Archive for September, 2013
ICCI shuts out public from activist’s presentation
(CNS): The International College of the Cayman Islands (ICCI) has issued a statement in connection with a presentation due to be given by local activist Sandra Catron Wednesday evening on sex offenders. In what appears to be a breakdown of communication, the college has denied that the presentation that Catron has been invited to give is open to the public. As a result, the college president has said that only students and faculty are being invited, barring both the media and the wider public, despite the widespread debate in the community at present about the issue.
ICCI President Dr Tasha Ebanks Garcia said that Catron was invited by one of the college’s instructors to address his class and engage them in a discussion related to child sexual abuse in the Cayman Islands but no public session was co-ordinated.
"The views or opinions expressed by Sandra Catron are solely her own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of ICCI. This forum is for the purpose of engaging in an educational dialogue among the students and faculty of ICCI and is not open to the public," Garcia said, confirming that the media was also barred from the event.
However, Catron claimed that after the instructor had asked her to deliver the presentation she had asked if non-students could attend before she invited others, and he had said yes, as long as he was made aware so that he could make sure there was sufficient space.
The flyer, which was created by the lecturer in question, was then circulated inside and outside the college, but the ICCI head said the flyer should not have circulated in the public domain.
“Neither the general public nor the media is invited as Ms Catron's visit is not a public forum; it is a discussion that will take place within the context of a course that students have enrolled in for the summer quarter,” Garcia confirmed.
In an email regarding the issue, the college president said that safety as well as the “controversial nature of the topic” was an issue for the ICCI. She said an invitation to the general public could attract people who are not intent in engaging in healthy and constructive dialogue.
“One of our primary responsibilities is to ensure that our students and staff study and work in a safe environment,” Garcia stated.
“The challenge with not vetting individuals that are invited but rather extending the invitation to the public as a whole is that we could potentially put our students and staff at risk,” she added, as she asked for the invitations to stop.
Breaking news … Robbery victims were targeted!
Quote from Cayman 27’s news report … “Police say the victims of a terrifying armed robbery were specifically targeted and residents need not worry.’ The Inspector’s specific quote was, apparently, “I don’t think that the community has to be overly concerned, I believe they were in fact targeted.”
I find this utterly astounding – I would imagine that yes, they were targeted, just like the poor man returning home at 3am was targeted, and just like someone walking home from work or a restaurant or bar closing up for the night might be targeted.
None of this means that the wider community should not be overly concerned, given the amount of robberies and break-ins that have happened especially lately, not all of them, I might add, have been reported in the press – the police do seem to have very different statistics of actual break-ins than the news services have reported.
As we’re told not to worry because this poor family was targeted, just 24 hours later another robbery involving guns occurs, and I would imagine this location, in the heart of our ‘tourist district’, was also targeted. But I would suggest this in fact means that the wider community needs to become more alert and much more aware of their surroundings and put their guards up rather than see this as a cause to let our guards down and relax and breathe a sigh of relief, because the fact that they may have been targeted only means that we are all safe until in fact we might become targets!
I am pleased to see a positive story on the CCTV camerasand the impact they seem to be having but with all these advances and new technology and increased expenditure on the safety of the residents of and visitors to these islands, I can honestly not recall a time in our history when crime was as high as it is today – when we had to wonder whether our children could walk home from school or whether it was safe to leave your office or home after dark for fear of someone targeting you.
I agree with ‘Castor’, who commented on Sweet Pea’s recent viewpoint when he said, “Until citizens grow a set and step up to the plate and provide the authorities with information and help, these sort of shenanigan hoodlum activities will continue. Citizens (‘Real Caymanians,’ ‘Paper Caymanians’ and Permit Holders) need to do their moral and civic duty. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and other family members, friends and acquaintances know who the culprits are.” We do need to all become a lot more aware, we need to increase our guard, not decrease it, and we need to provide information when we are aware of any that may be helpful to the police in order that they can do their jobs more effectively.
Another thing ‘Castor’ said was that “bashing the police isn’t helpful”, and he’s right, and my intention in highlighting this inspector’s comment was not to bash the police but to say that we need to stop pretending that everything is OK or that it’s not something we need to worry about until it affects us or our families. We must return to the time when we knew our neighbours and cared about them and took it upon ourselves to check on them if something seems amiss. We need the police to enforce the law but we also need to provide them with the necessary community support in order for them to do so more efficiently and effectively.
Former minister alleges bias by authorities
(CNS): In what appears to be a catalogue of issues and questions surrounding an incident at a George Town restaurant back in May of last year, former minister and local playwright Dr Frank McField says he is facing further prejudice after being publicly humiliated by a local magistrate in court last week. McField, who was a Cabinet minister in the 2001-2005 UDP administration, has written to the chief justice complaining about the treatment that both he and his partner, Silvana Lewis, have faced since they were unlawfully arrested last year. The ongoing fallout from the incident, when police made an arrest under the music and dancing law, for which video footage exists showing the excessive force used against Lewis, continued last week when McField was assisting at the trial.
Lewis was arrested along with McField, and equipment that belonged to the couple was seized because the police believed the restaurant owners were breaking the law by playing music after midnight on a Saturday night – Sunday morning. However, the El Caboose restaurant, as it was known at the time, in McField Square, George Town, does not have a liquor license.
At the time of the incident, the restaurant was closed to customers and McField and Lewis were hosting a private dinner party when the police made the arrest, which was found to be unlawful in the case against McField after it was thrown out of court in June.
Even though the crown has only the same evidence against Lewis, it has continued with its prosecution of her, regardless of the question marks remaining around the legality of Lewis’ arrest, as well as that of McField.
In his letter to the country’s top judge, McField complained that he continues to be deprived, unlawfully and unconstitutionally, by the courts — and in particular Magistrate Kristy Gunn, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the RICP of his property. But the former minister, who has faced increasing controversy in recent years, also alleged prejudice and bias against him. McField claimed that as well as the music equipment not being returned, documents he needs for his own complaints against the RCIPS are being withheld by the magistrate.
He wrote that the Summary Court officer was prejudiced against him and that, as a former prosecutor, she “may perceive me as a person of questionable character”.
“Gunn spoke and shouted at me in a manner which was very disrespectful during her questioning my honesty and integrity,” McField said in the letter as he described an incident in the court. “I suspect I am not entitled to any special considerations in a court since I cannot appear before any court as a member of the Bar or the legal fraternity, nevertheless I am a Justice of the Peace of the Cayman Islands and as such should not have been treated by a Magistrate of this jurisdiction as if I was a common criminal,” he added.
“It might be widely believed that I have a chip on my shoulder but I have and will always be offended especially when persons in power demand respect but refuse to show that same respect when dealing with me. I too once carried the title of Honorable and that should be public knowledge even to the Honorable Magistrate who is not from this jurisdiction,” McField wrote.
He said that the humiliation at the hands of the magistrate was witnessed by the defendant, crown counsel and the press, among others. Pointing to the mounting tensions in Cayman between expatriates and local people, McField as noted that colonialism “benign or not maintains a deceitful racial character which distorts the sense of justice of a people and a nation”, as he explained his reasons for writing to the chief justices with his concerns.
McField has also argued that the continued prosecution of Lewis is irreconcilable with the decision of the magistrate that the police had no lawful authority to seize the items which it is alleged Lewis was seeking to protect when she got into a tussle with the police and was arrested for resisting arrest over the allegation that she was breaking a law that did not apply given the circumstances.
“It would appear at least in logic that the assault had to be a part of the act of resisting since resisting is a physical act," McField wrote, as he appealed for the chief justice to intervene in what has been happening in the ongoing and increasingly controversial case.
The former minister said the assault charges against Lewis cannot stand if her resistance was as a result her “lawful right to resist unlawful arrest and injury to her dignity, liberty and health,” he added.
See police video footage of arrest here.
CNS Note: Since writing to the chief justice, Dr Frank McField informed CNS that he has discovered that there is nothing in the lawthat prevents evidence seized unlawfully being used against a defendant.
Cops round up burglars
(CNS): As the number of break-ins and burglaries of homes and businesses in and around the capital in particular continue to escalate, the police rounded up two more suspects, both of whom were expected in court Tuesday. One man, aged 37, has been charged with four counts of burglary in connection with separate break-ins to commercial premises. The crimes took place at the Cabana Bar, Uncle Bills, Kirk Marine and The Wharf restaurant between 9 – 21 August. A 40-year-old woman has also been arrested and charged with one count of burglary in connection with an incident in Courts Road, which occurred overnight 30 – 31 July.
There has been a resurgence recently in more violent crimes, with several robberies and muggings, including a frightening home invasion in Savannah, a late night robbery on Seven Mile Beach and a street mugging of a woman in broad daylight in the downtown George Town area. However, police are still battling rising burglaries. At the end of June police said that 262 burglaries had been reported in the first half of this year alone, representing an 8% increase in the crime.
Recent public meetings with the police and residents in the capital have revealed growing frustrations in the community that burglaries are out of control. As the figures for burglaries exceed more than one per day, CNS received reports Tuesday morning from readers that there were two more daylight break-ins on Saturday morning in a street off Walkers Road, which were later confirmed by police.
Miller calls for PAC changes
(CNS): Ezzard Miller has added his voice to that of Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush and others that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, Roy McTaggart, a Coalition for Cayman (C4C) member of government, should resign from the committee as a result of his recent temporary stint as finance minister. However, the North Side independent member is finding no more common ground with the UDP leader, as he says Bush should not be on the committee either because most of the reports that the committee will scrutinize in the immediate future are based on problems presided over by Bush, the former finance minister.
The controversies of who should serve on PAC and who should remain on it began on Swearing in Day, when the PPM selected Bush and three PPM members, as well as McTaggart, who was at the time on the opposition benches, as chair of the critical committee.
Objections over the weight of the committee led to Anthony Eden stepping aside and allowed Winston Connolly, another C4C member who had already agreed to sit in government, to be nominated. Ezzard Miller and East End MLA Arden McLean were both nominated by the opposition leader to sit alongside the two C4C members but the government benches rejected the two independent members in favour of PPM backbenchers, Joey Hew and Al Suckoo.
After McTaggart agreed to join the government shortly after the first day in the Legislative Assembly, the premier indicated that the committee’s line-up may need to change. However, Premier Alden McLaughlin has not yet addressed that issue, and following the swearing in of both McTaggart and Connolly as temporary Cabinet ministers, which triggered calls for the chair to step aside, McLaughlin told CNS he did not feel it was necessary. He said there would be no conflict created by the men serving as ministers because the committee would be focused on the work of the previous administration.
Miller, a former PAC chair, took an aggressive stance when he was in post and tried to force finance chiefs to follow the law or risk prosecution, but he resigned in frustration after his attempts to get the government accounts in order were not supported by the necessary agencies of his fellow committee members. He disagrees with the premier and has called for McTaggart to resign.
Miller said that after the C4C member joined government he should have already stepped down, but since being sworn in as a finance minister his position is even more untenable.
“I would never have allowed myself to be in that position,” he said, adding that McTaggart should not have accepted even the position of councillor in the finance ministry, never mind as a temporary minister, if he wanted to continue heading up the committee, the primary objective of which is to scrutinize government finances.
“Both the PPM and the C4C candidates ran on an election promise of integrity and transparency but I doubt that they are doing much of what they promised.”
The North Side representative also noted that the PPM's insistence that the former premier and UDP leader, McKeeva Bush, sit on the committee was inexplicable because of the obvious conflict, given the controversy surrounding his time in office and, in particular, regarding public spending and the management of cash. He noted that, despite the mess now facing government over PAC, he would not be offering to bail government out as long as Bush is on the committee.
“I was nominated and the government benches were all instructed not to vote for myself or Arden McLean, the other independent member who was also nominated, but for the former premier instead, so it is up to the new government to sort this out.”
Bush has also accused the new premier of skewering the committee and loading it with government members. He said the claim that the government members have to look at the expenditure of the past four years so they are not conflicted was a very “poor excuse” and was not relevant to the work of PAC.
“Unfortunately for good governance, the PPM made the same excuse between 2005-2009, when one of their members chaired the PAC and it was dominated by them,” he said. “And accordingly, what happened was that none of their accounts for that time got audited.”
Bush pointed to the difficulties that were then faced regarding the late audits and he auditor general’s position that the missing years’ accounts were irrelevant and a waste of time and public money to audit.
“Even though his predecessor, Dan Duguay, had said there was over $60 million that was unaccounted for in one of the PPM ministries,” the opposition leader recalled.
“There is no excuse for the premier, in the face of what is right and proper for good governance to be maintained, which he swore he would adhere to, in the appointment to and management of the PAC for government ministers and or councillors,” who, he said, dominated the committee.
Bush also queried if it was the premier’s prerogative to dominate the appointment of committee members, adding that if he had set it that way people would have accused him of being a dictator.
Although the chair has not made any formal announcement about the next open session of PAC or if there are any planned changes to re-balance what is a government dominated committee, the opposition leader confirmed that he had been notified that PAC would be holding a public meeting at the Legislative Assembly on 18 September.
Politicians donate school bags for kids in need
(CNS): The Progressives Caring Hands Committee has presented hundreds of school bags and supplies to public primary schools across the island so students who are not able to afford basic school supplies are provided with some of the necessary items. “The community must ensure that the education of our children is not hampered by not having basic tools to aid their learning,” said Barbara Conolly, The Progressives General Secretary as she thanked the members and friends of The Progressives whose contributions made the donations possible.
“The Progressives were founded with a focuson people, especially families and the youth and I amproud that we were able to assist again this year,” she added.
The PPM’s George Town MLA Joey Hew said that as government worked hard to rebuild the economy it was sympathetic to the challenges people are facing and wanted to help supplement those who may have not been able to provide all of the supplies needed for the school year.
“We understand that during these difficult economic times that the average family is finding it difficult to make ends meet, it is during these times that we must come together as a community and help one another. We may not be able to solve all of the issues, or we may only be able to share a pen or a pencil, but what is important is that we help each other,” said the Progressive’s backbencher.
For further information on how you can assist with this annual event, you may contact the Progressive Headquarters on 945-1776 or at 488 Crewe Road, George Town.
CI safe from cholera but Cuba travellers warned
(CNS): Despite the recent outbreak of cholera in the neighbouring island of Cuba, public officials in Cayman reassured residents that the islands remain cholera free and are not at risk of an outbreak of the waterborne disease as a result of modern water and sewage treatment systems. However, following confirmation of the disease in at least three provinces in Cuba — Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camaguey — health officials advise anyone travelling there to take extra precautions and remain vigilant regarding the disease. Acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr Samuel Williams, has issued an updated travel advisory.
There are no travel restrictions to Cuba, or to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which are also affected by outbreaks, but travellers are advised to be aware of the basic cholera facts and to observe basic cholera prevention recommendations, including frequent hand-washing practices and consuming food and water that are known to be safe.
“We ask anyone who has travelled to Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic to contact their doctor immediately should they develop watery diarrhoea and vomiting within five days of leaving. It is also important to state their travel history to their doctor,” Dr Williams advised.
To ensure readiness, the Public Health Department called a multi-agency preparedness meeting on Thursday, 29 August, when Health Minister Osbourne Bodden said he was impressed by the preparations and applauded the public health officials and healthcare professionals, as well as all other relevant stakeholders, for their efforts to detect and manage imported cases.
For more information on cholera please call the Public Health Department on 244-2621.
Tips for Prevention below.
Dart to fight West Bay women
CNS): The Grand Court has agreed that the islands’ largest developer can join a group of government defendants against an action filed by four women from West Bay who are attempting to put an end to a deal relating to the closure of the West Bay Road. Justice Alex Henderson said Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd could join proceedings filed by the ladies as a result of what he said was a risk to the developer’s legal rights. The women filed their legal challenge to the legality of the deal known as the NRA Agreement against government, not Dart, based on constitutional issues. Meanwhile, government has remained silent regarding the current status of negotiations on the agreement since talks stalled ahead of the general election.
In their fight to stop the agreement completely, the four West Bay women did not cite Dart in their suit as it is the actions of government they are concerned about.
However, despite applying to join the action and defend their own corner, some six months after Alice Mae Coe, Betty Ebanks Annie Multon, and Ezmie Smith filed their writ, the judge allowed the application as he found that Dart’s legal rights under the NRA Agreement are at risk because the women claim the deal as it stands should be declared void.
The women fought the application because the trial is now only three months away and the developer has had since February to apply to join. Plus, with the exception of the easement rights, the plaintiffs say it is constitutional principles that are in question, and the lawyer representing the women said that the Attorney General‘s Chambers is more than capable of defending the suit.
“We feel and still feel that the proceedings are going to be 'clogged up' by Dart’s intervention as a defendant at this late stage and extra costs will be incurred all round,” local attorney Irvin Banks said in the wake of the decision. However, despite the size of the developer’s pockets, he said the women were not discouraged and were happy to take on Dart as well as the government agencies.
“Now that the deed is done, we welcome the opportunity to get to grips with the authors of the NRA Agreement and have the Court finally decide whether the rights of passage and beach easements claimed by the Plaintiffs and others for generations, and the procedure followed by government intaking away those rights of passage and beach easements from the Plaintiffs are legitimate complaints and can be dealt with by the Courts under the Constitution,” he added
During the hearing on Friday, Justice Henderson had warned the developer’s legal team that they should not be attempting to take over the entire defence from government, and that they must instead limit themselves to defending their own interests under the agreement.
The trial is set down for three days starting on 11 December, when the four women will argue that government was wrong to transfer the crown land, consisting of well over 4000 feet of the West Bay Road to Dart as part of a controversial swap surrounding the proposed development of a new 5-star resort on the site of the former Courtyard Marriott.
The agreement itself, however, still remains in abeyance. A part of the West Bay Road has already been closed and is now buried under a sand-like substance as part of the plans to create a new public recreation area, set back from the original public beach. However, the government has not yet gazetted the remaining stretch of the road that Dart wants to close, from Raleigh Quay to the new junction at Yacht Drive.
Talks between the developer and the previous minority government stalled following the revelations by PricewaterhouseCoopers that there were some question marks over the value for money the public purse was getting in the swap. As the PNA government attempted to renegotiate the deal, the talks collapsed and the can was kicked down the road to the new government.
At the recent PPM National Council Meeting, Planning Minister Kurt Tibbetts revealed that, while the strip of closed road was a fait accompli, the government was back in talks with a particular focus in removing a ten year 50% tax gift that the UDP government had given the developer for any property it developed or acquired over the next thirty years.
The government had said it was hoping to be able to make an announcement soon afterwards but enquiries regarding the issue by CNS have not yet been answered.
Mastic Trail receives award from online travel site
(CNS): Tours along one of the Cayman Islands most under-rated attractions have been awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. Visitors to the interactive online travel guide have given the National Trust’s guided Mastic Trail Tour top marks, which is sure to raise the profile of this nature trail. To receive the coveted award, a tour or attraction must score in the top 10% worldwide for traveler feedback and maintain an overall review rating of 4 or higher out of a possible five. They must also have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Additional criteria also include a certain volume of reviews within the last year.
The Mastic Trail is 2.3 miles long and the guided walk takes approximately two and a half to three hours. Visitors get the chance to experience a fascinating exploration deep into Cayman's wild interior, in an area where the woodland has been evolving undisturbed for the last two million years.
Although nowhere near as well-known as Cayman’s marine attractions, the Mastic Trail may now see a surge of interest as 75% of surveyed travelers say they are more likely to use a business with a visible TripAdvisor endorsement.
The last worldwide public recognition of the Mastic Trail was some twelve years ago in 1995, when Islands Magazine chose the Mastic Trail as a finalist in their annual Eco-tourism Award competition.
"Virtually all of the reviewers who participated in a National Trust guided tour were highly enthusiastic about their experience,” said National Trust Field Officer and renowned guide, Stuart Mailer. “The Trust will continue to work hard to provide our visitors and residents the best in service and to deliver the kind of experiences that keep them coming back year after year”
Mastic Trail Tours are offered Tuesday through Friday mornings, $20 for Trust members, $24 for non-members. Additional days and private tours may also be available. Special tours for small school groups and other local organisations are also available by prior arrangement.
Email smailer@nationaltrust.org.ky or call 749-1121 for reservations.
Government seeks cultural heroes
(CNS): Nominations for the National Heroes Day awards have now opened and government is asking the public to put forward the names of local people who have helped to build local culture. The theme for the national holiday and patriotic annual observance for 2014 is ‘Cultural Heritage’ and residents can nominate people they believe have made a significant contribution to the growth and development of the Cayman Island’s cultural heritage. The health ministry, which has responsibility for culture, is partnering with the Cayman Islands National Archive, the Cayman Islands National Museum, the National Gallery and the Cayman National Cultural Foundation to help choose the awardees from the nominations.
These awards are different from the local honours, or ‘people’s awards’, introduced by former premier McKeeva Bush. The premier’s office has not yet confirmed if the PPM leader and new premier will be continuing those awards.
An organising committee led by officials from the various cultural organizations involved has been established and they will sift through nominees for the awards, which will include the categories of Early Pioneers, Pioneers, Memorial Scroll, Long Service and Emerging Pioneers.
Urging local residents to take advantage of this opportunity to express their appreciation for cultural workers, Osbourne Bodden, the minister with responsibility for culture said, “Celebrating our heroes is a way of giving thanks to those people who have changed our lives through their selfless actions. So let us return the favour, show our admiration and appreciation and make a difference in their life. A public nomination such as this help to boost national pride which in turn, elevates our country’s presence to the rest of the world.”
Heroes Day is scheduled to take place on Monday, 28 January, next year.
The nomination formis posted below. For more information, or to submit a nomination, contact the NHD Committee at nhd@gov.ky.