Archive for June, 2014
Welfare vouchers to be replaced by card system
(CNS): Caymanians receiving government assistances via the Needs Assessment Unit (NAU) are to get pre-paid cards to purchase food and supplies instead of vouchers. The cards will be provided by local supermarkets on Grand Cayman as part of ongoing changes at the NAU to provide a more efficient service to its clients, officials said. With the rising cost of living, declining salaries and ongoing local unemployment, there has been an increase in the number of families forced to seek assistance from the NAU and the unit wants to help more people more quickly. Each pre-paid card will be specific to an identified client and balances can be tracked, reducing the risk to the public purse if they are lost or stolen, officials added.
This new method of payment to support families in need will replace the paper vouchers currently being provided. Local vendors will provide the pre-paid cards, which will function like debit cards and NAU clients will still be able to choose their preferred vendor from a list of participating supermarkets. The cards will be topped up electronically and any unused funds will be returned to the department once the service period has expired.
“Each pre-paid card is specific to the identified client and the balance on each card can be tracked. This reduces the risk of loss of funds due to the card being lost or stolen,” the NAU said in a release, adding that the pre-paid cards will be distributed to clients within the coming weeks. Until then, vouchers will continue to be used.
“The introduction of the pre-paid cards does not affect the provision of services as it pertains to eligibility and the amount provided,” the officials stated.
Government commits to tackle travel scandal
(CNS): The premier has said that the Progressives-led government will be working with the deputy governor to implement recommendations made by Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick in his recent damning report about the potential misuse of government funds for travel and hospitality by both the elected and administrative arms of government during the previous government. Alden McLaughlin has said that in addition to the introduction of a formal travel policy, the government would continue to report reasons and costs for travel and ensure accountability. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson also acknowledged the deficiencies in government raised by Swarbrick’s report but said the new travel policy was a significant step towards addressing the shortcomings.
The Office of the Auditor General's report found that at least $8.6 million, and very possibly more than $10 million, of public money was spent on travel and hospitality over a three year period during the UDP administration. However, McLaughlin said the new travel policy implemented in July 2013 sets out rules and criteria for all civil servants and his government had readily adopted the policy for politicians, who were now traveling under its guidelines.
“My government is committed to good governance practices, transparency and accountability as well as prudent financial practices in seeing that the public’s money is spent only when it is absolutely necessary,” McLaughlin stated in a short release from his office following the report’s publication. “We have made it a habit to report to the public on the achievements, outcomes and costs of all overseas travel incurred by this administration.”
In his formal response to the report, Manderson said that the new travel policy was developed after careful consideration of best practice and in consultation with senior leaders across the service, including finance and audit personnel. The policy seeks to avoid risks of travel advances being written off by severely limiting them and relying instead upon prescribed per diems.
“The policy provides uniform guidelines to minimize the range of risks identified in this report. This policy will be monitored for compliance,” he added.
Acknowledging the inherent risks associated with this sort of spending, the deputy governor said the policy tried to strike a balance by providing cost-effective controls which manage the identified risks.
He said that expenditures on Christmas functions have now been harmonised with a central budget for $25 per head. In the management response to each of the OAG's recommendations, the deputy governor indicated that government would be introducing a government-wide hospitality policy.
In light of Swarbrick's findings that staff were signing off and clearing travel and hospitality bills outside the parameters of the law, Manderson said that chief officers and chief financial officers, who are already expected to possess a sound understanding of their roles and responsibilities, will be receive further training to ensure continuing education on the “nuances of these responsibilities within the context of the evolving nature of the policies, laws and regulations”.
See report below
Mac: Report a deliberate ploy
(CNS): Answering implied allegations that he was responsible for a large part of what could be as much as $10 million of public funds spent on travel and hospitality when he was premier, McKeeva Bush has defended the costs and said the recent report by the auditor general is a distraction. He said that the release, at a time when government is taking a bashing over the budget in Finance Committee and the governor’s office over the Tempura fiasco, is a deliberate attempt to draw attention away from those issues and try him in the court of public opinion. Bush said every trip he took was for the business of the country and the auditor’s report had "more holes than a sieve". Photo Dennie Warren Jr.
Speaking on Rooster’s early morning radio phone-in show, Crosstalk, on Wednesday, the former premier and now leader of the opposition attacked the auditor general, Alastair Swarbrick. As he has before, Bush described the government’s auditor as the former governor’s "hit-man", as he defended the cash spent on trips and entertainment when he was premier, claiming he had to “hustle” on behalf of the country. With what he described as 14 entities under his responsibility for which he had to go overseas, Bush said he had no choice.
Denying using any limousines or ever being off-duty, as he said he was the premier of the country 24 hours a day, seven days a week, he asked how the auditor expected him to travel and asked if he thought he should have walked. The opposition leader said all he ever asked for when traveling was that he stayed somewhere as comfortable as his own bedroom at home and safe because the government would not pay for a security detail for him.
Bush denied any of the spending was lavish or that there was not a paper trial. He said there were many times he used his own money, or didn’t cash his per diem allowance cheques, and if anything the government owed him money. Bush added, “It’s expensive … you can’t sponge off other people.”
He said in some instances it was not possible to quantify the business case as it was about promoting Cayman, creating business confidence and correcting misconceptions around the globe.
The premier also pointed to a double standard when he said that the auditor did not try and investigate what happened in the Ministry of Tourism during 2005 to 2009, nor has the governor’s office ever been audited. He accused Duncan Taylor of using public cash to support his grown son, who lived at Government House, and the lavish events put on by the governor’s office, which are never criticised.
“They are part of untouchables. I know what they are doing … people know what is going on,” Bush told his hosts on Rooster.
Bush also said that when the Public Accounts Committee, of which he is deputy chair, meets to examine this report in the near future, he will be finding out why the auditor seems to have such trouble finding a paper trail asBush said the statements for the credit cards are very easy to find as they are with the bank. He also noted that he would be asking the finance people in the ministry to tell their side.
The opposition leader said it was not uncommon for everyone to use their government credit card for what they needed and pay it back later. He claimed this practice was not unusual and also common in the private sector. But, he said, whatever he had used it for personally it had been paid back.
He accused Swarbrick of causing the country to lose millions when he had stood in the way of him renegotiating a loan for the public sector, though the paper trail previously presented regarding the Cohen and Co loan has suggested otherwise. Bush said the auditor was part of the new colonial regime and that it was about targeting him.
Related articles on CNS:
Lewd acts in public
I have noted that the response by the general public seem to range from outrage to nonchalance with regards to the lewd acts performed by two of our young people in a nightclub. Neither responses are helpful in charting the course going forward. It is important to bring some analysis to the situation; firstly these two young ladies ought to accept the responsibility for their erroneous actions.
Erroneous only because they have taken an act (sexual act) that is usually reserved for privacy into the public sphere. However, they are not the only persons guilty, as not only did others watched satisfying their voyeuristic curiousity, it also appeared that no efforts were made to disrupt these ladies. Guilty also, are those who chose to publish the pictures bringing them into the public domain. My only contention can only be that this was meant to be malicious or a continued lack of judgment on all those who were involved.
As a person who has worked with youth for several years I have noticed a number of social disabilities trending among some of our youth;
- An inability to distinguish appropriate from inappropriate behaviours
- Disengagement from consequences of behaviour
- Unwillingness to take personal responsibility for their actions
- Lack of empathy
- Inability to problem solve
These are traits that I have noticed not only in those that we often describe as “at risk”, but also sometimes among those we believe are “well adjusted”. In my mind these are critical behaviours that needs continuous attention and support so that our youth can make better decisions. A quick content analysis of some of the responses on CNS also reveals that some sections of the adult population as well seem to be devoid of emotions and compassion, hence some of their callous responses.
So where do we go from here? Firstly, I hope that these young ladies and their family access therapeutic support and are able to get through this incredibly tough time. It is also my wish that young people and their leaders start to engage each other in healthy discussions about decision making especially about what is acceptable versus what is not.
Additionally, there is no denying that policies can be examined to facilitate the protection of youth when they fail to protect themselves. A hand off approach will get us nowhere, I encourage the community to gather not in outrage or a blame game, but to honestly garner support from each other and devise powerfully strategies that could reduce some of these “social disabilities” among our youth discussed above.
Passport delays in UK mount in face of cuts
(CNS): An increased demand and cuts in resources appear to be behind the mounting delays at the UK passport office. Although Cayman has not yet fully repatriated its passport services to the UK, as that happens local passport applications here and in other overseas territories could also be impacted by issues in the UK. The UK’s Home Secretary Theresa May has insisted the government is doing all it can to deal with the backlog of more than 30,000 passport applications which have not been dealt with within the normal three-week deadline. However, the coalition government is facing allegations of not taking control of the situation.
According to the plethora of reports coming from the UK about the issue, as the country moves into the holiday season the HM Passport Office (HMPO) was increasing the number of examiners and call handlers by another 200 on top of the 900 existing staff re-assigned to deal with the highest level of applications for 12 years. New offices are also being opened in Liverpool next week to help tackle the backlog.
The Passport Agency is currently dealing with about 465,000 renewals and first-time passport requests, and 150,000 passports are being sent out each week.
The UK’s opposition Labour party has said that the problem is not just down to increases in application but a reduction of resources. But David Cameron, the British prime minister, said longer opening hours had been introduced at passport offices, which were now operating seven days a week.
"The Home Office has been on this from the very start, but it all begins with 300,000 extra people applying for passports compared with the previous time last year," he said.
Labour says the number of staff at the Identity and Passport Service has fallen by 600 since the coalition came to power in 2010.
Passport Office chief executive Paul Pugh, who will be questioned next week by MPs on the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, said there had been "exceptional" summer demand but that extra staff had been brought in to handle applications.
"We are operating seven days a week and our couriers are delivering passports within 24 hours of being produced," Pugh said. "We have issued almost three million passports for UK customers in 2014, including over one million issued in the eight weeks since the start of April."
In the past, overseas applications were handled by embassy and consulate officials in seven regional processing centres around the world under the direction of the Foreign Office. But between December 2012 and March this year, responsibility for the application, handling, printing and delivery of overseas passport applications was transferred to the Passport Office in the UK.
‘ICTA-gate’ incenses MLAs
(CNS): Revelations that no disciplinary action was taken against the former MD of the Information Communication and Technology Authority in the fallout over questionable recruitment practices at the ICTA has incensed some political representatives. The minister responsible for the ICTA confirmed that David Archbold had been let go but was paid to the end of his contract and no action was taken over the scandal. Kurt Tibbetts said legal advice given by the attorney general was that, with only three months remaining on the former MD’s contract, it would be easier and less costly for government to simply pay off the public authority employee rather than risk a courtroom battle.
Tibbetts said that if the government had dismissed the ex-ICTA boss without paying out his contract it may have encountered some legal challenges that could have been more costly to the public purse. However, the minister also revealed that there was no official contract in place between Archbold and government as it had expired but he had remained in post regardless and was just three months from retirement age at the time of the revelations and subsequent enquiry.
During Monday’s Finance Committee when the Tibbetts, who is the minister with responsibility for the statutory authority, was answering questions on his appropriations, the independent members for East End and North Side both probed him on the outcome of an enquiry regarding what they described as the former ICTA MD’s supervision over unlawful recruitment of ex-pats and his alleged perjury in the parliament when it was exposed.
At last year’s Finance Committee hearing in October the MD had been questioned about how a contract had been signed by an overseas worker to come to Cayman and take up a senior post at the ICTA before the deadline for applications in the local advertisements for the same job had passed.
Archbold denied this had happened but documentation confirmed that it had and the MD had appeared to mislead the members of the Finance Committee. MLAs an all sides of the House were outraged as the issue of bending recruitment practices to tailor jobs to fit permit holders or people identified overseas and pass over qualified Caymanians had been a significant issue during the day’s proceedings.
As a result, the minister had promised to report back to the Legislative Assembly about what had happened and the subsequent actions taken. Tibbetts said last October that government would take the situation seriously and, once he had the report from the board, “there would be accountability".
However, both of the independent members were incredulous when Tibbetts revealed the outcome and the failure to apply any sanctions to anyone over what had happened. Clearly uncomfortable with the revelations, Tibbetts insisted that the government acted in the best interests of the public purse based on legal advice and said that in the end there was a successful outcome as the ICTA was now headed up by a fully qualified Caymanian.
Following the revelations in October's Finance Committee and the departure of the MD, his job and others were re-advertised and Alee Fa’moe was appointed as MD of the ICTA.
Talking about the events, Tibbetts said the ICTA board had conducted an investigation and produced a report that went to Cabinet, which then took legal advice based on the findings. It indicated that it would be best to terminate the former MD immediately but pay him up to his retirement date, which Tibbetts said was “not an expensive proposition compared to a potential legal fight”.
East End member Arden McLean pressed Tibbetts on the events, asking him to tell the people what had happened and ifthe ex-ICTA boss was sacked for disciplinary infractions but had still been paid. Although reluctant to give a straight answer, Tibbetts did not deny this had happened.
“Were I in the member's seat over there I would be asking same questions,” Tibbetts said but added that “certain situations” appeared to represent a challenge. “I understand it is the people’s money and I try my best with the custodianship I have and that it is judicious, but when it comes to certain matters involving individuals it is not so easy …” he said. “At some point in time bad judgment was exercised by way of a possible contract and advertising for a post … the whole situation went wrong. From our perspective, whether intentions were best or not they were all handled wrong and we could not say it was OK, and hence the action.”
Tibbetts said the process followed by the MD had run "counter to the terms” of those set out under the law regarding recruitment of overseas workers. Despite the wrongdoing, he said, “it was only three months … so we made a judgment call.”
As he questioned the minister North Side MLA Ezzard Miller also raised concerns about the message sent by such a decision as he suggested that rather than being held accountable for wrongdoing the former ICTA boss had been rewarded. Miller also noted the point that the former MD, in his view, had committed perjury when giving evidence to the committee and he intended to take that up with the attorney general and the director of public prosecutions when they were before the committee.
Related articles on CNS:
Chamber boss calls for CS heads to roll
(CNS Business): The Chamber of Commerce president has called for heads to roll in connection with the revelations regarding the abuse of public cash in the auditor general’s latest report. Speaking on behalf of the Chamber Council and the business community members, Johann Moxamsaid there needed to be disciplinary action taken to show that the incompetence and dereliction of duty exposed in the report about the lavish, lax spending on travel and hospitality should not be condoned by the public or ignored by civil service bosses. He said, as the Chamber has long suspected, both civil servants and ministers have shown a complete disregard for safeguarding the public purse. Read more on CNS Business
Explosives found in West Bay
(CNS): Police have revealed that they are currently undertaking an investigation after finding what they believe to be explosives in West Bay. In a short statement released Wednesday evening, an RCIPS spokesperson said a 25-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the discovery. The suspected explosives were recovered during an early morning operation in the district on Wednesday. Police did not say exactly where the raid, involving the Drugs and Serious Crime Task Force (D&SCTF) and the Uniform Support Group (USG), took place or what the circumstances were which led to the operation.
Police said that the items were recovered from residential premises and safely removed to a secure location with the assistance of Cayman Islands Fire Service, National Roads Authority and the RCIPS Scenes of Crimes team but they did not state what type of explosives were involved, the quantity or for what purpose they believe the material was intended.
The operation happened at 6:45am and the arrested man is understood to still be in police custody.
The RCIPS spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing and appealed to anyone who may have information in relation to the enquiry to contact Detective Ross Johnson at 3261909 or call crimestoppers at 800 (TIPS) 8477.
Teen burglar suspect caught with stolen goods
(CNS): An 18-year-old boy from West Bay has been charged with burglary following his arrest yesterday in the district, the RCIPS has confirmed. The teenager was arrested in connection with a burglary in the Windsor Park area of George Town, which police said had taken place last month. Officers said that during the apprehension of the suspect the stolen goods from that break-in were recovered from the teenager's West Bay home. He is scheduled to appear in Summary Court today.
Who is running this show?
Every morning as I drive into town (usually on the Newlands Bypass and along South Sound), my mood instantly flips from “ok” to “not so ok” once I make the turn onto the bypass. The last couple of days I have actually grown almost irate when I see the ineptness, lack of motivation and pride that are so publicly on display by some of our government departments. In this case, I am speaking about the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) and National Roads Authority (NRA).
Let me explain. Anyone who drives on the Newlands Bypass on a regular basis can observe the ever increasing amount of litter that is tossed along the way — this is where my mood usually flips from “ok” to “not so ok”. We all (well, at least many of us) acknowledge that littering shouldn’t happen in the first instance; however, this is not the topic of my viewpoint.
Last week the NRA began to cut the bush and grass along the Newland Bypass. The result is that whilst the bypass looked bad before (given all the litter tossed around), it looked now like a garbage truck had driven down the road with the back wide open, having lost half of its load on the way to town. Why? Because any garbage and/or litter along the road has now been shredded into a million pieces.
The annoying part is that this is something that could be so very easily avoided — coordinate with DEH; have DEH either walk the road right before the bush/grass gets cut to pick up all garbage or immediately after the cut. Simple! Instead, once the NRA has done their bit, they wash their hands off any responsibility, and for the DEH, the hope seems to be that any breeze may blow the litter somewhere else and so in time there will be less to pick up.
Another issue is the lack of enforcement by the NRA of proper maintenance of the roundabouts which are sponsored and landscaped by various companies. Just look at the state of the roundabout at Grand Harbor and the islets (or whatever they are called) next to the roundabout, which are constantly completely overgrown by bush and at some stage even have three feet tall wild tamarind trees growing in them.
Then there is the issue with the DEH-placed garbage bins. Why is it that at every turn there is an overflowing DEH garbage bin? Whether it is in town after several cruise ships have been in port, the parking lot across from Dairy Queen, the bin at the South Sound Boat Ramp, and the list goes on and on. Surely by now the DEH must know which areas are more frequented and therefore require more regular emptying of the bins. I dare not raise the question why there are no recycling bins placed around town, all public buildings, hotels, vacation rental properties etc.
If someone has the crazy idea to blame the lack of enforcement and coordination on staffing or budget issues, I suggest the NRA and DEH seriously consider utilizing some of those people who have been ordered to do hours and hours of community service, as it would require very little supervision to have someone walk along the roads and beaches to pick up garbage or to empty the garbage bins. If they haven’t been cleaned, no credit is given towards the community service – simple!
I know the issues I have set out above are for many insignificant in comparison to other recent headlines, especially considering that the dump issue and creation of a recycling centre has yet to be resolved; however, nothing screams more “third world country” than overflowing garbage bins and litter lined roads and beaches.
The only conclusion I can come to is that complacency must be one hell of a thing because I know that if I would so openlydemonstrate such a lack of teamwork, lack of motivation at my job and the unwillingness to think outside the box, my boss would have made it very clear to me by now that my performance is less than impressive, and I would have felt the consequences for my inactions a long time ago.
Is it really so hard to try and think of the bigger picture and have some pride in what you are doing? People working at those departments and the people charged with running those departments must be driving on the same roads I do and therefore should be observing the same issues I (and many others) see.
I guess it is just easier not to bother.