Cayman Spirit
Shortly after Dart Group arrived in Cayman and began buying large parcels of land in the mid 1990’s, such as where Camana Bay is located, it was widely believed that they wanted to dredge a channel in the North Sound in order to allow large yachts to access this property. In fact, it was also believed they had a plan to cut a canal through the Barkers area and dredge along the west coast of the North Sound.
Many Caymanians were against any such plan and there was a public outcry against such a move. This outcry became so strong that eventually McKeeva and his fellow elected members from West Bay decided to hold a public meeting at the West Bay town hall to discuss this topic.
Initially, McKeeva and his fellow representatives denied any approval had been granted for dredging in the North Sound. This position continued until a member of the audience produced a copy of a signed approval which did indeed give permission for the dredging of a channel in the North Sound.
From this meeting, and the general opposition to such a plan, McKeeva and the government of the day must have realized that Caymanians were not going to accept this decision and would take all steps to prevent it from moving forward. The government backed off the proposal and nothing was heard about it again.
Now McKeeva is in government again and we find he has an agreement with Dart to close a portion of the West Bay Road. This gives absolutely no benefit to Caymanians (who through the Crown, own the land) and only gives a great benefit to Dart by increasing the value of any project they may develop there. Some say if this is done they will proceed to develop a project in this area. Are they saying that if the Dart Group does not receive the approval to close this section of the road that they will do nothing with the property? This is highly unlikely, and if it were so, it would only demonstrate a fear many Caymanians have, namely that Dart is putting itself in a position where we as a country will no longer be able to make decisions with the best interestof all Caymanians in mind if this contradicts what Dart wishes to do.
Many are saying the economy is poor at present and we should agree to this closure in order to create jobs. If we are worried that by not agreeing we will risk Dart stopping all development, imagine the position we will be in when we have granted all they want now and the group has gained even more control over our national economy. The more we give up in the name of creating a few jobs now, the more difficult it will be in the future to oppose other grandiose schemes such as dredging a channel in the North Sound. The Dart Group seems to think we will be fooled when they trot out a Deloitte report supporting their point of view. Surely most of us realize these reports do not represent the best interests of the Caymanian people as that is not who commissioned the study.
It is easy to understand why many are concerned about opposing Dart as it has a well documented history of ruthlessly pursuing its goals even in the face of opposition from large countries, even the US. How could a small country like ourselves stand against a Dart proposal if we felt it was wrong for our country? This only emphasizes why we must stand firm against the proposed closure of a section of the West Bay road now. If it is a risk for us tooppose Dart on this issue it will be impossible to oppose any future proposals it may put forward.
We can all agree that if Dart puts forward a proposal that Caymanians feel is beneficial to our Island we will be happy to support it. However we must be able to oppose a proposal that we feel is detrimental to Caymanians and our country. Caymanians have a proud history of standing against all odds when they believe something is not in the best interests of our country.
This happened recently when Mr Imparato was proposing a dock in East End. A majority of Caymanians were against this proposal and spoke out. Our government of the day did not seem to be listening but Caymanians made their concerns known and ultimately Mr Imparato changed his plans. All credit goes to Mr Imparato for ultimately heeding the wishes of Caymanians even though he must have invested considerable time and funds in the planning of the project. This may have something to do with the fact Mr Imparato actually spends considerable time here in Cayman and does interact with Caymanian society. There are many examples in our history where Caymanians have stood for what they believed under great pressure and in hindsight the decisions have proven to be very sound.
Of major concern this time is whether we still have the backbone and numbers needed to stand for what we believe. Over recent years, particularly in McKeeva administrations, the ratio of Caymanians raised here to Caymanians granted status has been changing significantly. Between the status grants and permanent residencies granted (a great Freedom of Information question would be ‘How many permanent residencies have been granted since May 2009?’) we may be losing our control over what happens in our Island.
This only makes it more important to oppose the closure of a section of the West bay Road now, as it detracts from and provides no benefits to Caymanians. There are many other issues we need to stand firm against which are being proposed by this government. These will be the topic of future viewpoints. We need to be prepared to stand firm against anything we think is detrimental to our country even if our government of the day is not standing with us.
Category: Viewpoint
Our real problem is choosing a new representive for the Primier position our choises are:
MC Vs Alden good god this is horrible.
I believe we need to seriously consider the next step. We spend so much time talking I believe we need to start to send the message to Mr. Dart in a manner he knows best. Hit him where it hurts. Boycott of Caymana Bay and all of DART companies.
I believe we have tried all the various talking angles. We did the petition which was thrown in the rubbage. We have held meeting after meeting. We need to do like we did with the East End Quarry. We need to act and send a message to the developer hecan understand.
– Boycott
– Picket Lines his property
These will get his attention more than us talking. Maybe he thinks all we will do is talk.
Dred, you sound like you ran out of options. You can't boycott one of Cayman's largest investors without hurting the economy or making it worse. Besides, Dart has more places and money outside of Cayman. Do you really think, you can hurt Dart? Rather, who you should be after, who you should be boycotting, are the MLA's interest and what they own. Because they should be representing Cayman and not Dart. They know better. Dart is just being a business man, a capitalist, and is doing what a capitalist do best. The MLAs are who we should be going at. If they refuse to listen to us, we don't only protest, but become real activists. Once they find that they are losing out on some side earnings, it is then they will listen… trust me, it always work. They listen to nothing else but money. So hit them where it hurts. But let Dart be… we never elected him!
The silent majority supports the Dart projects. I assure you that the number of persons frequenting Camana Bay, or any other Dart business entities will remain unchanged if you try this boycott ‘rubbish’. Maybe, if you go to Camana Bay (on the weekends particularly) you may ‘get a sense’ that the patrons of restaurants, shops, cafes and movie theaters are probably not calling the radio shows, or picketing for your cause.
If you listen very carefully you can hear the sound of knuckles dragging on the ground.
Excellent post.
I am concerned about the future of the Cayman Islands.
This is due to the obvious divisions that now exist in our community. A 50 / 50 split of 'the people' is never an easy thing to deal with and history has proven this time and again.
The situation is even more worrying as we see many of our newcomers (and even some natives) tending to oppose or criticize just about any and everything that the native Caymanians hold dear to their hearts. Many brush it off as a sign of ignorance, miseducation or 'nimbyism'.
The need for 'development' and progress is often touted as the catalyst behind many proposals today, however, if a nation does not develop its infrastructure for the benefit of the people that live there then trouble will eventually come.
At this point I would like to remind the room of the NY (and worldwide) 'Occupy' movements and the nationwide UK riots of just a few months back. Those are / were actions taken by disenfranchised young people living within the "richest" countries in the western world – granted, a fair number of them were lazy bums looking to score a few pairs of designer jeans. However, with fresh reports of the dire state of the UK's unemployment problem and over 25% of its young people being jobless, it is clear that they have a major issue on their hands.
Certainly the issue of "education" will now be injected however, I argue that "education", or a lack thereof, is NOT the fundamental reason for the troubles in the world today. For it were the "educated" policy makers, politicians, business owners and respected wealthy that failed to realize the ultimate disastrous results of the blatant and rampant removal of actual jobs from their economies.
*In essence, many Westerners still believe in slavery – this is the fundamental reason for the unemployment and socioeconomic problems of the western world today.
Western policy dictates that a bus driver is not worthy of a decent quality of life. A painter is not worthy of ever owning his own home. A factory worker should not expect to send his child to university.
This is what we are really saying when we spit out that rhetoric of "education". Of course, on an individual basis a good education is crucial, however there are services that are provided by the "uneducated" that are absolutely essential for modern life to function. In fact it was on the sweat, blood and toil of these very "uneducated" people that the western world rose to dominance in the past century (ignoring other pre-dating factors of course – wont go there today).
I said the above to remind those that oppose the sentiments of Kman Sense of the consequences of following that good ol' modern day western approach to 'development' and 'civilisation'. It has failed.
(Another fine example is the forthcoming 2012 London Olympics. Major infrastructure was carried out in East London and it is now awash with million-dollar flats and homes as a result however, East London has long been the preserve of blue collar and low income Londoners as an affordable place to live. That reality has now been shattered for so many as they have now been pushed out to an even further fringe – however, the British PM, political elite, and London high-flyers have praised these changes as "development" and "progress". Standby for guaranteed future friction … )
Unfortunately it has been rammed into our society at breakneck speed and it is failing here as well as it is a flawed approach to its very core.
Therefore, we can either continue along this path of self-destruction or we can wake up, identify where we are failing as a community, and do our best to address those shortcomings.
The easiest and laziest thing for us to do would be to simply follow the status quo and let the chips fall where they may. However, I believe that is a risk that we are too small and overlapped a society to take. Hopefully our society has not regressed to the point (as many other greater societies) where only after a member of the perceived elite is directly affected by the reality of the majority that we will realize exactly what is taking place around us.
I prefer the easiest and laziest thing for us.
All of these arguements is based on the fact that most of you feel that Dart ,imparato ,kirks ,thompson, shetty and all other people like them are at fault because of jealousy and envy. Come on tell the truth. You didnt tell the first guy who came to cayman that he couldnt build gallen beach hotel that you weren't going to see the beach after he built the hotel did you? Cut it out..go to church and pray … that cayman will find enough jobs for your children and grand children. Stop this predjudice against these people.
Old caymanians who first went to New York city to look for a job on national Bulk Carrier shipping company use their good english and three things reading writing and arithmetic. They also said yes sir and no mam they gave respect and got respect. Thats the true end of arguement.
If Caymanians want the island back, they need only continue with the crime spree which is fast making this place an unattractive place to live.
Saying that, I do agree with a lot of what the writer said…
Actuallly, the Caymanians also want the Island back from the criminals many of whom hail originally from elsewhere. The fact that there is a foreign element to crime here should not be a surprise. We have significant immigration from many places including the murder capital of the world (Honduras) and a runner up for that distinction (Jamaica).
nonsense….look at the stats…90% of crime is committed by caymanians
Nonsense. If a foreign national gets status they are Caymanian but they also continue to have their foreign nationality. You will find that many leading criminals in fact came from somewhere else.
Like the Cuban shot dead while robbing a home, or the Honduran currently being sought by the police with photos on CNS or the Jamaican illegal immigrant just convicted for gas station armed robbery, or Estella’s murderers or…
look at the stats not the headlines…
22:08, you mean the Cuban who was shot whose last name was Rivers who went through our entire school system and was as Caymanian as other Caymanian Cubans such as the very respectable Mario Ebanks? Or the guy being sought by the RCIPS with the photo on CNS whose biological father is Caymanian? Stop being so effing pathetic.
Its interesting that the vast number of criminals in the prison at Northward are Caymanian. Are you suggesting that the foreign element to crime here in Cayman is smarter than the Caymanian element, or are you just unaware of the numbers. I will agree that there are people from overseas committing crimes here on the island, but the composition of the prison population suggests that the majority of the criminals seem to be Caymanian.
the foreign element is smarter – lots of experience.
Why don't you focus on your own home-grown criminals instead of blaming other nationalities for the rising crime rate? Check out most of those arrested and their last names.
Most crimes are not solved. The pros are not caught. The Caymanians are caught.
Most police are not Caymanian.
Do you write speeches for Ezzard?
Obviously you don't know tmuch about Caymanian last names.
Ebanks is a well known Caymanian family. It is also a popular Honduran family name. Your last name theory means little.
I can't believe there are still posters who claim that most of the crime committed here is by furriners. The prison statistics are crystal clear. We Caymanians excel at crime in the same way that we excel at everything else once we put our minds to it.
No one said most – just a substantial amount.
Wrong!! Clearly your prejudices have clouded your ability for honest analysis. Caymanians are responsible for the majority of crime not foreigners (who are often the victims). Look up the facts first!!
more criminals will keep coming
Dart is NOT going to be happy people are thinking more intelligently about this than the Premier has. But then it's not that hard to think about most things more intelligently than he has.
I love everything DART has done. Camana Bay is wonderful and at last there are some shops worth spending money at.
Have you checked out some of the prices at the shops there? I saw a pair of Kenneth Cole shoes at one shop for over $300CI and bought the same exact pair at a mall in NY for less than $200US
big deal…thats a cayman problem not camana bay problem….
Presuming you paid your 22% duty for your Kenneth shoes and apportioned part of the cost of your round trip to NY including food, lodging and taxis I think you were robbed.
Check out the prices in Duty-Free shops in George Town – owned by that well known Caymanian Dart Kirkconnel. Look at the food prices in Dart Fosters and Dart Jnr Kirkconnel.
The cost of gas at Dart Esso and the inflated prices for airline seats at Dartman Airways. By the way future planning permission must now go through the newly appointed Dart Board. Aim High for the future – or think about paying tax.
The Fosters and the Kirkonnells have nothing to do with the Dart Group…
I believe the poster was being a bit tongue in cheek. If we allow Dart to take over too much then he will be the only one in control. Remember power corrupts and absolutely power absolutely corrupts.
Let's make sure that if we err we err on the side of not putting Dart in the position to full fill this possibility.
"Presuming you paid your 22% duty for your Kenneth shoes" Seriously you should do stand up.
Yes prices are high everywhere in Cayman. I would say almost double those in the USA.
I bought my wife a pair of running shoes in Cayman Shoe Store (not owned by Dart) and it was $150 CI. We saw the exact same pair in Tampa a couple of weeks later in Sports Authority for $110 US.
Groceries the same. A miserable piece of imported cheese, $8 CI. And there is no import duty on cheese.
Waitrose yoghurt from the UK, $1.20 CI in the UK, $8 CI in Fosters.
People who come here to work think they will be better off because their incomeis tax free, but when they discover that everything is so pricey, they realize they are no better off.
The choice of cheese in Cayman is pitiful.
Better than in just about the whole of the rest of the Caribbean, though, Taste Inc. Are we not being a tad unrealistic and unfair to expect Cayman to provide a huge range of specialist foods we take for granted in North America and Europe?
I beg to differ. Caymana Bay is an architectural eyesore on theisland. It has about as much "Caribbean flavor" as any number of shopping malls in the States. But it is big.
yep it's a pity its not a tin roof shanty village………….zzzzzzzzzzz
Wonderful for whom? Worth it for whom? You speak only for yourself. When Camana Bay was announced, it was supposed to be a place where ALL could go and mingle and enjoy the experience, the shops, the products, etc. Check out reality 101 – all you see in the retail stores are wealthy expats or elite upper-bracket Caymanians shopping. Why? Because the prices are ridiculously high there! I think it is deliberately so to discourage certain types of lower-income earning groups from entering those stores ! Exclusivity 101 ! You hardly see ordinary locals (of more modest means) shopping in any of the retail stores in Camana Bay. The only place I see locals patronizing, is in the cinema and the Cafe de Sol. Most people can't afford to eat at Michael's and Ortanique, unless you are in the elite upper bracket of income earners. My friend went recently to one of these restaurants and paid $150 for a dinner she could have somewhere else for $70, and swore she is not going back there. So excuse me for barfing when I hear you spout nonsense. But don't worry, Patricia X, you will soon get more of what you wish for, because when the Dart group takes over most of the prime real estate and industries here, and continues to buy out the competition (or others have to close their businesses because they cannot compete with his resources), and when there is hardly any competition around to ensure the prices being charged are reasonable, THEN you will see who can afford to shop and eat at his developments. Go ahead and follow the Pied Piper, your Lord and Saviour. You guys are so blinded by the glitter, dazzling lights and sweet sounds of their delusional spin, that you will soon be led by the Pied Piper straight over the cliff ! The time will soon come when Caymanians can no longer set up businesses for themselves, nor their children and grandchildren, because they will not be able to compete with this wealthy entity which is slowly but surely on a path to owning most of this place – and that includes all of you who live here, and which does not give two hoots about what the locals.
stick to shedden road then!……thank you saint ken
Ha! You would love that, wouldn't you "saint ken'? Don't worry, Caymanians soon take back their country. Not everyone has been misguided by the bright lights and bellies which require instant gratification at the expense of their country's long-term best interests. There are truly none so blind, than those who refuse to see.
take back what and when?….we are in control now…. and you can easily be bought off for a few dollars more!
I think your points explain exactly why I like it so much and my friends always arrange to meet there.
Pass the self-pity pot!
Ortanique is wonderful and has brought Michael's up a notch. True the sophisticated food is beyond the palate of most in Cayman, but they can go elsewhere. I find them both decent value given we are in Cayman. These places, the restaurants and the stores, are probably all the better because they are high end. The cinema is lovely but I avoid it on busy "locals" nights as the conduct of the audience, talking, calling, bringing in children who are too young etc, is quite annoying.
Exclusivity 101 – that's what I like.
This is a very well argued point. Aside for government’s total lack of respect for the wishes and concerns of the people, my major concern is the power that will lie in Darts hands as pointed out here. It is clear that this power is being applied in the case of the road closure.
We need to be looking at the long term effects of this type of deal not just at what it will do for us in the short term. We should never sacrifice our future for a bit of gain today. This is a very myopic view that is being taken by our government..
What will give us quick results in achieving our short term goals is not always what we should be looking at. As parents most of us would not advocate that our children’s desires to achieve in sportsin the short term should be accomplished through the use of steroids. The same reasoning tells us that just because this alliance will be a quick fix to short term problems does not mean that it is in the Caymanian peoples best interest in the long run!
Most countries have laws that limit the amount a given company or entity can control. It seems that what this alliance does is endow Dart with more control than many of us feel is healthy.
This is my concern.
FINALLY!! Something I can refer people to when they do not understand why I find liking All Things Dart hard to swallow.
Good feedback from Anonymous's @ 02/15/2012 – 05:23, 02/15/2012 – 08:04, 02/15/2012 – 09:37
I'm sending this to everyone in my address book.
If you agree, you should do the same.
Education Education Education
Signed
Status Grant 2003, Right to be Caymanian by entitlement
Interesting argument and I think the most important point you raised is that no one corporation should ever gain enough power to control the decisions of a democratically elected government. I think this, above any other issue, should be what most people take from this piece. Whether Caymanians like Dart or Imparato or any other developer, what most people seem to be concerned about is making sure that their children (and themselves for that matter) will be able to propser in their own country. The big question is do we want our children to be able to live in a Cayman where they can set up a business in the future or where they must take a job where they can get it? Both are valid ways of earning a living but if we want our children to have a choice we need to ensure that there is a framework in existence where they are able to prosper. How can they If one company has all the power to set prices, to develop as and what they deem appropriate? More importantly how can the Government make independent decisions about what is right for us all in that case? To me this seems a very logical and pragmatic question to ask.
Every move forward for this country, every new tourism strategy, financial policy and new development is a gamble we take and we hope pays off in the future. But if we set ourselves up to gamble with someone the Government has given all the cards, how can we ever win without them and how will anyone in the future be able to play against them? That, to me, seems to be a very dangerous position to be in for the future independance of any Government or likewise any person and, as this writer of this viewpoint seems to be pointing out, we are already seeing signs of being in that position.
Well said, and I think it is worthy to note that if a big shot like Dart who has contributed alot to the community via parks and camana bay, should ever decide to break the law, who will call him out??? Our politicians are setting us up for a bad reputation. Rather, they should be focusing on enabling locals to start their own businesses without the red tape and hikes in fees, more than merely creating jobs for big shots who pay little and can afford the hikes in fees. We need politicians who love their country over money and personal gain.
You must be a tourist, there are 2 classes here in cayman the ones thast are under the law and the ones over the law it has always been that way.
War creates jobs too
dart will expand and improve the whole public beach area and make it a first class facility…..end of story…
why do you want to protect a dangerous road cutting through this area?
We already have WORLD class facility ( the beach itself) that everyone is happy with. Democracy works like this : if the MAJORITY of people want something they get it if they do not, it ( the plan, activity etc) gets smashed,so it is therefore up to the government of the day (the peoples representatives) to determine if this is the case or not …end of story.
It really is not that great a beach, once you look past the hype. It might be the best beach you have ever seen if you are on holiday from Indiana. But then it might be the only beach you have ever seen.
Dart is only doing what he can get away with, so are any other foreigners who are taking advantage of their ties and connections to local politicans. The education of our leaders (past and present) has been limited, so it is no surpise that there are many out there with deep pockets who can outsmart them.
As long as Caymanians are prepared to sell out their own people and their own country nothing will change. Until Caymanians demand that the people who have been put in charge are held accountable, nothing will change. As long as Caymanians are accepting hand outs and kick-backs, nothing will change.
I don't feel about Dart one way or the other, but he is not the problem to this issue – it is your own people who continue to fail you. So stand together at the next election and show who REALLY is in power and I hope to god that it is not going to turn again into a PPM vs UDP thing. There are more options…………
When I hear Ms. Doak spouting off the Dart corporate spin that the PRIMARY reason for the FCIA is jobs for Caymanians, it grates on my nerves and insults my intelligence; and yet many ordinary, hard-working Caymanians fall for the rhetoric hook, line, and sinker. The one, single person who will benefit financially the most from the FCIA is Mr. Dart, and I would have more respect for Ms. Doak if she would for once, just once, admit this plain and simple fact. I do not begrudge Mr. Dart a very nice return on his investments, and I do accept that the FCIA will provide jobs for a few (how many?) Caymanians , but I do reject the notion that the FCIA is PRIMARILY a philanthropic project because Mr. Dart loves Cayman and the Caymanian people.
The current economical crisis has given Mr. Dart a more than golden opportunity to engage in a huge Public Private Partnership (P3) with the CIG. P3s are complex financial instruments that have, in many cases, proven to be absolutely disastrous for inexperienced governments all over the world. "Crony Capitalism" is the term used to describe an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between powerful business people and governments, or individual government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks and so forth, e.g., CIG "inadvertently" giving to Dart an extra 2,500 feet of the West Bay Road, while Dart gives CIG a gift (a sweetener?) of $5M outside the FCIA agreement — crony capitalism at its worst, and strangely most naive and open!
Looking back into the recent past, Caymanians must surely realize that one or two large inward investment projects will not "turn the economoy around." Despite the, not insignificant and relatively recent, Ritz-Carlton and Camana Bay (still expanding)projects, Cayman is still running a huge budget deficit (somewhere between $18M – $81M!) and producing the worst unemployment figures for years. Why? Because successive CIGs have engaged in crony capitalism, giving away to wealthy inward investors far too much in the way of concessions to achieve anyhting like a significant inflow of funds into the public purse; in return for what — jobs for Caymanians? The unemployment figures certainly do not support the jobs for Caymanians verbiage that comes with projects such as the FCIA. What actually comes, is a little boost to the construction industry for a few years and then it's back to square one.
My fear is that as the CIG engages in more and more P3s as the primary financial instrument to fund large infrastructure projects, crony capitalism will become widespread, bringing with it a regression into more and more secrecy, hidden agendas, "money under the table", and so on; sinking Cayman into what is often termed a plutocracy (rule by wealth) and a kleptocracy (rule by theft) as the tails (Dart, China Harbour Engineering, and others) ever more aggressively wag the dog (CIG).
Absolute Caymunian.
I think Kman Nonsense would be a much more suitable nom de guerre.
So let me get this right if you are for investment and job creation you are somehow un-Caymanian and unpatriotic, you couldn't be raised here, you must have been granted status recently.
Well judging by all of the 5th generation Caymanian last names listed in the last For Cayman Alliance ad in the paper you couldn't be more wrong.
Cayman is moving forward, thankfully most will see your xenophobic, divisive, and small minded attempt to keep Cayman in the dark ages just for what it is.
Hard to see why you love Imparato and hate Dart.
Wrong…..
Read again, the writer through example is comparing the Dart and Imparato projects,the Imparato project unlike Dart's acknowledged the opposition and made the popular decision . Not sure where you found evidence of hate or love.
Im guessing your the kid that can't afford the kool aid but wants it this bad!
Imperator's project was a rip-off. His withdrawal was not a kindly gesture toward Cayman.
That was a lucid argument of gossip and innuendo that supports your cause of not closing West Bay Road. Unfortunately gossip and innuendo are not strong foundations for arguments.
But do not worry you put enough hot button topic concerns to upset enough people who choose to not think through your arguments.
When crime is destroying the fabric of the society I guess arguing about a road closure is easier than asking the question, "How did my son, nephew, cousin, brother become an armed robber?" And what do I do when now I am afraid of him?
Unfortunately there is not simple answer to this problem so Dart makes a more clear cut problem.
Read about another armed robbery tomorrow.
I agree, the Seven Mile Beach Road shout NOT be closed.
We need two roads in and out of West Bay. And the SevenMile Beach Road needs the Speed Limit lowered (long overdue) along with stategically placed Raised Pedestrian Crossings (such as between Immigration Dept and the Govt. Admin Building.
This would make SMB Rd. safer for all (especially pedesdrians) while providing an alternative route when needed and also a more scenic route.
Excellent, could not have said it any better.