Government to strategise on Cayman Brac
(CNS): Cabinet ministers, UDP back-benchers and top civil servants will be convening on Cayman Brac today (Thursday) for a strategy meeting, CNS has learned. Coinciding with a public meeting being hosted by the Department of Tourism, where the premier will be speaking about tourism in the Sister Islands, McKeeva Bush will also be holding a retreat with his ministers, MLAs and senior officers to discuss government policy. The weekend getaway comes at a time when the premier, in particular, is coming under increasing political pressure from a variety of sources and not just the opposition.
Having been elected to office on the promise of re-energising the economy by encouraging development and having posed numerous public-private partnership projects, none of which have actually broken ground yet, the premier is losing ground in the popularity stakes.
Although there are no official opinion polls in Cayman, straw polls conducted by the media appear to reflect a decline in support for the current administration having passed its halfway point.
One recent opinion poll on Cayman New Service (with 555 voters) found that only 5% of pollsters said he was doing an “excellent job” as premier, only 6% said that he was doing better than they had expected, while 16% said they were disappointed with his performance as they had expected better. Meanwhile, almost three quarters of the voters (72%) said he was doing a terrible job.
Postings on the CNS website have also become increasingly anti-government with the majority of ‘commenters’ and ‘bloggers’ expressing frustration and disappointment with government policy, from a more even split between supporters of the government and those who opposed it poted during the first year the UDP took up office.
Aside from the pressures of the police investigation into the Stan Thomas letter, the findings of the auditor general, the direct public reprimand from the governor and the not unexpected criticisms from the opposition, Bush is also receiving criticism, if less overt, from what is often considered his support base in the business community.
Bush himself has also complained bitterly about bureaucracy getting in the way of his planned projects and stifling potential progress, almost since taking up office in May 2009. However, Bush and his Cabinet colleagues still have some 20 months before the 2013 election campaign begins in order to pull an economic recovery out of the political bag.
If Bush manages to escape the pressure to step down as a result of the police investigation into "financial irregularities" or if the probe drags on without development — a not uncommone occurence with politically related investigaitons — he still has time to address the key issues which are fuelling his unpopularity, such as the high cost of living and cost of doing business, as well as rising unemployment.
Although CNS asked the premier’s office for details on the government weekend getaway and the possible issues on the agenda, we have received no response from the premier’s office.
While the strategy retreat, which is taking place at the Alexander Hotel, will be behind closed doors, government representatives will be mingling with the people from Cayman Brac at a public meeting on Saturday afternoon.
The DoT will be hosting a town hall gathering on “Tourism Awareness 2011” at the Aston Rutty Hall from 4pm, when the department will be discussing plans and initiatives in the industry for the Sister Islands.
Category: Politics
Theme Song:
I feel good, good, good, I feel good, wonderful good; Every time I think about CIG, I feel good, good, good.
To EYE ON THE ISLAND: It should be obvious to you and anyone else that West Bay is not affected bycrime any more than other parts of Grand Cayman – in fact, I could argue that it is less so. The serious crime which affects/affected West Bay is/was tit-for-tat retribution between persons due to their chosen 'profession'/life-styles and crimes that they had committed (yes, payback). People who are not involved in that lifestyle are not directly affected. I can protect myself and my family by not becoming involved in those "runnings". You don't see serious random & opportunistic crime taking place in West Bay except for crackhead burglaries (like other parts of GCM & the Brac). There is a reason.
The random armed robberies/associated shootings and disappearances which have occurred in OTHER parts of Grand Cayman seem to be a far more dangerous situation, in my opinion. How can you or I protect ourselves from those types of crimes? Wan't to ask Kamar or Mrs. Meddie (random robbery & shooting victims in Prospect & Bodden Town respectively); the staff of Casanova's, Reflections and other businesses in the George Town area; Anna's & Kerran's families??
So far I'm very comfortable living in West Bay – we have our own protection system.
Good move I trust that in as far as the meeting is concerned, as far as possible, with respect to, at the end of the day, they will find solutions to the problems and not just blame it on the PPM.
So what have they accomplished apart from keeping the bar open for an hour after closing time?
They also had JuJu out to Coral Isle
According to the Bible, Jesus did not only mix with certain people. He also went where the sinners wered and converted many to Christianity.
One of the problems here is that we judge everthing and everboy. Wearing long sleeves does not make one Christian does it.
They drinking off all the COLA!
Come back Mac. We miss you and your entourage.
For all you Brac bashers – we do not have a drop of the crime you are facing in Grand Cayman. Why don't we sell you instead?
Doesn't really matter. The last time I checked, Cayman Brac was part of the Cayman Islands. What happens on GCM also affects the Brac.
I hope they all strategize about how to ask the Premier nicely to step down and vacate his position so someone more capable can take it up.
More money will be wasted by votes in the over-represented Lesser Caymans.
can we find out who is paying for this?
The residents of the Cayman Islands.
The residents of Grand Cayman to be more precise. The Brac is just a hole into which we pour public money and hand out subsidies.
I have an idea. Why don't we sell the Brac and use the money to fix the hole in the budget?
That is the same ideas that helped to sell grand cayman to whoever had a few dollars. Some things are not for sale and that includes Cayman Brac
We can't do that. We are half way through selling Grand Cayman to Dart
That large surplus must be blowing a hole in their pockets.
Come on Cayman, this is a Govt sponsored weekend "p*** up" to save a key supporter's business. It's obvious that the Alexander Hotel is struggling and this is nothing more than a favor by the Premier and Deputy Premier to a UDP BFF!!!
I wish all struggling businesses in cayman could be given similar treatment.
I hope and pray that they come up with a crime plan. The UDP has never issued a statement or policy on crime. Maybe they don't care? Let our country be like West Bay "fully crime ridden".
Sorry to tell you but it's not only West Bay now – the epidemic has spread!!
Issue a statement on crime? come up with a policy?!!! you kidding right? BOBO, you don't understand that doing so will be political su-a-side?!!! Who you tink voting fa dem down in the WB?!
Tickets should have been One-Way so they could stay there with the rest of sponges and leeches and work permit holders that I am forced to support – maybe I should move there too and tell govt they must support me!
Brackers don't want them. Leave them in West Bay.
Yet unna keeps votin for Queen Ju Ju
We can't stop her family from voting for her. It's the same as West Bay and McKeever.
In which case I hereby formally launch this campaign. Cayman brac could use a little sanity in it's representation.
Vote #1!
Well she sure must have a lot of family, if they keep putting her back in.
Ahhh, rest and relaxation on the Brac to discuss his replacement:!!)
Sure this article is a joke…
CNS Report…. "Postings on the CNS website have also become increasingly anti-government with the majority of ‘commenters’ and ‘bloggers’ expressing frustration and disappointment with government policy, from a more even split between supporters of the government and those who opposed it poted during the first year the UDP took up office."
Really?? I know CNS has a lot of supporters here, but even THEM have to see the absolute flase premise and laughable suggestion that CNS is somehow a reliable sense of _objective_ political sentiments regarding the UDP.
Increasdingly? CNS articles have been pathetically biased and politically orchestrated including the order in which they are displayed on the website; _since during the election_!
_Increasingly_ is a complete mischaracterization.
The posters are simply anti-UDP pro PPM apologists, always have been; and lured (for good reason) to this website. Its poll may reflect some truth regarding the UDP disappointments, but purely by serendipity, not because of some ethical journalism of any sorts.
No one is that stupid to buy this line of utter rubbish including the supporters. Get real.
So so, you are saying the poll is true with 72% disappointment rating right?
And you believe that "all" of the CNS posters are anti-UDP, pro-PPM right?
Do you read the majority of posts, because a good amount of them are not too flattering about PPM either.
But, in typical UDP style, you are attacking the messenger and not addressing the message!
Hand them more money to spend on things they don't need. That's always been the policy towards the Brac whose votes are needed badly by every government that hopes to gain power.
This retreat is the kind of decision making that makes the Premier and his government less popular.
In a time of financial austerity why is the government flying dozens of their top staff and management to Cayman Brac?
Think of the air fare, per diem, hotel, food, transportation and other expenses!
Surely it would have been more cost effective to fly in the handful of participants from the Brac and hold the retreat here on Grand Cayman.
In my opinion this is another huge waste of the peoples money, which is why this government is losing our support.
Don't forget the large alcohol bills
Is it this weekend that the Miss Cayman contestants will be having a fashion show at the same Brac hotel, or is that event taking place next week?
Miss Cayman Islands Fashion Show is happening tomorrow night at the same hotel.
So will the first elected member for Cayman Brac also be part of this brain storming?
No he wont. It appears he did not know what they were coming for and was not invited.
The question is did the UDP members know why they were coming
sounds like another jolly……..paid for by who I wonder?????