Stuart Jack

Reports on sea level rise and energy policy now available

2009-11-12T02:19:33+00:00

My preceding blog mentions Cayman’s frequent problem of flooding. This is a particularly serious issue during hurricanes when combined with storm surge (incursion of sea water) as during Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Climate change threatens to make this even more of a challenge as sea level rises and hurricanes become more intense. The sooner an adaptation strategy is adopted the easier it will be to mitigate these risks.

The Governor’s Office website (www.ukincayman.fco.gov.uk) now carries an expert report on the subject of sea level rise that makes sobering reading. There is also one on energy policy. Both of these are just reference documents, paid for by the FCO, to assist the Cayman Islands think about these issues and hopefully work up its own strategies.

A wet weekend of celebration and remembrance

2009-11-12T02:14:36+00:00

This past weekend provided many people in the Cayman Islands with a four day break – either side of the weekend were public holidays, a one-off this year on Friday for the start of the new Constitution and a regular one on Monday for Remembrance Day.

A reminder of Cayman’s propensity to flood

Unlike most in sunny Cayman it was not a great weekend for beach lovers. Fortunately this year’s hurricane season has been kind to us so far with only some three weeks to go. But as Tropical Storm Ida passed by all three islands had a lot of rain, leading to some local flooding.

We celebrate a new Constitution and we remember those who have died in war

On Friday we celebrated the new Constitution of the Cayman Islands (see my blog for 7 November).

A more solemn ceremony was held on Sunday 8^th for Remembrance Day. The rain forced it inside – into the splendid setting of Elmslie Memorial Church, sometimes known as Cayman’s cathedral. I actually thought this in many ways a better place for the ceremony than outside – the atmosphere was solemn and the music sounded splendid, and there was not the usual problem of members of the parade, particularly children, fainting in the heat (8 apparently did at the Constitution event). But the wreaths had to be laid at the altar rather than the war memorial (see the clip on www.cayman27.com.ky ).

Just as the rain paused on Friday for the Constitution ceremony, so it did on Sunday when we emerged from the church to walk to the second memorial where wreaths are traditionally laid, that to Caymanian seamen. Many Caymanians fought at sea in WW2.

The independence of the Auditor General

2009-11-09T18:23:10+00:00

In a democracy such as the Cayman Islands it is vital to have checks and balances on government. That means ensuring the independence of the judiciary, the police and prosecutors, and of key institutions such as the office of the Auditor General, Complaints Commissioner and Information Commissioner. One of a Governor’s most important responsibilities is to defend that independence, which of course the Governor himself or herself has to respect.

The actions and decisions of all of these will often arouse controversy, particularly on the part of those whose activities might be under the microscope or who have had an adverse decision made against them. If people feel that the independent offices of the state have erred – and anyone is capable of making mistakes – then there are legal routes for challenging them. But pressure should not be put on them not to do their job in the first place.

Unfortunately this past week I had to intervene to defend the independence of the Auditor General. Click here to read my press release.

Cayman Islands get new Constitution

2009-11-08T03:22:46+00:00

Friday 6th November was a historic day. The new Constitution of the Cayman Islands came into effect (www.constitution.gov.ky).

Over the last week or so efforts had been made to educate the public about the Constitution. That has involved material in local newspapers and on TV and appearances on both radio talk shows by myself and members of the team of officials who have worked really hard to bring the new Constitution to fruition.

Despite some heavy rain earlier in the day and some storm clouds hanging over Grand Cayman a public ceremony was held on the steps of the Legislative Assembly to mark the commencement of the 2009 Constitution. There was all the pomp and ceremony that one expects of major events in Cayman, including the singing of the National Anthem and National Song and a march past by uniformed branches of government (police etc) and uniformed voluntary organisations (scouts and guides, etc).

I made an introductory speech drawing attention to the main features of the new Constitution, which I presented as “the people’s Constitution” (click here to read my remarks). The country’s first Premier, McKeeva Bush, Deputy Premier, Juliana O’Connor Connelly, and Deputy Governor, Donovan Ebanks, - all Caymanians – were then sworn in. Mr Bush then made a speech as Premier (this can be viewed in full at www.cayman27.com.ky).

As I said at the end of my remarks it is now for everyone involved in government to carry out their responsibilities with humility and dedication and for the people of these islands to ensure we do.

FACE Awards

2009-11-08T03:03:38+00:00

On Wednesday 4 November the Governor’s Five Star Awards for Customer Excellence (FACE) were presented at an event at Government House (the Governor’s official residence) in the presence of civil servants and their families.

Many of those attending had been nominated for the awards and we regard them all as winners. As I said in my remarks at this event the range of people put forward over the three years of the FACE Awards demonstrates that there are models of good customer service in virtually all corners of government service.

The five main awards went to Clive Bennett (biohazard waste collector at the Department of Environmental Health), Angelique Howell (Chief Inspector of police in charge of the District of West Bay), Franz Manderson (former Chief Immigration Officer and now Chief Officer, Portfolio of Internal and External Affairs), Sydney Moore (Environmental Health Officer), and Mitchum Sanford (Sports Instructor on Cayman Brac).

More information on the winners and what they stand for can be found at www.face.gov.ky.

Foot Review

2009-10-29T20:29:09+00:00

The report by Michael Foot on the British offshore financial centres has been published today. There is a great deal of interest to the Cayman Islands, including the need to broaden the tax base. The review can be found at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/foot_review_combined.pdf

In a brief statement the Cayman Islands Government welcomed the report’s “constructive observations and recommendations.”

Lots of Cayman’s civil servants nominated for awards

2009-10-29T20:23:34+00:00

To acknowledge the work of Cayman’s best civil servants and to encourage higher standards of customer service across government I established two years ago the Five Star Award for Customer Excellence (FACE).

This, the third year of the scheme, 93 civil servants were nominated by members of the public (external customers) or other civil servants (internal customers). These ranged from heads of department to waste collectors. Congratulations to all the nominees!

The full list can be found at http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,4648818&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL. Details of the scheme, including previous recipients, can be found at www.face.gov.ky

Again we will have some excellent recipients of the awards. But you’ll have to wait until 4 November to learn who they are.

Life is about animals too

2009-10-28T20:36:02+00:00

I have previously talked about the importance of biodiversity, the need to preserve what makes the Cayman Islands special and the need to deal with invasive species which threaten that. Using FCO funds my office has worked with the local Department of Environment and others on several related projects (ranging from lion fish and feral cats to the native tree nursery and parrots affected by Hurricane Paloma).

Animals, good and bad, have been in the news in Cayman in recent weeks.

Crocodiles

One crocodile has been caught and released twice this year (another was caught last year).There have been several other reported sightings. The Cayman Islands get their name from crocodiles. In past centuries they were abundant, as they still are in nearby Cuba and Florida, but have been extinct in Cayman for some time.

It is not clear how many, if any, of the other sightings were actually crocodiles. In nearly every case the croc was in the sea and might, the experts say, have been some kind of large fish. It is odd that none have been found basking on land, nor have any tracks.

The return of crocodiles, whether just the two caught or more, is causing some mixed feelings. While sea-going crocs are not good news for humans in some parts of the world I have visited the experts say that the type that might be found around our shores is generally not aggressive to swimmers or divers. I hope they are right! My wife and I are often on the beach or in the sea and have never seen anything that would scare us.

The alleged sightings are also giving rise to lots of rumours and jokes. The editorial in today’s Compass newspaper says that maybe the crocs are part of a British conspiracy against Cayman and that it is the Governor’s (that is my) pet croc as the sightings have been near the Governor’s residence. It is written tongue in cheek – or at least I hope so. Anyway, like other anti-British conspiracy theories it has no basis whatsoever! I’ll stick to other kinds of pet.

Iguanas

Mixed feelings are also engendered by iguanas. The endemic blue iguanas are something very special to Grand Cayman and nearly everyone is keen to preserve them. But the invasive green iguanas are seen as pests. Recently the greens seem to have spread in large numbers, including invading Government House – one old iguana even sits occasionally on the crest of the roof and lords over the house as if he’s the real boss.

Dogs

A number of pet dogs have been poisoned, apparently by paraquat picked up on the beach. This has led to outpourings of indignation and a lot of people scouring the beaches for the source. Was this intentional or accidental?

Animals, good and bad, therefore continue to excite people here.

Common determination to tackle crime

2009-10-26T16:41:31+00:00

The only way we are going to deal with the spate of serious crime in Cayman, particularly shootings, is for all the relevant parts of government and the community to work together. Some time ago I called a high level meeting of leaders of government, the Judiciary and other public agencies to discuss this. It had to be postponed because of the budget and Legislative Assembly, but we managed to get people together last friday.

What we agreed is recorded in a press release.

I was impressed with the determination of everyone involved, starting with the elected Government who, even in these financially difficult times, are prepared to find more resources for the police and other aspects of criminal justice.

As well as dealing with current problems, which we must do with resolve but without over-reacting, it is vitally important to address the factors that could create the next generation of criminals.

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

2009-10-24T05:27:30+01:00

One of the organisations of which I am Patron in the Cayman Islands is the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme or International Award as it is now known. On Wednesday I hosted an awards ceremony for recipients of bronze and silver awards.

This is an excellent scheme (which two of our own children have been through in England). I was really impressed by the maturity and enthusiasm of the young people from various local high schools who had benefited from the scheme. Some promising leaders and citizens of the Cayman Islands in the making.

More on the theme of the public finances

2009-10-19T20:32:24+01:00

All the recent correspondence between Chris Bryant, the FCO Minister with responsibility for the Overseas Territories, and McKeeva Bush, Leader of Government Business of the Cayman Islands, is now on our website. The Cayman Islands government is now free to undertake borrowing at its own risk. The FCO will be monitoring the situation closely.

The government in Cayman now needs to get on with the two studies that were agreed in this correspondence: of the public service (and the scope for cuts) and of possible new taxation.

I have been struck how many people in the business community are now seeing the need for some form of direct taxation, though not many are saying so publicly. One who is is Tim Ridley, the former Chairman of the Monetary Authority, who in a well argued article in a recent edition of the Observer weekly newspaper advocated a property tax and also called for people to stop bashing the UK.

From my own conversations there seem to be quite a few businessmen, particularly but not exclusively in the financial services industry, who would support a property tax as more equitable and less likely to harm the key financial industry than the alternatives. We’ll have to see what the study concludes.

Misinformation about police corruption investigations

2009-10-17T02:05:27+01:00

There has, especially in recent days, been a lot of misunderstanding or misrepresentation of my and the UK Government’s approach to the police corruption investigations in the Cayman Islands.

Some of this reflects concern about the time these have taken and especially the cost. This is understandable, particularly given the release a few days ago of an Auditor General’s report on this subject, though media reports of that have been selective and given little attention to the unusual nature of these investigations or to the very limited role of a governor in respect of the financial aspects.

Some people appear to be using this complicated affair as a pretext to pursue other agendas. This includes nonsensical claims that the UK has been conspiring to use the corruption issue to damage the Cayman Islands.

In fact my only intention in supporting these investigations has been to ensure a corruption-free police force and set high standards of behaviour and governance. I believe that that is what most decent people in Cayman, including the vast majority of police officers, want to see. Unfortunately it has not been a simple road getting there.

Yesterday I issued a long statement addressing various misinformation that is circulating.

Blog Action Day: The Cayman Islands cannot afford to ignore climate change

2009-10-15T14:35:37+01:00

15 October is Blog Action Day, when people are being encouraged to write about climate change on their blogs. This is not the first time I have discussed this really important issue since I started my blog in May.

More than many countries the Cayman Islands cannot afford to ignore climate change. Two of the three islands, including the main one where nearly all the population live, are extremely low-lying, located in an active hurricane zone, and partly dependent on dive tourism and hence healthy coral reefs. The possible threats are therefore significant. So Cayman should be making plans now, not waiting until it seriously feels the effects.

So what is this country doing to prepare? The simple answer is “not yet enough”. There is an excellent Department of Environment who do their best to spread the word (the director last week wrote at some length in the local papers challenging those who still believe climate change is not an issue or is not urgent).

Gradually awareness is growing among others, including politicians (there was welcome mention, albeit low-key, of an adaptation strategy in the government’s recent budget policy statement). Hopefully climate change will from the start be fully factored into a national planning exercise which the new government of McKeeva Bush is undertaking.

The UK is trying to help. DfID is funding a project to help the Overseas Territories work up adaptation strategies – Cayman government departments and my office are closely involved. FCO has also commissioned an expert report on how sea level rise might affect the Cayman Islands. I am hoping to put this on our website later this month.

Responding to readers' comments

2009-10-06T18:38:18+01:00

A comment posted on this blog asked why I am doing the blog. A recent editorial in one of Cayman’s newspapers also seemed to question the purpose – a paper which has criticised me in the past for not saying enough publicly.

As I said in the very first blog entry in May the purpose is to communicate better with people, primarily in the Cayman Islands – to let them know what their governor thinks, to explain what a governor actually does (and doesn’t do), and to get feedback. I am gratified that a lot of people are now visiting the site and several are leaving comments or speaking directly to me about what I have written (every word is written by me personally and not dictated to me by anyone else).

Two criticisms that have appeared in posted comments are that, first, my blog is full of generalities, and, second, that my recent piece on Cayman’s media was trying to stop people from expressing their views.

The first point was in the context of the debate around Cayman’s public finances and possible taxation. My answer: it is not for a governor to prescribe exactly what Cayman should do in this respect – that’s what voters here elect their leaders to decide. But it is not unreasonable to explain why in my view something new has to be done to broaden the government’s revenue base so that this country can not only service its debt but also handle any problems in the future.

The second criticism, which was also aired on one of the talk shows, is not fair. I state clearly that I am against censorship and for the ability of people to set out their views. Government, including governors, need to hear people’s frustrations as well as their suggestions how we can improve things. What I do not like is when divisive or even abusive or libellous comments are made on talk shows and especially other blogs hiding behind anonymity.

While I understand why it happens I find it sad that so many people want to remain anonymous. But I suppose that is better than saying nothing at all, provided the callers and posters avoid offensive remarks. One of the things I really like about Caymanians is that they are straight talkers but also courteous – why not be the same on the blogs?

On another blog I found a further criticism that my blog had not carried a comment they had posted. I am not aware that our webmaster has ever binned any critical comments as such. But we do not upload offensive remarks, spam or – for reasons of space – excessively long comments.

Lets celebrate our senior citizens

2009-10-06T18:23:53+01:00

My blog yesterday was about encouraging the younger generation in Cayman to work hard to compete in the global market. Older generations of Caymanians certainly did work hard and this month we celebrate their contribution to the development of these islands.

October is Month of Older Persons and one of the first events is always a tea party at Government House hosted by the Governor and his wife. As well as old friends meeting up and reminiscing about the good old mosquito-ridden days there is always some traditional Caymanian music, singing and dancing. Even the Governor gets involved - this time as technically a senior citizen myself, with a few more grey hairs added during my time in Cayman to prove it.

The entitlement culture

2009-10-05T22:28:52+01:00

On Saturday the Cayman Islands Society of Professional Accountants held their annual awards dinner for young Caymanians who had acquired accountancy qualifications.

An excellent and forthright speech was given by the guest speaker, Canover Watson, a Caymanian who has worked himself up to Managing Director of a multi-billion funds administration company and who two years ago received the prestigious Young Caymanian Leadership Award.

Canover criticised the entitlement culture that pertains among some Caymanians – the belief that if someone is Caymanian and especially if they have a degree or professional diploma they are entitled by right to a good job or to promotion. He pointed out that young Caymanians like the ones being celebrated at Saturday’s event were not competing just against foreign work permit holders in Cayman but in a global market against people around the world (he mentioned India which he had just visited). To succeed, like he had, they had to be ambitious and work hard.

Canover is right – as people I spoke to at the event all agreed. Government should do its best to give people in Cayman opportunities through education. It can restrict work permits to jobs where there is no suitable local who is capable and willing. As in the civil service efforts can – and should - be made to develop local people so that they can compete successfully for higher level jobs; and where a Caymanian and a foreigner compete for a job and are both equally good preference should go to the Caymanian.

But here as in most of the rest of the world people have to earn their job and earn their promotion, not expect it by right. That is particularly important in a service-based economy like the Cayman Islands where success depends on having the best people. I am sure most employees and even more so employers understand that. But not it seems all.

Throne Speech

2009-10-02T20:27:31+01:00

In Britain in The Queen’s Speech the government’s programme for the next year are set out. In Cayman they emulate this practice. In the Throne Speech the governor both speaks about his own areas of responsibility such as law and order and sets out the elected government’s main plans for the forthcoming year. This is one of the rare occasions when the governor is allowed into the Legislative Assembly.

I delivered the Throne Speech today (text can be found at www.ukincayman.fco.gov.uk). In my section I announced that the new Constitution would take effect on Friday 6 November (except for the human rights chapter that would wait another 3 years). One of my – familiar - themes was the need for the Cayman Islands to adapt to change and plan for a sustainable future.

Should some serious cases be tried without a jury?

2009-10-02T20:02:00+01:00

Cayman’s Police Commissioner, David Baines, this week gave a powerful talk to the local Chamber of Commerce. He pointed out that crime was not as bad as popular impressions might suggest – some offences like assaults had actually reduced. There had been a spike in burglaries this year but special police burglary teams are getting a handle on this (and the levels of burglaries remain much better than many countries).

The numbers of murders, 6 so far this year, are unchanged from 2008 and robberies are down. But the use of guns and type of violence involved are of concern. Only a small number of criminals are responsible and the police know who they are. The biggest problem is securing convictions. In this small community people are afraid to come forward as witnesses or, as members of the jury, to find violent men guilty.

Commissioner Baines argued that we should look at witness anonymity and judge only trials. I agree we must explore these options but we must also take care over safeguards if exceptions are made to the normal rules of criminal trials. Cayman’s new Constitution does not include a requirement for trial by jury, though this was vigorously debated during the negotiations on the Constitution.

Tax havens and economic stability

2009-09-25T19:47:46+01:00

Please read FCO Minister’s comments in the Guardian

The Minister responsible for the Overseas Territories in the British Government, Chris Bryant, has today written a piece in the Guardian on line, which should be of particular interest to people in Cayman (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/25/british-overseas-territories-tax-havens). The Minister praises the efforts of OT offshore centres to comply with international tax standards. He notes that the Cayman Islands have been elected to the OECD steering group dealing with these matters. He writes: "These are countries committed to meeting internationally recognised finance standards and taking on increasing responsibility for oversight of international financial regulation, and well on the way to throwing off the "tax haven" label".

Chris Bryant also expresses sympathy for the economic difficulties that the OTs are facing and talks of the need to weigh up the understandable wish to stimulate economic activity with the ability to service a much higher debt burden. Referring specifically to Cayman and Anguilla he calls for strategies to rein in public expenditure and/or raise revenue.

…and try to understand the UK’s thinking

These comments by the Minister – which I would encourage people to read in full – give lie to the suspicions sometimes expressed in Cayman (for example again on this morning’s talk show) that the British Government is trying to destroy Cayman’s financial services industry by demanding new taxes. I have myself on the talk show called this conspiracy theory “rubbish”, a strong word for a mildly spoken governor.

The reason Chris Bryant is calling for a broadening of the government’s revenue base is to ensure that borrowing (which in practice might include PFI-type deals) can be paid back and that government revenue is better able to deal with future shocks and a changing world (including in the financial services industry). As evidenced in other OTs like Bermuda some form of direct taxation does not prevent a country from being a successful offshore centre. At the same time the UK is calling for the OTs to keep up with evolving international tax and regulatory standards, as Cayman indeed says it is determined to do.

Cayman must think about the future and be prepared to change

For Cayman to remain both prosperous and a pleasant place to live it needs to adapt to changing circumstances. That goes for the way government operates and funds itself. Change is often painful but necessary. As a recent editorial in the Cayman Compass argued, the pain should be distributed as widely and fairly as possible and not just on one or two industries or sections of the community. The civil service cannot be immune, for example.

It is for a country’s elected leaders to point the way and take difficult decisions based on careful consideration of the policy options and a long term vision. As the Leader of Government Business, McKeeva Bush, revealed on the talk show this morning, the Cabinet in Cayman has decided to draw up a national plan that will encompass the economy, social issues and the environment. I have advocated for some time such a long term plan or “sustainable development strategy”. We never quite got there during the last 3 years; hopefully we now will.

Equality through democracy: celebrating women's suffrage

2009-09-24T15:40:37+01:00

Yesterday marked exactly 50 years since women first voted in Cayman following the adoption of the islands’ first constitution two months earlier. Yesterday a set of postage stamps to commemorate these two anniversaries was launched at Government House (the Governor’s residence).

Women have always played a large role in Cayman: during the period when many men were away at sea for months and years on end they largely ran the country as well as, of course, managed their families. But they only got the vote after a campaign started by 24 women who signed a petition in 1948.

Two of the three surviving signatories came for the stamp launch and the members of the family of the third also attended. The three ladies are represented by three hands holding pens in one of the stamps. Life has moved on a lot over the last 50 years and four of the Speakers of the Legislative Assembly have been women.

A little light relief in a good cause

2009-09-23T22:34:29+01:00

Recently I seem to have written only about serious subjects. As I type this blog entry contacts are continuing between the Cayman Islands Government and the FCO in London about the serious problem of Cayman’s public finances; and heavy rain this week has put a damper on lots of things like the ceremony tomorrow at which I was going to present long service medals to policemen, firemen and prison officers. So time for a little light relief, particularly in a good cause.

Last Saturday I was asked to be one of four local “celebrity chefs” and to prepare a dish for a fund raiser for the Humane Society held at the Lighthouse, one of Cayman’s best restaurants. With my limited cooking skills that was a real joke. But everyone was very polite about my beetroot and goats cheese salad (even the regular chef – well, maybe!).

Good and not so good in Cayman's media

2009-09-22T21:04:33+01:00

Some interesting articles in Cayman’s newspapers

Each of Cayman’s newspapers raised interesting issues in their latest editions. The editorial in yesterday morning’s Compass talks about the need for new taxation to sort out the public finances. Having noted that someone has got to pay despite opposition from vested interests it argues that every adult of working age and every household must share the burden. The editorial concludes: “If the territory must impose new taxes or fees, it should be done in a fair way so as not impact any particular group or groups inordinately”. I do not always agree with the Compass but on this occasion they make some telling points.

I am not certain about some of the stuff in Cayman NetNews’ editorial yesterday, but it did usefully look forward to the Anti Corruption Law that is coming into effect in January. This will create a much tougher regime for anyone involved with the public service.

On a similar tack Sunday's edition of the weekly Observer (the Cayman-based newspaper) looked at the implications for Cayman of the problems in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It finished by picking up a point I had made in this blog about the need for greater transparency of political funding.

But also some disturbing trends in the media

Talk shows and blogs play an increasing role in forming public opinion in Cayman as in many other countries. That is great in that more people have a say (see my earlier blog on participatory democracy).

But I have been disturbed, recently in particular, by the tone of some of the anonymous free for all in some of Cayman’s media. Criticism (including of myself) is fine. But some of the comments pit one part of the community against another, and sometimes crudely. Some might even fall foul of incitement laws in the UK or other jurisdictions – or possibly libel law here. I personally have no truck with divisive rhetoric and in particular expressions of racial intolerance by and against whatever nationalities or ethnic groups.

No to censorship

That doesn’t mean I favour censorship in Cayman, I do not. We can hope for responsible reporting and moderation of postings to blogs and talk shows to eliminate offensive material. Self-regulation of the media along the lines of the UK’s Press Complaints Commission has also been suggested. That would be fine if the media themselves buy into the idea. As a look at the Commission’s website (www.pcc.org.uk) and its code of conduct shows it is largely about protecting individual members of the public. That could include individual politicians, but it is not there to protect the government from criticism.

Government in my view should only intervene in rare circumstances like national security or public morals, but there too only when really necessary and subject to safeguards. Otherwise it just has to put up with criticism, however unfair that may sometimes seem, as a fact of political life. In a democracy like Cayman politicians are free to defend their policies and actions through the media and, if an individual feels he or she has been libelled, to defend their reputation through the courts.

Prisons are about both protecting the public and rehabilitating offenders

2009-09-18T17:46:13+01:00

After a prisoner allegedly murdered a girl while he was working at Cayman’s prison farm I set up an independent enquiry into the arrangements for prisoners working outside the prison. Yesterday I released the report (see http://ukincayman.gov/) done by a Caymanian lawyer, Orren Merren.

This was reassuring in that he found that prison arrangements were generally sound. He did however recommend closure of the farm. He also made a lot of other recommendations to increase the chances of rehabilitation of prisoners.

The first responsibility of prisons is to protect the public and therefore keep prisons secure. But if they don’t also provide the programmes that facilitate rehabilitation more members of the public will become victims of ex-prisoners who go on to commit further offences. Without the cooperation of the community, for example by providing employment, we can neither prevent young people starting out on a career of crime nor prevent ex-prisoners from re-offending.

Cayman’s special athletes excel again

2009-09-18T17:36:43+01:00

One of the Special Olympics athletes in the photo in my blog of 3 September has just come third in an international open water swimming competition in California involving a field of 800 including Olympic swimmers. Congratulations to Andrew Smiley!

Fish Tea

2009-09-17T04:51:15+01:00

The Cayman Islands have an excellent National Trust that aims to preserve both local culture and environment. Last night they re-launched a collection of tales for children called “Fish Tea” (a local fish-based soup/stew).

These entertaining tales get across messages about, for example, the importance of the mangroves for protection against hurricanes, or describe how people lived in the past – their customs and values.

The philosophy underlying this book is clearly stated: “For the Preservation of the Past and the Promise of the Future”. In other words future generations – the young people of today – need to appreciate what in Cayman’s human and natural history makes this country special in order to ensure a happy and sustainable future. I wonder if enough of the current generation of adults understand this.

5th Anniversary of Hurricane Ivan

2009-09-12T03:14:50+01:00

This weekend marks five years since Hurricane Ivan devastated Grand Cayman. Already when I arrived a little more than a year later there had been a remarkable recovery.

Physically few obvious scars now remain – though the numbers of trees will take a long time to grow back – and the National Recovery Fund is just finishing off repairs to the last of the houses damaged by Ivan. But scratch the surface and the psychological effects, the remains of the trauma, are still there.

The speed of recovery demonstrates the resilience and penchant for hard work that you find in Cayman. Cayman Brac, the second island, is also recovering incredibly quickly from Hurricane Paloma less than a year ago.

The lessons of these disasters have largely been learnt (though when I arrived 4 years ago that was not yet the case with government hurricane plans). We still have to fight complacency, which soon appears once a season has gone by without a bad event. In the messages that I and others are issuing today we are calling on people not to neglect their hurricane preparations just in case…

Crime doesn't pay

2009-09-11T18:04:22+01:00

Last week a former, now reformed British gangster was in Cayman at the invitation of one of the churches. John Pridmore went round the schools spreading the message, from his own experience, that a life of crime leads nowhere – apart from prison and possibly an early death.

We have just had another horrific shooting here. The police and hopefully the courts will get to the bottom of that particular incident. I wish that that small part of this generally law-abiding community who get involved with guns would learn the lessons of people like John.

Participatory democracy in the Cayman Islands

2009-09-10T20:26:43+01:00

Democracy in the Cayman Islands will be healthier the more people that participate in one form or another. The most fundamental form of participation is voting in elections and referenda – as we saw in May there is always an encouragingly high turn out.

A lot of local people also give service through membership of the boards of statutory authorities and government-owned companies or those that deal, for example, with immigration or planning approvals. Or through involvement in non-governmental organisations, many of which offer policy ideas to government as well as services to the public and can sometimes contribute to the checks and balances (notably the Human Rights Committee). The churches play a big role.

Keep the ideas flowing

The problems of the economy and public finances in Cayman present some serious challenges. But there has been at least one positive to come out of this: lots of individual members of the public as well as representatives of various interests and groups – from the Chamber of Commerce to the Civil Service Association – have come up with ideas how to make government more efficient, save money and increase revenue, or how not to. The talk shows, blogs and newspaper letter columns have been full of suggestions and healthy debate. Some suggestions and comments have come in response to this blog too.

I welcome this outpouring of comments, whether or not I personally agree with each one. And I believe that it is beholden on government to look at the many ideas, even if of course some are more realistic than others.

The anonymity of callers to the talk shows and contributors to blogs enables more people to speak up. I understand the difficulty in a small community of openly criticising people or organisations. I would like to see as many people as possible have their say, including – with certain conditions – civil servants (see my response to a reader’s comment on my blog for 11 August). But it would be better if more people felt they did not have to rely on anonymity. I sometimes do not feel totally comfortable when anonymity seems to allow of slanderous comments and a lack of civility that goes beyond the informality of these media or goes

against the usual standards of Caymanian courtesy.

In some cases, in putting forward suggestions and comments, vested interests are fighting their corner. That is natural enough and a common feature of a democracy but the more openly and transparently it is done – rather than behind closed doors or clothed in anonymity – the better.

The new Constitution

It is for the country’s elected representatives and in particular the elected government to lead and take decisions on most subjects and in doing so one would expect them to act in the broad national interest. Under the new Constitution, which I hope to bring into force before I leave at the end of November, there will be a further shift of responsibility to them, and quite rightly so.

But there is another feature of the new Constitution which has not had the attention it deserves. As part of stronger checks and balances members of the public will sit on new independent bodies such as those that deal with the Constitution or human rights or that appoint judges. A new Commission for Standards in Public Life will have a wide remit, including how the government boards I mentioned earlier are appointed and how everyone involved in government conduct themselves.

Hopefully the new advisory district councils will also result in greater public participation in running the country, though it may take a while to set these up.

Customer service in the public sector

2009-09-04T05:54:52+01:00

Yesterday we launched the third annual Governor’s Five Star Award for Customer Excellence, a scheme I set up to recognise and encourage good customer service by civil servants in the Cayman Islands.

It has been gratifying just how many nominations we had in the first two years and just how many different departments were involved. The recipients of the top awards varied from someone on the counter in Immigration and another working at the tourist information desk at the airport to a school secretary and one of government’s press officers. In each case the nominations included impressive stories of civil servants providing really excellent service (see www.face.gov.ky).

In present difficult circumstances we are asking civil servants to do more, so it is even more important to recognise their hard work. I am hoping for a lot of nominations again this year.

Special Olympics

2009-09-03T21:43:43+01:00

In August two members of the Kennedy family died: Senator Edward Kennedy and Eunice Kennedy Shriver. This past weekend when his funeral took place much was said in the media about the Senator. Eunice Shriver also left an important heritage. She was the founder of Special Olympics, the international movement that encourages sport for people with intellectual disabilities. For some years I have, largely in my own time, tried to support organisations working with the disabled – in Russia, in Japan, and now in the Cayman Islands – in particular those involved with the intellectually disabled.

Cayman has an excellent Special Olympics organisation. I am their Patron and try to go to as many of their events as I can. One of the most positive changes in this country that I have witnessed during my time in the Cayman Islands has been the growing acceptance of people with intellectual and other disabilities, who in the past might have been hidden away.

There was widespread rejoicing when Cayman’s team brought home a number of gold medals from the 2007 Special Olympics World Games in China. Rotaract, the youth section of Rotary, has held an annual event celebrating the disabled and those who work with them, which I have enjoyed attending. A remarkable young man who works at the special school which the disabled attend was given the prestigious “Young Caymanian Leadership Award”. And the new Constitution adopted this year bans discrimination on the basis of disability.

There is still a lot to do, such as a better day-care and training facility, but Cayman is heading in the right direction.