Archive for September, 2013
Public encouraged to ask for information
(CNS): Cayman will join 60 other countries on Saturday to celebrate the enshrined right of people to access information held by government under the freedom of information law. As part of the annual Right to Know celebrations, the The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is encouraging people to use the law and seek the information they want or need. It is five years since the law was passed, and despite some issues regarding procedures, the law has had a significant impact on the relationship between the public and government. People are being asked to show their support for FOI by wearing blue on Friday.
As part of Right To Know Week, the ICO has already begun a busy schedule of events that celebrate the value of freedom of information and stress the importance of government accountability. Activities aim to educate the public and encourage people to learn about their rights under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Law, which not only allows for public access to government-held records but promotes accountability and transparency.
Information Commissioner Jennifer Dilbert encouraged everyone to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the Law,.
“Obtaining information from public authorities is simple and anyone can make a request in writing, including by email,” she said. “If you want to know information in government that pertains to you, then FOI is the key.”
For a full list of Right to Know Week events, contact ICO at 747-5402 or visit www.infocomm.ky.
Charity & accountability
I was affected by the article on ‘Meals on Wheels’ (MOW), and agree wholeheartedly that this program cannot be allowed to fail, and so I set about to learn a lot more as to how MOW now find themselves in this position, having been heavily sponsored and supported in the past by Rotary and many individual Rotarians, some of whom I understand still provide support by donations and delivering meals.
I do feel very strongly that we MUST look after our elderly and infirm and MOW should not fail due to lackof funding. BUT, I would suggest the following,
- There must be stringent criteria in order to enter the program (e.g MOW absolutely cannot deliver food to a home with a resident who owns a late model luxury car, for example). This criteria must be transparent (i.e. a document that is readily available to the public) so that those wishing to provide support can see how these decisions are made and so that those wishing to be supported can discover if they ‘fit the bill’.
- MOW must be able to provide accounts – these accounts must include absolutely every donation received, both in terms of money and direct gifts of packaged food, and be accounted for down to the penny. They must include absolutely every outgoing including of course details of any ‘salaried volunteers’.
- The provision of MOW meals should go out to tender – I understand from the article that each meal costs CI$4 however also understand that some of the people providing meals to the schools are providing meals for CI$3 each – this is an enormous saving when you consider just $1 shaved off each meal amounts to just over CI$40,000 each year.
This concept is not intended to point a finger at the current management of MOW alone, because despite the above suggestions which are specific to the current MOW situation, I think that some of this ‘common sense’ approach applies to all of our charities here in Cayman – without exception. After all, If they require the support of the public, they ought to be open, honest and transparent.
I think that some trust has been lost lately. However, this trust can be (re)gained and the charities must be prepared to put egos and politics aside for the greater good. Being asked to provide accounts is not querying the integrity of the individual who is running the charity but instead ensuring that the integrity of these individuals and organizations is above question – unfortunately in this day and age the anomaly is that you do have to answer questions, sometimes before they have even been asked, in order to keep yourself ‘above question’!
We must still support those in need – we are a small Island with an awful lot of need – there are many people willing and able to provide for this need but the charities MUST do everything they can to provide as much comfort as they can to those willing to support them.
Protest planned against immigration changes
(CNS): Although the PPM made it clear on the campaign trail that, if returned to office, a Progressive administration would remove the seven year term limit, known as 'rollover' and reform the immigration policy, the backlash against the decision is mounting. The government, which has been in officer for just four months, is now facing its first demonstration rally. Organisers of a protest march are calling on all Caymanians and those who "love the Cayman Islands", to join the demo scheduled for 10am on Friday 11 October, aginst the extensive and recently published Immigration Amendment bill. Having taken part in a number of rallies themselves while in opposition, it remains to be seen if the march will move the PPM to reconsider the proposed bill and halt its planned presentation to the Legislative Assembly next month.
Organisers said that this was the “final opportunity to save Cayman” and an effort to stop the proposed immigration reform bill, which was published this week and is expected to be debated in the LA later in October and before the expiration of some 1,500 Term Limit Exemption Permits.
“We will gather at the Government Administration Building on Elgin Avenue at 10am and proceed to the Legislative Assembly Building,” protesters stated in an email circulated Thursday.
The government's decision to eliminate rollover and allow all of those who live in Cayman for eight years to apply for permanent residency, switching the decision of who gets to stay in Cayman from employers back to government, is being strongly opposed by a number of Caymanians who see it as a further stumbling block to local workers' ability to advance in the local economy.
With more than 2,000 Caymanians unemployed and many blocked from advancing in the jobs they currently hold, the prospect of more expats being allowed to stay for longer has increased concerns significantly about future localemployment.
It is understood that not all of the members of government are in support of the reform, which is being spearheaded by Premier Alden McLaughlin. Questions submitted by CNS to government concerning the alleged Cabinet and government bench split on the issue have so far been ignored. During his time as leader of the opposition, McLaughlin had criticised the previous leader McKeeva Bush for not listening to the concerns of the people and ploughing ahead with unpopular policies.
See bill below.
Cops continue murder probe with second suspect
(CNS): A 26-year-old man from West Bay remained in police custody Thursday morning as police continued the investigation into the murder of Irvin Garlon Bush (52) in Miss Daisy Lane on 15 September, which was the first murder in Cayman this year. Following a major police operation in West Bay, the man was arrested at 2:25pm on Tuesday 24 September on suspicion of the fatal shooting. The RCIPS said that officers from the Uniform Support Group led the joint police operation, supported by the Air Operations Unit. Meanwhile, a 22-year-old suspect who was arrested in connection with the same crime has been released on police bail. He was arrested in Breakers on Tuesday 17 September.
The police have not stated since the shootinghow many gunmen were involved in the crime, in which Bush was shot outside his house as he was returning home. The victim was the father of Robert Mackford Bush (28), who was also shot and killed in the district two years ago in September 2011 in a gang-related killing that sparked a series of shootings in West Bay and George Town, in which three other young men lost their lives.
Brian Borden (28), also from West Bay, has been charged with the murder of Robert Bush and has been on remand at HMP Northward for more than one year awaiting trial. His hearing was recently postponed as a result of problems with the prosecution’s main witness in the case against him.
Police have still not stated if they suspect the motive for the slaying of his father was also gang-related.
Another home invaded
(CNS): Police have confirmed yet another frightening aggravated burglary in which a George Town couple woke to find armed robbers in their house in the early morning hours. According to a limited police report, the residents were awoken at around 2:00 this morning, Wednesday 25 September, and discovered two men in their home. One of the men was armed with what appeared to be a handgun, according to the RCIPS report. When they were discovered, the two men left the house but not before pointing the firearm towards the homeowners. No shots were fired and no one was injured in the incident, police said, but no descriptions were available.
Police confirmed this evening that they were having communication issues, which had delayed the release of the information, but said an update would follow with more details.
The report comes at a time when there has been a surge in gun crimes, including doorstep hold-ups and robberies on commercial premises, as well as home invasions and aggravated burglaries where the suspects have been armed.
Although police have successfully arrested a number of suspects, the crime count continues to climb.
Shetty shifts target market to Caribbean
(CNS Business): Although the original goal of Dr Devi Shetty’s Health City medical tourism facility in East End was to attract patients in need of tertiary care from North America, at a special update lunch yesterday there was no mention of the United States as a target for patients. Instead, Shetty spoke about the 39 million people in the Caribbean, and of course the small market in Cayman, that the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital would now be seeking to service. Shetty focused very heavily in his presentation on the principle of affordable healthcare for all and reaching out to those who were in need in the region. Read more on CNS Business
Woman hospitalized after triple car pile up
(CNS): A female passenger was taken to hospital this morning following a major collision on the Shamrock Road. Police have reported that at around 8:14 this morning officers responded to a three car pile-up near Starapple Road in the Lower Valley area. All three vehicles received major damage, an RCIPS spokesperson confirmed. The injured woman, who had complained of neck pains and was the only person injured in the crash, was taken to hospital. The police gave no further details about how the crash may have happened.
Affordable housing stalled
(CNS): The problems relating to building truly affordable homes that people on low income can actually buy still exist, according to the National Housing Development Trust general manager, Julio Ramos, who explained to Public Accounts Committee last week that there are still significant issues surrounding the initiative. After several years of turmoil, Ramos revealed that with no board in place for quite some time and no new policy directives about how the not-so-affordable housing initiative can now go forward, the Trust’s work is stalled. He said there are 41 people still living in homes declared unfit for human habitation and new tenants in the government's housing project are renting and not able to buy.
This has raised concerns among many of the new tenants, one of whom recently contacted CNS to say that some of the government’s tenants who wanted to buy their homes and moved in on the premise of a 'rent to buy' transition are now moving out because they cannot afford to pay rent and invest in a property that they will not be allowed to buy. The former tenant said that he and many others now believe they were tricked into the homes under the impression of 'rent to own' when they paid the deposits and collected the keys.
“The National Housing Development Trust claims these low income homes were for people that couldn't get or afford a mortgage but who would be able to afford these homes. But I was living in one under the impression of rent to own, but clearly that was just another way for people to take these houses to build up government's budget in my opinion,” Ruben Whittaker, a former tenant, told CNS recently after he was forced to move out. He said that what were meant to be socially affordable homes were turned into expensive rentals.
Despite the promise of better quality homes with the new wave of properties built during the previous administration, Whittaker said that the houses were poorly maintained and the Trust took a long time to address the frequently needed repairs. Whittaker said that something had gone seriously awry with the initiative and the poor people investing rental money now understand that they won’t own.
“The houses were built to get Caymanians on a path to own their home but no one in their rightful mind would go and rent from the government if it was just rent. We would have gone elsewhereand rent places that came furnished,” he added, referring to the hardship of having to buy furniture and appliances on low incomes. Whittaker said that after frequently enquiring with the trust what the status on the rent to buy issue was, he got little response. Seeing a red flag, he made the decision not to spend any more money on the property and moved out.
During the PAC hearing last week Ramos indicated that the policy goal was still 'rent to buy' but it had not been sanctioned and he did not know what would happen next until a new board was functioning. However, he pointed to a significant number of problems.
Ramos said he had families occupying 41 of the old condemned original AHI homes that could not be re-housed in the new properties because they were not in good standing with their rentals. He said the trust needed some direction about what to do with these government tenants who owed back rent and could not, under the current policy directive, be re-housed but who were living in substandard properties. Ramos said this was a major problem but no one had any solutions or suggestions on how to fix it.
With the trust struggling to collect its bad debt, he said that it was now forced to lease the empty newly-built homes to new tenants as the 'rent to buy' programme had been placed on hold, even though he admitted that tenants had been selected on that basis. The issue of the affordability of the homes has also undermined the 'rent to buy' policy because the homes are far more expensive than the original properties.
Although there has been no official government announcement about a new board, Ramos told the committee that he believed it had just been appointed and this issue would be the top of the agenda for its first meeting. Ramos spoke about the frustrations of his position, as his many recommendations to the past board were ignored.
Answering questions from the committee about the scandal of board fees, he said the directors had voted themselves a massive fee increase for their meetings but had never justified that decision.
In October 2011 the board was embroiled in a major corruption scandal and the deputy chair was eventually arrested and charged with theft. Edlin Myles is scheduled to be tried in the case later this year, having been accused of using his position on the board to con new tenants into buying insurance from him. Following his arrest and the subsequent investigation into the entire trust and board, a number of concerns were raised about what had been going on.
Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick also found that $4.2 million worth of contracts had been awarded and funded with public cash during the previous government to build the new homes. However, no tendering process was ever completed as the project was broken down into individual house by house contracts and pre-cleared local contractors were all given a chance to build one of the homes.
Swarbrick described this as “a novel way to procure services” but recognized that this was a social programme and the policy behind it was not only to provide low cost homes but work for local contractors. Nevertheless, the auditor said, the trust should have engaged the CTC when it made a decision to tender the contracts in such an unusual way.
The minister with ultimate responsibility for the initiative at the time was the community affairs minister, Mike Adam, but the direct political oversight had been passed to George Town backbench counsellor Ellio Solomon.
Cops to hold public crime prevention seminar
(CNS): With another increase in violent crime, in particular robberies and home invasions as well as an on-going battle with burglars the police have organised a major crime prevention seminar aimed at local business owners, those involved in the tourism sector and community representatives. AN RCIPS spokesperson said the presentations will appeal to a wide variety of people as they include commercial, residential, marine and financial crime prevention advice. Chief Inspector Angelique Howell, the driving force behind the seminar said she was keen to see as many people as possible attend.
“While overall crime is falling, burglaries continue to rise,” said CI Howell. “ That’s why we felt it was important to bring together our partners in the tourism and business sectors as well as Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators, so that we can all work together to reduce its impact on the Cayman Islands.”
There will be a host of speakers from the RCIPS and the keynote speaker will be William Shagoury, Custos Rotulorum & Chairman of the Clarendon Crime Prevention Committee. He will discuss ‘The Role of the Crime Prevention Committee in the National Crime Reduction Strategy’.
“Over the past three years Clarendon, Jamaica, has benefitted from a consistent reduction in crime,”said CI Howell. “Much of this can be attributed to the efforts of the Crime Prevention Committee lead by Custos Shagoury. We are delighted that he has accepted our invitation to come to Cayman and share some of his experiences with us. It promises to be a very worthwhile and informative seminar.”
Thanking the partners working with the police to put the event together she said the RCIPS was sure that “everyone who attends will leave better informed and better prepared to play their part in reducing crime in Cayman.”
Her officers are liaising with Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators throughout the Cayman Islands to raise awareness of the event. Invitations have also been disseminated via the Chamber of Commerce and the Cayman Islands Tourism Association for their members to attend and take advantage of the raft of information that will be available.
The event , will be held on Thursday, 3 October, at the Westin Hotel on West Bay Road. It will open at 9.30am and close at 2.00pm. Those attending will also have an opportunity to visit a number of booths where crime prevention information and the latest security equipment will be on display. Partners working with the RCIPS are the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce, the Westin, Cayman Crime Stoppers ,Cayman First, CITA, Book Nook and Cayman National Bank.
Locals wanted for TLEP jobs
(CNS): In the face of continuing controversy regarding the 1,522 Term LimitExemption Permit holders who are all about to get the go-ahead to stay in Cayman, government has said that Caymanians will have an opportunity to apply for all of the jobs. The premier’s office has said that local workers interested in filling any of the jobs for which they are qualified are urged to apply so that the immigration department has all of the relevant information required in determining the grant or refusal of new work permits. With the pending change in the law, if employers do not disclose that a Caymanian applied for a job, they will face a hefty fine.
“Employers should note that it will now be an offence, carrying a fine of up to $20,000 in the first instance, for an employer to fail to disclose to the Immigration Department when making an application for a work permit that a Caymanian, a spouse of a Caymanian or a permanent resident has applied for the position,” the release from the premier’s press secretary said, following the publication of the new Immigration Law Amendment bill, which is expected to be debated in the Legislative Assembly next month.
However, There is still no comment from the premier’s office regarding the suspected Cabinet split over this element of the proposed new law, which will see over 1,500 people returned to the work permit system next month who would have been rolled over last year. Government is pressing ahead with the change in the law, which will allow all of these workers to make a permanent residency application before the year’s end under what will also be a new processing regime that government has indicated will be much more robust and efficient, if the bill makes it through the Legislative Assembly next month.
The TLEPs were created by the previous administration and they effectively kicked the can down the road to the current government to deal with this pressing but controversial problem. Cayman was in facing the problem of around 2,500 work permit holders departing from the islands in a relatively short period, many of whom were in the tourism sector. This was as a result of many workers beginning then seven year term limit more or less at the same time in the post Hurricane Ivan recovery period.
The UDP government came up with the special permit to allow them all to stay for up to two more years, but now all of the 1,522 remaining holders of TLEPs are, as the law stands now, due to depart Cayman on 28 October. Fearing the negative impact of such a mass exodus of these workers and their families on the economy, the new PPM government is proposing to regularize these workers into what will be a new work permit regime, which will allow all foreign workers to stay in Cayman for up to nine years and make a residency application.
In order to ensure greater efficiency and transparency of the immigration policy, the chief immigration officer and people designated by her will now be allowed to process all types of work permit applications, including those where a Caymanian has applied for the position.
Going forward, permanent residence applications will be processed administratively as well as by the Caymanian Status & Permanent Residency Board. Accompanying the new regime will be much stricter rules, and to discourage abuse of the work permit system, it will no longer be possible to work beyond the date of refusal of an application for a work permit while awaiting the outcome of an appeal.
Among the many other changes proposed in this, the first two major overhauls of the immigration law and regulations planned by the new administration, is a new solution to tackle bad payers. To address the problem of permanent residence fees not being paid on time, or at all, it will now be required that all fees must be paid at the time of making the application for permanent residence. This includes the application fee, issue fee, fees in respect to dependents and the annual fee in respect of the first year. The fee to make an application for permanent residence is being increased to $1,000.
Stronger grounds for the removal of permanent residence right are also in the bill, which would see holders who are delinquent in respect to payment of their annual fee lose their residency. Working in an occupation that is not authorized on a certificate or failing to make the required annual declaration could also see residency revoked.