Coalition takes dump objections to FCO minister
(CNS): Residents in Bodden Town who are leading the charge against the government’s plan to move Grand Cayman’s landfill to their district have written a letter directly to the UK's overseas territories minister complaining that the government is not following the newly legislated Framework for Fiscal Responsibility (FFR). The letter to Mark Simmonds sets out in detail their grievances about the proposed plan but also accuses government of “riding roughshod" over due process. The coalition pointed to the raising of expectations following the UK’s insistence that the port project be properly tendered and asked the minister to apply the same pressure on government regarding the ForCayman Alliance.
“Our immediate concern is the enforcement of that provision of the FFR which CIG found most ‘difficult’ to accept … the requirement of proper procurement processes for significant public projects,” the coalition has written to Simmonds.
Pointing to the details of the ForCayman Investment Alliance (FCIA), the coalition states that, in spite of the scope of the projects and the value of crown land being “swapped”, none of it has been submitted to a tendering process.
Highlighting Simmonds' own words to McKeeva Bush in a letter earlier this month that projects “must be done transparently and properly” and that the UK cannot allow any major public procurements “unless the proper processes have been followed”, the coalition told the minister that the proposed deal with Dart over the dump “continues to flagrantly violate due process, transparency andgood governance.”
Relating the entire story, from the original request for proposals in December 2010 right up to the recent instructions from the ministry to the Environmental Advisory Board to examine only the site in Bodden Town and not any alternatives in the environmental impact assessment, the coalition writes that the FCIA agreement is “illegitimate – certainly unethical, undemocratic, unfair, financially irresponsible, in violation of the Environmental Charter signed with the UK by Premier McKeeva Bush himself in September 2001, in violation of the FFR and the UK’s guidelines for good governance, and possibly illegal.”
Thecoalition called on the FCO to review the issues “and to assume its constitutional responsibility to the Cayman Islands”, as the group pointed to what it described as the forthright and unambiguous wording of Simmonds' letter to Bush in November regarding “good governance of the public finances and procurement”.
Asking Simmonds to apply the same standards to all major public projects and to prevent the attempts by the local government to circumvent the constraints by “splitting” major projects into components of lesser value, the coalition asked Simmonds to put the brakes on the proposal to move the dump.
See full letter below.
Category: Politics
Well written letter that outlines most of my concerns with the proposed dump move.
It's not about "NIMBY"; if we have the ability to mitigate Mount Trashmore in order to responsibly cap it, then we have the ability to mitigate it in-situ, where it is more centrally located to the source of the trash, as well as keeping our waste management in a location where the environmental damage has already been done.
We need to do what benefits the people, not just one business entity.
But you do not have the ability to do anything competently in your current state. Which is why you need to rely on those who do not qualify as "we". What has been proposed will benifit the people (way better then the current situation) BY and BECAUSE of the business entity. No worries though. We (the others we) understand that you can not understand and since you are still in charge of all things Caymanian nothing of merrit will be accomplished.
I propose the solution- store your own garbage on your own propery. I bet the amount of garbage will be reduced significantly and suddenly everyone will start thinking about recycling.
If no one wants a dump, why not to stop producing garbage? It is NOT impossible. Refuse buying overpackaged stuff, buy only food in glass (recycable) bottles, jars; start composting and simply stop overconsuming- buying junk that ends up in a dump (think X-mas gifts)!
This nimby luddites annoy me. Let us hope they are ignored.
Can we put the dump upwind of your house then?
No, because I live in the heart of the area that generates the majority of Cayman's economy, namely the SMB corridor. The dump is best located a backwater of no economic significance and the proposed plan satisfies that requirement.
Where can I join The Coalition for a Dump-Free GT?
When the majority realize that the problem can be solved at the current site
Not with the current skill level of those in charge.
There IS no Coalition for a dump free GT. The reason being there is no legitimate reason on earth why there shouldn't be one there.
I can tell you why there should not be a dump in George Town. When Dart purchased the land and started filling for the Camana Bay City, the George Town dump was already there. Had they decided to do something about it at that time, we could have had a modern waste facility right where it is. However, the man who owns the dictator Why should we, in Bodde Town, have to put up with more increased traffic, increase n garbage fees again, when it should remain where it is or move to the other end of the island.
"Why should we, in Bodde Town, have to put up with more increased traffic, increase n garbage fees again, when it should remain where it is or move to the other end of the island." becuase it is a better choice than the heavily populated centres of our tourism and finance industries?
Great job! Glad someone is thinking outside the box!
The arrogance and closed-mindedness of this "coalition" is astounding…..that they actually wrote to say they represented the "vast majority in Cayman" is remarkable….and don't even get me started on their complete unwillingness to read, hear, listen to the facts or even express an interest in learning more about the proposed Waste Management Facility. And from among this group, some expect to get elected to the Legislative Assembly? Truly remarkable….
As long as you are open minded enough to have the dump upwind of your house and to understand that all the For Dart Alliance will be paying for is to dig holes and line 2 of them and that we will ALL be paying to build the rest of a waste management facility after we give our current one to Dart.
The letter should at least provide Minister Simmonds with a little comic relief after the FFR debacle.
The UK does not interfere with internal disputes. The fiscal well being of the Cayman Islands and obvious issues related to the port are of concern to them. The location of the dump, not so much.
A new site is the only currently viable solution and this is a good one. The only real question at this point is why this project is not completed by now.
"A new site is the only currently viable solution" – then why not put it on land currently being opened up the new bypass going into WB Batabano road?
Don't just give thumbs down, say why not put it there?
He may well be interested because it is all part of the same deal which includes major concessions which impact Government revenue and will, therefore, impact the fiscal well-being of Cayman.
Waah, waah, waah. This one is kosher folks. Simmonds can’t save you now.
Please explain why this is kosher? Especially with the pigs at the trough ready to supply the marl to help fill this site.
We don't need saving. We just need a Government that cannot be bought. Think of how much THAT would save us.