Credit where credit is due
The primary difference between the two political parties in Cayman is that one is clearly better at managing the economy than the other. Here is the evidence: Everyone knows that our country has been in a recession for the past several years; however, the headlines of the February 1 Caymanian Compass clearly confirms that our economy is finally on the right track towards recovery.
Air arrivals were up by 4.1 per cent in 2012 – the highest in 11 years. Cruise arrivals were also up, with an increase of 7.6 per cent over 2011. We are actually now spending 35 per cent less on the Department of Tourism and the results have been the best they’ve been in 12 years.
And the economic picture even gets better. Property sales are up, three new hotels are being considered for development; expenses for the public service are lower than expected and revenues are higher than expected; and major developments like the East End hospital project and Cayman Enterprise City are well under way.
Even the Compass’s Editorial of February 1st had to commend that “positive things are starting to happen; our country is on the right track toward recovery and economic success”.
But who really deserves the credit for this turn around? Politicians often get the blame when things go wrong; however, if we are truly being fair they should also get the credit when things go right. While there are those who will never admit it – Hon McKeeva Bush is the person who deserves the credit for engineering this economic turnaround. Minster Cline Glidden cannot claim the credit for this success because although he was a member of UDP he was actually a back bencher during this period and not a minster.
Despite all of the usual political rhetoric and mudslinging that will come during this election season, let’s give credit where credit is due. Running a country in the current global economic environment is no easy task. Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm; but the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
We all know that the primary reason our country was in a financial mess was because the PPM government engaged in a wanton spending spree between 2005 and 2009. But now that the UDP has turned the country’s finances in the right direction, even hardline PPM supporters and the usual Hon “McKeeva Haters” will have to reluctantly admit that the UDP is better at managing the economy than the PPM.
The facts speak for themselves.
Category: Viewpoint
Air arrivals are up as a result of a rebound in the US economy. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the mess McKeeva has made of our country. I'm willing to bet that air arrivals would indeed be up very considerably more if we did not have a Premier for the past three years with multiple ongoing criminal investigations, who keeps getting arrested and having his home ransacked by police, and who is running to get re-elected after being kicked out of government by some of his very staunchest supporters while being out of jail on bail. Is Cayman EVER going to WAKE UP?
Not to worry folks, He'll soon be premier of a very much more limited territory. It looks like it is going to take nothing less to wake half of Cayman up.
McKeeva has really turned this country around. Before he was elected All Caymanians were working, now over 8,000 people are on social services guest list. There were less than 100 liquor licenses now everyone and his grand mother has a bar. There were no cocaine addicts now…, There were no buying votes, now…. The votes by absentee ballots in West Bay during the 1988 elections tells a story never before been told…… I do not have any more time for Ms. Smith she should take a glass of hot herb tea, that is a better way to get what is on her stomach off!
So, was there a social services dept before McKeeva Bush? If so, what was its function at that time?
This s kind of unrelated. I was just wondering if anyone knew how much Elio raised for Mac’s upcoming legal battles? It’s February!
Approximaltey $138,000 the last time i heard.
Well done foolio. That should buy at least a hundred fridges.
Does that include the $1 bill I wiped on my backside?
Shows just how bad some of our voting public want to keep a triple criminal suspect and a proven loser running our country.
i agree PPM spent alot, but all the projects they did were needed. Can you remember when it was taking us 2 hours to get home in the afternoon? Thanks to Arden Mclean and the PPM we have great roads and our commute time has been cut in half. For decades the likes of Truman Bodden neglected the education system and we are now reaping the benefits of that with kids coming out of school still unable to read properly, at least PPM tried to adjust that problem. The country were spending millions on rental property for government departments, now we have a great building that has reduced our rental cost, and it it was up to the UDP that would have been sold…once again thanks to the Chuckster ….dont get me wrong I am not PPM at all they made mistakes like all governments do, but we never heard any thing about corruption when they were around. And while we are at it, why dont the UDP or the Minirity Government get the 2009 audits done propertly so that the whole world can see the real picture of how much debt was left behind by the PPM, we might all be surprised. The problem with Caymanians are, we have very short memories, put on your memory caps and go back and remember what happen at First Cayman Bank, Turtle Farm, Pedro Castle, the Hospital (now womens prison) and the list goes on then go vote on 22 May…….with all that said I still dont feel that Alden should be the next premier….but if there was only two choices him or Mac….I would takeg to hi,m just because we cant take another day of Mac….
Cayman wake and research the history and understand where all these same politician came from and what promises were made.
True enough. Let's hear some facts that actually show that the UDPwere great at managing the economy. Just because there was an uptick in tourism from the previous while you were in govt. doesn't mean that you were responsible for it. In 2011 we saw a massive fall in cruise arrivals. Should we also attribute that to the actions of the UDP govt. or do they get to take credit for the good stuff only?
Are there any statistics showing that tourism increased DUE TO a new marketing strategy? If Cayman had significantly outperformed its competitors then there may have been a glimmer of relevance of these statistics to that claim, but we haven't. The US Virgin Islands showed an increase of 9.8% for 2012, for example. Or how about Belize's 10.1% increase? Tourism in most of the Caribbean has benefitted from some resurgence in the U.S. and Canadian economies. This Gleaner article acknowledges that:
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20121219/business/business5.html
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence” – John Adams
What a load of "Top-soil"! Well I guess money talks and "Top-soil" walks!
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Thanks, what a great read.
The problem with the PPM is that they only know how implement projects by borrowing and overspending. Their ultra-conservative economic ideologies prevent them from even entertaining the concept of attracting foreign direct investment.
Now that their excessive borrowing for the schools, roads, Govt. Administration building, and Licensing Department has placed our country in a deficit position we now have FFR and therefore we can’t borrow any more money. So we certainly can’t let Alden and his bunch of amateurs regain control of government.
Iif there is anything that Mac should get credit for it is for riding roughshod over everyone and his blatent abuse of the courntry. The pony is now lame and Mac must face the consequences. It is in the interest of all Caymanian, especially our young who are always learning by example, that the police are able to follow through on their arrest with charges and that convictions will also follow.
Ms Smith you stated East End hospital and Enterprise City are contributions of thr UDP, but neither of these projects are financed by the governement therefore the millions that has been sent is still unaccounted for….at least with the PPM we got roads, govenment building, schools, license depsrtment and the list goes on so we can see where all the money was spent. When it comes to the UDP you need to show me the money…
I don't know what you are talking about when you say "UDP show me the money". To me they have done exactly that. I guess you need reminding.
1) Almost 1 millions of flights for Mr Bush over nearly 4 years
2) 2 Million plus to GLF from breaking their contract for no good reason other than pander to the Chinese for reasons we still do not know but have lots of suspicions about.
3) 450 thousand to Cohen & Cohen just to say thank you for messing with us.
4) Half million dollars in paving in Cayman Brac which you are happy to come see for yourself.
Did I forget anything?
…Hurricane Hilton – $9m; damages to TJI for breach of contract.
You had me all the way up to your last paragraph, and then you totally lost all credibility, sad
the caymanian compass could have waited untill after the elections to make this anouncement,we all know that they are udp and big mac supporters.
"the Caymanian Compass could have waited untill after the elections to make this anouncement,we all know that they are udp and big mac supporters"………………………….you people giving this statement thumbs up have been tricked and with your slow comprehension fell for it,the poster is playing with your minds.You all gave thumbs up for what the statement says without realizing that you all are also giving thumbs up and agreeing that the UDP is indeed turning the economy around.
Why? It has nothing to do with Big Mac.
i wonder how many of the more than thirty posters who gave thumbs up would agree with you?
I think they were thumbs upping the comment that the Compass are Big Mac supporters (which is true).
I really wanted to read your viewpoint and respond but, the "Caymanitepink" ad prevented me from getting through it.
Was gong to post exactly same thing. I just get about two words into some Whodatis drivel and them that picture pops up . . .
Just wondering if Mac write this article himself or maybe with a little help from Ryan?
She definitely didn't write this! Trust me! LOL
I see that the Mckeeva Haters are out in full force. Sherrie, many of the posters here will try to ignore the facts that you presented and resort to character assignation instead. Be ready
It's not as much the McKeeva haters as much as it is just stupid commentary. We all know the world has been in a recession. Only brain dead double dipping on the coolaide people do not put one and one together and think "hey, maybe the recession is starting to loosen it's grip".
Look simply put, if someone does not have money to go on a vacation because they do not have a job or the hours have been cut back no amount of advertising is going to get him/her here. This is not a situation where there was nothing going on in the world and people just chose to go to oooh I don't know say Jamaica and then because of some brillient advertising those people started to come to Cayman.
I believe when you look at the Caribbean statistics you will see that the whole Caribbean numbers are slowly starting to rise much like ours.
Mr. Bush strategy to turn around the economy is idiot text book economics.
Let's see businesses are not getting the sales they once were because their customers have less money so yeah let's hit them with higher licensing fees and then to make things even better let's tax the people more also. Yeah that makes good sense right.
I said this a really long time ago. These taxes would raise revenues shortfall but in 1 to 2 years we would see the repercussions. What are these repercussions? Businesses closing down or cutting staff and what do we have? Social Services to the max with our highest rate of unemployment in my lifetime and the highest rate of Social Service dependents EVER.
Your viewpoint is so twisted it would seem like Big Mac wrote it for you. No one with any business or economic logic could derive what you have come up with and this is why the Fab 5 even jumped ship.
Please, continue to drink the coolaide, come May 22nd we THE PEOPLE whom he never listened to are going to speak AGAIN and HE DAMN WELL WILL HEAR US THIS TIME!!!
He will still get in if he is not on his way to jail because West Bayers love their applianaces and handouts and he loves them for it.
His problem always has been he prefers to give you a dollar instead of showing you how to earn 10. Keeping you poor and dependent on him and I guess you love being poor cause you vote him in election after election.
Me. I prefer to be hard working and earn my income. If I can get 20 or 100 I am going for it. I am not going to depend on someone to give me 1 dollar cause I know what I am worth and I am proud to show people I am worth more than the scraps they want to throw out at me.
Anyways I know I have wasted my breath here on you because like the rest of his followers as long as they have coolaide they will vote for him.
What facts? Sherry just quoted some statistics for increase in tourism and then claimed it was all due to McKeeva's govt. . Most of the posts I have seen destroy that position with the facts, not character assassination. Obviously the increase in tourism has to do with the US economy re-bounding since most Caribbean destinations experienced increases as well with some increases being much higher than Cayman's.
No character assassination here..just trying to make the conclusions follow the facts.
Agreed fact – air arrivals are up. So what?
If you can show that this reflects more Caymanains flying out and back then you may have a poitn. If instead it shows that more vistirs have come and gone it just tells us that more foreigners chose / had enough money to spend to get here….nothing more nothing less.
If the Cayman economy benefitted because of increased visitors then great but that does not mean that anybody here had anything to do with their choice to come here.
Far more likely that this just reflects the improvement in the US economy. I must have missed the bit where our Premier included that in his responsibilities / achivements – he might want to tell President Obanma so that he gets his commission (just send him a fax – that should do it!)
lets hope that come election day we have more rationale / logically supportable debate attracting our votes.
Wow. You are seriously misinformed.
But, you already assume that any criticism to your argument, is all based on a dislike of McKeeva: so, you seem unwilling to listen to any contrary facts or discussion.
So, there’s no point trying to talk to you or correct you as in fact: you cannot provide any tangible evidence that any tourists came as a result of any SPECIFIC action taken by any politician. You just assume every politician gets credit for the tourism statistics of their time? Generalised Nonsense.
Plus, there are numerous other negative facts about the UDP administration -crime, unemployment, government wates and expenditure, that government finances are in shambles- yet you take no account of any of it – just declare that your ‘cherry picked’ factors supposedly prove UDP is better at managing the country’s finances.
You are seriously deluded, sorry.
Crime? Are you referring to the crime in the Islands, or maybe the crimes of the UDP members (if any?)
Yes, the UDP did seem to handle the economy and spending better than the PPM. But that is like saying that when it comes to morality, Stalin was better than Hitler.
I do worry about the PPM and their spending habits as it doesn't seem that they have learned their lesson.
I am concerned that as soon as the government finds someone to build a pier or two they will race ahead without careful examination of the environmental impact on 7 mile beach and downtown George Town.
I am glad that Bush didn't follow through with a property tax or some other direct taxation, lets hope the next government is able to avoid direct taxation.
Sherry, you missed two of McKeeva's biggest achievements. No hurricanes or earthquakes under Macdinejad rule. I'm sure if you think hard you can come up with some other achievements that can only be attributed to Big Mac.
yea i can see that you are one of them that would put the blame on McKeeva for hurricanes or earthquakes hitting Cayman.McKeeva or no one else can rule forever,so please pray and hope that disaster don't strike while your representatives/party is in power,more importantly please remember to keep praying for you and your famiily to stay safe and protected from hurricanes and earthquakes.
Wrong. Cayman has been experiencing a category 5 hurricane since McWutless took charge in 2009.
Ms Smith.
I can make white paint out of marl amd water.
Wanna help me sell some?
Yes, and tourism is up in Florida too. All hail the mighty Mac. He is all powerful having single handedly brought the United States out of the great recession and provided the US public with greater disposable income to spend on vacations. If only evil forces were allowing Caymanians to benefit – instead they face greater unemployment even while the job opportunities for expatriates increase. Hail Mac, elect him again and even from a jail cell he will be able to turn all the expatriates into Caymanians and declare: ” I just caused the employment of another 21,000 Caymanians.”
wow…. 100% alice in wonderland stuff…….
Awesome viewpoint! Way to go Mac and team!
Pass the Kool-Aid
Which one ? the red one or the green one?
I agree with you 100% !!!
Noooooo Ms. Smith, I really can't believe your gibberish, especially coming from you. Despite the angle you take, I wish to point out to you that despite the fact that the PPM government spent a lot of money on projects it was all for the people of Cayman & future generations, and at the very least we can SEE what our money was spent on. Your defence of the UDP is baseless because despite spending/wasting our hundreds of millions of dollars over the past three & half years what can they show us for it besides promises? NOTHING!!! Nothing Ms. Smith. Please, Ms. Smith, correct me if I'm wrong, but please reveal to me just ONE thing that Bush & the UDP have given the people of Cayman for the millions they have spent, & pleaseeeeee do not tell us TRAVEL TIME because we all know your Bush surely wasted a lot of OUR money on travel. Now please get your had out of the sand Ms. Smith & get back to reality. We are worse off today than we were in 2008 when the world wide recession was at it's WORST! Please explin that Ms. Smith, & in future please "give credit where credit is due"!!
After reading the truth it is obvious that your little head is spinning, you must be sinking in disorientation by now…………
You are a PPM supporter,you certainly wont agree on anything the UDP does,Jesus will return before that happens.
What a load of piffle. Just look at the amount of money lost, wasted, or thrown away by the UDP in settlement of legal claims, unjustifiable “consultancy” fees, ludicrous subsidies for things like the Turtle Farm and Cayman Airways, gifts to churches – the list is endless. Statistics showing increases in tourist numbers, and new business in the financial sector, pale into insignificance when you consider that Government is virtually insolvent and only able to cover day to day expenses with “borrowed” money, is totally incapable of funding it’s Civil Service Pension liabilities, and has no way of increasing General Revenue without contemplating some form of direct taxation. Statistics are meaningless unless you can quantify them in real dollar terms.
Mr piffle, how memories gois no more a physiological mystery, but attributed to elements of how you, live, where you live what you eat, your DNA make up etc. Mr. Piffle in the case of yourself and others of like political persuasion, it is significantly clear that your particular ,memory loss and/or shallwe say deficiency is caused not by the Kool aid you have all ingested but by either lack of awareness or your innate capability off absorbing the vitriolic diatribe of the Ppm new culture labelled the “progressive” movement.
You have clearly forgotten the many law suits that occurred during the Ppm era, you have forgotten the incessant cry of only divine intervention can stop me, you have forgotten the marginalization of a sector of our society filled with anomisity for people who have long sojourned and contributed to the labor quotient, to the caring of our children and keeping our homes clean,; you have forgotten that the PPM was in power with an accounting system that failed miserably and still does brought in by their past leader. It is through their arrogant and lack of understanding that we have the accounting fiasco we have experienced with no proven financials,. How cantheycast blame for the latter when theywerethere and dis nothing about it and now they cry for changes. There are many other aspects of the now progressive refine which the public will be reminded of, for it it’s obvious that you need to remember them in order to make a sound judgment of who is capable of running the good ship cayman.
Have no fear there are more than you believe are looking at the future of this country objectively with past of all being considered as well as the ability to carry change forward for the benefit of all, not some.
There will be a change but just let Ppm, C4$C understand who GodBless let no man curse the people must now see who Jaah, Jehovah’s children really area and how they shall regain and maintain the true essence of Cayman. And to you nay Sayers of this writing May the Peace that passeth alll understanding and the Blessings of the Most High be with you always. Jah Rastafari..
What a load of piffle – AND drivel.
Heard of the Business Cycle?
This is the recovery that follows every recession – eventually.
Perhaps you should take a basic macro economic course before you write another commentary to the papers on the economy.
A very well written article. Even though I am not s Mckeeva supporter I have to agree with you on this one!
Not a McKeeva supporter my foot!
Pity the "Hon Mckeeva" could or would not go about "leading" with even a minimum of decorum and respect for following due processes then eh?
His performance of "leading" (at anything near a level one expects of a "leader"/premier) has been so embarrassing that so many of his biggest supporters have had to distance or even abandon any association with him.
So in giving credit where credit is due…one must ask WHY would or could he not behave with any semblance of professionalism? Unwilling or unable?…either is simply unacceptable!
Which country are you living in my dear? Surely not Cayman, what has been done by the UDP that has turned the economy around?
can't you read.
None of the tourists are coming because of anything Bush did. They are coming despite him. Based on your figures the department of tourism was irrelevant–it spent a third less but more tourists came. Perhpas they should do even less. Cayman was hit by a recession in the US during the PPM years. . Then Bush benefitted from the US recovery.
I have to agree with this analysis. What I really fear is that if elected Alden and the PPM will spend us not only to the brink of bankruptcy like last time but instead into a full and utter bankruptcy and destruction of our financial services industry. At least Mr. Bush is a visionary and that can’t be denied no matter how you feel about him. We don’t need an egomaniac like Alden trying to run us into the ground again. People please don’t let that happen again. It was a scary time when he last did that so don’t forget it when it counts.
I would hate to see bad management, if you think this is good management.
Really? so it’s good air arrivals are up but your people are hungry and unemployment is at records high, cost living is so expense that even honest people are forced to steal just to get by.
Crime has skyrocketed. What’s the point of bringing tourists to our shores and they are being robbed left right and center?
Honestly I woold like to see how they got their numbers. Does the figures include the hundreds of trips by the UDP administration? I betcha if you check those numbers you will see a lot of distorted figures.
Just my two cents.
Mac should have had a pier up and running 10 years ago.When royal watler opened up I was in shock to see that it had not been done. He was in charge , he was the leader in both times. How can you even think that he should get the credit? Why didn’t he build the dock? It would have benefited him and us if he did. Why didn’t he do it?
Well maybe it didn’t benefitted him at that time.
Did Mac go to India to find Shetty? NO. Did Mac go looking out in the world to find cayman enterprise city? No.Did he go to the states to find Dart? Again NO.
How can you be so amazed that a person with a high school diploma isn’t being brainwashed by your statement of praise who almost destroyed the island of my ancestors.Education my friend. Only a fool would be fooled by you.
Mac needs to retire and grieve for his daughter and be with his family.
Did you take a fall and land on your head?
For once lets give credit where credit is due.
Sherrie my dear your are 100% correct but I do hope your are ready for the arrows,spears,bullets,rocks,tasers and knives.This one is gonna be very, very intresting,can't wait to read the replies.
Sherry, Sherry, Sherry. Quite to the contrary, the UDP has not shown any evidence that it is better at managing the economy. All we have seen is 'smoke and mirrors'. It has been a shambolic govt. who have made matters worse in a number of ways. It increased the cost of doing business with its taxes. It failed to substantially cut public spending. Instead, public finances have been wasted on luxury travel sometimes with large entourages and no one can point to any inward investment that resulted from it. The insane expat proposal sent the country into a tail spin and sent completely the wrong message to businesses. It is ridiculous to claim the economy has now been turned around. Can you honestly say that your situation is better than it was 4 years ago, Sherry? After 4 years of failed deals we still do not have a cruise pier for cruise ships and the cruise lines have announced that they wil reduce the number of ships calling here this year. Can you say what specific initiative of the UDP govt. led to the uptick in tourist arrivals? No, you can't because because it had nothing to do with the UDP govt. and everything to do with external factors in the same way as $20m drop in revenues in 2008-2009 was due to external factors.
Do not allow people to use you in this way by getting you to sign your name to this sort of garbage.
Thats why the UDP will return,in this years election i am going to vote for Mike Adams andElio Solomon and others that the UDP put forward in GT.The PPM is worried sick that the UDP is not totally crushed,you can sense it from a million miles away.
Haters on your marks………………….get ready……………………..go
That's right – anyone who does not buy into that partisan garbage but confronts it with the facts and clear reasoning is a "hater". People who didn't buy what Jim Jones was selling were also called "haters". Better lay off the Kool Aid.
You sound intelligent, so I don't understand how you can draw this conclusion…
This recovery is happening "in spite" of the ruling clowns, not "because" of the ruling clowns.
Please forgive me for using your post to post this but something is wrong with CNS on my computer.
Sherry Ann Smith XXXX
Let me explain something to you in as simple a language so you can understand….
Our numbers in Tourism has a lot more to do with what is happening in the US than what we are doing to bring the tourist here. I don't want to take everything away from the DOT because they are trying but we all have to be honest here. There is no way to get someone to spend US$2,000 when they simply do not have it to spend. As the US economy recovers so shall we.
Now Mrs. Smith our economy is a factor of TAX. If you raise the taxes on the people the revenues SHOULD go up. The problem is this. You are NOT solving any problems. Sometimes soon we will outstrip this increased taxes and THEN we shall see the issues. The problem is the next government is being SETUP TO LOOSE. Why? Cause they would want to lower taxes BUT we have already set wheels in motion to spend this excess.
Let me sum up Mr. Bush is a few short sentences:
1) Spendthrift – Loves to spend the country money on stupidness – ie Travel, Hair Brained Schemes such as: Cohen & Cohen and CHEC
2) Tax the people to death – No other government IN HISTORY has spent the kinds of money these bafoons
3) Imagne Assassins – Which past leader has ever HUMILIATED it's people the way Mr. Bush has. I am not proud of him. In my eyes he does not deserve the words HONORABLE.
You can sit there and ATTEMPT to spin this CRAP you speak but the fact is this. Cayman will prosper as the US prosper. We are a sought after destination and as more and more people can afford it they will come. Our advertising helps but it is NOT the major factor.
XXXX
Yep McKeewa turn round de US economy single handed so that more US people could take vacations in Cayman. Except for the fact that he has already claimed the title somebody should make him Emperor of the Universe with exclusive real estate rights to go with it