New chair for WP board
(CNS): Government officials have confirmed a reshuffle on the country’s key immigration board after the departure of the chair and the removal of two members. Local attorney Sherri Bodden-Cowan, who currently heads the Immigration Review Team, has been appointed the new chair of the work permit board in the wake of the resignation of Lemuel Hurlston. McCarron Morris McLaughlin and Dorothy Davis have also been replaced as a result of conflicts which made them unable to continue, according to government sources. Gary Rutty and John Foster have taken up the two empty seats on what is considered to be one of the country’s most important boards.
The changes which were made during last week’s Cabinet meeting following recent comments by the country’s premier that he wanted to change the make up of the board, as he said decisions were being made that hindered the country’s economic development. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly earlier this month, McKeeva Bush warned that he intended to review the membership of the work permit board. “We are going to change the people on the board, whether they are government supporters or not,” he said. “The tail cannot wag the dog.”
The board in question is responsible for granting temporary and permanent work permits to all foreigners working on the islands as well as decisions regarding who is granted key employee status.
The newly appointed chair is no stranger to the complex and controversial issues surrounding work permits as well as and key employee status. Bodden-Cowan is not only chair of the current IRT but one of the major players in the formation of Cayman’s immigration policies over the last decade. She was one of the architects of the original 2003 immigration law which introduced the seven year work permit limit and has long been an advocate of a flexible immigration policy.
She has spoken frequently of the need to balance the demands of Cayman’s dynamic work force and the numbers of people who can rightly become eligible for Caymanian status.
Immigration has become one of the key elements in the current government’s goal to improve the country’s economic fortunes. Bush has said on a number of occasions that the country needs tobe more flexible when it comes to immigration and more welcoming to people from overseas who could help to generate wealth for Cayman. The premier has turned his attention in particular to the financial services sector where he is keen to see swifter decisions on staff to facilitate the industry’s growth.
Co-chair of the UDP, Bodden-Cowan has played a key role in piloting the new accreditation system, which is about to be rolled out for the financial sector and is being lauded as key to improving the efficiency of the work permit application process. She recently stated that the new system would not only offer employers a more efficient way of getting the people they needed but would offer better protection to local workers as well.
Bodden-Cowan is also a supporter of reducing the rollover period, which is currently twelve months but she has warned that government could face legal challenges if the break in stay for foreign workers is reduced too much. However, the premier recently announced he was considering reducing the rollover break to as little as one month based on advice he had received from UK counsel.
Category: Headline News
Amen…bout time this was done, if it had been done in the past two years maybe so many Caymanians would not have been made redundant and workpermit holders still allowed to stay here!!
There was a lot of "conflicts", Sherri good luck in your new post, and you have to now clean house!! Make sure you say "NO" to some of those work permit renewals!!
Congrats Sherri!!! im sure your children are very proud of you! good luck though, my father used to do that job and it was veryy veryy stressful!
Many of you are either too naive or you are the UDP and will not acknowledge the truth of what is happening in the Cayman Islands to its people. It is a travesty,.
It is absolutely correct. There is a vicious segment of our society that wants to take control at all costs.At the same time they prefabricate lies about Caymanians that they are not qualified for the jobs they apply for!
How is it that before the Immigration or Work Permit Board was formed or came into existence Caymanians were always duly Qualified and HELD THEIR POSITIONS for decades at a time!
SUDDENLY since the work Permit Factory was created. Caymanians are reported to no longer be relevant nor unemployable? It is organized injustice against this people.
IT IS ALL A BIG SCAM.
Caymanians are being scammed out of their livelihood.
I praise all the comments in this forum TELLING THE TRUTH about how the people are being treated. We need a CNN Larry King Live report on this issue to put them to shame and MAKE THEM DO BETTER. We need a STORY for Larry King Live. Let the world know what the O.T. Minister is allowing in the UK Territory. Yes oppression of the people.
Hey all you people that are disoriented to reality. You’re making a huge mistake in praising the UDP for this present move that may come back to haunt us all. Just consider this, have we so far been able to trust their decisions and have been looking out for Caymanians.
Who are they constantly trying to make life better for? Thin about that.We have every right to oppose them. and to those of you that have no idea what year it is….
Are you saying that those of us that speak out against the blatant wrongs of the UDP should stop writing letters that expose the denial to a job and overall unfair treatment that the Government is imposing on the poor oppressed Caymanian people. And that we should begin to write letters praising the government for screwing Caymanians into the ground making them jobless, homeless, and underprivileged?
While they grant hundreds of thousands of work permits for you and yours?
That seems to be your request.
Unemployed Caymanians at this point don’t stand a chance at finding a job. Employers are finding all kinds of ways to keep them out. I have applied to several jobs for which I am perfectly qualified and in some instances, I have had more education and experience than the expat who has the job. After interviews not one can give me a reason why I can’t have the job. They cannot simply turn me down because of my experience and education. When I ask them for a reason they all have said it is not their policy to discuss it. Another one said that the company has reorganised the department and no longer needs that position filled. Another has employed all types of tactics to avoid providing me a response. Yet another I found out was simply going through the interview process but intended all along to bring in a friend from another country for that position. I later discovered that all of these jobs continue to have either the same person that was there before or they employed an expat.
Another tactic that one bank is now using is that I applied for one position, but they called to interview me for a lesser or so called temporary position requiring experience that I had made clear I did not quite have and then they simply told Immigration that they interviewed me and was not qualified. All this when I originally applied for another position for which I have certifications in and was perfectly qualified to do.
Unfortunately, some of these so called Caymanian partners in firms are figureheads that help keep out other Caymanians. You all should be ashamed of yourselfs for sacrificing others for your own benefit.
Ms. Sherri, if you care about your fellow Caymanian, please help. We are your people. Don’t forget that.
14:25 Why don’t you send your letter to Mr. Henry Billingham the OT Minister in the UK and see what he has to say about this Or better yet the United Nations.It would be interesting to see how these two top dogs would respond to how a Uk Territory allows its leaders to treat the natives. Time to air their dirty linen.
Two were removed for conflict of interest?? Who has a bigger conflict of interest that Ms. Bodden? You might as well put the premier as Chairman.
If the Florida State legislative and court systems can allow the people with a signed petition to RECALL the election of Its MAYOR AND 5 COMMISSIONERS! Then what are the people of the Cayman Islands waiting for? are you going to allow to allow the Premier to bully you into withholding the process of enacting the Bill of Rights that is urgently needed, if nothing more than to PROTECT YOU FROM autocracy and threats of retribution by the powers that be. When are you going to get it into your heads that the constitution and bill of rights is there to protect the people? WHY WOULD YOU ALLOW ONE MAN TO HOLD UP THIS PROCESS?
THE LONGER YOU WAIT FOR THE BILL OF RIGHTS THE MORE RIGHTS WILL BE TAKEN AWAY AND ERODED. The bill of rights is an issue of urgency. Why do you think BIg Mac has changed his regime in the immigration or ‘work Permit board. BECAUSE CAYMANIANS WILL HAVE A RIGHT TO SUE THESE COMPANIES WHEN THEY ARE DISRIMINATED AGAINST ‘ ON THE BASIS THAT THEY ARE "CAYMANIAN" not because they are unqualified. Unqualified is not an issue. They’re always qualified, as a mater of fact our Caymanians are so very qualified thatthey use us to train the X-pat to take our jobs from us!
What a worthless set of Caymanians business partners they all should be tied up, and then beaten with a COW COD!
14:25
Please preserve and frame this letter. (your letter) we want to use this in the 2013 Elections to remind the people of what the UDP has done to all of us Caymanians.
What a pity, Caymanians now have to Beg the chairman of the work Permit Board NOT TO FORGET THEM!
Idiots the power should be in your own hands if whoever takes this chair serves everyone else but Caymanians! what a pitiful situation.
The powers that be have SOLD THE PEOPLE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER!
sad situation.
As an employer, my experience is that an applicant’s perception of being "suitably qualified" and the reality of having the skill set to do the job in question are often very different.
There are also individuals who come to interviews with such an attitude that no employer would touch them.
What a cute little thread where you all argue amongst yourselves about an over complicated, expensive system of protectionism which is day by day strangling the life out of the economy.
Boards are political and are picked because oftheir conflicts of interests not despite them.
At first I thought that there might be a conflict of interest, but then I realised that Sherri could recuse herself, just by going to the bathroom, while applications from her company were being heard. On her return from the bathroom the rest of the Board members could say "Congratulations MS. Sherri, your paperwork was in order and everything has been approved".
For those of you who might still think differently about it, just remember that Big Mac would have had this appointment approved by the Commission for Standards in Public Office before he made the announcement.
We have certainly learned our lesson from the TCI fiasco and we are not going to go down that path.
I am afraid that wouldnot avoid the obvious problem of undue influence where the Chairman of the Board is involved. Can you imagine what would happen if the Board did function in the way you suggest and the actually turned down one of her applications because, say, it was improperly prepared? No, there would be pressure to approve nonetheless.
Lol. Too bad CNS hasn’t been able to come up with a sarcasm font as yet.
I earlier posted a criticism of the system. This is unfair without presenting a possible solution. These Boards should, at best, be reduced in size. For instance, the work permit board should consist of two businessmen and one attorney. The appeals tribunal should consist of three attorneys only. This will minimize incompentence and corruption (personal favours). Minimizing those, will lead to greater efficiency which is what the business community has been clamoring for since the inception of these boards.
Conflict of interest? This is Cayman, when has it ever been different? Jokers. As much as I like Sherri Bodden, the truth is, this Board will fail too. The reason is, the Board System is archaic. Members are chosen for political affiliation and district of residence. They are not chosen for their understanding of law, human rights, or even human resources. XXXXX They thrive on gossip and avoid the tediuos work of fact finding. I will give the entire Immigration system credit for making our country look like a banana republic without even growing a banana.
Watch out Mr. Dacosta and your honorable Board…Sad but true…the next Board to take a hit will be you…the Caymanian Status and P.R. Board! Hopefully you guys can clean out some of the trash that have already been granted Status and P.R. and who are undeserving and a disgrace to this country and to those of us who are Caymanian. Revoke these grants where the party or parties have failed in any way to comply…NO EXCUSES… deport them as undesirables and then there may be more jobs for Caymanians, more room for Dictator Bush’s millionair friends, and no need for rollover! If the BSP Board and the W.P. Board did the same it would be a win/win situation but we know thats not gonna happen now is it!!! If your board needs volunteers to help with this process to get it done quick let me know where to sign up! God Bless you all…
To my fellow Caymanians….if we do not get out from under the Bush and change our course soon Cayman is going to end up being a third world country one day and with no Caymanians left. Mark my word.
My dear, Cayman is well on its way to becoming a third world country. The reason for this is that too many of us think like you. Many people who work here come here from first world are returning home because we have made them feel unwelcomed and / or kicked them out. The irony is we think we are protecting ourselves and punishing them. Yet they are being sent to civil societies where things, such as, top notch education, culture and human rights are the norm. In contrast, what do we have to offer? Really, what makes us so superior?
Your argument is so flawed. If they are being sent back to such great societies why do they fight tooth and nail to stay here every time? Even at the expense of lies and cheating. Not many leave Cayman voluntarily. Why? Because this place is so much better than many of those large societies you mention. Better yet, if those societies are so great, why do they come here in the first place and stay as long as possible?
Mr. Dacosta and his board are doing a great job and people should be thankful that there are people like him out there willing to sacrifice so much of their time and effort in attempts to clean up such a sad state of affairs in that department. To people like him, Mr. Adrien Briggs and the others, please continue your good job and don’t be daunted. Your country needs you.
good choice and capable of balancing the interests of the locals and businesses who need to bring in expats
Certain positions on boards are for people who will do as they are told to do by the dictator. Are you sure the dictator has Caymanians at heart? I don’t think so. I need someone to tell me, how an increase in work permits is going to help the thousands of Caymanians that are out of work or better yet, jobless.
The Permits are going to increase government’s revenue, increase the population, decrease jobs/employment for the caymanians who will have to continue to wait for the scraps to fall from the dictators and his cronies tables.
I am hoping that one day caymanians will have the guts to bond and take these Cayman Islands back, because we are headed down a dangerous path. It is being run though the ground by an uneducated dictator. When are we going to sober up from the long hang-over.
Caymanians, speak out, and speak up. Remember, revenue is down and work permits will increase it. The dictator says we need more people, while his very own are literally starving. Discrimination to the max.
What’s the problem here guys? Sherri wants to reduce the required absence time during rollover to make it even harder for Caymanians to move, she is chair or co-chair of UDP, heads the immigration review team, owns a law firm that also specializes in immigration issues, now she will also head up the work permit board. It’s not like there is a conflict of interest or anything like that.
10:28, after reading 12:13 comments I have to say you hit the nail on the head and whoever 12:13 is, he/she is a prime example of what you referred to as "crabs in a barrel" and tearing one another down.
12:13 the fact of the matter is that this is not an elected office under our constitution and I too believe that Ms. Bodden was an excellent choice.
If you are Caymanian, and I will make the assumption you are, forget about the party politics, and whether you are UDP or PPM, think about your country and it’s people first.
It’s time we put aside the petty bickering and tearing down of one another.
Thanks Sherri for taking on this enormous and crucial task.
13:44,
Stop being so naive
We all are aware that this is not an elected position.Stop trying to confuse people. FYI, IT SHOULD BE AN ELECTED POSITION!
Such a position in developed democratic countries can only be filled by a vote from the people making their own choice not a dictator.
Yes, its time for Caymanians to add to Mr. Chuckster’s list of items for the referendum " the Chairman of the Work Permit Board"
. We need people that are chosen by the people not the party nor the cabinet.!
This is serious business.
Yes, hopefully qualified un-employed Caymanians will not be bamboozled and finally get the employment and position they deserve.
If there are any…
Isn’t this a major major conflict of interest? Ms. Cowan owns & opperates a business that caters to work permits, yet Mckeeva Bush sees fit to appoint her as chairperson of the work permit board? Simply astonishing! Oh damn, my memory is getting bad with age, this is not the first time! I suppose Mckeeva Bush & Ms. Cowan feel that because they "got away" with this conflict of interest in the past there is no harm in doing it again. Simply astonishing! This is a major major conflict of interest, no two ways about it.
This would be like a woman whose company handles work permits & is appointed as the person who is responsible for granting or refusing work permits in the island. OOOOOPS, that IS what itis! Simply astonishing really. Only in Cayman! Only under the UDP!
Congrats Sherri!l! We need more people of your calibre in top decision making positions such as these.
Thank God for good hardworking, professional Caymanians like yourself!!
I don’t think you quite understand. McKeeva does not want people making decisions, he wants appointees to do as they are told. Although it should be good for business if you get to review applications from your clients.
Presumably if one of these appointees make a decisions that is against current law, McKeeva is then free to state that it was not his decision.
The pieces of the puzzle are slowly starting to fall in to place. Planning, check. Immigration, check.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking Brain?
Yes, but where on earth are we going to find a bulldozer and 60,000 work permit holders at this time of day?
and may I add; law firm checks!
Many Caymanian Business "the small business" as we call them has suffered. Alot of them have complained about their key employees being rejected. These are people they depended on in able to run their business effectively. It has caused many of us small businessman to have to close our doors. The only persons sufferiing is the Caymanian.
I hope that Ms. Bodden-Cowen can correct this and try to repair some of the damage done to the small businessman. After all this country was built on small business which most of belong to the Caymanians.
This is our livelyhood and that of our children. If we can’t survive in our own country then were can we go. Thanks for making and effort to try and correct this. I would prefer to switch members before lowering the work permit fees which would most certainly be the end of us.
You dont understand the basic reason for the Immigration Law.
The idea is for people just like you to employ Camanians and then you avoid the hassle and expense of employing people from overseas.
Why don’t you publish a list of qualified un-employed Caymanians that you would recommend personally or that you have hired in your company?
On another note has any realized the correlation between the drop in work permits and the increase in unemployed Caymanians? I bet if you find "qualified" (and unqualified) unemployed Caymanians it is because the company they worked for relocated their office or department….do I need to continue explaining?
yes I am a born Caymanian who owns businesses and who give all of his spare time to charity and helping others (including two young men from Bonaventure who I have taken on) and who’s business and charity budget is suffering because of Government red tape and excessive fee’s…and guess what I am also a PPM supporter (in choosing between the two) but Cayman cant afford politics right now!
I hope to see have of the people on this site running for election or at least joining one side or the other and be a productive member of that party.
I agree, Please show we where to find an unemployed hard working , willing, honest Caymanian. They are ALL working!
Wake up and get real!!
P.S.
Sorry to ask this again, but who is Caymanian? Who do I hire?
By the way I am Caymanian.
Bobby,
Who do you hire? YOU HIRE THOSE THAT APPLY TO YOUR COMPANY
THAT’S WHO YOU SHOULD HIRE!
or is it that while you take advantage of the x-pat you won’t be able to dish out that B.S. to a Caymanian ’cause they’ll fix your business for you.
If there ever was someone qualified to lead this board , it’s Mrs Sherri Bodden. I don’t blame Mac for making these changes, it is stupid for any good businessman or politician for that matter to hire someone that will work counter productive to his wishes. This is not dictatorship as some have indicated on here, it is prudent management.
Think about it folks, if you owned a business and someone you hired just wasn’t doing their job or doing everything to undermine or make your business unsuccessful, would you keep them employed , I think not!!
Sherri Bodden is a qualified, capable, professional and well educated Caymanian. Let’s raise her up and not throw salt in her eyes. Caymanians, we need to stop this "crabs in the barrel" mentality and try to raise each other up. We are becoming extinct in our own society and we can only blame ourselves.
Sherri, from one Caymanian to another, thanks for your service to our country. I know sometimes with all of this negativity, most people would just give up. I am glad that you have the fortitude and tenacity to see past the pettiness and stupidity and do what is in the best interest of this country. Lord knows we could use more people of your calibre!!
10:28
FYI a position such as this one is serious and calls for proper vetting!
Expect comments of criticism or concern where people express their feelings of fear or insecurity with this recent appointment and change in the board membership. They have a right as they will be affected by decisions Mrs. Cowan-Bodden will be making. Its not about crabs in a barel at all its about reality and our future!
Did it occur to you that such an office should be elected by the people?
Yes this is an office that we should be voting on as in other countries of democracy. So be quiet sit back there’s a lot of learning to be absorbed shortly. Take a look at Viewpoint. There are other offices that should be held by the people’s choice at the polls as in other countries where the democratic process is followed! There’s a lot to learn.
If you ask a bunch of frightened people to vote either for action or non-action, human instinct will cause them to choose NON-ACTION!!! Fear immobilizes and that is exactly what the opposition is counting on by stirring the pot. First, frighten all the people into believing that Government is out to get them and that progress and stimulation of the economy is a bad thing. Then ask for board seats and referendums etc. to be voted on by those very same people that have been frightened and confused.
The Government of the day was democratically voted in to DO SOMETHING!!! That is exactly what they are trying to do!!! Give them a chance to complete their four years. Maybe we could even have the decency of showing our current leaders a little support now and then!!! While we are at it, lets leave the people alone and quit trying to get them all riled up for the wrong reasons.
This is serious people. There is NO TIME to wait for someone else to be in charge. They would only start from scratch and find out that that the only solution is to do exactly what is being done now – and it will be too late!!! If we continue to stir things up, the pot will spill over and there will be nothing left!!!! Is that really what we want??? Think about it.
This is not ‘Mac’s’ personal business – this is the Government of the Cayman Islands – servants of the people of the Cayman Islands.
Dear 10:28
No one is contesting that Mrs. Bodden-Cowan is qualified. We all believe she is. You being stubborn to listen will not help you at all.
What we are contesting is that because of her position as a career lawyer serving x-pats ALREADY with immigration services at her law firm; advocating and assisting in Work Permit Grants, Status Grants, etc. THAT THIS IS A HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, CONFLICT OF INTEREST HAVING HER IN THAT SEAT OF CHAIRMAN OF THE WORK PERMIT BOARD!
What part of conflict of interest do you not understand?
XXXX
My Quetsion is if the other members had to resign due to conflicts . Isnt it a conflict that Sherri Bodden – Cowan was or stilll is a part of the UDP committe. Why would she put in this position ops shouldnt have ask that quetsion have the rite people in the rite places so when they need something to go thru there wouldnt be a problem thats the reason why.
Mrs. Cheri Bodden-Cowan, has been serving as Co-chairman for the UDP, now she has graduated to Chairman of the UDP Immigration Board ’cause that’s exactly what it is now. I’d say, Caymanians we could very well be in for a rough ride!
The concern is that with this recent move by the Premier and his cabinet to remove and replace people at the head and also the membership of the board,l even though we were forewarned it should still be of some concern to us all. There could very well be now a Huge Conflict of interest in Mrs. Bodden-Cowan sitting in that seat.
Among the new appointees are Mr. Gary Rutty and Mr. John Foster. Time will tell just how strong Gary Rutty and John Foster really is and how much they will be looking out for the People of the Cayman Islands who not only are almost voiceless but indeed jobless. It remains to be seen just how much we will lose under these new appointees, or how much Caymanians will GAIN!
Since the UDP victory in 2009, the above report states that Mrs. Bodden Cowan the UDP chairman has been a known advocate for the removal of red tape for local businesses. However this is certainly a gray area; as it is expected of any Immigration adviser or chairperson to be working directly for the people of the Cayman Islands and their wishes, and should always put the people before PARTY POLITICS. They are expected to function in a manner that would ADVOCATE JOBS AND JOB SECURITY FOR CAYMANIANS and grant only the number of work permits that have BEEN PROVEN TO BE NECESSARY Despite reports of work permit decrease.
Caymanians still are suffering job loss, and there is a continuance of the grant of work permits printed daily for businesses that are allowed to obtain work permits by” DECEPTION” on the premise that no qualified Caymanian has been found to place in that position. It is a LIE ! When the true FACT OF THE MATTER IS that there were quite a long list of Very educated and qualified Caymanians applying for the positions that were very falsely advertised in the newspapers and these people were DENIED! Yes business owners, they have gotten away with FALSE ADVERTISING!
As Mrs. Bodden Cowan has been the Cayman Islands Immigration Board Advisor, There is no track record of Mrs. Bodden Cowan reining in those Businesses or even calling for their investigation, penalization, regulation, or even FINED for their unlawful actions!. Many of these businesses have cheated X-pats and caymanians out of their Pension funds and have not provided Insurance coverage as required by LAW! ! In my opinion their licenses should be revoked! There is no track record on this kind of prudent action associated with Mrs. Bodden Cowan’s performance while acting as Advisor to the Cayman Immigration Board.
[CNS note: She has, however, proposed changing the entire system. Read IRT boss vows better system]
That is why I have a word of advice to Mr. Charles Clifford. On behalf of the people of the Cayman Islands whose jobs are held hostage by the governments of yesterday and today, with No right to work in their own country; While rallying up support for a petition for a referendum on the list of the people’s matters of concern please ADD TO THE LIST THAT THE CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERSHIP OF THE CAYMAN IMMIGRATION BOARD CAN NOT BE APPOINTED BY THE CABINET. It is way to autocratic and just like in the US and other democratic countries board members need to be VOTED INTO OFFICE according to the people’s choice and not the elected government. The BALLOT BOX DECIDES WHO SITS IN THAT VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND EXTREMELY POWERFUL SEAT. For indeed it can determine the very future and advancement of the people of the Cayman Islands whether positively, or negatively. Such a move can determine the very extinction of a people’s existence. Also the preservation of our livelihood or recognition of the people of the Cayman Islands as being successful as a people graced with the opportunity through achievement provided by government systems, policies, and regulations put in place for the advancement of our people. We are not saying that Sheri Bodden-Cowan is not qualified nor that she is unprofessional we are just simply opening up this press release of the board new appointments for proper vetting and input by the people who will be affected by the performance of the UDP, the Chairman of the Cayman Immigration board and its members.
XXXX
We seem to be fast becoming like a backwater banana republic. Caymanians keep asking ourselves why any of us should bother to get up in the morning to work our asses off to produce goods and services that only serve to make the junta and their cohorts in elected governments and Corporate Cayman which is a separate system of autonomy with an open door to corporate predators. Why should we pay our taxes to finance their coup? Will Caymanians continue to send our sons and daughters off to colleges and Universities only to return home with a four year and 7 year degrees as highly educated professionals FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND REFUSED A PROFESSIONAL CAREER OF THEIR CHOICE IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY just because they are CAYMANIAN?! when all that really means is that the lavish lifestyle of greedy, and power hungry old men is holding up our success in the headquarters they seized by piracy!
I agree with many of the points you make but I think you have gone off the rails on this one:
"It is way to autocratic and just like in the US and other democratic countries board members need to be VOTED INTO OFFICE according to the people’s choice and not the elected government".
The U.S. is perhaps the worst example you could have used. Aside from the President and the Vice-President who are elected by the people through the electoral college ALL members of the Presidential Cabinet are appointed by the President, including (most relevantly) the Secretary of the Dept. of Homeland Security which covers immigration. In addition he appoints persons to important and powerful positions such as Justice of the Supreme Court, Ambassadors and the Director of the CIA.
I don’t think the position is an appropriate one for elections to office. That will not necessarily bring the people with the best expertise. Certainly Mrs. Bodden-Cowan has expertise in this area in buckets. It is clear that we agree that she is bright and very capable. That is not my concern.
It is my concern, as you have rightly pointed out, that she is the Deputy Chairperson of the UDP and this runs the risk that the Board will become over-politicised, that political supporters of the party will be treated more favourably and key financial backers will get whatever their hearts desire. But appointing a political person seems to be par for the course with the UDP. One previous incumbent of that position was actually the Chairman of the UDP, Mr. Billy Reid.
It is also true that as her firm’s main expertise is in Immigration matters this presents a glaring conflict of interest. Will her firm now cease practising immigration law?
What abut VIEWPOINT have you taken a look at that.
Thank you, I’m always open to ideas. But would you please take a look at those positions recommended on viewpoint for referendum that could work out better for us if these heads of departments were elected.. Those positions are run for office in democratic countries, I’m holding a book in my hand outlining the various levels of candidates for government office that run for elections. We need more than one election every two years or four years other than the L.A.
Bear in mind it is up to the constituients who will decide how they will structure their constitution if they so desire to amend it from time to time and put forth items up for referendum. Referendum is NOT UP TO THE PREMIER if there are the required number of signatures it must be honored.
However back to the subject of structuring government and choice of department head being made. Party selection of department heads is not working on behalf of the people but on behalf of the Party. Therefore we need engrafted into our new system of choosing various Top Jobs in the constitution. The election process should be embraced. That way the people’s choice will prevail and rightly so.
Lets not point a finger at the US so quickly, here’s something you need to remember. That while the US Presidents chooses his Supreme Court Justices; The local governments allow the people to vote into office their Circuit and local judges for office, even their Clerk ofthe Courts. I don’t think we are developed enough judicial wise to go that far as yet but we certainly can recommend the office of Magistrate for electoral college to consider since we lost such an honorable legal pundit as Mr. Grace Donalds. I do not want this to happen ever again We can do something about it. I believe in cutting edge decisions how about you?
We also need a senate. Who’s going to pay them? Well we’ll pay them with the money that is now being wasted. But we need a House and a Senate to keep them in check. Yes we need the brightest minds to engage in checks and balances in the way the Legislature is run.
What do you think about that? It can be done and I believe it will alleviate a lot of our problems of disappointment with our elected LA membership. .
In response to:
"Will Caymanians continue to send our sons and daughters off to colleges and Universities only to return home with a four year and 7 year degrees as highly educated professionals FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND REFUSED A PROFESSIONAL CAREER OF THEIR CHOICE IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY just because they are CAYMANIAN?! "
I would challenge the author to provide one instance of this occurance. And if they cannot (which I suspect) then they should provide a retraction because inflamatory statements like this are exactly what the country does not need. They only promote hateful divisions, unwarranted fears and discrimination. Qualified, educated Caymanians have always been able to find work and young Caymanians should know that they will be rewarded for pursuing higher education. Please do not provide misinformation (a polite way of saying lies) which may dissuade some from this pursuit.
It is not a CNS thread without a good old meandering FGN rant.
"FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM AND REFUSED A PROFESSIONAL CAREER OF THEIR CHOICE IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY just because they are CAYMANIAN?!" Nonsense. Lots of people around the world want professional careers – most aren’t good enough. That is reality not discrimination (except on the basis of ability). Having a law degree does not mean you are a lawyer or that you will necessarily ever be one.
"Will Caymanians continue to send our sons and daughters off to colleges and Universities only to return home with a four year and 7 year degrees as highly educated professionals …"
Here is a slightly different view on the quality of Caymanian graduates receiving Government financial assistance, expressed by Rolston Anglin a few months ago.
"“Students are graduating with degrees that barely make the grade. The government must act decisively and swiftly in order to raise standards,” he said, adding that graduates were finding it difficult to get work because of poor performance in university. "
I am sure this does not apply to all Caymanian graduates, if only because I know some to whom this most certainly does not apply. Then again, these kids have no trouble what so ever getting a good starting job in a profession. It does not help anyone in healing the Caymanian/expat rift when individuals such as yourself, who clearly do not understand either the education process or the structure of professional firms and the practical limits on the number of graduate trainees they can absorb in any given year, claim discrimination on the basis of nationality.
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No use quoting sound bites out of context!
There is absolutely no excuse for the job lossesthat Caymanians continue to experience under the past governments as well as the present government.Whether they are professionals with degrees, tradesmen, or unskilled workers the fight for survival continues between work permit holders and Caymanians who wind up on the losing end whether they are qualified or not!.
Rolston Anglin’s statement is taken with a little grain of salt. The reality of the whole matter is that you people that continue to sell the future of our youth in exchange for work permit fees collected are RESPONSIBLE FOR RUINING OUR COUNTRY, and causing unrest amongst our people!
Based on the high level of resistance in this forum by the UDP members and supporters reluctance to acknowledge their failure to deliver and create jobs for the people of the Cayman Islands, I dare say we need to WATCH YOU ALL VERY VERY CLOSELY at this recent move. IT’S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTING!
Apart from the fact that you are addressing a point which is completely different to the point I was addressing and the fact that I am neither UDP nor PPM and choose not to become eligible to vote because there is no-one I would vote for, your insight is astounding.
Whenever you not getting what you want, you put people there that will follow your instructions.
This is what is happening now.
McKeeva was not having his way with certain members of the board so he has replaced them with his cronies who will do as he says.
Another step to Dictatorship!
The more it changes the more it stays the same. Just musical chairs as Mac pushes out people who don’t toe his line to the letter. I thought a Board was supposed to make "independent" decisions. Clearly Mac only likes independent decisions that happen to coincide with what he wanted.
As for certain members leaving because of "conflicts" – how on earth can Bodden-Cowan chair this Board when she is the owner of the law firm which specialises in immigration cases – a massive conflict of interest!
I have all faith in the new members as they are all well informed with the issues with the shortage in skilled and unskilled labour in this country. Stiffle the growth of business by not providing the human capital for companies to grow and all will suffer.
I agree! Finally we will see some real progress instead of just talk talk TALK! This move is an important one which will stimulate more business and increase the dying population. This is absolutely necessary to begin replacing the mass exodus we have been witnessing. Caymanian Businesses and residents have been giving up and moving away also. It’s not just expats that are leaving or planning to leave soon if things don’t change.
This is a positive step toward creating more business and thus creating more jobs for locals. It will also increase the spending in our suffering local businesses. Our "half empty" cup will now be "half full" and on its way back to fulfilling our need for a progressive and healthy economy. There is no perfect answer to satisfy everyone, but this is good step and a win-win situation for all concerned!
What a mess!
With a name like "slowpoke", I thought I would be a top contender for one of these posts.
Well,let’s see if some of the thousands of caymanians,that have been out of work,wil be able to find a job here in there own country also some of us,over sixty years old,who would love to find a good job.remember ”ivan” set us back to square one.some of us had no insurance so we also lost our life’s savings.someone has to give us another chance,and stop granting work permits for jobs we can do !?.They teach the expats,so why not us ?.
so
Sherri Bodden-Cowan and Gary Rutty I understand, but really what does John Foster know about running a business? Can anyone sit on these boards?
FYI Mr. Foster is a very succesful Caymanian entrepreneur, he owns and operates a travel Company so please do some research before making idiotic comments like that.
Also a very good gardener.
No doubt because of his insight on pending weather.
Mr John Foster should do very well here. He sure does a good job at predidting the weather.
wow….NOW this is a surprise………not….bye bye Cayman