce this information,” Bush stated as he went on to criticise the opposition for their comments about the budget earlier in the year.
“I should say that everyone knows how much the opposition berated me before the new budget was presented, saying I wouldn’t reach the $15 million surplus I was asking civil servants to achieve; but once again the opposition is proven wrong, and I will continue to prove them wrong as the difference is, I have good ideas. I have the right plan to bring investment, give the government revenue and our people jobs. The opposition is at the opposite end, doing nothing with no plan,” he added.
Law delayed CCTV contract
(CNS): Although the auditor general said that the tendering process for the installation of the public CCTV to fight crime was mostly in accordance with the proper procedures, Alastair Swarbrick highlighted a significant number of concerns about the contract after the tender was selected. He said there were numerous concerns, from delays on the project to the lack of a cost analysis, as well as a failure by government officials to follow proper procedure. Swarbrick also stated that, after a sense of urgency surrounded the project as a solution to the country's crime problem, government took almost a year to bring the necessary legislation to the Legislative Assembly required to facilitate the installation of the cameras.
Swarbrick said the first delay came from Cabinet halting the proceedings and asking the Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs a series of questions about the bid, which he said caused angst among the bidders and went against the principles of good procurement practice.
Although there had been concerns about the CCTV bid because of the portfolio DTC Eric Bush’s relationship with one of the bidders, Swarbrick said that Bush had recused himself from the process and had nothing to do with the bid, including the creation of the request for proposals (RFP).
Swarbrick said that the trouble with the CCTV bid lay in other areas, including the fact that the business case for the project was weak. He said the IEA had not analysed the situation or looked at cost options but had simply acted on information from the RCIPS.
“We expected that a project such as the CCTV programme would have a robust business case that included a complete review of options to address the business needs identified," the auditor wrote in the report. “As well we expected that the business case would include not only the cost of installing hardware and software but also the cost of ongoing operations.”
However, the auditor found that the annual running costs of more than half a million dollars were only revealed to Cabinet a few weeks before this year's budget. “This information was not made available to legislators when the programme was approved as part of the 2010/11 budget. By that time it was too late to make a decision not to proceed,” he added.
Given the circumstances, the auditor recommended that government entities must make detailed business cases for major projects in order to demonstrate value for money, as outlined in the financial regulations.
Swarbrick stated that aside from the delay caused by Cabinet stopping the process just days before The Security Centre was to be informed officially, the real delay was caused by government's failure to enact the necessary law.
“We believe the government did not do enough to ensure (the project) was completed in a timely fashion recognizing the importance of the programme to the objectives it was trying to achieve," the report reveals. “When it was approved, there was considerable urgency associated with the need for a camera system as a key component to achieve the wider range objective to reduce crime.”
However, although the project team had identified the need for a change in the ICTA law in relation to using CUC poles to mount the cameras and carry the network, it was months before the law was changed. The ICTA was told in June 2010 to start work on revising the law but it did not reach the LA until eleven months later.
“The ICTA did not take the necessary action on a timely basis," Swarbrick stated. He said it was outside his office's remit to review what happened but he recommends that government take action to find out what did cause the unacceptable delay and prevent similar delays in the future.
A further criticism that the AG has of the CCTV contract was the advance payment made to The Security Centre of more than $344,000 — some 25 percent of the cost of the project. Swarbrick pointed out that as government has no guidelines in place relating to advance payments, there is no way of knowing if this was warranted and, more importantly, if the risk to public money was properly managed.
The auditor said that advance payments are sometime needed but should only be made with proper guidance to ensure government considers the financing and interest costs as well as the risks involved and he said in this case there was no evidence to show the need for the payment or any consideration made about it by government officials.
The auditor also criticised the fact that the change orders made after the contract was awarded were done so under criteria established by the contractor and not government. When the AG pointed out the trouble, he said the portfolio rectified the situation but to date over a half a million dollars has been added to the original contract.
Another problem found by Swarbrick was that the portfolio had split a separate project management contract related to the CCTV into three to avoid tendering, when really it should have been one contract. The report reveals that the portfolio gave three contracts to help install the system to a consultant company called Security Risk Management Consultants in Columbus, Ohio, each of which was worth $48,580 but totalled more than $145,000.
According to the financial regulations, although only contracts over CI$250,000 need to go through the CTC, government departments should still put any contract worth more than $50k out to competitive tender. In this case, because the portfolio split up what was in reality one contract, it avoided that process, essentially circumventing the rules.
“It is clear in this case that the contracting process was structured to avoid the intent of the financial regulations," Swarbrick said. “We found little or no evidence that the time spent by the contractor could be identified as being associated with one contract or another.”
The auditor further revealed that since contracts were signed with the firm $147,000 has been spent and a contract amendment has increased the total value to $175,000.
Swarbrick said government must put in place guidelines to stop government officials circumventing the rules.
See report Auditor General's report on case studies below