EDITORIAL

Admitting mistakes is good governance

Wednesday,  November 16, 2005

Two major issues initiated by our current Government are decisions that are dividing the country and causing concern in various quarters. Therefore it may be time for the Government to hold up its hands and admit it could have been wrong.

The two issues both of which have been picked up by the international media, are tarnishing the Cayman Islands’ reputation abroad, and both too could prove detrimental to our economy.

For anyone who may have missed them, the issues are the introduction of a visa for Jamaicans traveling to the Cayman Islands and the decision not to allow extensions on dancing and drinking on New Year’s Eve.

Across the world people are laughing at this country because we may be the only democratic nation in the West where tourists and residents alike will not be bringing in the New Year.

Meanwhile people are accusing us of bigotry, racism and discrimination.

Even if we don’t care what the world thinks of us, we should care about the potential damage these two things could do to our economy.

If there has been an error of judgment in both cases, the situation could be rectified and admitted short-sightedness, in politics, is also part and parcel of a transparency in a true democracy.

No government ever gets it right all the time. All governments make bad decisions, but the best governments are those that acknowledge that and re-address those decisions.

From the airlines to supermarkets, the business community is seriously worried about the long-term detrimental impact the introduction of visas for Jamaicans will have on the commercial sector.

And the decision not to make an exception to the Sunday Music and Dance Law for New Year’s Eve has also raised enormous concern among the hospitality sector.

In both cases there are lots of compelling arguments for the Government to reconsider mandate.

Yet, at the most recent press briefing the Cabinet was standing firm over both and dismissed the arguments being made for the Government to reconsider.

Sometimes, decisions are made for what appear to be the right reasons.

In this case crime and tradition were the major considerations and both are fundamentally good reasons on which to base initiatives.

However the unintended consequences have to be considered and there are many negative results because of these decisions.

In both cases, issues have arisen after the decisions were made that perhaps Government did not take into consideration.

Did they think that the decline in visitors each weekend from Jamaica might have a serious detrimental impact on the supermarkets?

Did they think that the decision would have the world’s press accusing us of racism?

When deciding not to make an exception over the Sunday Dance law, did they think how detrimental that would be on the already struggling tourist sector?

Did the Government really consider the fact that New Year’s Eve is normally the night that offers the largest income for owners of licensed premises and how much losing those takings will mean to local businesses here?

Is it possible that not all potential outcomes were considered when these two decisions were made?

If so due consideration of the consequences that these two initiatives have generated should now be given.

If the Government still feels that it can justify its decisions even after it considers the problems it has generated by them, then so be it – but not to reconsider and look at the possibility they may be wrong is quite simply a case of a naive administrative call and not good politics.   

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