Roll it over and face the music
The rollover policy was implemented for one reason only: to prevent a large number of non-Caymanian residents from becoming Caymanian and to comply with international law/convention, that after a certain number of years (I believe 10) it was the proper thing to enable people to become citizens/have certain rights in a country.
The likelihood of a large number of persons becoming citizens at the time was seen as particularly overwhelming in Cayman and the primary focus was on one nationality which observers felt was becoming too dominant in the society.
Once the rollover started to ‘roll’ however, politicians and observers alike added another ‘fake’ objective in retrospect: that somehow the rollover was intended to help Caymanians progress in the labour market. This was never the case (despite the sound bites) and it has in fact never ever played out that way, as the evidence has shown.
So, let's start at the beginning: the suspension of the rollover now has absolutely nothing to do with whether Caymanians will progress in the workplace or secure jobs because work permit holders have for the most part simply been replaced by other work permit holders. In fact, all the rollover has acheived is to increase the recruitment and training cost of businesses, created some disruption in families and encouraged a larger percentage of people within our population without a vested interest in, or familiarity with, the islands.
The suspension of the rollover now will, however, bring us back to the same questions we were asking when it was created. And if we are still concerned about that particular group having a large Caymanian population (or indeed any new group), and if we believe the international law issue remains a human rights concern, then we need to find other ways to either re-introduce the ‘social engineering’ some of us still wish to have and comply with such international conventions.
Our reality as an island is that we will never be able to avoid the cosmopolitan and very diverse demographics that we have had and this will only increase in the future, simply because we cannot have enough babies to grow our “indigenous” population to meet the demand of firms seeking new employees.
Perhaps we should give up on the social engineering and accept the diversity, which is where we are already, and find creative ways to ensure that issues such as crime, education of Caymanians, progression in the workplace are addressed. These issues can be addressed through investing in education and enforcement of immigration rules, etc, and relying less on these protectionist mechanisms, which are only designed to make the few feel good about their sovereignty/rights but ultimately do nothing to better the progress of our own people.
The entitlement culture is not something dreamed up by “evil expats” looking to harm our locals: it is a real phenomenon that needs to be addressed with our young people in particular so that they can become competitive by international standards. The rollover had become one of the recent factors which has helped to sustain a false sense of security among our people, and assuming we can address the international compliance issue, it is probably a good thing that the rollover be remove completely so that we can face our issues properly. Time to face the music and move on.
Category: Viewpoint
It is very misleading to suggest that Cayman's rollover supsension rattles Bermuda. In the article published by the Royal Gazette it states the following:
Premier Paula Cox was “not telling the whole story” when she said Bermuda’s immigration policy is more flexible than the Cayman Islands’, according to a business executive.
Ms Cox made her comments after news on Wednesday that work permit term limits have been suspended in the Cayman Islands, which previously limited them to seven years.
Asked whether Bermuda would also suspend term limits which have proved unpopular with business owners Ms Cox said our immigration model is more flexible, and the Island is no less competitive than Cayman.
However, the senior executive who has offices in both jurisdictions, and did not want his name printed said Ms Cox was not giving an accurate picture of the controversial policy, which “should be done away with altogether”.
He said there is “no process for retaining intellectual capital” in Bermuda, because there is currently no route to permanent residency or citizenship.
Seems to me like this whole strory was set in motion by an unnamed individual who will stop at nothing to spread half truths to get what he wants. The individual who is unwilling to have his name printed seem to be the primary advisor to our premier on the rollover policy and is expecting the same results from Premier Cox in Bermuda, only he will not get the same result because Ms. Cox and Bermuda is not Mr. Bush or the Cayman Islands. You can fool some of the people all the time but you will never fool the Bermudians any time.
Unfortunately status was given to a lot of lower income persons the last time.
Those that will eventually need government to maintain them (infact it is already happening now) those that is easily bought as they dont keep current with what is really happening politically in Cayman. So along with the local supporter who take hand outs and them it wont be good.
Status wasnt given to a lot of good, honest, educated persons I know that have been in Cayman 15 yrs and more who made a huge contribution to Cayman. They embraced us, lived with us and accepted our flaws as we accepted theirs, they became family and didnt try to change us, or look down on us, they gave freely to our Island and didnt lok to be recognized as everyone do these days, they genuinely cared. Status was given to the ones easily bought. Afterall remember persons here that long got to know who was who and would have cast the wrong vote.
I been to Bermuda and their rollover been working for years all foreigners who work there knows it and accepts it, only in Cayman they come and carry on about ours. Everyone comes here and want to take over and treat us as theoutsiders that why Caymanaian are now feeling the way they do. JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPEN TO THE INDIANS! I suppose if some of them could round us up and place us somewhere else they would. Our anscestors are rolling and crying in their graves everyday.
The good honest, hardworking, educated young Caymanians must be given their chance to make a mark that's all they want to be given a chance.
"The good honest, hardworking, educated young Caymanians must be given their chance to make a mark that's all they want to be given a chance." – Not sure anyone else sees it this way but to me it sounds like the entitlement culture the writer is warning about. Ironic, isn't it? "Must be given" are entitlement words.
The rollover has not stopped economic activity.
It appears that the rollover is being suspended to approve another large scale grant of Caymanian status before the next elections.
May God grant his mercy on these Cayman Islands. Our children have little future now and will have even less if this madness continues.
If you're correct about the next wave of status grants and it is done like last time then it will be detrimental to our economy. However, if status is given to those who are of higher than average financial means and are not taking a job that a Caymanian can do then it is a good thing. Such people will contribute to growing the economy by keeping their money here and investing in our collective future. Jobs will be created by new demand for goods and services. Granting status when done judiciously can be the right thing to do. Older wealthy people are also desireable since they do not present an extra burden on infrastructure by having children which cause classroom shortages and overcrowding at schools and medical facilities. They cost us little and we gain alot. It is a win-win for all of Cayman.
When status is given to a working class family with lots of children or the young who are of child bearing age, there is the added burden of society having to provide for the costs related to schooling and medical facilitation. In the event that they become out of work they become a burden on the economy. The children likewise grow up to compete for jobs with the existing pool of Caymanians.
We do need to grant more status, but to the right people who will benefit Cayman without presenting a current or future burden.
To do that Cayman will first have to turn a non functioning immigration into one that follows its own rules and regulations. How will you do that when the Government does not? Third world idiology and people can not do things the way they are needed to be done in a moral, dependable, and self sustaining society. It should be easy to see who will be a plus to Caymans future and who will not. It should be easy to see who should be granted status and who will not. But the very people who are payed good money to do this can not. Until this is fixed and that is a big "IF it is fixed" Nothing will work like it should. Not "roll over" not key employee" not "status grants" not 'financial accountability", not "contract awards" not "building schools" not cruise ship piers pretty much anything Cayman needs to move forward and stop sliding backward toward true third world, dictator driven, crime riden, slum that it is heading for.
Take away the status grants. Not that there are many anymore anyway and still what kind of future do you see for your children? They will have a much larger and harder to fix problem then paper caymanians. If you can't figure out what that is then telling you won't help.
saying that the rollover is being suspended to create caymanians for the next elections is beyond michieve…that is not even technicaly possible for any amount of persons for that to even have any impact on the next election. why do we always have to boil everythinbg down to some udp/ppm election spin??ignorance remains sure bliss?
Rollover or not, it will not get better. It's the economy stupid! the world is in a recession, like it or not. I will bet my last dollar that getting rid of the rollover will not make a single difference in the economy of these islands, Caymanians will still be unemployed, business will still close, apartments will still be empty, the real estate will still remain sluggish. Cayman's economy is tied to the USA, look at what is happening in the USA and it seems to be only getting worst and not as a result of any rollover policy. People wake up and get real and stop look for solutions to problems that are external, the lack of proper planning and management is Cayman's problem not the rollover or lack thereof. A word of caution, pray that Greece does not default on its loan or the US economy slide further into recession, then we will all experience the mass exodus without a rollover.
no one is saying that removing the rollover will solve these problems. the point is that the rollover did not help anything and its removal, while not addressing poor politics, bad management of the economy and global crisis, …will at least make things better if anything, not worse..
Rollover has saved the department of education and social services tens or even hundred’s of millions of dollars, but hey, who’s counting. As long as I can keep employing expatriate labour at 4 dollars an hour, and do not have to hire a new one in 7 years, that is all that matters.
Ex-pats will disagree with you as they are itching to stay here to earn the almighty CI dollar rather than eventually go back to where they came from. Granted 99% of them enjoy a much higher standard of living here than their homeland. How can you ppl be so selfish? The island cannot accomodate all of you, your family etc… as you'd like for as long as you'd like. If you all had any real care or concern for this country or its ppl you would do your time, save what you can and leave graciously.
Forget all the bigotry, racialism, poor government decisions, crime etc at the rate we are going none of this will matter as the real world players will get fed up with our antics and just move elsewhere. Then all the expats will go, the financial business will disappear to Hong Kong, Singapore etc.,etc. and the tourism to other places with more attractive cruise ship stop overs and vacation places and then we can settle down again to our island in the sun paradise. All we need as an aditional bonus would be for the self important poiticians to go too!
What else do you all want?
There is agroup of persons that constantly rant against Caymanians not being educated etc. etc. This is clearly not the case in many instances. Ask Caymanians how many times over the years during their employement with these companies when a new work permit recruit is hired from overseas that the Caymanian is pegged to train them to do the job they were hired to do, but clearly have no F@*King experience so they have to get us to train them. How many times?? I can tell you that I did for 39 employees for the company I worked for over a 25 year period. But when it came to hiring one of my people they wanted their DNA in addition to a long list of experience which was never the case when the foreigner was hired. I know this, I have worked in it for decades, kept my mouth shut, kissed their asses, and so on.
So please do not insult my Caymanian persona by telling me that we don't want to take advantage of educating ourselves further so that we can get that job. Why don't these companies making millions in net profits annually invest more into the community and offer several scholarships annually to Caymanians and train them to come and take the jobs of the persons they have currently hired on a work permit, that would be demonstrating your 'genuine' contributions to this community.
Therefore, the group of you can take your ungrateful and unappreciative attitude and go stick it where the sun don't shine.
Let me remind you, Caymanians have lived for decades in this country with foreigners and have gotten along fine and have made some special friends and even married into each other families. So don't throw that rubbish in our faces about we hate foreigners etc etc. That is old stale news Bobo.
Caymanians have an issue with the ungrateful rejects of other societies that wash up on our shores and they come with a chip on their shoulder ready to take over and change everything they found that was worthwhile and good.
The group of you that act this way, you only make it more difficult for your other nationalities and create hate and division. So do yourselves a favour and stop your ungrateful rantings, we have heard enough of it, and we don't care to hear anymore.
If you hate us and our country then do the rest of us a bigger favour and depart in peace.
"Why don't these companies making millions in net profits annually invest more into the community and offer several scholarships annually to Caymanians and train them to come and take the jobs of the persons they have currently hired on a work permit, that would be demonstrating your 'genuine' contributions to this community."
– Sounds to me like the entitlement culture. "You must train me."
Sounds to me like the entitlement culture. "You must train me". Drne right nothing for everything, what do you take Caymanians for? this is not SA and even them woke up in time. Most of these expats, individuals and entities would love to take every thing of value from Caymanians give us a Sofia Town and when they see that as too good for us, then they would flatten it move us and drive us into the sea if they could. Just a reminder Cayman and Caymanians were here long before you came and will be here long after you leave looking for greener pastures. The great Ed Bush once said to an expat lady who told him that he should play something else on the radio as he had played his favourite I guess too many times for the day and she did not like that. I will give you his reply to her "look ya you Pan Hed this is we radio station, we play what we want and like so here it is for you again" and he proceeded to play "the tide is high but I'm moving on I want to be your number one. So to Que and all his/her like minded expat colleagues "this is our country and yes we are ENTITLED TO THE BEST THERE IS ON THIS OUR ROCK, NOT YOURS " so if you don't like that leave it because that is exactly how we feel and what we expect maybe more but nothing less.
And the delusional just get more delusional
Get a friggin education and quit expecting someone to train you. While you're at it, learn to spell and use prper grammar.
Maybe then you'll be taken seriously.
And, by the way, learn to speak properly instead of talking like a hood rat. Maybe that's why Ed Bush isn't on the radio anymore because it sound to me like he needed a few lessons in how to speak properly and with out prejudice.
"look ya you Pan Hed this is we radio station, we play what we want and like so here it is for you again"
Sounds like a hood rat….
The Cayman of today is the result of "we are ENTITLED TO THE BEST THERE IS ON THIS OUR ROCK, NOT YOURS " so if you don't like that leave it because that is exactly how we feel and what we expect maybe more but nothing less."(But we don't need to work for it. the money for it must be earned by someone else who works for us and we get to tell everyone on the island how to do their jobs.) You now have the country you deserve to live in. Good luck. You and your children are going to need it.
Here we go again with the same old expat-Caymanian bashing bs. As an expat, you are a guest here and should show respect for the country you come to work in. As a Caymanian, you are already entitled. Caymanians are entitled to vote for their leaders and law makers. They are entitled to get all the education they desire. Caymanians are not entitled to tell guest workers and businesses that they need to educate and train Caymanians. Caymanians are entitled to the work permit fees paid by busnesses and the duties and other taxes levied on them for your benefit. Businesses and their employees come here with knowledge up front of what their costs of operation will be. They are businesses whose first and foremost goal is to make a profit. You can ask for some of that money but you will get very little of it. If you as a Caymanian feel that businesses who come to Cayman to operate owe you or this island any more than they already give then petition your elected representative. But be careful. If you take too much you will end up biting the hand that feeds you.
There are no trees in Cayman that grow money. It all comes here from overseas. Every time you eat a meal, money has to leave Cayman to replace the food you ate. Who do you think brings the money back? It's the tourists and the financial industry. The very people you are angry with. You may not want expats here doing business and making money but if they all go away you will lose your main money supply to Cayman. Maybe a more reasonable way to think would be to give these vital foreign workers permanence here in order to keep these geese that lay our golden eggs.
One of the many problems roll over was to solve was getting rid of the bad and keeping the good with the key employee clause. Unfortunaltely it did not work at all was the same reason most things "immigration" don't. There is no common ryme or reason for the choices "they" make. A bad choice is just as likey (sometimes more) to get status than a great one. Everyone has heard the many stories of the many careing individuals who by anyones reasoning should have been granted a stay and were not. and vise versa. The system is not working and will never work when the choice is made by individuals who are not held responsible for their actions and choices. Thre is no "baseline" There is no common factor. And because of that there is no trust. " The key, so to speak, is traditionally held by nepotism,insecurity, paranoia and grossly under qualified people. This is why the system has failed." And this system is so ingrained that it would take a miracle to fix.
I thought the idea of the rollover was to use the time of the GOL employee's tenure to train Caymanians and implement the much touted business plan; obviously, that is the biggest joke because that is not happening. An employee leaves after seven years and since no Caymanian was properly trained for that job, the company advertises for and gets a grant for a GOL for a new person. Or the classic: they place an ad that is so obviously tailored to the employee they already have lined up, that no Caymanian that applies for the job has a chance in a pasture to get it. "applicant must have 12 years experience in such and such, a Masters Degree in such and such, speak these specific three languages and have 5 years experience using such and such a software." Please!!! Do not insult our intelligence.
You can't insult what you obviously don't have. The problem is NOT ENOUGH Caymanians taking advantage of available training and further education to get them into better jobs. the opportunity is there but the interest is not. So rant all you want againts those who have taken the steps toward higher education and work skill and reap the benifits but they deserve the jobs as much as the jobs deserve them. If Caymanians want the jobs they will have to earn them just like everyone already has.
We could go in circle about the roll-over policy but here a few simple things to consider.
1) The marco economy dictates the amount of jobs and this is externally driven for the most part. The government suggest otherwise
2) Your bad investment property is not going to be solved by the roll over suspension, it may get worse as even more people obtain tenure and buy instead of rent.
3) Job market will be more competitive but this will be good to ensure Cayman has top notch wokers albeit maybe not Caymanians as this suspension should accompany a 100% increase in education funding for Caymanian pupils.
4) CIG need to put more emphasis on protection of our industry and hence, our jobs and then worry about roll over later. Perhaps, the two are hand in hand and I will give them that but in my industry (financial) I see that the regulations allow for business and hence, jobs to be poached at will. These go beyond the normals ebbs & flows and the backdoor is left wide open.
5) Jobs are shipped away (Canada & Ireland) and the Government does not properly negoitate to keep jobs here.
6) We focus on diversifying the economy but at the same time we neglect what we have (tourism and FS). I see room to improve and improve big time but some how we get side tracked into thinking oil refineries and mega developments will fix our problem. Construction is a lagging industry aways..why build if no demand? Well aside from defrauding the banks I see no reason….
7) The health of Cayman is intermingled with the financial health of Caymanians period. Cayman cannot exist in the future without the successful participation of most Caymanians (at a rightful and deserved place after getting required skills) in the labour force. Anybody who would suggest the contrary has their own short term interest at heart or cannot see past the present.
I could go on…but everything in Cayman now is backwards and the cart is way in front of the horses.. ghesse we in a mess bwoy..
Of God of Isreal deliver our people just as you have delivered once again the Jews into a homeland and bless us as you have blessed them with wealth.
If only some one in power had the balls to have your views.
None so blind as those who will not see.
Just before elections 2014, the sheer volume of PR applications will reach such a level that McKeeva will be "forced" to give status grants to another slew of persons whowill remain eternally loyal to his party.
I don't know why people keep saying this. I would like to have status, but if a certain politician gave it to me, there is NO WAY I would automatically vote for that person. As far as I know, your vote is confidential, isn't it?
But does anyone (who we want) want to stay anymore? Might be simply too late. Poverty and killings and robberies and depression have full hold in Cayman. Might not make it back from here.
But what about all the money we been getting for all the work permits and fees, etc? If we have all the businesses hire Caymanians we will lose all that. Do you want us to go broke?
Very well said
Rollover truly is a method of assuring that no one group becomes permanent and socially dominant.
When an expat is forced to leave he or she is mostly replaced by another expat because there just isn't qualified local talent to fill the position. As an employer, I much prefer to hire Caymanians whenever possible. No business needs the extra added burdern of work permit fees and re-training on a constant basis. I have seen alot of good people and families that had to leave who were properly deserving of permanency here because of their caring for this island and it's people and their character and contibution to Cayman. They contributed to the economy and could have done even more if this were their permanent home.
We have the ability to pick and chose those we feel would be assets to our islands as permanent residents or as Status holders. We could easily give Status to 100 more people like Mr. Dart. Having an educated, wealthy class of people calling this their home would only serve to enhance our chances of bettering our living standards and economy in general.
Status should not be given out to any Tom, Dick or Harry for the sake of increasing the population as was done years ago. The result of that speaks for itself. A more thoughtful process of refined selection can help us tailor to our taste the type of people we want to help define us as a society. Voting rights must be included for the sake of fairness to all.
If you choose only rich people to live here, like Dart, then you are also part of the problem. Rich people won't clean others' house, pick up their kids from school, collect garbage etc. So you will always have intransients coming and going to do these jobs, who have no vested interest here and don't care what happens here. It takes all kinds of people from both top and bottom of ladder to make up a strong, harmonious society. You should not discriminate against someone getting residency just because they are not wealthy. Rather, look at each person's character, record, and commitment to their work and judge them on their own merits.
You are clueless about Rich People and what demands they make or who they import just know your facts. Take that arguement to Monaco which has more millionaire and billionaires living there per head than in any other nation in the world. I've visited and had the opportunity to spend some time there and have yet to see a slum, panhandler, sidewalk peddlers and people walking the streets seeking jobs. I will be the first to agree that not all monegasque are rich people but they sure live well even if some have to work as servants for rich people.
I am not discriminating in my statement. The uneducated people of various countries roam the world in search of the best paying jobs as laborers and domestic help etc. They are transcient and are needed in most societies. They are however a drain on the economy since the excess money they earn above ther living expenses is sent back to their native country. The numerous money wire transfer outlets here are proof of this. The wealthy are the source of that money. We could give the domestic help citizenship but they will still send the money away. Just look at our current situation since 2003. Almost 3000 people were given status. Many were lower working class, domestics, gardeners and construction laborers. When the re-building boom from Ivan came to an end these people left for greener pastures. People likeMr. Dart and Mr. Imparato to name a couple remained here and continued to invest and contribute to our growth and overalleconomy. Mr. Dart alone is responsible for almost 10% of our GDP. More Caymanians like him would be a good thing. My view is purely from an economic standpoint and does not demean or belittle in any way those of lesser financial means. This is not a personality contest. It is about saving our economy in the quickest most logical way possible. There will be no shortage of foreigners knocking on our door for work when the economy begins to grow again. Those status holders who left for work elsewhere will return.
Look at Haiti. One of the poorest countries in the world. You could randomly pick any Hatian and show that they are of good character and hard working but that does not make for a thriving economy as you can see. You refer to residency. I am talking about Caymanian Status with voting rights. This is how a country is defined. Residents without voting righs are people without a voice. Such a situation creates more problems than it solves.
The rollover policy has along with the global economic crisis effectively destroyed the economic fabric of Cayman . We are now reduced to "begging" as we court every foreign "investor" to come and help us out of the mess we created.Let us remove the rollover policy and effectively manage our human capital with a global common sense approach.
On one hand I agree. I have always said that there is this sense of entitlement among Caymanian workers/ prospective workers. Many think too highly of themselves to commit to jobs that have now come to be dominated by expatriate workers. As times grow hard, there may be few who are disgruntled by this fact, however the fact of the matter is is that Caymanians are more disgruntled by the lack of 'prestigious' white collar positions. These bitter individuals see foreigners within these positions and ask themselves 'why not I?'. Yes, we may argue that some Caymanian applicants are simply not qualified. To be successful as an enterprise, you want to employ the best of the best. Your goal is not to hand out salaries to locals in need. However, there do exist situations where employers are willing to import cheap labour when there are locals qualified and able to do the same work. They, however, are not going to settle for what amounts to indentured wages. You breed a culture where it is acceptable to exploit a people/ peoples for your own personal gain which should be criminally punishable and says alot about certain practices we are willing to turn a blind eye to if not to totally welcome.
Secondly, it is hard to believe that anyone that has evolved beyond the Stone Ages believes that the 'indigenous' population as you call it could fuel the work force entirely. I won't even begin to argue about the connotations of that category, however people need to accept that thiscountry is not the Wild West where we open the flood gates and allow for anyone and anything. If people would like this country to be around for them to make the money they would like to, we're going to have to pay mind to what we can handle. Not to mention the arguments by some that you build and hope they come and when they come then blame it on the fact no more people are coming. This isn't how it works. For a society that prides itself on capitalism people seem to forget that sometimes your business fails, your condos sit empty, your hotel rooms don't get filled. Why? There is no demand and it is simply foolish and irresponsible to be throwing millions into 'development' hyper drive. you played the game and you lost. I find it hard to comprehend how the supposedly sophisticted, educated, and well to do people of this country do not understand the simple concept of quality over quantity. Diamonds, gold, and precious jewels and stones are prized for their rarity and quality and production/ availability is CONTROLLED. Find it hard to think of your country as a piece of property? Congragulations, it has been for how long and considering the attitude in your article it will continue to be up for grabs like a bloody prostitute throwing itself at anyone for a little bit of money.
Expats and Caymanians need to stop throwing stones at each other. To the expats that say Cayman 'needs' them- don't feel too special. Cayman may 'need' professionals, however it doesn't pertain to every last individual that deems themselves worthy to be hear and of our praise. Your seat can be filled. To the Caymanians that say we DON'T need them, get your heads out your asses and think that maybe if priorities were straightened out we wouldn't need ALL of our expats. However, there exists not a single THRIVING economy now that does not benefit from the investment and/or assistance of those from 'outside'- in even the most homogenous societies. Certainly, the rollover policy had its faults, however without a similar system to control population and prioritize our needs over our wants as a community of 'indigenous' folk and expatriates alike.
It is late, however I also wrote the above late at night and can see a few gramamtical errors as well as a lack of emphasis on a certain point. So I will try and make this a little more coherrent.
Where I stated that it may be true in many cases that Caymanians are simply not willing to do the work and/ or accept poor pay I did not explain the point pertaining to professional positions. A few feel entitled to certain 'white collar' positions they believe to be monopolized by expatriate workers when they are, at times, lacking what the employers desire, however I did not make a point that we would be lying through our teeth if we did not admit that there have been cases and some do indeed exist that some employers will turn a blind eye to Caymanian workers in favour of foreign typically 'White' applicants.
Some may argue that racism and xenophobia are not a factor, while some may say it is the sole cause of the issues between 'expats' and 'locals'. I would say it is neither. I refuse to believe every employer that decides not to employ an expat/ Caymanian despite their qualifications can boil down to the idea that they are plainly racist/ xenophobic, however these prejudices do very much play a role into whom people believe should and should not have the right to stay and what 'we need' in a business and our country.
Just wanted to include that to the points I made above. Simply wanted to put my input in as an observing young Caymanian.
"Diamonds, gold, and precious jewels and stones are prized for their rarity and quality and production/availability is CONTROLLED." Well written, I agree with your opinions and just wish that as a young Caymanian you will one day head up our immigration board. Young writer these islands were indeed rare and precious stones/jewels and of the highest quality until we became complacent and greedy in the mid to late 80's and would not guard them like we should have. Instead we got blinded by greed and got taken by the snake charmers and ended up trading our precious jewels for fools gold (gold plated jewels) that have now become, tarnish and of lesser value. We had every opportunity to be just like or better than Monaco and Bermuda but no we sat around and got duped. I am not confident that I will see the turn around of these islands to the platinum status that we once were in my lifetime but I have all confidence that with like minded young Caymanians of your calibre at the helm it will happen. Thank you so very much for you honest insight and opinions.
Well put.
well done…..truth might hurt some people…… but ezzard should be made read this on rooster next tues………….
this is a great victory for forward thinking……..
Don't get me started on that hateful obstructionist Ezzard, he has done more to divide the country and to fuel hatred among people than any other person in the country.
Unfortunately as to the rollover, many people who truly worked and cared about the country were required to leave at great expense to the social fabric here.
Politicians who fuel the fear and loathing among the voters for their own benefit as well as radio stations that provide a platform for such drivel do not improve the conditions here.
I think that title rightly belongs to McKeeva. Don't forget it was his govt. that enacted rollover.
Finally, a lucid and reasonable treatise. Thank you.
I believe that this country has too many foreigners that do not contibute to the economy or island and those people should go home but I believe roll over is NOT the solution. With roll over, after a year those same people can come right back into the country and that solves nothing. I know a woman who has lived on this island for almost 21 years now, never relied on the government, has a clean record, and contibutes to the island. When she applied for status they turned her down! There are a lot of people that the government has turned down that have proven their loyalty to this country and should have gotten status over some of the people that did get status just because they knew someone up high. There was a point in time I remember when the government was just handing out status to some people like free lollipops. So even if the government has this law it does not even mean that these people will get status….it all depends on who knows who in this country which is really sad, pathetic, and is part of why our country is doing so poorly.
If caymanians want to lessen the population of other nationalities why not hire caymanians to work for them instead of paying for work permits and then paying them their salary. This also ties in to the $5 minimum wage, which is way too low, who can live on $5 an hour?? Especially with the prices of everything here…it is immposible. If the minumum wage was higher, maybe around $8-9 then businesses would realize that it is not worth paying for work permits AND employees and would then have to hire caymanians. This then leaves the foreigners without a job which leads them to leave the country that let them have a job in the first place to send money back to their families (not helping caymanian economy!). The companies who can afford to pay SOME foreigners will keep them but probably have to let go some and hire caymanians creating a diverse island but not over run. One of the problems is a lot of businesses are either too cheap or the foreigners know people that are higher up so they get in without a caymanian even getting a fair chance although they may be more qualified for the job than the foreigner. If the companies would put a little effort, time, and some money into hiring and training caymanians to do these jobs maybe our economy would be a little better. If more caymanians had jobs, which entitles more money, then they would probably go out and spend more money on food, clothes etc. which recycles the money back into our economy.
We are on a vicious spiral downwards and inorder to get out of it we need to have some changes and the government relizes this (I hope) but trying to change it in the wrong way with these drastic, uneconimical plans.
"who can live on $5 an hour??" are you serious? There are plenty of people who do and plenty more that could. Why do people in Cayman think they deserve to be rich just because plenty of rich people use it as their playground. Come back to reality people, we need progress not pipe dreams.
I applaud your bluntly honest and objective viewpoint.