Archive for April, 2013
Athletic meet attracts another Olympic medallist
(CNS): Luguelin Santos, the 19-year-old Olympic silver medallist from Dominican Republic, will be joining the growing list of world class athletics who will be competing in the second annual Cayman Invitational track and field meet next month. Santos shone at the 2011 Pan-American Games in Mexico, running a personal best of 44.71 seconds in the 400m at just 18 years old. In 2012 he became the World Junior 400m Champion in Barcelona and took silver in the 2012 London Olympics 400m final. Having won only the third medal ever by a Dominican at the Olympic Games, his success instantly propelled him to superstardom in his home country.
Cayman’s Commonwealth Games gold medal-winner, Cydonie Mothersill-Stephens of KyStar Athletics, who has organised the invitational said such a young, accomplished athlete will appeal to the younger generation of athletes here in Cayman.
“Luguelin is an excellent role model for young, aspiring athletes in Cayman. At the age of 19 he already has a number of accolades under his belt. I am sure he will attract lots of interest from young fans,” she said. “We are absolutely delighted to have Luguelin on board and seeing him perform on the day should be a real treat.”
There are still opportunities for sponsorship of the event, which will take place at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in George Town on 8 May.
For more information visit: www.caymaninvitational.com or email: office@caymaninvitational.com
Non-cash corruption
Many of the headline-grabbing types of corruption that occur around the world seem to involve wads of cash changing hands, or bogus real estate consulting, or curious discounts on luxury condos, or at least a trip to an ATM in a gambling destination. However, some of the most dangerous corrupt acts don’t involve cash or bogus consulting or ATMs.
These non-cash corrupt acts are the ones that make it possible for corrupt politicians to increase their reach and the scope for their corrupt acts. Frequently these non-cash corrupt acts are carried out by public servants eager to gain the favour of corrupt politicians who they see as able to facilitate a fast-track for promotion or appointment. Other times these non-cash corrupt acts are carried out by public servants simply to cover up earlier corruption or illegality.
There are laws against corrupt acts by civil servants and other public servants that apply even when cash is not involved, but sadly, there does not seem to be sufficient interest in enforcing such laws. There are also laws and internal rules against civil servants breaking or ignoring the laws they are supposed to implement, but there does not seem to be significant interest in enforcing those laws and rules either. Too frequently the highest levels in the public service treat laws and internal rules as mere words that they have no need to apply or enforce.
Scruple-challenged public servants see that public service anti-corruption systems are weak. They also see that, contrary to what should happen, corrupt politicians are able to sweep a clear path to promotion for public servants willing to turn a blind eye to illegality, or to act outside the law. It is frequently corrupt public servants that sign cheques and documents that allow public money to be used for illegal purposes, that allow corrupt politicians to do things they shouldn’t do, and that allow corrupt politicians to interfere with and further degrade the public service.
Corrupt politicians and their public service cronies spread like a cancer, degrading public services and destroying the will of honest public servants to resist. The corrupt sub-culture built by corrupt politicians within public services protects its own and prevents the promotion or even continued employment of honest, hard-working public servants. Sadly, it can take as little as a single term for corrupt politicians to bring about significant changes in key public service positions, particularly if corrupt politicians are ruthless and those that are supposed to enforce the law and internal rules and to insure the integrity of the public service are weak, indifferent, or worse.
When those that are supposed to insure the integrity of a public service are weak, indifferent or worse, public servants see honest hard-working public servants who refuse to go along with corruption swept aside, demoted or sent on ‘garden leave’. Sadly, what public servants rarely if ever see is any person, whether in the form of a governor, or an anti-corruption commission, or any other authority, causing the investigation and prosecution of corrupt public servants involved in facilitating, aiding, abetting or covering up the illegal acts of political bosses.
Non-cash corruption leads to the understandable perception that disregard for the law is simply business as usual within a civil service and broader public service. All too frequently, it seems that the civil service and the broader public service do whatever they want, ignoring the law with apparent impunity, secure in their perception that the highest levels in the relevant civil service simply do not require compliance with the law. That must change.
The perception that significant parts of the public services operate outside the law, or are simply too disinterested, unmotivated or incestuously involved to sanction their own, no matter how many laws are broken, is understandable. Proper monitoring and investigation of unlawful behaviour within the public service is frequently not apparent. Thankfully the auditor general and his team look for specific elements of fraud and theft. Without that, it seems that there would be no relevant monitoring or investigation at all.
The complaints commissioner is currently prohibited from accepting complaints of unlawful behaviour within the public service from honest public servants. The police have their hands full dealing with criminals outside the public service, and in any event they simply are not trained to enforce those aspects of either the Public Finance and Management Law or the Public Service Management Law that are the staging areas for corrupt politicians and corrupt public servants.
There is the clear need for a small forensic investigation unit appointed by the governor that is comprised of people from outside the public service knowledgeable in the law applicable to the public service. That unit must be readily accessible to the public and honest public service employees, and must be completely independent of EVERY level of the civil service hierarchy. That unit must be mandated to receive complaints and to investigate all types of illegal acts within every part of the public service, and to share their findings with and to make reasoned recommendations to the governor (at least in the case of corruption or incompetence at the highest levels in the public service), the auditor general, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the director of public prosecutions. Given the millions now lost annually, the unit would be entirely self-financing simply based on the elimination of corrupt wastage of public funds.
There is also a need for very strong whistle-blower protection to protect honest public servants and other members of the public. At present there is no virtually protection from either corrupt politicians or indifferent or corrupt senior public servants. Weak or non-existent whistle-blower legislation is one of the reasons that corruption and indifference to the law now prospers. Some consideration of such legislation is apparently underway under the auspices of the Office of the Complaints Commissioner. That should be supported.
As a Caymanian, it is my fervent hope that strong whistle-blower protection and zero-tolerance for civil servants and other public servants ignoring or breaking the law are both implemented soon. Good governance requires such change, even if it is resisted by the highest levels in the public service.
Are you listening, governor?
UK cash up for grabs for enduring local projects
(CNS): The Cayman Islands governor is inviting people in the local community to apply for up to $10,000 of free cash to fund community projects. The money comes from the Overseas Territories Programme Fund via the United Kingdom’s FCO and is set aside for proposals which seek to promote good governance and transparency, raise awareness about human rights, protect the environment, reduce crime or improvethe justice system. The annual grants range from CI$1,000 to CI$10,000 and will be awarded to those projects that have the potential to leave a lasting positive impact in Cayman. The governor’s office is now searching for projects to support for the period April 2013 – March 2014.
“The 2012 Overseas Territories White Paper aims to strengthen links between the UK and Overseas Territories governments and commits the UK government to provide support to the Overseas Territories governments. This modest fund seeks to do just that by assisting with access to expertise and training. We put it to excellent use last year and we hope to do even better this year,” Duncan Taylor, Cayman’s governor, said in a release on Wednesday.
Last year grants were given to more than half a dozen diverse projects, from documenting orchids to human rights training.
Money was given to train the uniformed services to prepare them for the Bill of Rights; equipment for the Central Caribbean Marine Institute to allow them to study the impact of climate change on our marine ecosystems; support for Brackers Against Alcohol Misuse; assisting the Human Rights Commission for books for primary school children explaining the Bill of Rights; the Gender Equality publicity campaign; development of genetic fingerprints for Cayman’s endangered endemic orchids; and training for those involved in the criminal justice system who work with sex offenders.
Projects must be completed by March 2014 and bids which have already secured some funding from other sources are particularly welcomed. To receive a project bidding form please contact Tom Hines at the Governor’s Office: Tom.Hines@fco.gov.uk, tel. 244 2434.
This information is available on the Governor’s Office website.
Jamaican cops probe Cayman robbery connection
(CNS): Police in Jamaica investigating a heist in which 16 Rolex watches were stolen from a store in Kingston last week are looking at a possible connection with the robbery at Kirk Freeport in Cayman at the beginning of this year. Some of the two dozen watches taken in that evening’s robbery on 7 January from the store in the Strand Shopping plaza ended up in Jamaica. The Jamaican law enforcement agents believe that the perpetrators behind the robbery are members of a highly organised group and are working with RCIPS to dismantle the group and end the transnational crime.
Although the Kirk robbery involved four masked men, so far police have only charged one local man in connection with the crime and three others were released. A reward of $20,000 was posted by CrimeStoppers and the store for information leading to a conviction.
"Some of the Rolex watches that were stolen in the Cayman Islands recently are here. So we are now looking at previous jewellery-store robberies,” the Flying Squad Unit, Senior Superintendent Cornwall 'Bigga' Ford, told the press in Jamaica on Tuesday.
The authorities there have arrested five suspects in connection with the $7 million theft of watches from the Kingston store and have recovered 13 of the 16 Rolex watches stolen. The Jamaican police also recovered over US$150,000 and J$500,000, an illegal firearm, two licensed shotguns and 500 rounds of assorted ammunition.
Although the crime was perpetrated by just one man, the police believe the jewel heists are being organised by a criminal gang.
The news of more criminal connections between Cayman and Jamaica comes against the backdrop of an ongoing bank robbery trial here, in which one of the five defendants was arrested in Jamaica and extradited to the Cayman Islands. He will now stand trial with four co-defendants in connection with the daylight hold-up at Cayman National Bank in Buckingham Square last June, in which the robbers made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars, despite dropping a large amount of cash during the fumbled escape.
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More refugees returned to Cuba
(CNS): Despite risking a perilous journey in search of a new life, six Cuban migrants who opted to leave the vessels in which they were travelling were returned to that country this week. Immigration officials confirmed the repatriation Tuesday which brings the number of migrants that have been returned to Cuba this month alone to ten people. At present sixteen other refugees remain at the Immigration Detention Centre on Grand Cayman, after being picked up by officials from boats that have recently passed through Cayman waters.
CIBC FirstCaribbean cleans up
(CNS): CIBC FirstCaribbean and CIBC Bank & Trust broke the record this weekend for the highest ever number of representatives of one organisation to take part in the Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Earth Day Roadside Clean Up. 130 volunteers represented the bank, including employees and their families, for the 16th occasion of the annual event, which attracted 1500 volunteers altogether. 2013 is the fourth year that the bank has supported the clean up, both as a sponsor and a participant, with its volunteer numbers increasing every year.
“We are pleased to support the Chamber’s Annual Earth Day Roadside Clean-Up initiative, and so proud of our members of staff and their families who step up each year to volunteer their time,” said Mark McIntyre, Managing Director of CIBC FirstCaribbean Cayman. He added, “We look forward to this event every year, not only because we believe it is our corporate and social responsibility to keep our beautiful island clean but also because the event is a great team building effort for our bank family and of course an opportunity to socialise. We commend the Chamber of Commerce for promoting pride in our environment and encouraging the community to keep Cayman clean.”
“CIBC FirstCaribbean is an outstanding supporter of the Chamber’s Annual Roadside Clean Up as part of the island’s Earth Day activities,” said Wil Pineau, Chamber of Commerce CEO. “This year’s group of 130 volunteers distinguished the firm as the largest single local participant in the campaign, and represented the third consecutive year that the organisation has achieved the highest total number of volunteers at the event. This achievement demonstrates a remarkable level of corporate social responsibility in this community-based activity, and we thank CIBC FirstCaribbean for their continued support, and for leading by example.”
DMS among top employers in the Cayman Islands.
(CNS): Caymanian business conglomerate DMS was recently voted one of the best places to work in Cayman, at the Best Places to Work awards held at Grand Cayman’s Ritz Carlton Resort. “Everyone at DMS is going to be so proud on Monday morning,” commented VP of People and Development at DMS, Samantha Nehra. She added, “It’s exhilarating to be acknowledged as one of the best places to work in Cayman. It’s so important for us to put Cayman on the map. Everyone knows it’s a great place to vacation, we need to spread the word that it’s also a great place to work. We will certainly be looking for a prominent place of honour for this award come Monday morning.”
Senior Vice-President, Karen Kersey, said, “We won third last year and we are proud of our progress to second place. 2014 will be our year and then we aim to keep it permanently. This is a great initiative for the businesses of Cayman to get involved in. It helps to make sure you are prioritizing your most important asset, and keeps the group focused on creating an engaged workplace, and that’s what we all want. We want to love where we go to work and feel passionate about what we do.”
The Top Employer Award was launched by the Cayman Islands Society of Human Resource Professionals in 2009. The competition is intended to recognize leading organisations that attract and retain employees, contribute to the community, and create an environment that exemplifies respect, fairness and pride in the workplace.
Caymanian therapist joins The Wellness Centre
(CNS): The Wellness Centre has its first Caymanian ABA therapist in the form of Samantha Sampang-McCoy, a past John Gray High School student who graduated in 2012 from the University of Toronto, Canada with a Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology and Health Studies. Samantha recently joined the Autism Services Team and will be delivering ABA Therapy to children with autism spectrum disorders in clinical, home and school settings. Samantha started as a volunteer intern at The Wellness Centre, before deciding to pursue a specialism in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), under the direct supervision of Sloane Pharr, Board Certified Behavioural Analyst and supervisor of The Wellness Centre’s ABA services team.
Ms. Pharr commented, “We are thrilled to have finally trained our first Caymanian ABA therapist. This is exactly what our island needs. The availability of quality therapists to meet the needs of special children such as those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders and be able to demonstrate and hone their therapeutic and evaluation skills on island.”
She continued, “It shouldn’t be up to employers or families to continue to bring therapists in from oversees when there are suitable, energetic, intelligent people here on island. Sam is the perfect example. She started as an intern, volunteering her time in exchange for experience and training opportunities and now she has successfully progressed from observing direct client work, to participating in our ABA training for Parents and Caregivers, to undergoing intensive instruction in Behavioural theory and the principles of ABA, to finally meeting criterion on applying her knowledge in supervised direct therapy”.
Shannon Seymour, Director of The Wellness Centre, said, “We are so proud to welcome Samantha to our growing team. She started as a volunteer intern eager to learn and demonstrate her knowledge. She has worked diligently and demonstrated exceptional professionalism; it has been very exciting to watch her growth. I would like to thank Sloane Pharr, our ABA Programme supervisor for all of her efforts in training Samantha and to our entire ABA team of therapists who welcomed Samantha and assisted in developing her skills. I encourage any interested Caymanians with a related university degree and previous experience in childcare and or working with special needs children to contactus to inquire about training opportunities.”
Samantha plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Applied Behaviour Analysis specializing in autism spectrum disorders in September, but will continue to work with The Wellness Centre during her study breaks.
Man gets 10 years for possession of modified flare gun
(CNS): A judge found no exceptional circumstances in the conviction of Marcus Manderson for possession of an unlicensed firearm, despite the fact that the weapon in question was a modified flare gun. The 25-year-old man from George Town was sentenced Tuesday to ten years in prison following his conviction by a jury in February. Although he had no previous convictions for violence and only two ganja offences on his record, because the jury found that the modified flare gun constituted a firearm the mandatory minimum sentence was imposed by Justice Charles Quin.
Manderson had been arrested in connection with the weapon when it was recovered by officers from the RCIPS in the early hours of 5 February last year in Windsor Park. Manderson was spotted by Uniform Support Group officers on patrol and when they called to him to stop he ran off. The police gave chase and two officers watched him throw a dark object into a yard before they caught up with him. Once cuffed, Manderson was led back to the place where he had thrown what they believed to be a gun and a search of the area recovered the modified flare gun.
Manderson had not only denied the gun was his, he had also argued that it was not a lethal weapon. Although there was no evidence that the gun had been fired or used in any crimes, the jury found that the gun was capable of firing a conventional bullet and seriously wounding or killing someone. During the trial the jurors heard that with certain modifications an officer from the RCIPS Firearms Unit was able to fire a bullet from the gun in a test situation, and although two expert firearms witnesses disagreed with each other over the definition of the flare gun as a lethal weapon, they believed it should be considered a real firearm.
During his sentencing hearing Manderson’s attorney argued that there were exceptional circumstances in the case, not least because a question mark still hung over whether or not the flare gun was able to harm anyone except the person shooting it, but the judge took the position that the jury had found that it was a lethal weapon. Justice Quin was not swayed by submissions that the firearm was a crudely modified flare gun with a copper barrel and rubber tubing that could not fire a conventional bullet without the ammunition also being modified or that it had never been used in the commission of a crime.
The young man’s bad start in life, as a result of his own father’s imprisonment since he wastwo years old, the fact that he was the sole breadwinner for his own child and his non-violent history did nothing to persuade the judge to depart from the statutory minimum.
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Dart to pour 4000+ tons of sand on West Bay Road
(CNS): Following the closure of the West Bay Road, despite the lack of public disclosure of the agreement between the developer and government or the value for money report, Dart said Wednesday that it is preparing to start work on the Public Beach project. Having begun demolishing the old Courtyard Marriott building to make way for what is expected to be a new ten-storey hotel, Dart crews and sub-contractors are now preparing for the construction of beach sports playing areas. Work is scheduled to begin this month when 4,850 tons of sand will be poured on what used to be the West Bay Road, officials from the firm stated in a release.
“Originally underneath West Bay Road it was sand, so removing and replacing the road surface with high quality sand will allow the beach ridge to reclaim its natural line,” Ken Hydes from Dart Realty, who is project managing the park development said.
The sports areas form part of what will be a new 12-acre beach park being constructed by Dart Realty in preparation for handover to crown ownership as part of government’s deal with the developer, which is giving the group more crown land along the West Bay Road to create a beach front for the developer’s new resort as well as the land owned by the group reaching down to Yacht Drive, multiplying the value of that property, which Dart Realty purchased from US developer Stan Thomas.
Since closing the first section of the West Bay Road, the developer has completed a 100-space parking lot and a paved direct-access pedestrian path to the beach. The parking lot can be accessed from the new Governor's Way connecting Esterley Tibbetts Highway to West Bay Road. An access road through the park to the Calico Jack's parking lot is also open to traffic and includes a turning bay for tour buses.
Dart said playground equipment has also arrived on site and is now being installed and it will be opened once the surrounding grass lawn is sufficiently established to withstand foot traffic in late May.
