DisappointedWith News Report on New Leader
Dear Sir,
I am very disappointed to see in CaymanNet News of Friday, November 23rd, that the headlines read "NewLeader of Government business dismisses the planned circulationof a petition, saying that there will definitely be NO ELECTIONUNTIL, 2004".
I am disappointed, and many people havesince expressed the same, not because there may not be an electionuntil 2004, but that anyone could publicly make such a comment.It is even worst that the New Leader could make such statement,because this is in fact telling the people that "it doesnot matter what you the people want, it does not even matter whatthe Governor decides, because the Leader of Government Businessis almighty and what this leader says is what goes!"
Not only is this a disgrace and an insultto the people of these islands, I feel that such an irrationalstatement like this should have been hidden in a small cornerof your newspaper, as close to the back as possible, and thenpray that no foreigners, (potential foreign investors or tourists)would see it. How scary it was for the residents of these islandsto read that, and I can just imagine what the thousands of outsidersfelt when they read it.
Our only hope is that they may have thoughtthey were reading our version of the Enquirer and dismissed itlike we tend to do with most of the stories we read in that particularnewspaper. That is our only hope, because enough damage was doneto our reputation on November 8th, to add to it.
From the information I hear from the people,the reason why so many people are involved in a petition to askthe Governor for a re-election, and I would not support it ifit was not what the majority wants, is because the people weretotally ignored on that fateful day of November 8th.
It will understandably be a little inconvenientto go through another election so soon, (it was also inconvenientto go through what I believe was a coup), but because the islandand the islands economy and stability is rock bottom right now,the only thing that will help to right what has gone wrong, andput confidence back into the people and the outside world, isto reverse 'the Coup of November 8th' and give the power backto the people. Only when that happens will we begin to see lightat the end of this very dark tunnel.
Either that, or hope that the rumour thata certain billionaire (I have not heard the name yet) promisesto give every resident of Cayman $1 million for Christmas. Butcome to think of it, if we believe that, we would also believeanother statement made in your front-page article by the leaderof Government Business that "This was not a personal powerplay".
If we believe that then Christmas cannotget here fast enough.
Chris Wight