Search Results for 'turtle farm'
Would-be MLAs dodge thorny question of tax or cuts
(CNS): The panellists at the UCCI forum on Wednesday were confronted with the question of whether they would cut spending or raise taxes if they were elected to government in May and most of them managed to dodge answering the question directly. The most fundamental issue when it comes to politics is a politician's view the 'tax or cut' debate but the six panellists evaded the essence of the question by talking about growing and diversifying the economy, outside investments, privatization of public services and future projects. With the exception of Winston Connolly, who said he wold cut social services, there was little indication of how any of them would address the sticky issue of public finances.
The former UDP George Town party chairman, Stefan Baraud, who is running for office in the capital as an independent, pointed to his former leader’s mantra of diversifying the economy and inward investment. He also talked about privatization of government companies, such as the turtle farm. But he did not point to any new taxes or cuts that he would support if he was involved in the next budget process.
Meanwhile, Tara Rivers, who is campaigning on the C4C platform in West Bay, repeated the latest political sound bite that “Cayman doesn’t have a revenue problem but a spending one”. She pointed to the half-billion dollars government collects in taxes and fees annually. Rivers said expenditure had to be cut and pointed to improving procurement as a way of doing that, but she did not say what services had to be cut to balance the books as she did not want to see civil servant jobs cut.
Winston Connolly, her C4C colleague in George Town, echoed Rivers' comments and said it was the system that needed to be fixed. However, as well as removing corruption, he said social services and benefits for indigents was an area he would cut when he was elected.
Running in the capital for the second time on the UDP ticket, Jonathan Piercy said politicians had to look at both sides and couldn’t just talk about cuts, especially cutting civil service jobs. He said the tax base needed to expand but he did not say how and instead pointed to economic diversification and public-private sector projects.
Mark Scotland, who was part of the UDP administration and one of the five former members that brought the government down in December but remains in the minority interim Cabinet, said he heard all the time how government must cut spending but he said that was not going to happen without a massive reduction of the civil service. Scotland said that even cutting benefits or social services was nowhere near enough since the transfer payments represented not much more than around 5% of the government’s operational budget.
He said government spending was high because of the world class services the community demands, from roads and education to healthcare. He acknowledged that Cayman collects a good amount of revenue but it spends it on civil servants, and to cut spending meant bodies had to be cut. “And that is very difficult,” he said, evading the question of whether he would make those massive cuts or seek to raise fees and taxes instead.
The PPM hopeful for George Town, Kenny Bryan, said the PPM was fully committed to the redevelopment of both the airport and the long awaited cruise berthing to generate jobs and bring in more revenue. But he, too, evaded any direct reference to new taxes and said his party would focus on the expenditure side of government’s budget when it is returned to office.
He also spoke about diversification of the economy and said government needed to exploit medical and sports tourism, which he acknowledged had already started. He admitted deep cuts would need to be made in public sector spending but pointed to the sale or closure of the Turtle Farm, questioning whether Cayman could afford to promote the farming of the species any longer rather than job cuts. He also pointed to a need to deal with Cayman Airways and take the politics out of that and other government companies.
ERA boss suspended
(CNS): Joey Ebanks, the managing director of the Electrical Regulatory Authority (ERA), appears to be the latest government official to come under suspicion over financial irregularities, CNS has learned. Following the departure of Jeremy Jackson from the Airports Authority on Friday, Ebanks, who is no stranger to controversy, has reportedly been placed on leave while an investigation is underway, although there has been no official confirmation from either the Board or the relevant ministry. While messages to Ebanks remain unanswered, the beleaguered statutory authority boss discussed his suspension on the social media site, Facebook, at the weekend, making a number of allegations about others in face of his own troubles.
CNS had attempted to contact all of the relevant authorities for details regarding Ebanks’ situation but has been unable to get a comment from a single official.
In his own posts on his Facebook page Ebanks said he did not know why he had been suspended but said the letter he received referred to “alleged misconduct and abuse of office”. In the post he said, “This time I am fighting”, before launching an attack and making various allegations against members of government.
In his posts the suspended official implied underhand dealings regarding Cabinet ministers and the recent award to the Dart Group to generate the extra 36MW of power the island is expected to need over the next few years as a result of the scheduled decommission of existing CUC generators and the expectation of a growing population.
The news that DECCO, Dart Reality Cayman Limited’s general contracting arm, was given the go-ahead to begin negotiations with CUC came less than three weeks ago but it is not clear if Ebanks’ suspension is related to the issues surrounding that bid.
In the face of his suspension Ebanks went on to use the social media site to make unfounded allegations against the North Side MLA, Ezzard Miller, who beat Ebanks when he ran on the PPM ticket in the 2009 election campaign, as well as his colleagues on the ERA board.
Following Ebanks’ brief time with the PPM, he soon jumped ship and turn on his former political colleagues and has since offered his support to the UDP camp. He was appointed MD of the ERA last April in what appeared to be a political appointment, even though the MD’s post was a paid public sector position at the authority. His appointment led to a number of people leaving the ERA board amid undisclosed concerns.
Ebanks came into the media spotlight during the 2009 election campaign when questions were raised about salary advances he had taken out with the Turtle Farm when he was MD of that facility at a time when it was making considerable losses. A report by the Office of the Auditor General after the election revealed a catalogue of potential misuses of company funds under his tenure, including a $6,500 bar bill, which Ebanks ran up at the farm's on-site bar on alcohol, food and cigarettes, which was never paid back.
Following his election failure and his troubles at the Turtle Farm, Ebanks had a spell on Rooster’s morning talk-show Crosstalk before he reportedly returned to CUC. His return to Grand Cayman's monopoly power supplier ended in February last year and two months later he was given the post at the ERA. Ebanks has also worked as an assistant professor at ICCI, where he lectures on business. However, the college told CNS Monday evening that he is not currently teaching at the International College, "nor has he taught at the International College during this academic or calendar year," a spokesperson added.
WSPA campaign presses on
CNS): Following the publication of an independent review conducted in December which confirmed a number of problems at the Cayman Turtle Farm that were first revealed publicly by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, a spokesperson for the charity said Tuesday that he believed the welfare of the turtles could still be improved at the farm. Although the WSPA, which is visiting Cayman this week, is pressing on with its campaign to see the CTF turned into a conservation facility, in the meantime it is encouraging the farm management, which has accepted that there are animal welfare problems to be addressed. In addition, the WSPA said the pressure had resulted in the farm taking some positive actions to at least begin addressing the issues.
Dr Neil D'Cruze, the WSPA campaign leader, said that the charity had enjoyed a positive meeting on Tuesday with representatives of the Turtle Farm and government and the officials had agreed to enter meaningful dialogue with WSPA as a way of addressing the turtle welfare problems, which they all acknowledge are real and present.
“There was an acceptance, not least from a senior representative of the CTF, that WSPA’s intervention in highlighting animal welfare problems was positive and has resulted in a recognition that things cannot stay as they are,” said D'Cruze. Recognising the steps the Turtle Farm has now begun to take, the charity said it was still very concerned about the handling of turtles, not just because of the health risk to visitors but the stress of the turtles, and the results of another scientific report were stilloutstanding.
“Our campaign goals remain the same,” D’Cruze said, explaining that the charity is a pragmatic, respected animal welfare organisation working with many stakeholders round the world. “We are always respectful of cultural practices and traditions, and firmly believe that progress can still be made to improve animal welfare while being respectful of these,” he added.
While the meeting was a positive one, it was apparent that there were still significant areas of disagreement as the CTF has stated very clearly that it will continue to act as a farm, selling the turtle meat, with conservation and research running parallel to supplying Cayman’s national dish.
The independent report released last week followed on from the damning findings that the WSPA published last year. Although the Farm had condemned the charity and accused it of making unfounded allegations and stirring up a negative campaign, a freedom ofinformation request revealed that in July of this year the Farm had invited an expert to examine conditions at the farm and he had found many similar issues to those revealed by WSPA, which he had reported back to the Farm’s management.
Like the WSPA report and the independent report in December, David Godfrey, Sea Turtle Conservancy Executive Director, found a significant proportion of turtles at the farm are suffering from a skin diseases and shell rot. Some turtles are suffering from other conditions such as “floating syndrome” as well as lesions of the head and eyes and flipper damage consistent with cannibalism.
The charity says it remains concerned that the farm management has been aware of animal suffering, overcrowding and disease for more than six months, yet repeatedly made public denials to the contrary.
The WSPA said that the farm had gone to “great lengths to keep hidden, identified problems akin to those published in WSPA’s investigation” and had continually sought to undermine the charity’s findings. Yet there is now evidence from three different sources that a significant number of turtles have injuries consistent with severe overcrowding and that disease is a serious problem.
While the farm has billed itself as a conservation facility as well as a supplier of meat, it has not employed a professional vet at the facility. However, it has now begun the recruitment process for a full time animal doctor following the latest recommendations in the independent review.
“The assessment of the Farm in July, and then again in December closely matches our own investigation, proving that the Farm knew our findings were true from the outset,” D’Cruze said. “Instead of taking us up on our offer to work with them to find a solution, they accused us of sensationalism.”
Although the Farm is beginning to acknowledge that there are issues regarding animal welfare and the WSPA is hopeful that there will be some positive change, until such a time as the farming stops and conservation begins in earnest there are still major concerns. While the latest report vindicated the WSPA’s findings, the worry now is that, as the recommendations to address the problem are not backed up with data, the welfare issues may persist and ultimately the entire concept of the CTF is still flawed.
“Very little attention has been paid to addressing the fundamental issue at stake – that green sea turtles are wild solitary animals that simply cannot adapt to life crammed into a Farm with 9000 other turtles,” D’Cruze added.
Meanwhile, as the WSPA continues in its efforts to persuade the Farm to move from a butcher’s shop to a full conservation facility, Humane Society International has also joined the campaign. :
Amanda Mayhew, Manager of Ecotourism & International Trade Policy at Humane Society International, said that as more and more travellers factor animal welfare concerns into their vacation plans, the Farm’s reputation will be key to its future success.
“By transitioning away from commercial production and improving the conditions for its resident turtles, the Cayman Turtle Farm would demonstrate its commitment to its conservation mandate, teach the public to value and respect these beautiful creatures, and set an example for sea turtle conservation worldwide,” she added.
HSI said it has encouraged its supporters from around the world to sign a petition which urges the Farm to improve conditions for the turtles in captivity. In just one week, the petition attracted over 20,000 signatures. These signatures will be added to WSPA’s petition – currently over 117,000 strong – before it’s delivered to the Cayman Turtle Farm on 1 February.
Vote in the CNS poll: What should government do with the Turtle Farm?
Report confirms CTF woes
(CNS): The Cayman Turtle Farm was the subject of questions for both Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly on her trip to London and Tourism Minister Cline Glidden on his trip to Florida this week, in the wake of an the independent report that confirmed some of the findings of research conducted by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). Glidden has said that the farm has begun to address some of the problems found in the report, including skin diseases and emaciation. However, according to the premier, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is taking a neutral position on the farm, maintaining that it is a “domestic issue” for CIG to deal with.
In the independent report released Friday morning, the panel concluded that there were “no significant issues of concern regarding the public facing aspect of the operation” but on the production side there was room for improvement in standards of care that required immediate changes in the infrastructure, processes, staffing and resources.
Skin lesions and mortality levels in younger age classes were highlighted by the report and the panel said that the farm should immediately implement additional intensive treatment and management of all animals with lesions based on best available information, euthanasia of animals with poor prognosis, and undertake veterinary pathological investigations of dead animals. The panel of researchers raised concerns that similar recommendations had been made in the past but have not been acted upon.
The researchers stated that there was strong evidence for the positive conservation impact ofCTF as it provides meat for Cayman’s national dish while alleviating pressure on the wild population, augmenting the local nesting population with releases and facilitating research and awareness of marine turtle conservation.
The panel recommended that CTF develop a set of short and long-term goals to rectify existing issues and that an independent advisory board be assembled to help support those goals. Given sufficient desire and motivation on behalf of managers and decision makers, the panel said its recommendations were achievable.
Glidden said that the independent report conducted in December had found no significant problems that should concern the cruise lines and he had addressed the issues raised by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association about passenger interaction with the turtles when he met with them last week.
While the turtle farm continues sucking money from the public purse on an annual basis to the tune of almost $10 million, the minister said that carrying out the changes at the farm as recommended by the report would not require additional subsidies from the public purse.
Responding to the report, the CTF said that it was taking the findings seriously but did not indicate why it had not responded in the past, having faced the recommendations before. Managing Director Tim Adam said the board the farm’s management team were committed to taking all possible steps to address the concerns.
“The resulting inspection report notes that the Cayman Turtle Farm makes several important positive contributions to the conservation of and research on green sea turtles, while also stating areas of concern requiring improvement,” he said.
Adam claimed that the report validated the CTF’s provision of a legal source of turtle meat as a way to assist in the prevention of illegal poaching and had found no evidence of congenital deformities among the population.
The CTF has now recruited of a full-time veterinarian, which Adam said would help fulfill several of the recommendations, such as intensifying the lesion treatment procedures. He added that recent experimental pre-clinical trials conducted by Dr Carlos E. Crocker from St. Matthew’s University School of Veterinary Medicine and Dr Walter Mustin of CTF had led to the development of medication protocols for the treatment of skin lesions
Adam said the Cayman Turtle Farm would do everything in its capabilities to improve the facility, the welfare of the turtles and safety for visitors.
“The Cayman Turtle Farm initiated this inspection and we are pleased that the inspection team noted our courteous, collaborative approach to their requests and questions. We believe that the recommendations of the report will serve to enhance the quality of Cayman Turtle Farm and what we offer,” Adam said.
See report below.
New government sits in first parliamentary session
(CNS): The Cayman Islands’ new minority government will be sitting in its first parliamentary session today, Thursday 10 January and putting to the test the understanding it has with the opposition benches to form a quorum. There is no indication that the PPM or the independent members will not turn up however and the session is almost certain to go ahead. According to the draft order paper, the government is bringing three pieces of legislation to the House relating to the financial services sector none of which are expected to generate controversy. There is no indication that any MLAs will be voting against the bills and the new premier should not have a difficult session ahead of her.
Some eleven outstanding financial reports from various government entities, including the Turtle Farm, are being presented alongside the draft bills which include the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2013, the Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Exempted Limited Partnership (Amendment) Bill, 2013 (posted below).
After making a commitment to consult, the new premier, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, has already stated that she will not be bringing any legislation to the parliament over coming months that does not have consensus with members of the opposition. The parliament is due to be dissolved by the governor on 26 March ahead of the general election on 22 May. In the meantime, the premier has said she is confident that her Cabinet of five former UDP members will be able to continue holding on to government until the people go to the polls.
The parliamentary session, which will be televised live on CIGTV20 is likely to be unremarkable except for the crush on the opposition benches as the PPM and two independent members will be joined by the four UDP members under the leadership of the former premier McKeeva Bush.
UDP gathers at Bush’s home
(CNS): Several members of the United Democratic Party were seen arriving at the premier‘s house in West Bay Tuesday evening after McKeeva Bush’s release from police custody following his arrest. However, there has still been no public comment about the party’s position on the premier remaining as leader of the UDP and leader of the government. The UDP released a very short statement yesterday (Tuesday) via the deputy premier’s ministry stating that the caucus was convened and the government understood the gravity of the situation. Since then, no further official statements have been made by any member of the party.
The 57-year-old premier, who has served as the representative for West Bay since 1984, was expected to be back in police custody Wednesday morning to face further questioning regarding his arrest in connection with a police corruption investigation.
Officers from the RCIPS Financial Crime Unit arrested him on Tuesday 11 December at his home in West Bay at around 7am. Although the police have given only broad information about the probe, a police spokesperson said Bush was arrested on suspicion of theft, in connection with financial irregularities relating to the alleged misuse of a government credit card, and various offences under the Anti-Corruption Law.
These include suspicion of a breach of trust, abuse of office and conflict of interest, contrary to sections S13, S17 and S19 of the law. The police said that this related to the importation of explosive substances without valid permits on or before February this year.
Bush has been under police investigation since 2010 in connection with the now infamous Stan Thomas letter, which the premier sent to the developer in 2004 from the ministry of tourism, where he was minister at the time, asking for $350,000 in relation to re-zoning of land owned by Thomas along the West Bay Road. However, Bush has persistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with the issue and described it as a real estate bill.
The police confirmed that an enquiry into that correspondence was underway in June last year. Then in April of this year the governor revealed that the premier was the subject of a second investigation. Shortly afterwards, the RCIPS commissioner confirmed that the police were following two further enquiries in addition to the Stan Thomas probe. It was confirmed that one related to “financial irregularities” and the second related to the importation of dynamite by Midland Acres without the necessary permits.
On Tuesday evening the police confirmed that a second man had been arrested in connection with the Bush probe and CNS learned that the man was Suresh Prasad, the managing director of Midland Acres. Earlier this year, Prasad pleaded guilty to four counts relating to the dynamite importation, admitting that the regulatory oversights were down to the need to rush the explosives consignment in order to meet a contract with the Dart Group to supply fill for the developer’s latest projects under the ForCayman Investment Alliance.
At the time that the explosives were seized by the authorities, the premier wrote to the NRA and collector of customs asking for them to release the dynamite. Bush also publicly statedon TV that the email requesting the release was an effort to assist his friend.
Prasad and Bush are understood to have had a friendship spanning many years and the local businessman was also involved in the financing arrangements for the re-development of the Cayman Turtle Farm, among other projects.
Fishermen net crocodile in West Bay
(CNS): Officials from the Department of Environment have tagged a crocodile that turned up at Barkers in West Bay Tuesday and have released it into a remote part of the island. The crocodile was seen in the ocean off Barkers yesterday morning by a kite-surfer and two local fishermen brought him to shore before handing him over to DoE staff. From the barnacles on the reptile’s body, it is believed to have been at sea for some time.
Although the Cayman Islands was home to crocodiles in the past, as the creatures have shown up in the fossil record, experts believe that the crocodiles turning up in local waters now are usually from Cuba or Jamaica.
This latest crocodile, which has now been tagged, enabling the DoE to identify him in future, was about four foot long and believed to be an adult American Crocodile (Crocodylus Acutus) common to the region. With no mates and not much food, experts believe that crocs spotted in Cayman don’t stay around too long, although several have been found over the last few years. One of the most famous crocs captured here was an eight foot long specimen found in Old Man Bay, which is now in captivity at the Cayman Turtle Farm.
Cayman and the 2012 apocalypse
The good news is that nobody will have to worry about conditions at the Turtle Farm. The high cost of living won’t be a burden anymore either. The bad news is that the Cayman Islands will be swept under the sea, everyone will die, and all of civilization will crumble in a fiery spasm of unprecedented chaos and destruction.
Here we go again. We are fast approaching yet another angry apocalypse and no one should be surprised. Throughout history, and probably deep into prehistory, a good number of us have always been obsessed with the end of the world and been willing to jump onboard whenever someone comes along with a firm date for doomsday. This time it’s the Maya 2012 prophecy. According to believers, the Maya calendar ends on December 21, 2012 so the world will too.
Poll results vary but about ten to 12 percent of American adults think the world is going to end this year. In China, 20 percent think it’s lights out on December 21. About 13 percent in Turkey, Russia, Mexico, and Japan believe it. Overall, one in ten people globally think the Maya doomsday prediction will come true. And don’t think that it’s all a big joke. NASA astronomer David Morrison says some people are so concerned about it that they are considering suicide.
Based on my encounters, with astrology fans in George Town, obeah practitioners in West Bay and rapture-ready folks in East End, I’m guessing that a significant percentage of people in the Cayman Islands are eyeing December 21 with concern. If you are one of these people, read on and allow me to ease your mind. If you know someone who thinks there is something to this Maya prophecy, please forward this commentary to them. Do it quickly. No one should suffer this much nonsense rattling around inside their skull.
What is going on? Why do hundreds of millions of people believe this extraordinary unproven claim? First of all, the Maya civilization existed from about 200 to 900 CE. They were in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and parts of Honduras—very near the Cayman Islands. Maya still live in Central America today and very few of them pay any attention to this doomsday date, which is our first hint that something is very wrong.
So here is the key question: How did the Maya know centuries ago that the world would end on December 21, 2012? How did they figure out something today’s scientists couldn’t? Answer: They didn’t! They never made this prediction! It is the invention of very strange modern people. The Maya may have tracked the path of the Moon, built impressive pyramids, and ripped beating hearts out of people in the name of religion, but they never claimed to know when the world would end. Imagine that, millions of people believe in a Maya prediction that not only has no evidence to support it but was never made by the Maya in the first place.
The Maya had several calendars, one of which lasts 5,125 years. This “long-count calendar” ends this year. This is the basis of the idea that the world will end. It’s like a Maya expiration date for everything. But here’s the key: the end of a calendar does not mean the world ends too. If it did, our 12-month calendar would mark Earth’s destruction every December 31. But it doesn’t. When the calendar stuck on your refrigerator door reaches December 31 it doesn’t trigger earthquakes, plagues, and asteroid strikes. You just throw it away and buy a new one. Same with the Maya long-count calendar. This is not some wild hunch I am extracting from my nether regions. This is the conclusion of every credible Maya scholar. There are no artifacts discovered to date that show the Maya expected the world to end when their long-count calendar ended. In fact, inscriptions have been found that clearly show the Maya expected the world to be here after 2012 because they wrote about important events occurring after that date.
Another fatal problem with this prediction that the Maya never predicted is that it’s based on a bad date to begin with. It would be wrong even if it was right. The first long-count calendar begins on a creation date of 3,114 BCE. We know beyond any doubt that the world and/or humankind are much older than five thousand years. Therefore any predictions about future events that are calculated using this or any similar creation date are going to be wrong. It’s a mistake based on a mistake. This is why Rev. Harold Camping’s much-publicized rapture date in 2011 was so obviously silly. He based his calculations on the Earth being less than 10,000 years old. Anytime someone attempts to solve a mathematical problem and gets the first number in the equation wrong by more than four billion years errors are unavoidable.
The greater question in all of this is why so many of us keep falling for these hollow predictions. My hunch is that they are so tempting because we subconsciously fear a lonely death. Maybe this is what makes the idea of a global doomsday so irresistible. We are social creatures, after all. We need one another more than we realize. Is it any surprise, then, that many of us might feel the urge to all go down together? For many, a collective death is more appealing than dying alone in a car on the side of a road after a traffic accident or quietly expiring in some hospital bed.
It is important to understand that irrational beliefs about doomsday have little to do with intelligence or education. One can be very bright, but if she or he is a weak skeptic then bad ideas can easily creep in and take root. For example, no less than Isaac Newton, perhaps the greatest scientist of all time, was quite certain that the end of the world will occur in 2060. But that’s not going to happen either because, for one reason, he based his calculations on an incorrect creation date for the Earth. Bad input gets you every time. When it comes to irrational beliefs, anyone who is a human being with a human brain is vulnerable to stumbling. The best we can do is stay humble and stay skeptical.
I can tell you right now what will happen on December 22, the morning after the Maya doomsday. Because of hindsight bias, many 2012 believers will sincerely imagine that they knew it was nonsense all along. Some will say the numbers were a bit off and come up with a new date for the end. Others will say that it did happen but it was an invisible doomsday or a doomsday of the spirit—something that can’t be detected or disproved, of course. And then, before long, another irrational doomsday belief will come along and millions of innocent brains will once again be under assault.
This colossal waste of time and nervous energy doesn’t have to keep happening. People only have to commit themselves to being good skeptics. Do that and watch the bogus beliefs and crazy claims just melt away. It’s not so difficult. Demand evidence for weird ideas. Ask questions. Consider the source. Listen to contrary opinions. Learn how easily confirmation bias and other natural quirks of the mind betray us to make silly things that aren’t true seem reasonable. In short, think before you believe.
Guy P. Harrison is the author of three science-themed books: “50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True”, “Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity”, and “50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God”. His next book is scheduled for publication in March, 2013.
FCO will force FFR into law
(CNS): The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is prepared to force the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility into local legislation if the Cayman Islands Government fails to live up to the commitment it made following the budget approval from London in August. Sources have told CNS that the UK is not going to allow the premier to alter the framework via additional clauses or by removing any of its content and is expecting the document to be passed into law during the forthcoming sitting of the Legislative Assembly. If not, it will push the FFR through via an Order in Council. However, CNS has learned that the legislation being drawn up will include changes to the original agreement.
The FFR which the premier signed in November 2011 commits the CIG to certain parameters, rules and systems regarding public finances. It also draws the statuary authorities back into the debt ratios ruling government borrowing, thus ensuring that the entire public sector spending is tightly controlled within a rigid framework. It means that authorities, such as the port and the airport, and government companies, such as Cayman Airways or the Turtle Farm, cannot borrow outside of the Public Management and Finance Law limits and will need to gain UK approval for any projects they engage in.
The premier has said publicly that he dislikes various elements of the framework and wants to change parts of it as well as introduce additional clauses. The UK, however, has been unequivocal about that and is insisting that the bill it expects to come to the Legislative Assembly in November is exactly the same as the document signed by the premier almost one year ago.
Despite this rigid position being taken by the FCO, the legislation is currently under review as McKeeva bush intends to make some alterations. The final bill has not yet been completed and there is no certainty that the document will be drafted during the forthcoming sitting, which opens on 5 November. Government has not said how long this meeting will last and no FFR bill has been circulated ahead of the meeting for public comment.
The constitution requires government to publish any new law it intends to present to legislators 21 days before the House sits. The premier has, however, ignored this provision in the past and so may still choose to bring his version of the legislation to the LA next month. Nevertheless, given the insistence by the FCO on the need for the FFR to be enshrined in local law exactly as Bush signed it, any law brought by the premier could be overridden.
An Order in Council is a statutory provision which forms part of the UK’s reserve powers as the colonial master of the Cayman Islands, enabling it to legislate for any of its overseas territories when it deems it necessary. The move is a last resort and is generally reserved for when the UK feels its interests are at risk.
In the case of the Cayman Islands, the mounting public debt and continued government operational deficits have led the UK to take steps to protect itself from the potential liability for that debt. Having relinquished some control in the 2009 constitution over financial matters, it has begun to claw back that control via the framework agreement and the recent conditions attached to the approval of the 2012/13 budget.
Police nab suspect after shot fired in West Bay
(CNS): A man has been arrested and is in police custody after a shot was discharged in the West Bay area early Saturday morning and a gun and ammunition were subsequently recovered. About 3:00am on Saturday, police received a report that a shot had been fired in the area of North West Point Road. A vehicle was seen speeding off from the location towards the Turtle Farm. No one was injured in the incident. A short time later, police officers spotted the vehicle at the George Town Hospital. The vehicle was searched and a firearm and a quantity of ammunition were recovered. A 20-year-old man who was arrested at the location on suspicion of possession of an unlicensed firearm remains in police custody while enquiries continue.