Archive for August 13th, 2013
Campaign seeks to lift Jamaica’s ban on Obeah
(BBC): For hundreds of years Jamaicans have been prevented by law from practising Obeah, a belief system with similarities to Haiti's Voodoo. Now, campaigners and practitioners believe they have a chance to overturn the law. Until recently, the practice of Obeah was punishable by flogging or imprisonment, among other penalties. The government recently abolished such colonial-era punishments, prompting calls for a decriminalisation of Obeah to follow. But Jamaica is a highly religious country. Christianity dominates nearly every aspect of life; and it is practiced everywhere from small, wooden meeting halls through to mega-churches with congregations that number in the thousands.
The island claims to have the highest ratio of churches to people in the world. So the proposal to decriminalise what many Christians regard as black magic, a scam, or even evil, is highly controversial.
Cayman encouraged to cheer team in football contest
(CNS): The regional Under-15 football tournament kicks off Tuesday and CONCACAF President Jeff Webb, Sports Mminster Osbourne Bodden and other officials urged the Cayman public to pack out the stadium tomorrow evening for the national team’s appearance in the inaugural contest. With high hopes for the development of sports tourism and future major football tournaments, officials said one of the things that would mark the success of the tournament would be the turn out. Officials also praised the number of local volunteers who are helping to manage the tournament after more than 260 pairs of hands signed up to help.
Well over 700 people are in Cayman as a result of the debut football competition, which is designed to develop teen players across the region and give them a chance to experience a major international competition as they begin their football careers.
The competition has been a great coup for Cayman as it will boost the sport and create excitement among the young players as well as being another step towards developing Cayman as genuine sports tourism destination.
The first round games are all free of charge and the contest begins at 4:30pm Tuesday. Cayman will play its first match at 7-30pm at the Truman Bodden stadium against St Marteen at 7:30pm.
CIG to stop Dart 50% tax gift
(CNS): The new Cayman Islands PPM government says it is standing firm over its objection to the former UDP administration’s decision to allow the Dart Group to take half of the tax it collects in all its hotels and tourism accommodation over the next decade as part of the ForCayman Investment Alliance. Kurt Tibbetts, the Progressive’s former leader of government business and veteran politician who has returned to the planning ministry, said that government is currently in talks with the islands’ largest developer to try and reshape the agreements signed before the current government came to office. He said the tax rebate was unfair to existing hoteliers and had created a sense of expectation with new ones.
Although a reversal of the West Bay Road closure now appears to be impossible, Tibbetts said he was trying to put the negotiations to bed and improve on other areas. Speaking at the PPM’s National Council Meeting on Saturday night, the planning minister warned that the things which were done before the election could not be undone.
Nevertheless, Cabinet’s most experienced minister said that there were several other things that were not yet etched in stone and it was important that government did what it could to prevent the country being the loser in the deal, which was signed in December 2011.
Tibbetts said that as the developer has now completed the Esterley Tibbetts Highway extension, the group was anxious for it to open but it would not be gazetted until the parties had reached an agreement on all of the elements.
“We don’t want to deal with things piecemeal and we need agreement on everything,” he said, as he promised to reveal everything in detail once the talks were finished. ”Some things can't be undone,” he added, referring to earlier agreements. But with the recent stalemates on the verbal agreements, Tibbetts said government was trying to restructure the deal so Cayman would be better off.
He pointed to the proposed tax rebate for Dart of 50% of the accommodation tax for ten years, which he said was unfair to other hoteliers. But it didn’t end there: “Every developer who comes to us wants this now,” Tibbetts noted. This was a matter that government had insisted must be changed and he hoped to have some agreement by next week, which would be made public since they had nothing to hide. In addition, Tibbetts promised that government would monitor local employment closely and said that Dart was aware the CIG would be watching work permits.
“I don't want anything from them personally; I only want what is best for my country,” the minister said at the meeting to loud applause. “We will defend our wicket to ensure the country doesn't get bowled out.”
Updating the public and party faithful on other matters in his ministry, Tibbetts said there were other potential developments in the pipeline. Government has met with several entities that are looking to do business in Cayman, some of which had been waiting for the outcome of the election as they had been uncomfortable with how things had been going, he said.
He announced a planned $15 million renovation of the Marriott Hotel, which has been bought by a group of investors that also involves Caymanians. The had also been approached regarding a 5-star Conrad-Hilton in Beach Bay, a golf resort in Frank Sound and a $360 million development with a 15 year long plan, along with Dart's hotel plans, a hotel at the Shetty hospital site in East End and other potential plans. Tibbetts said government was interested in sustainable developments, which would be well timed.
The planning minister said he could not say that all of these projects would happen but there was interest again. However, government would be ensuring that due diligence would be done as it wanted to see the “right type of development" and promised it would not “giveaway the shop".
Tibbetts said government would make sure Caymanians benefited from any development, with employment for local people a priority. He also said he would be looking out to make sure the country does not bite off more than it can chew.
“We are not going to make any decisions that look good today and that will do harm down the line,” he said, as he promised to discuss with the public about all major projects or development plans.
Talking more broadly about the government he was now a part of, he said it was “early days” but he was excited by the commitment from everyone in all areas of the new government.
“We will see good results; we just need a little bit of patience,” he added. “We may not have been as accessible as people would have liked but it’s been rough,” he said, explaining that the new government had a lot to grapple with when it took office and it was intent on making the right decisions. He said it would not be much longer before people would see the country moving forward fairly steadily.
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