Highlightsfrom the Print Newspaper edition - Issue No. 90
Updated as of |Saturday, 23 June 2001| 10:37 PM
A Notefrom the Publisher:
Dear Friends-
UpFront
Editorial
Letters
Business
Community
Up Front
Immigration Irritation
Fear and arbitrarypower by officers - in addition to insecurity of tenure createinstability
The Government of the day was electedon their repeated campaign promises of settling the myriad ofImmigration issues facing the country today, a disappointing displayof transparency and lack of accountability in reducing the costof living - which are all now playing havoc with people's livesand the local economy, now at the lowest point anyone can recallin the modern history of the Cayman Islands
Reports flowing across the land from justabout every quarter, have been nothing more than gloom for a tremendousamount of businesses large and small and individualswho are suffering from the lack of confidence in today's sad stateof affairs, which are compounding already imposed wounds thatare beginning to appear and seems hopeless of recovering.
Cayman Net News,by the evidence of its inconsistency of publishing schedule, hasitself fallen prey to similar woes which have beset our community,because of a depleted cash flow and staff resource, because ofattrition, their insecurity of the publication's continuity -as well as instances of poaching.
As difficult as it has been, the publisherand his limited staff of four down from 11, have managedto put out a newspaper once a week up to three weeks ago. However,we were forced to skip an edition last week and have struggledto put out this issue. We have done so because we have ralliedagainst the naysayers against the breath of fresh air we havebrought to local media because of our efforts.
We will rally on to preserve our faithfulreaders and advertisers who have stood up gallantly to supportour well read and respected newspaper.
Several of the business owners in the communitywe are in contact with on a daily basis are quite concerned abouttheir future. And they have all requested anonymity for this report,expressing fear that they will be victimized by Immigration ifthey will speak out in any way, particularly in connection withthe state of the country's economy. One of these who arrived inthe Cayman Islands at the age of two, now nearing fifty has beengranted a temporary work permit to operate his business.
Cayman Net News,as well as other businesses, have also been subjected to victimizationin the past and present by Immigration decisions - both the Administrativeand Appointed Board bodies of this entity - based strictly onthe perception of officers. In a number of cases they have beenwrong in denying us permits, relying on their inflexibility oftheir own perceptions rather than fact. We were sent indirectwarnings that we should cut our rhetoric by the previous GovernmentAdministration. There was also the short-lived attempt to imposeduty on our newspaper, which is printed overseas.
"We did not bend then and we do notintend to do so now," says Mr. Desmond Seales, MBE, publisherand Editor in Chief of Cayman Net News. "What we willdo is to continue bringing to the attention of the public at large,all matters which should be presented for public discussion andparticipation."
What continues to be a vexing problem, isthat these very officers blame the present system which allowsthem to make people's lives miserable, on the dictates of archaicand inconsiderate directives of past Executive Council membersand in-attention by the present day members, who in turn arguethat a succession of past Governments are responsible for thepresent Immigration fiasco.
While there are many situations that maywarrant a display of Immigration's inflexibility, it certainlydoes not require them applying a broad brush to the entities thatare doing everything possible to educate the problems broughton by the present economic slowdown.
While trying to confirm a report that thereis a proliferation of one-way airline tickets being purchased,Cayman Net News has learnt that there is a significantincrease in outbound freight and it is not because of aninundation of Rum Cakes. As a matter of fact, it has been learntthat storage and moving companies are so impacted they are runningout of space.
The Cayman Islands has been able to overcomemany bouts of economic downturns. The timing of this period isbeing monitored very carefully by present investors.
Says one frustrated business owner: "Theonly hope for recovery and sustainability of the Cayman Islandsfor the future, is for Government Administrators or decision makers,to come to the reality that even though an average of 150 WorkPermits are issued weekly, there seems to be an exodus a significantnumber of disenchanted residents."
Up Front
Cayman'Gone Clear' - removed from FATF's Blacklist
Cayman Islands government officials andoperators in the private sector are a much relieved group afterlearning that the country has been removedfrom the list of countriesdeemed non-cooperative in the fight against money laundering.
In June of last year, the Financial ActionTask Force (FATF), an arm of the world's rich nations group Organisationfor Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), named the Caymanamong a number of other financial and tax-free jurisdictions withinsufficient laws aimed at fighting money laundering and threatenedputting out an advisory to its own institutions about dealingwith these labeled territories if things were not changed.
At a press conference held by the the Leaderof Government Business, the Hon. Kurt Tibbetts, withe other membersof Cayman's negotiating team, Mr. Tibbetts express satisfactionwith this decision by the FATF. However, he could not confirmwhat the FATF's sanctions could have been for Cayman, had theterritory not meet the FATF's 25-point criteria. It has also beensuggested that the addional cost for putting in place the requiredtechnical and staff support should be met jointly by the Governmentand the financial sector.
This could be quite an order for the Governmentwhich has had to arrange a loan of $65 million to meet its projectedshort fall of revenue for the current fiscal year. With the stateof the economy in a downturn, this figure could be escalated byas much as another $30 million.
Last year, the Cayman Islands, as the world'sfifth largest offshore financial centre, responded to the OECD/FATF'sdemands by introducing a series of laws and legal amendments tocover any perceived loopholes in the system and were rewardedwhen the FATF announced on Friday, 22 June that this country isamong only four jurisdictions found to have proper regulationsin place and their names were therefore taken off the list.
"The laws we have are designed to enableour authorities - and financial services providers - to continueto be effective in the
international fight against money laundering. We were well placedto fine-tune these due both to the compliance culture in our industryand to the comprehensive anti-money laundering provisions alreadyin place," said Mr. Tibbetts.
The Bahamas is the only other Caribbeancountry to have its name taken off what was generally regardedas a blacklist. The other two jurisdictions to have their namesremoved from the list are Panama and Liechtenstein.
Meanwhile, other jurisdictions to have beenadded to or remain on the list . They are Cook Islands; Dominica;Egypt; Guatemala; Hungary; Indonesia; Israel; Lebanon; MarshallIslands; Myanmar; Nauru; Nigeria; Niue; Philippines;Russia; St.Kitts and Nevis; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
"We are satisfied that the FATF hasrecognized our actions in response to the 25 evaluation criteriaintroduced in February 2000," said Hon. George McCarthy,Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands. "As a major internationalfinancial centre, we are committed to ensuring that we keep pacewith international standards. We remain focused on the principles,and recognize that our regulatory authorities and financial servicesproviders must remain ever-vigilant."
The FATF said: "The Cayman Islandshas made important progress in terms of implementation of itsnew counter-money laundering regime. It has significantly increasedthe human and financial resources dedicated to
financial supervision and to its financial intelligence unit".
In April of this year, an FATF Review Groupof the Americas, visited here and they were responsible for producingthe progress report on the Cayman Islands, among other countries,by conducting an on-site visit and reported that this country'swas deemed compliant with the criteria used for evaluation.
Tales fromH. M. Northward Prison -Peter Gooden Survived a 'Wake Up Call'
Her Majesty'sPrison in the district of Northward, at times called a 'hotel'- has been a home away from home for convicted felons of manycallings: Accountants, Realtors, Bankers, Ex-Policemen, Ex-ImmigrationOfficers, even Ex-Prison Officers, as well as 'lifers' and a fullretinue of criminals, from 14 to 65. One of those, who was releasedearly and deported, was recently killed in Jamaica following analleged drug transaction, which went wrong.
Accordingto Northward's former prison Chaplain: "there have been andcontinue to be too many recidivists (those who continue to returnto prison)". It is claimed that the lack of rehabilitationprogrammes while incarcerated is also the reason why prisonerswho are not able to cope with society, get back to their old hauntsand eventually, another conviction and jail term.
As the Islands' penal institution, Northward at one time housedclose to an overcrowded 300-plus inmates, which was the reasonfor a riot, which came as a 'wake up call' for the Cayman Islands.Out of the fires of the riot, broken homes and hearts.
One of thosewho is determined not to contribute to the statistics as a recidivistis Peter Gooden. He is our subject for a new exclusive series.Here is his story:
Did you ever have one of those nightmareswhere you're being chased and you can't run, can't scream? Nomatter how you much you shout in your inner mind, you open yourmouth and nothing comes out. You are frozen in place, unable tosave yourself. Scary but it's only a dream. One from which youwill wake and go on with life as usual.
Now imagine this: It's 5:00 a.m., you'resnuggled fast asleep in your bed, suddenly police break into yourhome, yank you out of bed and rip through your place looking forsome kind of evidence. It's like a dramatic scene right out ofthe popular TV show, Cops. But this is no dream and no TV show;it's reality. A stark reality for 33-year-old Peter Gooden whofound himself sentenced to eight years in prison for crime heinsisted he did not commit.
Oh sure, you say, everyone in prison adamantlyprofesses, I didn't do it!
But after spending 31 long months in prison,the courts agreed, there was not enough evidence to prove guilt.On March 23, 2001, Peter O'Neil Gooden walked out of prison afree man.
Lest you think that he believes himselfan innocent victim of circumstance, Peter would be the first totell you he is not. He clearly has a string of offences behindhim. The key words here being: behind him. He freely admitsthat: "I wronged and I can't live in denial but I have tolet go."
Few among us could blame Peter if he werebitter, if he would some how seek retribution against his captorsand those who sentenced him. He spent two and half years in prisonfor a crime he did not commit. Amazingly, Peter is not bitter.Instead this soft-spoken man with gentle green eyes has very strongideas about government and family responsibility toward youthand about improving the penal system.
Peter voraciously researches the Internetreading about prison reform. His ideas are not founded on theoryalone. While incarcerated, Peter implemented a program that trulymade a difference to both inmates and the society at large.
How is that one man headed toward a careerin crime suddenly rehabilitates and another man under similarcircumstances turns into a career criminal? It's a question continuallyasked by psychologists and social workers. There is no one easyanswer.
Peter found his answer in his son, Andreand his mother. He finally grew up and decided he wanted to bea better father and better son. Those are strong motivators tochange, but Peter also understood that he had to change.And change is rarely easy.
Recognizing he needed help, he enrolledin Cayman Against Substance Abuse (CASA) programmes, which taughtvaluable skills like anger and stress management, time managementand parenting techniques. He immersed himself in learning andtransformed his life. Today, he runs his own removal company calledGooden and son. He clearly wants his son to have a different childhoodthan he.
Peter, as he describes it, was a troubledyouth. At age 12, he found himself in reform school in Jamaica.Though a petty crime got him into that situation, he found himselfamongst more hardened criminals. The system did not rehabilitatehim instead he found himself engulfed in a cloud of criminals.Gangs formed, resulting in the Caymanians versus the Jamaicans.
"They stole our soap and shampoo,"recalls Peter, "fights would break out over a cup of Milo."
To survive in this wild dormitory world,he had to defend himself.
Fortunately, Cayman no longer sends waywardyouth to Jamaican reform schools. And fortunately Peter finallyfound a more honourable way to live his life. But it wasn't easy,and according to him the prison system here is vindictive ratherthan reformatory and therefore the recidivism rate is high.
Though there were some projects in place,Peter found they were lacking. Instead of wasting away in prisonwaiting for appeals, Peter decided to do something productive.He had learned some construction skills from his stepfather andwanted to pass on what he knew to others. "It's importantthat people leave prison with some kind of skills," saidPeter, "if you give them a trade, you give them work forlife and they'll have less reason to be criminals."
Peter developed a program called, ANTS,Active Northward Training Scheme. Their motto is working in thecommunity for the community.
"Ants work as a team," explainsPeter, "unity is their strength."
Taking the lead from nature, Peter provedthat inmates could change and become contributing caring membersof society. The ANTS team accomplished a lot in a very short periodof time. In conjunction with an established program called "ProjectPrepare" the ANTS team completed a number of projects, theseare just a few:
Built the Field of Dreams
Built a 3-bedroom home for a needy single mother
Refurbished the Hospice Care facility
Landscaped the playfield for ICCI College
Rebuilt the prison after the 1999 riot
Peter also speaks to youth groups and cautionsthem against placing rappers on pedestal. "You can't leadthe kind of lifestyle those guys rap about," said Peter,"you'll end up dead or in prison."
If you don't believe him, let the recordspeak. Tupac Shakur didn't make past age 25; he was killed ina drive by shooting while heading to a party. Ditto for NotoriousB.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls) who was gunned down in 1997. Andjust this past May, Freaky Tah of the Lost Boyz was murdered executionstyle with a single gunshot into his head. All three of theserappers were under 30 years old when they died. The list of convictionsand offences of other rappers form a lengthy list.
Peter urges youth to build a strong foundationfor themselves and to live their own lives. "Take time toget what you want," said Peter, "if you get it fast,you lose it fast."
Though Cayman is still relatively safe,crime, especially youth crime is on the rise. Burglaries, streetfights and kids carrying machetes and guns are becoming more andmore common. According to Peter, we have to get the kids off thestreets. "The best thing parents can do, "advised Peter,"is spend quality time with their children."
No one would disagree with that, in factexperts preach that kids need guidance and firm limits. He advocatesfor after more school programs be they athletic, musical or artistic.He urges government to get behind Cayman's youth by creating moreof these kinds of programs.
"Very few people who go to prison,"said Peter, "make it when they get out." He calls fora change in how inmates are categorized. Traffic offenders, white-collarcriminals and especially juveniles don't belong with murderersand rapists. Look what happened to him when he was a 12-year-oldin reform school - hardened criminals helped turn a juvenile delinquentinto a repeat offender. Peter had the inner strength to change.Most people don't. And that's why the system needs to change.
According to Peter, community service mightbe a better way to serve time for petty crimes. His ANTS programproved inmates want to be productive members of societyif given the chance. Will all criminals suddenly be squeakyclean if more programs like ANTS are developed? Of course not.But more of them will and that's a start.
Peter talks about marriage and more childrenin the future. But right now his focus is on developing youthprograms and maintaining the ANTS project. He was assured by theGovernor, Mr. Peter Smith that it would continue. Like many worthwhileprogrammes, Peter got help and support for ANTS. His mentors includeofficer Leonard Jervis and Jean Solomon of Project Prepare.
Peter continues to work with ANTS and urgesothers to volunteer their time, money or materials.
"I know what it's like to be down," said Peter, "Idon't ever want to go back, the way I see it now, the sky's thelimit."
Editorial
LongTerm Residency - An Extension of Human
Immigrants to these islands whetherthey are on long or short term permits, play an increasingly decisiverole in this country's present and future economy. Their impacthere is likely to be of intense discussion in the eventual Legislativedebate on the report, which will be submitted by the newly appointedConstitutional Review Commission.
Therefore, any hope of the present lacklusterstate of the economy will not stand a chance of picking up unlessthe present Government issues Executive Directives to the ImmigrationBoard to stabilize the exodus of so many residents who are quitefed up with their continuous annual fear of refusal of a permitto continue working and living here.
The fact that the present Elected ExecutiveCouncil has not prioritized or made any public declaration ofits position on Immigration reform is quite a disappointment tomany of the people they had courted for votes, with their electionpromises unfilled.
The Governor, Mr. Peter Smith, indicatedduring a press briefing a few months ago, that it is his hopethat the enactment of a modernized Constitution will be his prioritybefore leaving office. Taking this cue, this is only less thana year away, if he is to fulfill the normal term of three years.
The possibility, that he will be stayingon for at least another year beyond the term will be a sure indicationthe new Constitution will not be in force until the year 2003 the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the Cayman Islands.It is understood that there are plans for a yearlong celebrationof this milestone.
Meanwhile, one of the burning issues, today,surround the economic significance of immigrants' remittancesbeing sent back home, instead of being spent here. This shouldbe considered as a lack of confidence not necessarily in theirown but rather the Cayman Islands' future.
Last year alone, immigrants in the US sentan estimated $20 billion back to relatives in Latin America andthe Caribbean region, typically in installments of a few hundreddollars a month. This amount is expected to total $300 billionover the next decade.
For Cayman, the arithmetic, therefore, isvery simple. If just 50 percent of the 14,000 work permit holders,are sending a mere $100 per week back to their original home,or keeping same in savings for when they leave, this will amountto $36 million not being spent in the local economy. Taking intoconsideration that the higher income bracket worker could be settingaside up to $1,000 or more per month for repatriation, the figureof funds leaving here could be more in the range of $100 million.That's more than a quarter of the Government's entire budget.
The Cayman Islands immigration policy should not be dictated primarilyby a desire to raise revenue. There are established cases wherebyresidents with the right to work, who are parents of childrenborn to a Caymanian spouse must fork out up to $3,000 per yearfor the right to work.
There are certainly more self-interestedreasons for Caymanians to support healthy levels of immigration.It should be used as a valuable vehicle to help finance and stabilisedevelopment.
But whatever the course of that debate,all categories of work permit holders will continue to send capitalaway from Cayman for the foreseeable future, if nothing is doneto encourage them to spend the money they earn locally locally.
Prioritizing an Immigration policy in orderto enhance the econmy will impact as a vehicle for developmentis a laudable goal.
Should this not be done, it ought to notcome as a surprise that in the like manner the UK Government hadto make an order in Council for the Human Rights legislation,which gave homosexuals the right to have sex between consentingadults, it is possible that an extension of these rights may wellhave to be extended to Immigration as well.
Letters
Dear Sir:
In the late 80's/early 90's Cayman Airwayswas operating 3 planes. In 1992, a new Government was electedand they immediately decided to downsize the Airlines by reducingit to 2 planes only, blaming the past Government for having toomany planes.
About 2 years ago the same Minister forAviation that downsized the Airline finally decided that theyneeded a third plane and they proceeded to purchase one. Theyinspected several planes including a 25-year-old plane in theSaudi Arabia area.
I was told that their Chief Pilot, theirSenior Pilot and other pilots advised the Government not to purchasethat plane but the Minister went against their advice and allegedlytook advice from one of their past foreign managers and the purchasewas concluded.
They paid several million dollars for theplane and flew it down to Central America for refurbishing andby the time it was ready to fly I was told that a total of $11or $12 Million dollars was tied up in this 25-year-old plane thathas over head luggage compartments that cannot accommodate muchmore than a brief case. I must say, the last Government made amuch bigger mess than any other previous Government and it appearsto me that the present Government might be following down thesame pathway.
The present Government made one right moveby hiring an accountant to make a study of the figures for CaymanAirways and I have been told that the figures reveal a loss of$15.3 Million dollars for last year, this is appalling.
Available on Grand Cayman are experiencedairline pilots such as Capt. Joe Mahmood, Capt. Churchhill Bodden,Capt. Kennedy Panton, Capt. Kel Thompsong, Capt. Bing Thompsonand a number of others who I feel sure, would have been glad toadvise the Government on the types of aircraft that might be moresuitable for the operation.
However, rumors have it that they have requestedthe accountant to give them information and recommendations asto the type of aircraft they should be looking at; what a sadstate of affair. Undoubtedly the accountant is qualified in accountingbut having no knowledge of the appropriate aircraft for a particularpurpose. It is said that the 3 aircrafts they now operate, allhave different model cockpits and spare parts for one cannot fitthe other; what wise decision have been made.
It is said that it is being recommendedthat Cayman Airways turn in the 3 jets that they have now at atrade in price of $12 Million dollars for the 3 and either purchaseor lease two 100-seat jets for the Miami/Jamaica run and a 32-seatjet for the Cayman Brac run, how ludicrous.
The flying time from Grand Cayman to CaymanBrac by jet is about 18 minutes and if the accountant can showthem that operating a jet service on such a short flight is economicalthen he is smarter than all the other large airline personnel.
For instance, from Miami to Tampa and tomany other Florida cities, the services are by prop plane as thedistances are too short and not economical for jets. None of theshort routes from city to city are serviced by jets and we wouldbe stupid to believe that a jet service to Cayman Brac is feasible.
Cayman Airways should be closed down andleave the Brac service to Island Air and save $15 Million dollarsa year BECAUSE WE NEED IT to cover some of the $55 Million dollarswe are now borrowing. We are crazy, together with the politicians,if we believe that a jet service between Grand Cayman and CaymanBrac can pay and I believe that Cayman Brac is the only placeon earth with approximately 1000 people that has a jet service.
Following on what has been said above, thepresent Government is not doing much better than the Governmentthey replaced and the people that voted them in are becoming disillusionedand disappointed with their actions.
The actions of the last Government haveleft us in a dreadful state of affair financially. The OECD issuesare playing havoc with the financial industry and the US recessionhas trickled down here and we are in a real mess with very littlehopes of recovering.
Having no sewage in the City of George Townis an accident waiting to happen; just look out in the HogstyBay area in the morning and you will see what I am talking about.The $15 Million dollars loss by Cayman Airways could go far inproviding high-grade city sewage disposal.
Government is paying some $4 to $5 Million-dollarrent for office space and two years rent would construct a largeoffice block for Government and avoid that rental expense. Butthe Government needs business people to make that kind of decision.
In 1992, when the last Government was electedwe had about 1850 civil servants and I am told that by the timethey were kicked out, that figure had just about doubled. If wedo not get a grip on this country in more ways than one, then,we are headed for absolute destruction.
Joe Contie
The Issueof Race "... hits home"
Dear Sir:
I read your net news pieces faithfully everyweek as a method of staying in touch with "home" andI am saddened that it had not been available for a few weeks.
I did want to give you kudos on the editorial"The Issue of Race" and say that it hits home the issuesthat many Caymanians, myself included, have ignored somewhat.I have not been living in Cayman for the past 4 years and I amnot happy to hear from family members that the prejudices haveincreased tremendously.
We have always prided ourselves on beingall 'cut from the same cloth' and I never had an issue with thecolour of someone's skin. In my last position, before leavingCayman, I took great pains and time to orient the new arrivalson the Island to our unique culture and heritage explaining thattheir stay in the Islands could be a memorable experience if theydecided to 'blend' in and not try to force their own culture andbeliefs on the proud local people. Those that were able to dothat have been successful and those who didn't, have not been.
We are treading a very fine line and mustrealize now that the line has been crossed and the 'other' culturesand prejudices are beginning to spread through the Islands likea bad virus.
As a people, we need to take the time toput our arms around our expatriate comrades and let them knowwho we are and how we feel. We also need to remember that prejudiceisn't only about the colour of one's skin!
The racism cannot be tolerated.
Karie Bergstrom
Dear Sir:
As a result of the extremely short noticeof the 50% rise in inland postage rates from 10 cents to 15 cents,many people have a surplus of 10 cents stamp, which can now onlybe used to make up foreign postage.
I have been informed by the Cayman PostOffice, whom I believe also has a large surplus of 10 cent stamps,that there are no plans to introduce a 5 cent stamp.
One way of solving this surplus of 10 centstamps would be for them to be over-printed with the legend 15cents, and sold for 15 cents. This would also generate interestamong Philatelists world-wide.
Peter Wightman
Business
Morritt'sGrand Resort opens Phase One of further development
On Tuesday 15 May 2001, Morritt PropertiesCayman Ltd., the developer of Morritt's Tortuga Club and Resortheld its Opening Ceremony for the Morritt's Grand Resort Phase One.
Around one hundred and fifty guests werepresent for the ceremony including His Excellency The Governor,Mr. Peter Smith; the Minister for Tourism, Environment and Transport,the Honourable Mr. McKeeva Bush; East End MLA, Mr. Arden McLean;Director of Tourism, Mrs. Angela Martins and Permanent Secretaryfor Tourism, Mr. Harding Watler.
Mr. Steven Cummins, Director of Sales, actedas the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Mr. Bush, in his remarks,recognized that it was a step in the right direction to have suchan excellent development expanding in East End away from SevenMile Beach, which is already so developed.
He also added that he was pleased to seea high standard of accommodation in East End provided for thevisitors with discerning taste. Mr. McLean highlighted that itwas good to see a developer promoting the district of East Endand bringing the visitors to "the place that time forgot".
The Resort General Manager, Mr. MichaelEspeut, stated in his remarks that the Morritt's Grand Developmentwould create additional jobs especially for the people in thedistrict of East End and the two neighbouring districts of NorthSide and Bodden Town. He also reinforced his commitment to thetraining and promotion of Caymanians within the Company.
The First Phase of the Morritt's Grand ResortBuilding was dedicated in honour of Mr. David Morritt's father,Mr. George D. Morritt, who, sadly, passed away some weeks priorto the completion of the building. In an emotional speech, DavidMorritt referred to his father as the key person in his life whoprovided the financial and emotional backup for his vision tobuild a first class dream development.
Mr. Frank Connolly, former General Managerat the old Tortuga Club and who today still plays a role at theCompany unveiled the plaque of dedication which is on the frontof the building.
Mrs. Mimi Morritt, Director and the wifeof the developer, also said a few words at the ceremony. Mrs.Morritt was responsible for the interior design of the rooms.She chose a modern colourful Caribbean look and she opted to havedifferent looks within each room.
Mr. Michael Espeut presented Mrs. Morrittwith a plaque on behalf of the Executive Committee of Morritt'sTortuga Club and Resort as a "thank you" for her hardwork in selecting, buying and arranging the furniture and amenitiesfor the rooms.
His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Peter Smith,performed the ribbon cutting and after the ribbon was cut allguests were invited to take a tour of the new building. Thereare significant upgraded changes to the new Morritt's Grand Resort,mainly being that it is entirely built from concrete and willbe able to withstand a category five (5) hurricane.
Additional facilities within the rooms includewasher & dryer, jacuzzi, dishwasher, VCR's, multiple TV's,laptop data port, ceiling fans and an in-room safe.
Following the tour of The Grand Resort,guests were treated to hors d'ouevres and champagne on the outsideocean view patio of Morritt's Tortuga Club and Resort accompaniedby music from Peter Bacon.
CUCAnnounces the Appointment of a new Head of Transmission and Distribution
Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. (CUC)is pleased to announce the appointment of J. Lee Tinney to Vice-PresidentTransmission & Distribution (T&D). Mr. Tinney has beenwith CUC since 1997 and previously held the position of ManagerT&D Planning.
In his new role, Mr. Tinney is responsiblefor the transmission and distribution of a safe and reliable supplyof electricity to CUC's customers. He also oversees the functionsof the Company's T&D Planning, Line Operations and Equipment& Fleet Services departments. In addition, he is responsiblefor the strategic planning of the Company's future transmissionand distribution system requirements, including the construction,operation and maintenance of the system.
Other responsibilities include the trainingand development of the division's current staff, as well as therecruitment of highly competent engineering-based individualsto meet the new challenges of technological advances in a modernutility environment.
Mr. Tinney has acquired over three decades of experience in theelectric utility industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degreein Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University. Heis a registered Professional Engineer and is affiliated with severalprofessional organizations in the field of engineering.
Prior to joining CUC in 1997, he held thepositions of Manager Distribution Operations and Manager Safety,Health & Environment with Mississippi Power & Light Company;Manager Safety & Skills Training at Louisiana Power and LightCompany; and Manager Distribution Safety with Florida Power &Light Company.
Commenting on his appointment Mr. Tinneyremarked: "I am excited about my new role and I look forwardto meeting the challenges of continuing the high reliability ofservice that CUC's customers have grown to expect."
"I congratulate Lee on his promotionand I am confident that he will continue to display the same highlevel of enthusiasm as he performs his new duties," remarkedRichard Hew, CUC's Senior Vice President & General Manager.
Mr. Tinney is originally from Jackson, Mississippiand currently resides in West Bay with his wife Peggy. They aremembers of the First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman and are theparents of two children who reside in the United States with theirfamilies.
Cable& Wireless Introduces Corporate Choice
Cable & Wireless has announced an excitingrange of discounts designed for its business customers. CorporateChoice is being introduced as a direct response to calls fromthe business community for a further reduction in the price ofinternational calls. With the new Corporate Choice plans,business customers can receive savings between 20% and 30% onwhat they spend on international telephone calls on any monthlybill exceeding CI$500.
Customers can choose from 3 CorporateChoice term plans, which will allow them to receive discountsover a period of one to three years. In this way, a business canqualify for between 10% and 30% discount on international calls,depending on its monthly spend on telecommunication services fromCable & Wireless.
Alternatively, a business may sign up forthe Standard Corporate Choice plan, with no contract, andautomatically receive a flat 5% off its bill.
Any business customer becomes eligible fordiscounts with a minimum monthly spend of $500 on any combinationof Cable & Wireless fixed line voice, data and Internet productsand services shown on that bill.
While qualification for the discounts willbe assessed based on the total spend for all Cable & Wirelessfixed line and Internet services on any one bill, the discountwill only be applied to the amount spent on international telephonecalls from fixed lines.
General Manager of Cable & WirelessCayman Islands, Mr. Timothy Adam, noted that Corporate Choiceallows business customers maximum opportunity to save. "Any way you look at it, this is a fantastic deal for our businesscustomers. We've designed Corporate Choice to give ourcorporate customers the opportunity to take maximum advantageof available price reductions. For example, businesses with multipletelephone lines and separate bills can increase their discountsby restructuring their accounts to have all their charges on onebill."
Chief Executive Officer of Cable & WirelessWest Indies, Mr. Errald Miller, said: "We value every oneof our customers and we are constantly searching for ways to givethem better value for their money. We know that the ability torealise savings and maximise efficiency can make all the differenceto the competitiveness and survivability of a business. With CorporateChoice, we are showing our business customers that we arewilling to go the extra mile to help them remain competitive."
Fee StructureChanges under New Law
The Central Planning Authority will nowcalculate infrastructure fees on approved developments based onfloor area (or per square foot).
The Legislative Assembly passed, on 25 May,the Development and Planning (Infrastructure Fund) Law 2001 whichstates that any planning permission granted on or after 15 June2001 will be subject to the new method.
The Planning Department will collect infrastructurefees based on the calculations as follows:
Area A: CI$2.50 per sq. ft.
Area B: CI$1.50 per sq. ft.
Area C: CI$0.50 per sq. ft.
These fees were determined, previously,by a percentage of construction value: 2.5%, 1.5% and 0.5% forareas: A, B and C respectively.
The physical "boundaries" of areasA, B and C and the types of developments to which infrastructurefees apply, remain the same. They are still due and payable beforethe issuance of a building permit.
The Planning department is doing its bestto ensure that this change transpires smoothly and with as littleinconvenience to customers as possible.
Any queries may be directed to the PlanningDepartment at 244-3482.
Community
CaymanCelebrates 25 Years of Pirates Week
This is the year to celebrate the celebration.As hard as it might be to believe, Pirates Week National Festivalis 25 years old this October. Yes, the children that once ranaround the streets of George Town enjoying the Pirates Week fireworksand parade are now bringing their children to see the fireworksand parade.
Quarter of a century after it was startedto give a boost to Cayman's tourism industry during the off-season,Pirates Week is an ingrained event on Cayman's cultural calendar.The festival is now so popular that dates for some other eventsare determined by Pirates Week dates. A generation of youngstershas grown up looking forward to Pirates Week just as they lookforward to Christmas.
The 25th anniversary will be marked withincreased decorations in the downtown area and possibly increasedprizes for competitions. Of course the ever-popular fireworksdisplay on opening night will pay tribute to the 25 years of PiratesWeek. Just what the Pirates Week planners will come up with forthe 25 anniversary will depend on the amount of contributionsand sponsorships. While Government pays for day to day expensessuch office rental, the events of the festival are dependent oncorporate and individual financial support.
A new attraction this year for just abouteveryone is the Gilly's Mechanical Bull. You can test yourbull riding skills during the opening weekend. The Key West schoonerWolf is expected to once again invade Hog Sty Bay along withthe Jolly Roger.
While it is still seen as an event thatlures tourists to Cayman in seasonally quiet October, PiratesWeek has developed into much more over the past 25 years. PiratesWeek has won recognition as the national festival and is as muchor more for Caymanians as it is for tourism. From what was oftenseen as just an extended street party has developed a celebrationof Caymanian heritage and culture and a modern medium of self-expression.But the festival is still a good excuse to have a great time.
One story of the beginning of Pirates Weekhas it that the Hon. Jim Bodden, Cayman's charismatic leader ofthe 70's and early 80's was in Tampa, FL watching Gasparilla,the Tampa pirates festival, when he got the idea of having sucha festival in Cayman. Whether that is true or not remains debatable,but in any event "Mr.Jim" is the man credited with startingPirates Week in 1977.
At a news conference announcing the creationof "Pirate Week", Mr. Bodden gave his vision of whatit would be like. He said it would be part Trinidad carnival,part Mexican fiesta and part Haitian Mardi Gras. Besides beinga tourist attraction he said the other objective was to involveCaymanians in the tourism promotion drive. He told the House andthe press, "If the event is successful, we envision makingit an annual affair." It must have been successful by anymeasure to have lasted for 25 years.
The first Pirates Week Committee Chairmanwas Rudy Selzer. At that time he was referred to as the ProjectChairman. Colin Panton who had served as Deputy Chairman succeededMr. Selzer. Mr. Panton headed up the '78 and '79 festivals. CarolynPells who directed the festival in 1980 succeeded him. The longestserving Chairman was Mike Lockwood. Known for his role of "ChiefPirate" he served from 1982 until his death in 1997. Andso it was that the foundation was laid for a tourism-based festivalthat has become a Caymanian tradition. While those Trinidadian,Mexican and Haitian elements envision by Mr. Jim are still there,Mr. Jim would undoubtedly be proud to know that "Pirate Week"is now Pirates Week National Festival with increasingly uniquecharacteristics.
Pirates Week has not been without its controversy.There have been debates about the name and theme. There have alsobeen objections to the fact that people dance and drink in thestreet to the accompaniment of very load music. Regardless ofthe objections, to those who have grown up with Pirates Week ithas not only survived but evolved to mean a special time of yearwhen the people of Cayman enjoy themselves in a festival thatis of their own making.
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