Miller, lone voice for rollover
(CNS): The independent member for North Side is now the lone voice in the legislature that believes the country should hold on to the term limit policy. During the debate on Friday over the government’s immigration amendments Ezzard Miller was the only supporter of the rollover policy and the key employee system as he called for the enforcement of the existing immigration laws, which, he says, are not the cause of Cayman’s economic woes. Miller also objected to the ten year permits, saying they would lock up jobs from qualified local people. He said that he made no excuses for his public advocacy when it came to protecting Caymanians, with so many returning after studying overseas to find few opportunities open to them.
The independent member said that since he was elected to the Legislative Assembly, as a result of pressure from special interest groups, the immigration law had been amended several times and each time the government claimed it would help business but this had not proven to be the case.
He pointed out there had been only one application under government’s recent amendment to offer 25 year residency for high net worth individuals. Miller also said that since government issued the directive that everyone in the financial sector should get key employee, the board had recorded a more than 90% approval rate of key employee applications. The promised increase in business with every change to the immigration law had still not materialized and Miller emphasised his belief that immigration was not the cause of the economic problems the islands faced.
He said the idea that there would be a mass exodus was unfounded because when people are rolled over they are replaced, which is what would continue to happen if the law was properly enforced.
Miller said he understood that Cayman did not have enough people to meet its labour market demands and he had no sympathy for Caymanians that didn’t perform in the workplace, but his problem was those qualified and experienced Caymanians who were simply not given an opportunity in the first place.
In his experience, the North Side MLA said, employers sometimes go to significant lengths to avoid placing Caymanians in key roles and no matter what guidelines government puts in place to attempt to force them to employ locals, they find increasingly creative ways to circumvent those rules. He also lamented the amount of say government was allowing foreign firms to have over the country’s immigration policy, which would eventually lead to foreign nationals taking over the country.
“It won’t be long before second generation ethnic groups are sitting in here,” Miller said referring to the Legislative Assembly.
He stated that someone had to speak up for local qualified people who had gone oversea,s “as they have been told they should”, and gained professional qualifications and experience but when they come back they were persistently denied the opportunities available here. The ten year permit, he said, would make things worse, “locking locals out of high level positions” forever.
He spoke of anecdotal evidence that one firm which had hired a number of Caymanian secretaries recently in preparation to replace staff due to be rolled over had now let those Caymanians go after the news that rollover was to be suspended.
Category: Politics
for those of you caymanians who don't see the benefit of the rollover, in 20 years you'll be the same ones crying when you can't pronounce your parlimentarian's last name or wonder why a particular group of people not from here are in controll of everything and why your kids can only get substandard jobs despite their education.
the rollover was a simple law to cure a problem that stands to rip our country apart.
Caymanians need to remember that all we have is this rock and tha ever foreighner here can go back home and survive if they want to or have to but if we loose our country, where do we go?
So now your having a dig at other peoples surnames? When will this stop. And did you consider that in 20 years time those caymanians who don't see benefit of the rollover may look back on those that supported it and ask' why did YOU riun our country and prospective opportunities? No one knows what the future holds but we should at least ensure that we do not base our predictions on predujices.
Mr. Miller is the lone representative I can say really stands up and fights for our liberties, say what you want about him at least he's someone who sticks to his principals and I admire him for this – he reminds me on Rep. Ron Paul.
The Solution to all the "problems created by the rollover".
TRAIN A CAYMANIAN!
AMEN!!!!
Racist in the 21st Century and incaplble of forward and creative thinking!!!!!
CNS will need extra storage space for all these comments! Please dont allow big ez to run up your hosting bill.
I hope the North side voters roll Ezzard over in the next election.
Why would they? He is providing them with excellent representation.
Ezzard is the voice for Caymanians and he will not sit by idly and watch the ball roll out of sight – we should be glad he has a voice for every district while some of the others keep their mouths padlocked. Do you all have any common sense to realize how we are struggling in our own country???? We cannot blame the down turn of the economy for all of our woes our leaders are to be blamed for 90% of our bad bargains. Each of us carry a basket with broken contracts, job loss, port project, dredging, status grants, rollover, social unrest, home foreclosures, confused families. Let's keep the fath and hope for a better cayman.
For a country's economy, sustainable growth is most important given each new member of society comes at a cost to government through needed services or infrastructure i.e. roads to alleviate traffic, schools for minors, waste collection & disposal, etc. With additional costs in mind, each year only long-term (7+ years) contributors should be able to apply and be considered against a veryhigh bar. Criteria #1 – What are your contributions to Cayman’s society and what have you done to further Caymanians during your tenure. There should be an extensive resume required, complete with references from Caymanians for these achievements.
Most Caymanians are not against the idea of deserving long time expatriate workers receiving residency. However, the fact that some transient workers want to make Cayman their home and invest in property, while note-worthy, is certainly not worthy of permanent residency. I work hard everyday and invest in my employers stock but that doesn’t mean I should get a permanent position, especially if I constantly elevate my standing by criticizing other workers. If you truly want to make a country your new home you should start by recognizing it is not your own and showing respect for those that already call it home.
Transient workers should humble themselves as visitors to the Cayman Islands rather than feel they somehow deserve to be here. As a visitor, don’t feel you deserve residency because you can’t be replaced, everyone is replaceable! Humble yourself, and push for hard-working Caymanians to be trained and given an opportunity. Then you will see how Caymanians really feel about you deserving that opportunity to share in the beauty of this Island. If you took offense to what I have stated here then sadly you may never understand the frustrations of a proud and humble people who are treated like second class citizens in their own home.
Ezzard is so offensive and such an obstructionist that I don't know where to begin.
Listen to him on the radio for any length of time and hear his rants and wonder how he has support by anyone other than the lunatic fringe.
His North Side development plan consists of more B&Bs for the district.
Thank God he is not running the country.
Not just the Rollover issue – but for ANY sensitive topic: there nees to ne a regular (quarterly perhaps) referendum on major issues – includign those involving mega funding..
We are small, we have the apparatus in place, and… bynext election the natives will be outnumbered at the polls (and perhaps in the) LA anyway.
Regardless of how one spins the issue – the rollover is NOT the cause of Cayman's current economic situation.
Anyone who forwards or supports this theory in the middle of this ongoing global economic recession ought to be completely disregarded for the mere stupidity and or callous nature of their argument.
Those that oppose immigration control are those that are looking for Cayman to SAVE THEM from their OWN FAILED economies / countries – yet at the same time they are demanding that we subscribe to THEIR school of logic and "economics"?
Thank you, but no thank you.
In regards to options of employment, the world is changing. For example, within the past few weeks McDonald's hosted a "national hiring day" in the USA and despite creating 60,000 jobs in a day (if memory serves) they were forced to reject literally hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people.
However, the most alarming element was the calibre of individuals that were seeking jobs in what is traditionally one of America's most despised employers. Many white, middle class, young and educated individuals made up the numbers in those queues.
Something similar is taking place in the EU at the moment. During a recent trip to 'the continent' I, for the first time, personally witnessed glossy, well-presented advertising campaigns (of employment opportunities) for companies that are usually shunned – and yes, McDonalds was one of the companies in this case as well.
My point is that long-held notions of certain jobs being "below" the typical first world citizen are quickly disappearing. Western governments and "leaders" have made such a fine mess of the global economy and job market that the people are now scrambling for whatever means of survival.
We in Cayman are always affected by global developments in our unique way and the same things have been witnessed right within our shores – e.g. Christmas road-side cleanups.
However, to see so many expats and Caymanians alike promoting such short term solutions like the eradication of strong immigration control will only serve to destroy a great opportunity of welcome and much needed GROWTH and DEVELOPMENT within Cayman society.
The native Caymanian community MUST DIVERSIFY itself for it to be a properly adjusted entity going into the 21st century – and we have seen clear evidence of this taking place. Why are we now calling for the interruption of this growth?
Have we not learned from our silly mistakes of the past?
As I always say – "time is long". Everyone believes that every perceived problem must be fixed NOW or within a time frame relevant to their existence. Unfortunately, life is tied to no particular lifetime.
(Many of our Grandparents sold away their birthright and property for pennies and here we are today suffering as a result of their ignorance and naivete.)
I am a strong believer in upholding immigration control within this country and I also support the right for any other nation to do so.
(E.g. If any one was paying attention they would have realized that I have consistently spoken against the creation of the European Union. That mess of a "union" as it stands today speaks for itself.)
This is not an issue of protectionism or "xenophobia" as one of our recently inspired "super-Caymanians" (as I like to refer to them) tends to say.
This is merely a case of a group doing all that it can and should to maximise the greatest potential for opportunites for its members on a long term basis.
Failure to create such an atmosphere will inevitably lead to friction, social disarray, an increase in crime and the breakdown of its stability. Worldwide history has provided countless examples of this.
So, in closing some of us should be careful what we wish for, because if Cayman fails in its natural mission to do the aforementioned, the resulting chaos will greatly outweigh all of the glorious benefits that this tiny but wonderful island nation has to offer.
All the best to each and every one.
So what you're trying to say is that we need McDonalds on the island? I've been saying that for years!
Life is too short to read Whodatis's moan of the day. I just scroll to the bottom, give it a thumbs down and move on.
"Anyone who forwards or supports this theory in the middle of this ongoing global economic recession ought to be completely disregarded for the mere stupidity and or callous nature of their argument."<p>
So anyone who disagrees with you is either stupid or callous? Nice start to your post. Couldn't be much bothered with the rest of it except the bit about how your regular readers know you've always been against the creation of the EU. Where exactly is that to be found? CNS has only been around since 2008 – the EU far, far longer than that!
Lol @ the replies to my initial post thus far.
Again – you guys would be better off simply saying; "Whodatis, you've hurt my feelings."
Not a single one of your comments amount to anything more than a shooting of the messenger therefore kindly rest assured that your reply is being duly ignored.
A messenger usually conveys fact, you subject us to you fiction – big difference. You must make this stuff up as you go – provide some empirical evidence for your statements and then you might get some credibility from others.
No, no hurt feelings here (why do you assume feelings are hurt if people disagree? Is that important to you ?) . If the whole point of your posts is to make inflammatory comments so that when asked to justify them you respond with "tee hee – have I touched a nerve?" or similar, then your opinion is redundant. No-one will take any of your postings in any way seriously if you cannot engage in reasoned debate.
you've hurt my feelings. bite me
Many thanks to the posters below for showing themselves and proving my point.
Man – this is like shooting fish in a barrell.
i agree..
Do you read what you write after you ahve finished or just hit send and thats that. The jibberish that you bombard us with on a daily basis is getting old.
This retarded immigration policy has done nothing but stifle growth on this island, anybody with half a brain cell can see that.
time for a one day strike by all expats………..maybe then backward locals like ezzard will understand our importance to this place!
It would be nice to go to work and not have to worry about who is shafting me for 1 day.
You would still be shafted, who is going to do all your work for you?
Ahhh…no hiding behind 'anonymous' if you strike….we will find you….:)!
Yes why don't you do that 01:42. That way we get to see all those who think that they are entitled to all BECAUSE of all that you are doing. May I remind you that you are getting paid for your work and DO YOU THINK I CAN GO TO YOUR COUNTRY AND DEMAND THE SAME. Read the post again where it states that we are not against expatriate and would be glad to have you. Well maybe not you as you are the one who give the expats a bad name and create division. What is wrong with Caymanians giving you support and references? Maybe you don't know many or never cared about getting to know us. WE OWE YOU NOTHING if that is your ATTITUDE my friend.
All those who are against expats preface their comments with,"I am not against expats…" and then procede to trash expats for all the problems in the country. The society here has perfected denial and blame into a fine art.
Sorry to bust your Bubble 08: 05 , for I came here as an EXPAT when only twelve were given Status per year. Yes given, not expected. I can assure you that had many of us not learned to work alonside our fellow Caymanians and understand their culture first we most certainly would not be here. Caymanians had to vouch for me in the manner I conducted my business both at work and social when I filled my application after 10 years. We did not try to impose OUR ideas first and bully ouselves, we did it thru hard work, harmony and compassion. The biggest challenge was to make certain that we continued in this manner for years to come as to earn from the locals their respect. How many of you know how to pop a conch with only a case knife. How many of you knew William or Doris at the Holiday Inn or Sugarwee at the airport just to name a few. How many of you know what Jim Bodden and associates vision was. How many of you know about the mesquitos keys and the many ships lost with all hands on deck. How about the great Sunday Barbecues at Galleon Beach frequented by locals and expatriate again. It was an HONOR to receive Caymanian Status then because you were accepted by the majority. I wish Status could be revoqued for up to 20- 25 years of if by marriage as soon as it is dissolved. Get to know our people , our Island and stop making fun of our culture. The reason most of you came to work here was for the laid back attitude, weather, beautiful sea. However many are here because of tyhe money or messed up where they are from and needed a second. WELL WE DON"T GET A SECOND CHANCE HERE, and the new comers listen to uninformed persons and drag us down as a lazy, stupid, ect. SO WHY ARE YOU HERE THEN< COULD NOT GET YOUR WAY WERE YOURE FROM. I have many friends who are expat and are even part of our family and they know what it took to get to know us. Again WE OWE YOU NOTHING YOU MUST DESERVE IT! I have refered many with honest recommandation to PR and Status because they deserved it and I can walk with my head high today because those are my people. We built Cayman for being genuine loving caring persons but even a dog can be kicked so many times. God Bless. Michel Lemay
God bless you Mr. Lemay. We just don't seem to get expats of your quality anymore.
Don't risk a one day strike are you Greek, the office may discover you are not needed and cancel your expensive work permit to increase profit.
hmmmm, hadn't thought of that
Lets get the FACTS straight.
We have seen the effects of the world economic issues magnified locally by the lack of thought in the rollover policy. This policy has done the following ;
1) Created a climate of uncertainty. Spending has decreased locally as work permit holders "hold on " to their hard earned funds . They spend only enough to survive as they know their tenure will soon come to an end. Who suffers ? The local Caymanian economy as the apartments/condos stay empty or unsold , new cars are not sold, small businesses close and savings are a thing of the past.
2) Driven up the cost of doing business. With employees being rolled over constant training costs and lost productivity are a constant drain on resources. Try running an ultra efficient customer service oriented business when your best employees are rolled over one by one.
3) Introduced a general feeling of despair. As I write this I wonder will this be worth my while as the powers that be continue to bicker and send no clear signals of hope to us the locals who have to live here . Lets find a workable solution to this pressing matter so we can get on with the business of being productive citizens .
1. The Rollover policy combined with the Global economic crisis did not throw our economy into recession. What happened is that unethical, greedy, uncaring, poorly educated, so called financial experts threw aside all caution, and restraint and allowed the crisis to occur. These individuals "on-shore" made poor choices that resulted in the bottom falling out of the credit business and as we know the USA, UK etc are all run on credit. Our little rollover policy had nothing to do with this and I wish people would stop saying that because it makes you sound uneducated.
If there is local unemployment or around 7% this means there is not enough work for the population that is here (who are able to work). This means there is an over supply of labour. any economist will tell you that to fix this problem we either have to reduce the supply of labour or increase the demand for the good and services we produce. eliminating the rollover policy in fact will hurt us because we will be increasing the supply of labour and I predict that 1 year from the effective rollover suspension unemployment will be even higher. We will have the UDP to thank for that.
People are uncertain – but not due to the rollover. When you come here to work and you are granted a work permit, you know that you have until the permit expiry to earn what you can and either renew or move on. Most people do not plan beyond that and that has always been the case. no one starts to invest and build houses etc until they apply for PR eand receive it. So removing the rollover does nothing to bolster certainty. Until they receive that PR letter saying approved, no expat is going to make any significant investment here.
2. when you say "Try running an ultra efficient customer service oriented business when your best employees are rolled over one by one." you bring the point come for all of us. Why are your best employees expats? why havent you invested in Caymanians? Why is it you are so reliant on expat labour? Because it's mostly cheap! that is the difference. I have travelled the world and I can assure you the quality of the Caymanian labour pool is not inferior and is in fact superior to most other countries. But as you say, your best employees are subject to rollover….Caymanians have to live with that stigma every day of our lives.
3. I agree wholeheartedly with this point. We do need leadership and direction and we do need to work together. Perhaps if you can try to understand the economics behind #1 and if you change your attitude in #2 we can finally get somewhere.
You know what, I would like to see Ezzard in power. You think Caymanians turned on McKeveva quickly, well you ain't seen nothing yet. Let this guy in and I'd give it 6 months before the mob attacks. Why you say? Becasue once in power he would actually have to come up with some policies rather then just poo pooing everyone elses….
Ezzard Miller and his racist statement '“It won’t be long before second generation ethnic groups are sitting in here,” I would love to hear his conversations with Olive Miller and his opinions on her offspring.
That wasnt racist, he was simply stating that certain ethnic groups are coming here, receiving PR and Status and pretty soon their offspring will be Caymanians. Every developed nation has a policy against this sort of thing happening, look at the USA, how easy is it to get in there if you belong to certain ethnic groups? We are so willing to criticize Ezzard but he is only saying what so many of us are thinking. I have known him all my life and he is no racist. You are all so quick to label anyone who speaks up for Caymanians.
I swear Foolio posted that comment himself! Ezzard a racist ????!!! come on now (SMH)
I believe we should eliminate the rollover policy. If we change the laws in cayman which provides protection for Caymanian employees. Such as if business is slowing down: (1) Expat should lose days not the other way around (2) Expats can come and work on island with a quota system. (they have them in many places they come from) (3) There should be a law that states that foreigners cannot be a Caymanian. (4) If a foreigner spends an enormous amount of money to pay for retirement homes or medical bills of the elderly or children who have a rare disease their medical bill something that makes Caymanians feel they have shown a lot of compassion. Then we will make an exception and allow you to be one of us.(5) Purchases of houses should start at one million dollars for a gingerbread house on up. Because once house is sold you won't be able to buy it back. (6) Put a quota system on spouses places of birth ( if a thousand chinese men and women want to marry Caymanians and the quota for chinese is say 999. Then that one over will have to wait till somebody gets divorce or dies. and finally (7) YOU have to wait 10 years before you can apply .
So if they all change their mind in the house to kill the rollover . I hope they will use these few suggestions to replace it with.
I've always liked Mr. Miller and I do agree with some of the points he has made. I'm indifferent with the rollover policy. I think that those who want to come back have come back, as have some friends of mine. One in particular has decided to use this time to travel the world and fully hopes to return afterwards as she considers Cayman to be her home now. I do however also see how hard it can be on those who have started families here. So again, I can picture the argument from both sides.
What I do whole heartedly agree with him on is the 10 year work permit. I think it's completely unnecessary. Who needs one of those? Who is the government changing this for? Which one of these foreign companies they signed MOAs with requested this? It doesn't make sense to me. If someone is a key employee, they are exempt from rollover anyway. If they plan on removing the rollover policy than it doesn't even matter. As one of those young, qualified Caymanians I am very uncomfortable with the extent of that commitment. We are competing now with expatriates for jobs – which I believe is good thing for us because it motivates us to go out and become qualified, either through education, experience or both versus being lazy out of entitlement.
That being said, what we have now is the opportunity to get our foot in the door because of work permit requirements. This is our home and if we can't find a job here it really is more a struggle to find elsewhere. I myself have worked abroad and it is incredibly difficult as an immigrant. I want to be able to work my way up the corporate ladder and within a reasonable amount of time. I am willing and have a strong work ethic which employers value, but if all the positions are taken with people who have more experience and are on a 10year work permit which is already a sunk cost, where do I go? Cayman is a small market and senior positions become few and far between the higher you climb.
I don't know what affect this will actually have but I can say that the uncertainty worries me. From a cost perspective and in the shoes of a company who is concerned more with their bottom line, I'm not going to fire an employee who does their job well and is legally able to retain that position for 10 years once I've paid the dues. However, if the permit has expired then I am forced to consider other applicants who could fill the position just as well, sometimes all one needs is training and support, now that my blinders are removed.
Another point as well: Come up with a strategy. You have a problem. How can you tweak your current processes to fix it without making such a drastic change that people become resistant. This 10 year policy is a drastic change and we don't even know if it will have the desired outcome. Was this thought out? What are the pros and cons? Short and long term goals? If this was me, I would run the goverment like a corporation. Create a change team and systematically carry it out. But research research research!
I do believe that thisheadline is incorrect. I am sure that I have heard the opposition publicly say that they support the rollover policy, maybe with some improvements made. But the opposition are NOT in support of doing away with the rollover policy. And furthermore, the opposition member from East End, Mr. Arden Mclean voted AGAINST UDP's proposal to suspend the rollover policy for two years. I believe that CNS were mistaken by the vote of 8-1 in support, but Alden Mclaughlin abstained, Arden Mclean voted NO, Ezzard Miller walked out, & I believe the other opposition members were absent. Does this ammount to NOT supporting the rollover policy? I think NOT! However, I may be wrong but I think that the opposition, along with Mr. Miller do support the rollover policy.
You seem to have missed a number of articles recently in which the Leader of the Opposition has publicly stated that the PPM's position has changed so that they believe the Rollover should be abolished. My understanding is that they opposed or did not support a suspension of the Rollover because it fell short of that.
e.g.
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/politics/2011/06/16/drop-rollover-says-alden
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/tourism/2011/06/19/cita-backs-ppm-rollover
http://centos6-httpd22-php56-mysql55.installer.magneticone.com/o_belozerov/31115drupal622/politics/2011/09/28/ppmfocus-needs-be-pr
poor ezzard…. can't seem to shake his backward, small town mentality….
This man is simply an obstructionist, he has no credible ideas, no solutions for the problems this country is facing. If blowing hot air would help Cayman would be problem free. Elio was right to bring up Mr. Millers history with the UDP; when he was a forgotten figure in this country it was Mckeeva Bush who extended a helping hand and kept him in the public eye; lets face it Mr. Miller if it was not for the UDP's popularity and the urge of the Majority to return Mckeeva Bush to power you would not have won the last election.
Just wondering what exactly Ezzard meant by the following quote:
“It won’t be long before second generation ethnic groups are sitting in here,”
It would seem that in order to be a 'true caymanian' is his eyes, you must not have only been born here, but you must be from a certain ethnicity which he feels represent Cayman. Sorry Ezzard, but that is not how the world works. At one point in history, your family also immigrated here.
"He said the idea that there would be a mass exodus was unfounded because when people are rolled over they are replaced, which is what would continue to happen if the law was properly enforced." If he believes that a rolled over expat is just going to be replace by another, why have the rollover in the first place? Why not at least let people apply for PR on the chance that they may be an excellent addition to the island. No one said you have to grant all PR requests so I don't see how it makes sense to not give people the chance to apply. If an expat can hold down jobs for 7 years, not get arrested or go to jail, then why should they automatically be removed some some unknown expat can take their place? It makes no sense to me.
i know a lot of people on these forums really like Ezzard but it seems he just likes to be in the news.
You said: "If he believes that a rolled over expat is just going to be replace by another, why have the rollover in the first place? Why not at least let people apply for PR on the chance that they may be an excellent addition to the island. No one said you have to grant all PR requests so I don't see how it makes sense to not give people the chance to apply. If an expat can hold down jobs for 7 years, not get arrested or go to jail, then why should they automatically be removed some some unknown expat can take their place? It makes no sense to me".
There were originally two reasons for Rollover (the second of which is now officially denied):
1. to prevent large numbers of expats from gaining permanent rights so that there was ultimately a transfer of political power from the native population.
2. It would provide opportunities for the upward mobility of Caymanians in the workplace as a succession plan would need to be in place for when the expat reached his term limit. If an expat is granted permanent residency it effectively represents a glass ceiling for the Caymanians under him.
The objective of the key employee designation was to allow certain expats who were deemed to be desirable on account of their special skills, experience and knowledge, assisting to train Caymanians etc. (in your words thought to be an excellent addition) an opportunity to become permanent residents.
That was the theory, but it has not quite worked out in practice. In some cases the jobs went with the individual when he was rolled over and this in turn added to the contraction in the economy. I am aware of cases where it has assisted the upward mobility of Caymanians but this was where the employers were not hell bent on frustrating the intent and purpose of the law.
Allowing everyone to apply for PR will be a massive undertaking which cannot be dealt with by volunteer boards and is ripe for corruption if undertaken by relatively low paid staff in the Immigration Dept.
So….
Let's get this straight. Miller's solution to fixing the overall Cayman economy to ensure more Caymanians get jobs and opportunities is to make ex-pat employees in high-skill/high-qualification jobs expendable. <br>
Apples and Oranges.
Let's just think about this for a second.
A. Where Cayman is now = Financial Sector + Tourism Sector. That's it. Those are your two main sources of economic revenue overall. No room in Financial Sector for low and medium skilled workers or trained individuals, and they probably do not want to do tourism. If a Caymanian goes off to the States or Europe to get an MBA or Finance advanced degree, chances are they could come back and go into the Finance Sector, but that's a very small number. Which is why one would expect higher volume of advanced degree ex-pats in those Finance jobs.
What do you do about the rest of the Caymanians that do not go for the advanced degrees and return to go into Finance Sector? There's a middle ground that's missing in this economy. That's why:
B. Where Cayman should go = A diversified economy with multiple sectors (including finance and tourism).
So how do you get from A to B?
How about expanding specific trainining and educational opportunities for those who want to do something different or start their own business? How about policies that court new sectors/segments of business to the islands? And how about new subsidies and aid for those caymanians who might want to do their own business on the island or go into a certain trade that is currently in the minority of businesses on the island?
Grow the segments and sectors, diversify, broaden the base, and give more opportunity for any caymanian at low, middle and upper middle educational access to participate in the local economy.
Otherwise, if want to keep it a 2 sector economy, there's no opportunity in the middle left for people to explore. That means they're not working in finance, and likely less well off or relegated to working menial jobs/low wage jobs. Which in turn creates a distressed base which leads to an overall apathy and malaise in the economy, which leads to stagnated growth and threat of decline when someone else comes along and says "we do finance and tourism too, and by the way, we do it better now".
Then all that's left is that sucking sound….
It's not about pushing out some ex-pats to free up space in the sector. It should be about creating new sectors where Caymanians can thrive, and empower them to build high-growth businesses that EMPLOY even more local Caymanians…The rollover is just a narrow political view of a much wider economic problem. Solve the economic problem and there is no need for a rollover, ex-pat vs. caymanian sentiment, or crime, because EVERYONE will have a feeling of opportunity and access.
Is Mr Miller for real!!!!!!!!!! Has he ever had a business or managed a successful business before or is he Fidel Catros brother? I cannot even find it in myself to refute such garbage as it woudl only narrow my mind. Good luck Cayman …..
mr. miller has no concept of basic economics….. his daily populist backward soundbites prove this……
at the moment he (like all other mla's) earns a huge salary for doing very little….. and is detached reality facing the residents of this island
Ezzard you are not alone in your stance on Rollover…you are simply surrounded in the LA with dummies but dont forget they do not represent the majority of us they were elected to represent. Something has to be done about Immigration as you well know and I commend you for standing against it being changed or done over any old way out of urgency or just to be able to say something has been done until a safe and fair plan is defined.
Mr Miller, what guarantee do you have that these people that you say will replace all these expats will all be of the same stature and value to the island?
With the current currency statistics, you will be hard pressed to find someone from Canada… US citizens will not come here as they still need to pay taxes on anything over US$80,000.
So where do you propose to find all of these people ?
Let us take a quick look at Cayman:
Economy – in great shape.
Poverty – non-existant.
Unemployment – unheard off.
Social Harmony – at an all time high.
Crime – almost wiped out.
Corruption – not even a whisper.
Cooperation between political parties – then envy of the rest of the world.
This is why it is so important that no "second generation ethnic groups" ever be allowed to sit in the LA. Why change when all is perfect?
Ezzard is right 100%. The crazy excuses I have heard given why this and that is failing, but I have heard no debate with reason, or seen no analysis showing if this is done, the result would be that. People give perceptions to scare others into giving them their way. This country is being run like a four cylinder car with the sparkplug wires connected to all the wrong plugs; jerking here, backfiring there. What a mess!
And where is the evidence proving that roll over provided one job for a Caymanian?
Lot’s of evidence rollover has saved the education department, health authorities, and social services tens or (particularly over time) even hundreds of millions of dollars thereby helping keep society and the economy somewhat functional, thereby saving countless jobs for Caymanians and everyone else.
Really? And where is said eveidence?
Frodo
Go and ask those entities how much money they are spending on new arrivals after the status grant fiasco and the answers will concern you greatly. Without rollover every low paid worker will become Caymanian after 10 years here. Then they can bring their families. You do the math!
And where is the evidence proving that roll over has not provided one job for a Caymanian?
Mass exodus of people – businesses relocating, need more?
Your anecdote does not prove that rollover has not provided one job to a Caymanian. One might expect that if persons who are not from here are leaving in a mass exodus that there might be some jobs coming available to Caymanians. Typical response: "this is true simply because I say it is true". Which is nonsense, of course.
You might expect that, but that has not been the case, unemployment has risen – maybe you are happy to consider that a coincidence
Ezzard, excellent factual points to bring up! You seem to be the only one with the courage to go against the status quo!
I have a real problem with the goal posts being moved (and our laws being changed) every time special interests groups exert their pressure on our legislatures, who should be looking out for the interests of Caymanians who want to work.
Unless there is clear language written into this new exemption where it is signed by the applicant seeking rollover exemption promising NOT to apply for Status of Permanent Residency, what's to say this new law won't also be challenged and overturned when the expat is otherwise eligible?
Just last week, our parliamentarians voted to sidestep the 21 day waiting period that was also a law? If our laws can be that easily ignored and changed without a referendum and feedback from the Caymanian people of whom it directly affects, what the use?
courage to go against the status quo!
Status quo is the current practises and customs, which is rollover
So Mr Miller is the only one in the LA for the status quo!
They say if it isn't broke, don't fix it. Well its is broke and Miller wants to do nothing about it, awesome idea..NOT
what a surprise!!
He would be, he can't see past his nose. Just this morning a caller to the talk show asked what plans do government have to help the people with their CUC bills, not just today, but 25 years into the future.
The obvious answers would be to, purchase fuel elsewhere, allow immediate competition, allow green energy etc.
No. All Miller could talk about was his request to lower the government portion today. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but it doesn't solve the problem. Indeed, temporary fixes do not solve long term problems. Right now CUC has a stranglehold on the people of this country. I fear it more than I fear the government.
Re CUC. 1) World fuel prices are a fraction of the cost of two years ago. Why are we paying more for CUC bills now. 2) How good are our meters? Are we still using pre-ivan meters? If so how well do they hold up agains salt water corrosion? 3) Why would CUC care about 1 and 2, they are a monopoly and we pay the price.
His suggestion is far better than the Premiers pipe dream of examining the contract to see if there is somthing that can be done to reduce rates. You mean to tell me he hasn't read the damn thing after all these years?
I don't believe this discussion was about the Premier. The point being made is that Ezzard has no viable long term solutions. He stands for two things. Tearing others down (right or wrong) and self promotion. Self promotion to the point where he will readily play the anti-expat card. You see, its more important to promote Ezzard than it is to create harmony within our society. XXXX
LOL! Is there not end to the stupidity of this man?!
Does he have ANY idea about the immigration policies in other world class jurisdictions?! Cayman will collapse if he gets his way. Welcome back the days of the sleepy fishing village, mass unemployment and the inevitable crime.
Izzard has a nice well paid job. Good for him. But lets ask just ONE question.. How many jobs has he created for North Siders? No really. Give us numbers??
Is there no end to the political stupidity in general?
I have been advocating the same thing – he is heavy on criticism but light on with solutions. What is the value in this other then being a devisive presence?
You need to get a proper understanding of his role. His role as an independent MLA is to hold the govt. accountable and he does that with great acumen. Would you prefer a one party state where everyone marches in lock step with the govt.?
Mr Ezzard Miller I do hope you see how those in the LA stand.. They are all alike and will lead you to slaughter. That is why I kept saying drink with these people but dont get drunk with them. Stay on the side of your people especiall the people of NorthSide. They were the ones who voted you in, so until you become Premier, stick with your own people, and please do not be an advocate for Alden and MacKeeva. You will dye trying to separate them.
Miller the lone voice for rollover? That says a lot about rollover.
Miller – talk to the businesses – the majority of them Caymanian owned – rollover has been a very costly failure. No one is saying that Caymanians should not be protected but there needs to be a better way.
Frodo – you funny guy. You say Caymanians need protection. You know all expats get effectively same employment rights as Caymanians after 8 years. You want to balance that without rollover. What is your alternative. I look forward to your solution.
…and I hope your solution doesn't have any rights for foreigners!
Effectively the same employment rights, you say? I must have missed the memo explaining that Caymanians and status holders now needed to apply for a right to work certificate, restricting them to a particular job title and/or industry; and that their employers were required to pay an annual fee equal to that of the relevant work permit. Please can you direct me to that particular government annoucement.
…ok, if you want to be pedantic, …same employment rights in their chosen profession. Does that work for you?
No, because you are still choosing to ignore the job ads that start with "only Caymanians and status holders need apply" and the cost of getting the employment rights certificate. Does that work for you?