National issues dominate Chamber forum

Bodden Town candidates face the firing line at the first
CICC District Candidates Forums

Thursday, April 7, 2005

Unions, health and transparency in Government were all matters for debate at the first of eleven District Candidates’ Forums, hosted by the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce (CICC).

Held on Wednesday 4 April at Savannah Primary School, Bodden Town People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) candidates, Osbourne Bodden and Charles Clifford joined their United Democratic Party (UDP) counterparts, Roy Bodden and Mark Scotland to face ten questions posed by Forum moderator and CICC CEO, Wil Pineau.

Among the questions that offered the most interesting answers for the evening was one on trade unions. The PPM candidates and Mr Scotland stated their reservations about having the institution here in the Cayman Islands.

“The new employment law makes provisions to advance the interest of employees and to settle disputes,” Mr Scotland said.

“Unions will have to be properly regulated but the fact that they can bring business and commerce to a standstill is a concern,” Mr Clifford opined.

Following on the line taken by his counterpart, Osbourne Bodden said, “There are drawbacks such as militancy and deadlock in the workforce, but the PPM would take the matter to the people for consultation.”

Hon. Roy Bodden, however, pointed out that trade unions have offered one of the best systems to take Government out of the unenviable position of being the arbitrator in disputes. 

Mr Bodden also pointed out that human rights advocates believe in the right of employees to get together. Additionally, he spoke about the development of trade unions over the years, which made them not as “strict on striking” and more interested in social advancement. 

He added “It is always better when both parties in any dispute have their own representation.” However, Mr Bodden stopped short of a complete nod on the issue by saying, “When the student is ready the teacher will appear.”

The question on the UDP government’s “number one success and number one failure” was one of those that brought audience noise and subtle digs at the incumbents from the opposing candidates, that supplied the only few moments of out-of-turn chatter to what were exceedingly orderly proceedings throughout the whole evening.

Mr O Bodden said: "The government has tackled some difficult issues but a lot that they have touched has been messed up.” The lack of a consultative approach on issues was, for Mr Bodden, the Government’s number one failure.

In essence, Mr R Bodden agreed with his opponent on his latter points saying that the government’s number one failure was not being, “Respectful of opinions in the minority” and that decisions were made which “seemed to be springing from unilateral action.” On the government’s success Mr Bodden said:

“The government did well with the economy, so well that it had $80 million that it could draw on after Hurricane Ivan hit the country.”

Mr Clifford identified the Government’s decision to keep Cayman Airways as its number one success – pointing out that this was a decision in which he himself was involved. He said that he would name the greatest failure as being in the health services sector where “the government has compromised the health of the entire country with its failure to manage the Health Services properly and have most of the Services’ key personnel resign.”

“Against the enormous challenges presented during the government’s tenure such as the terrorist attacks and their effect on tourism, Hurricane Ivan and other challenges, the government has engineered the recovery of the Islands very well,” Mr Scotland said. “The number one failure of the government was in the area of meeting the needs for expanded infrastructure in the Islands,” he added.

Another question that created a hum throughout the room was “should politicians be able to chair statutory authorities?”

All respondents replied in the negative. Mr Clifford said that politicians chairing these authorities “undermined the checks and balances built into the finance law.”

Mr Scotland acknowledged that the UDP, has in Government had situations when Ministers chair authorities. “So, in keeping with the tenets of public accountability and the finance law, my answer to this question is no.”

Mr O Bodden spoke about the level of interference that this would cause in the proper running of such entities, while Mr R Bodden sought to separate himself from any actions of the kind within his party saying, “I am a stickler for transparency.”

He continued by pointing out that he did not make himself Chairman of the Educational Council and there are no situations relating to his Ministry where this question could be raised. “Politicians must not only be innocent but be seen to be innocent,” he said.

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