Letters to the Editor
Her Majesty's $20 Million 'Paradise'Prison Proposal
Dear Sir:
After reading the Wednesday's issue of anotherlocal newspaper, I felt the need to voice my concerns regardingthe front-page editorial labeled 'New prison proposal: $20M'.
The article stated, 'Around $20M may have to be found if Caymanwants to implement proposals in a new report designed to try andovercome the country's controversial prison problem'. Should theword, "may" have been replaced with "will"?
I am totally fed up with the thoughtlessness of the decision-makersof this country. When will they start to have some concern forthe Caymanian community along with our Country?
The Prison situation has been an ongoing one for quite some timenow and they were very much aware of the situation before therecent 'uprising' took place. Had something been done about thesituation when they had knowledge of the problem, maybe the Prisonsituation would not have reached the state it did allowing theprison to be partially down.
So, help me understand this. The Prisoners at Northward burneddown the Prison, and now money is needed to rebuild it, or, asstated, "to try to overcome the Country's controversial prisonproblem". Therefore, if this is what is needed to overcomethe prison problem, then it will probably be proceeded with inan effort to curb the problem. So in the end the prisoners willend up with a brand new facility to spend their time in. Nevermind that they burned the facility they previously had.
I am aware of the fact that there was overcrowding within theprison, however, suggestions were put forward regarding this issueand disregarded. I will suggest that something be establishedwith the country (s) whose nationals are living in our countryas prisoners to somehow repatriate them back to their countriesto serve prison time there.
Some sensible and professional computer system should also beset up with our Immigration Department so that pictures of theindividuals will also appear with names, should they try againto re-enter the country under false pretenses.
Frankly, I don't see why what little bit of money I make has tobe shared with the prisoners. We all end up paying for their stayhere. The money that is used to accommodate them here could beused to help build the proposed 'Ritz Carlton' up at Northward.
By the way, why are we building a brand new prison? Although overcrowded,and had it not been burned down, could expansions not have beendone to control this problem? Furthermore, had the prisoners notburned the current one, the facilities would have still been thereand the need for a new one would not have been such a dire one.
Why are we not just providing the material for the prisoners tobuild back their facilities? They eagerly build homes for individualsin the community, therefore, they can build their own. After all,it was them who burned it. No, instead we house them at the civiccenters and everywhere else we could that doesn't have the sufficientspace and facilities to house them and put other lives in danger.
The weekend that the prison was burned was a rainy weekend. Whywere they busing them out of Northward? As some old folks wouldsay, "you make your bed, you lie in it". They burneddown their shelter, and we bus them out to find another placeof shelter.
Am I missing something here? They should have been made to allcongregate out in the prison yard in the rain. They should havebeen taught a lesson. After all, had they been living like normalcitizens and not trafficking drugs, murdering the honest citizensof the country, and doing whatever else they're in there for,they would have not been in the cramped facilities.
When are we going to start treating these individuals as prisoners?Not that we have to be cruel to them after all they are human,however, they also need to understand that you did wrong so thereforeyou pay for your wrong. These are the consequences.
Come on people, crime is rising tremendously in our Country andinstead of "nipping it in the bud", we decide to buildmore prison space. WAKE UP PEOPLE! This is no time for rest.
Another point I would like to voice is the location of the prison.The prison is located in a residential area. To the powers thatbe, do you think this is safe? Have you even given it a thought?Do we have to wait for another uprising to get something done?If families of the Government officials resided in the Northward/BoddenTown area how soon would it then be done?
I don't know if they (Northward/Bodden Town residents) realizeit, but that is not a safe environment at all. The Governmentfailed to point out to the residents long after the fact, thatthey were not in control of the prison situation and to this dayI believe they still aren't in control of it. Can they be trustedwith something of this magnitude, should it happen again?
Where is this Country going? With crime on the rise and Governmentholding our lives in their hands (Please be advised that thisis not a very good place to be). What will we do? We cannot affordto live here. Cost of living is rising everyday. We are not makingthe salaries to accommodate these high costs. Where will we go?Can we go to anyone else's country? Will we be eagerly acceptedas others coming here have been?
If changes are not made, and we continue to be misinformed thenwe will have no choice. Taxes, (yes taxes), for those of you whostill believe there are no "Taxes" in this Country,will raise. Although a proposal at this time, in the long runwe will have to pay for this $20M dollar 'hotel'. Just as wellwe call it something like 'Her Majesty's Paradise Hotel'.
I don't know about you others, what I do know is that I cannotafford to accommodate another 'Ritz Carlton' on the salary I ampaid. The Acting Former Prison Director can propose whatever hewishes because individuals like him won't be affected. He hadhis utilities paid and collected a large salary (to import moreEnglish Nationals). Do you think he is the least bit concernedwith the prison? Yet he suggests that we pay more money to livehere so the prisoners can live better than we can.
Caymanians and Residents alike, it is time to come together andstand up for what we believe in. Our Government is not the leastbit concerned with the people of this country. If they were, theywould have advised us truthfully on the White Paper and OECD issues.We still have not yet received the whole truth. The Governor himself,sitting here as the representative and spokesperson of Her Majesty'sGovernment in the UK, would only tell us what the British Governmentwants us to know.
We need to WAKE UP! Cayman is not as it was years gone by. Stopliving for yesteryear, and start by living for today.
Yours sincerely,
Lolita Ebanks