Cayman Islands...and what...?

[Yvonne N.]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Cayman is not on solid ground
Thursday, May 10, 2007

Dear Sir:


In reference to your article about “Independence being inevitable”, at first I thought I was reading a new edition of CNN from The Bahamas or Jamaica. Inevitable, certainly, sometime in the future, 20, 30, 50 years from now independence will happen. The same as “death and taxes... oops, duty”. But why start the ember burning now?

The country’s debt is beyond belief. The education, tourism, immigration, civil service, environmental and economic systems all need to be reconstructed. The middle class is disappearing. People cannot pay their bills. The cost of living is out of control.

When the powers that be do not have the will or ability to change and fix these problems then hot embers tend to turn into flames as people look to someone to blame for their loss. Maybe this group will grow and blame the Queen and the EU.

Fear, are you fearful of all the EU citizens that all of a sudden want to immigrate to Cayman?

Cayman is not on solid ground. Throw in the whisper of independence and wait and see what the history pages will record.



L. MacTavish

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From Cayman Net News

[Yvonne N.]

Re: Cayman Islands...and what...?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">While the Cayman Islands is in Constitutional Modernisation mode, a former Minister of Education wants residents to take a proactive approach to independence instead of remaining complacent with their current status.

Roy Bodden, who was Minister of Education from November 2004 to May 2005, said he is not advocating independence tomorrow but it is inevitable.

“We have to prepare ourselves for independence. We would be deluding ourselves if we believe that this situation is going to remain forever,” he said.

“I’m not advocating independence tomorrow but I’m saying that we need to prepare ourselves, that’s why I’m saying we need to go to internal self-governance.”

However, Mr Bodden said Britain’s relationship with the European Union could lead to “foreign” cultures taking root in Cayman.

“The British are members of the European Union and they have some real, serious human rights demands. They’re going to impose on us what is ‘dissing’ our culture,” he said.

“We have to one of those days make the split. We have to face up with the facts and prepare ourselves now.”

At the moment, Mr Bodden is calling for self-governance with a Premier at the helm like sister British Caribbean Overseas Territories Bermuda and Turks & Caicos.

“I would like to see an internal self-governance where the Government is consulted on the important matters such as the choice of Commissioner of Police,” he said.

The powers of the Governor – the UK representative in the Cayman Islands — are also a concern for the former minister turned book author.

“I would like some devolution in the power of the Governor. I think the Governor has too many powers,” he said.

“I have to agree with the PPM (People’s Progressive Movement) that a representative of the elected Cabinet should be on the security briefing the Governor has with the Commissioner of Police.”

Mr Bodden rapped his colleagues for their divisive politics, saying their actions have given the UK the upper hand on critical issues facing Constitutional Modernisation.

“The political fraternity has to define what we understand and what we’re prepared to accept as self-determination and stop playing games,” he said.

“If we do that and go with a unified position Britain will understand, but too often the Opposition is different from the Government and the Government is different from the Opposition, then Britain seize upon that position.

“When we go to the British we go with not one position but with two positions, sometimes three. They laugh because that plays right down their alley.”

Mr Bodden called for unity in Cayman, stating that is the only way its people will have greater control of their affairs.

Another prominent citizen commenting on the new Constitutional Modernisation programme, which began in March, is Benson O. Ebanks, a former Constitutional Commissioner in 2001.

The Constitutional Review Commissioners’ report was presented to the Legislative Assembly by then Governor Peter Smith in March 2002.

“The most important thing is to get the authority of the Cabinet properly defined,” Mr Ebanks said, explaining that Cabinet Ministers needed more powers in a new Constitution.

Like Mr Bodden, Mr Ebanks thinks too many powers are in the hands of the Governor who is H.E Stuart Jack.

On the issue of gay marriages, Mr Ebanks remains convinced that the UK would not force human rights issues on the Cayman Islands, citing its apparent lack of interest in the matter when the Constitutional Report was submitted six years ago.

A Constitution Review Secretariat was established in March and it has started a four-phase Constitutional Modernisation programme.

Leader of Government Business Hon Kurt Tibbetts during the announcement of the secretariat said: “The Government has established a programme which heralds a fresh start for the constitutional review process.”

Phase one consists of a review of constitutional options while phase two comprises a public education or information sharing period and public consultation period.

In phase three, there will be a national referendum that will provide the Cayman Islands Government with the basis upon which it may proceed to phase four of the constitutional programme.

It is at that stage the Cayman Islands will enter into negotiations with the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office in achieving a modern Constitution.


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Mr. Benson
Mr. Roy

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Cayman Net News</div></div>