Archive for December, 2012
Mac not resigning
(CNS): The Cayman Islands premier says he will not be resigning as he has done nothing wrong. In McKeeva Bush's first statement since his arrest on Tuesday, released by his office after he left for Jamaica Thursday, he made it clear that he was staying in office. “I have done nothing wrong and I shall not be resigning as premier. I also wish to assure one and all that the government continues to operate as normal," he said. Bush is expected to return to Cayman Friday evening when his supporters have asked that the people meet him at the airport to show their backing for his decision. On the advice of his lawyers, Bush said, he would say nothing more on the matter at present but would issue a further statement in due course.
Check back to CNS for more later today.
Camana Bay Aquatic Club breaks national records
(CBAC): The Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC) travel team returned home from Toronto last week to a great reception from families and friends. The well-deserved airport celebration capped an exciting weekend of swimming at the 14th Annual Mega City Short Course Special and the North York Aquatic Club (NYAC) 30th Annual Youth Cup, between 29th November and 2nd December. The Mega City Short Course is a developmental meet for young emerging talent, while the Youth Cup is a nationally-renowned swim meet for competitive swimmers aged 11 to 17. Both meets are highly respected in the international youth swim circuit. The meets took place at the Etobicoke Olympia Pool in Toronto with over 1,200 Canadian swimmers competing, as well as 30 CBAC swimmers.
The two meets saw the young CBAC swimmers make significant strides toward their individual goals. “The Youth Cup was a very fast meet with many talented swimmers,” said CBAC Head Coach Katie Lambert. She added, “For some of the younger swimmers, the Mega City was their first international competition. Overall, CBAC achieved more than 150 personal bests, 60 top ten finishes, six bronze, ten silver and eight gold medals.”
Gold medals went to Isabella Tognazzo, 14, for the 200m Backstroke and 200m Breaststroke, Matthew Somerville, 11, for the 50m Butterfly, Jordan Crooks, 10, for the 50m Butterfly, Zororo Mutomba, 10, for 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly, and Lauren Hew, 13, for 50m Freestyle. “We are hugely proud of Avery Lambert and Zororo Mutomba, who both broke national records in the 100m Backstroke and 50m Freestyle, respectively,” Lambert said.
The relay races were also a highlight for the team. Ben Somerville, Dylan Lewis, Jordan Crooks and Derek Peene held their place in a competitive race to earn Silver in the 10 & Under Boys 200m Medley Relay. The final race of the meet came to an exciting end when Isabella Tognazzo pulled ahead in the anchor leg to secure the 13 & 14 Girls 200m Freestyle Relay team third place. Also swimming fast in the race was Lauren Hew, Flynn Hope and Zororo Mutomba. Hew, Tognazzo and Matthew Sommerville also achieved CARIFTA qualifying times.
The Camana Bay Aquatic Club marks its second anniversary this month. In two short years, the Club has grown to almost 150 team members, spanning ages 5 to 15, and celebrates the launch of a new swim school in January 2013. “I am very proud of the teamfor working so hard over the past few months,” said CBAC President, Jeffrey Wight. “So many of the swimmers had set great personal goals and competing in the Youth Cup and Mega City meets is just the beginning. I would like to congratulate and thank the travel team swimmers, coaches and parents for their dedication, enthusiasm, and support and MaplesFS for their continued support and sponsorship. Keep up the great swimming!”
For more information on the Camana Bay Aquatic Club, visit www.camanabayaquaticclub.com or contact cbac@camanabay.com.
For additional highlights from the Youth Cup and Mega City meets, and to stay up-to-date with the latest happenings at the Club, like Camana Bay Aquatic Club on Facebook.
UDP: A picture of failure
The detention of Cayman’s Premier on corruption charges has dealt a severe blow to the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP). On the Marl Road we have more rumours than green iguanas in Cayman; rumours about who will be next, who has gone away, who has set fire to files, transferred assets and even computers flung over the drop-off, to mention a few.
The handling of this situation by the UDP has been in keeping with the party’s ineptitude of the past three and a half years. Its lack of leadership ability, structure and competence is woefully obvious.
At this crucial time the ruling party should be the heavyweights, the bright minds, the leadership that should be stepping forward to instill confidence in its followers, not to mention the world at large.
We as a people need to keep this picture of failure to perform in mind, when next we have the opportunity to vote for a representative. No longer can we vote for Mr Nice Guy or for Miss So & So, because theyare a church sister or part of a particular team or party.
We must now look for qualities that will enable our representatives to lead, think and act in a responsible manner. Cayman is in the Caribbean, however it is not to be governed by the same ignorant and corrupt politics as some of our neighboring Islands. We have long passed that point.
I ask that you consider the sitting UDP members of government; weigh their accomplishments, moral behavior, principles, honesty and leadership examples. I have, and I find them lacking in strength of character and courage. They are not good examples to young Caymanians, nor are they competent to represent Cayman as we face the crucial time ahead.
The UDP is a dying dinosaur of old style carpet-bagging politics. It is on its death bed and Cayman will be better off when the party is taken off life-support by the voters.
Port finally releases withheld documents as ordered
(CNS): Almost one year after CNS submitted a freedom of information (FOI) request regarding the negotiations with the former proposed cruise port developer, GLF, to develop the cruise berthing facilities in George Town, the Port Authority has finally released all of the records in accordance with the findings of the information commissioner’s October decision. On Monday, 10 December the Port Authority’s legal counsel informed the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) that their client would not seek a judicial review, one day after the 45 days the authority was given to release the information, delivering the documents to the commissioner’s office at 5pm.
The ICO checked that all of the records were present and passed the binder containing hundreds of documents to CNS.
The records include minutes from the board meeting in which members began to realize their vulnerability to legal action following the decision by the premier to abandon talks with GLF and switchto negotiations with China Harbour Engineering Company, and details of the final US$2.5 million settlement paid for by the Cayman taxpayer.
The documents also include correspondence from the premier in response to GLF’s threats of legal action and show that the withdrawal of GLF's original FOI request at the beginning of this year, which triggered the CNS request, was part of the settlement agreement between the port, government and GLF.
CNS will be examining the documents in detail over the coming days and will reveal their contents to readers as soon as possible.
Election writs issued
(CNS): Cayman Islands Governor Duncan Taylor issued the election writs to the sixreturning officers Wednesday, triggering the official start of the election calendar. The five men and one woman are officially responsible for conducting May’s national vote in each of their respective districts, including checking the accuracy of the electors' register, managing the nomination process and ultimately returning the elected candidates. Taylor said that in the same way he had remained confident that government would amend the necessary legislation in time, he was confident the officers would ensure the election was well organised and fair.
The governor said the election was an exciting time and was the “very cornerstone of democracy” when voters in Cayman will have their say.
The governor made no mention of this week’s turn of events and the arrest under the anti-corruption law of the current Cayman Islands premier, McKeeva Bush, who had been released on police bail just before the writs were issued after two days of questioning.
Kearney Gomez, the supervisor of elections, described the May 2013 election as his "swan song" as it would be his last, but he said it was going to be “a very serious election” and everyone would need to be “on their ps and qs”, ensuring that candidates are familiar with all of the relevant laws, including the anti-corruption legislation.
He said he had every confidence in the returning officers, who were all veterans. Gomez noted that that the team had run many elections, several by-elections and two referendums. He was positive that this one would run smoothly too but said there was a lot of hard work ahead.
The five men and women who will be managing elections in the districts are all veterans of the process, though Philip Martin Jackson, the new returning officer in East End, and Ned Solomon in Bodden Town previously served as deputy returning officers. Meanwhile, Philip Barnes, Delano Solomon, Dave Tatum and Jennifer Kaufman are all old hands and have served as returning officers in the referendums and previous elections.
The issuing of the writs formally launches the election preparations and confirms exactly how many people will be returned in each district. That significant detail was only confirmed on Monday evening when government finally brought the elections amendment law to the Legislative Assembly to change the number of candidates to be returned in George Town from four to a whopping six members, and in Bodden Town from three to four. For the first time in history the premier’s district will have less influence on government than the capital, and Bush made it clear he was not happy about it.
Nevertheless, the amendment passed through the house on Monday hours before the premier was taken into police custody, and then published in the government gazette on Wednesday.
The next most significant date on the election calendar for the public is 2nd January, which is the last day those who are entitled to vote can put their names on the register. The Legislative Assembly will be dissolved on 26th March and nomination day will take place on 27th March, when all of the candidates planning to fight for a seat in the country’s parliament will formally declare their hand. The campaign will then begin in earnest leading up to Election Day on 22 May.
Turtle Farm defends independence of review
(CNS): Contrary to the statement from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) about the review of the Cayman Turtle Farm (CTF), the local attraction said Wednesday that it was an unbiased and independent investigation, with the primary goal to determine if standards of care meet those required to ensure that the operation is conducted in a “humane manner”. The farm stated that the terms of reference directly related to the welfare of the turtles, and matched the areas of concern alleged by the WSPA in the report. “We therefore are at a loss to understand why the WSPA claims the review does not have the welfare of the turtles in the care of the Cayman Turtle Farm at heart,” the Farm stated in a release.
On Monday the WSPA said it had concerns that the review team was compromised of at least two members that had worked with the farm in the past and that there were no animal welfare experts on the team. The WSPA was also concerned about the standards to which the Cayman Turtle Farm would be held.
However, CTF said that as it is a completely unique facility with nothing to compare to, the terms of reference had to be based on the standards of practice that would apply to a comparable intensive livestock facility.
“The WSPA takes issue with this, arguing that the turtle is not a domesticated species. However, neither were pigs, cows or chickens – until they were in fact farmed and domesticated,” the Farm said.
CTF also stated that the four inspectors are all well-known turtle experts and members of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG).
George Balazs, a sea turtle scientist with 40 years of professional experience, has published over 100 journal papers on sea turtles. He has been a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group since 1976, and is currently the MTSG Vice-Chair for the Pacific Islands Region.
Dr Annette Broderick is a Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology. She has been researching marine turtle populations for over 20 years, with much of her work focusing on the UK Overseas Territories, including the Cayman Islands. Her research focuses on the conservation and monitoring of marine turtle populations, in particular reproductive investment; impacts of temperature on hatchling production; migration and navigation of adults and the management of marine turtle harvests. She is a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group.
Dr Thierry Work is a veterinarian, and a wildlife disease expert with 20 years of professional experience on diseases of sea turtles. He is credited with over 40 journal papers on sea turtles. He is a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group and the IUCN Wildlife Health Specialist Group (WHSG).
Professor Brendan Godley is a marine conservation scientist and qualified veterinarian who has been working on marine turtles around the world for over 20 years. He is a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group. Professor Godley was selected by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to conduct an inspection in 2002 on the Cayman Turtle Farm. He serves on the IUCN Veterinary Specialist Group and the Turtle Implementation Group for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan for Marine Turtles.
“Despite the clear qualifications of these individuals to conduct a thorough review of the Cayman Turtle Farm, the WSPA has complained that there is no animal welfare expert on the review team,” the Farm stated, adding that it did not know how the WSPA defined an animal welfare expert as all of the team are inarguably experts on sea turtles. It said two are qualified veterinarians, while another has three years’ experience on an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) combined with formal training in animal welfare.
The farm also denied that team was compromised and said it believed that if a WSPA expert had been invited to take part then the review would have been less independent.
“For this reason, neither a WSPA representative nor a Cayman Turtle Farm representative are included on the team, for the very purpose of ensuring that the reviewers come to their own independent conclusions,” the CTF said.
Professor Brendan Godley and Dr Annette Broderick have been in contact with the Cayman Turtle Farm over the years in the course of their work, which the farm said is not surprising as the Farm is the only organisation of its kind in the world, focusing on captive breeding of sea turtles and maintaining a stock of sea turtles of various ages.
However, CTF said neither Professor Godley nor Dr Broderick have ever been employed by CTF. Godley conducted a review of the Cayman Turtle Farm in 2002 that was funded by the UK Government and he was selected by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) based on his expertise.
The report is due at the end of January and CTF said it will pursue the recommendations arising from it and make the findings public.
“The Cayman Turtle Farm was not forced into this independent review. We chose to have it conducted and agreed to pursue its findings in order to address the areas of concern which arose due to the WSPA’s allegations, and to reaffirm that the Cayman Turtle Farm is a bona fide research and conservation facility, which does not practice or condone animal cruelty, and which is committed to the wellbeing of the turtles in our care,” CTF said.
According to the review terms of reference, the inspection team is expected to examine water quality; stocking densities; treatment and prevention of disease and injury; levels and causes of mortality; levels (if any) of severe injuries; levels (if any) of congenital deformities; handling of animals by guests (including safety of both animals and guests); and slaughter methods and practice.
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Local transmissions of dengue reach 20 cases
(CNS): Public health officials confirmed Wednesday that the total number of cases under investigation for dengue fever since the beginning of the year had grown to 82 as a result of nine new potential cases being investigated since the previous update at the end of last month. Fourteen results were received this week but only four tested positive as doctors test to rule out rather than confirm the spread of the disease because the outbreak appears to be on the decline. The number of cases transmitted locally grew to 20 however, 16 of which were contracted in West Bay which remains the district with the highest concentration of dengue patients.
Out of the 67 cases for which results have now been received less than half have proved positive. 36 cases were negative, 15 cases are pending and 31 were positive. Of those, 20 had no travel history, suggesting that they acquired the dengue locally – 16 in West Bay, 2 in George Town and 2 in Bodden Town.
During the course of the outbreak, which is now in decline after the wet season drew to a close last month, 24 people with suspected dengue had been admitted and treated in hospital. Of those, 12 were confirmed as dengue while 6 were negative and the remaining 6 are awaiting results.
Bush bailed, no charges
(CNS): Updated — While the RCIPS has emphasised that investigations involving the Cayman Islands premier remain active, a spokesperson said that McKeeva Bush has been released on police bail following a number of interviews with Financial Crimes Unit officers today and yesterday. Police said Bush has been placed on police bail until early February 2013 to allow further investigations to take place both here in Cayman and abroad, in connection with the allegations made against him. They also confirm that a considerable amount of property, including computer equipment, was seized during searches yesterday. "The investigations involving Mr Bush are still very active and the RCIPS will be pursuing all lines of enquiry in consultation with the Legal Department," the RCIPS said.
Meanwhile, Suresh Prasad, who had been questioned by the RCIPS in connection with allegations of corruption relating to the dynamite probe, was also released Wednesday on police bail until February next year while enquiries continue.
Police did not state what, if any, bail conditions had been placed on either the premier or Prasad at the time of their release from custody.
Despite, his release sometime on Wednesday afternoon and the news that the premier will face no more questions from the police until next year, there was no comment from him, the government in general or the UDP on his position. Cabinet, which was cancelled on Tuesday to allow the UDP party to meet, was convened today in the absence of the premier.
SaxonMG sponsors International Men’s Day football tournament
(IMDFT): The annual International Men’s Day celebrations kicked off in Cayman last month with a football tournament sponsored for the second year running by a generous donation from local insurance company, Saxon MG. International Men's Day focuses on the health of men and boys, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality and highlighting positive male role models. It is intended to raise awareness about discrimination against men and boys, and also to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular to community, family, marriage, and childcare.
SaxonMG CEO, Brian Williams, said, "This is a great way to honour our youth and men by participating together in a football tournament, and we are looking forward to participating and sponsoring future IMD events.”
International Men's Day (IMD) was inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago and draws support from individuals and groups in Australia, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
Calls mount for premier’s resignation
(CNS): There was still no news at lunchtime on Wednesday regarding the premier’s position in office. Neither the UDP nor Cabinet made any comment as calls mounted from the community and the political opposition. Although the official opposition leader, Alden McLaughlin, fell short of asking Mckeeva Bush to resign in his statement on Tuesday, both independent MLAs said that Bush must now step down or the UDP members should remove him from the top political job. Their sentiments were supported by the Coalition for Cayman, a new political group, which says it’s not a political party, and which also blamed the current situation on party politics.
Growing numbers of bloggers, commentators and radio talk-show callers throughout Cayman's community were calling Tuesday for the premier to step down from the top political job, echoing the sentiments of local politicians.
Speaking on behalf of the two independent opposition members, Arden McLean, MLA for East End, said that while Bush’s arrest was “a blemish on our reputation” the action by the RCIPS sent a clear message that the country respected the rule of law and that no one is above it.
“These are serious allegations and we have maintained and publicly stated time and time again that corruption, or the appearance of it, must not be tolerated in any democratic society such as ours,” McLean said, adding that he and Northside independent member, Ezzard Miller, had confidence in the judicial process.
Following a short formal statement the two politicians both agreed that there was no option but for bush to resign voluntarily, and if he did not then his colleagues in the UDP would have to force his hand. “The honourable thing for him to do now is step aside and let the process take its course,” Miller stated. McLean added that he is only one man but there are 14 other MLAs in the country’s parliament.
Meanwhile, the Coalition for Cayman called for Bush’s immediate resignation and asked his party to take action if he did not resign voluntairily. Although the coalition said it had to be careful not to prejudge, the nation had to be clear that corruption in any form would not be tolerated.
“It is a time for the people of the Cayman Islands to come together. We have an opportunity to set aside partisan politics and work together to create a better future for the Cayman Islands that includes independent leaders with integrity and competence who will always put Country First,” a spokesperson for the group stated.
In his statement following the premier’s arrest, Alden McLaughlin, the People's Progressive Movement (PPM) leader and leader of the opposition, called on the UDP to resolve the situation. He said that the social and economic interests of the Islands depended on Mr. Bush's colleagues acting swiftly. Pointing to the accepted international best practice and the conventions of the Westminster system of government, he said there was clear guidance on the course of action that ought now to be followed.
See political statements below