Letters to the Editor
Vote for Equal Rights and Justicefor the People!
Dear Sir
As the year 2000 moves on there seems tobe a growing concern among Caymanians over the fate of these islandsand its people. It seems as though there is no one that the peopleof these islands can turn to. This reminds me of the old Caymaniansaying: "Of all my mother's children I love myself the best.And when my belly is full, to hell with the rest!" It sumsup the type of political representation that Caymanians have beenreceiving.
Another old saying is that, "Sticks and stones may hurt mybones, but words cannot." Should Caymanians now forget aboutthe words and pick up sticks and stones to get the idea acrossthat the people of this country should be given considerationand priority?
In reality, we are not really a country but simply the territoryof another country and we have to abide by their rules and regulations.Is this the reason why elected politicians ignore the wishes ofour people and seem to go in the opposite direction?
There are many problems with justice and opportunity in theseislands. Caymanians are not fairly treated in the work place.They cannot compete fairly for well-paying jobs. Young peoplecannot obtain assistance to start their own business. They maydrive a motor car if they can afford the high insurance premiums.Very few Caymanians, young and old, can purchase property todaybecause of outsiders inflating property values to make a quickprofit.
Why has Cayman become a refugee camp for favored, rich tax evaderswhile its people are pushed aside and ignored? These problemsare very stressful for many Caymanians to live with and nobodyhas the nerve to do anything about them.
My fellow Caymanians, the time has come for us to take a firmstand in our own country. We need to protect the future for ourchildren and ourselves. Cayman's future will depend on a lot morethan vague promises and soccer fields.
I hope that in this coming election there will be candidates whowill love this country and forget about enriching themselves,willing to take a reduction in wages, if necessary.
We need representatives who are interested in serving the bestinterest of the people of this country and willing to attack theproblems that we are facing. We need representatives who can swearby the Bible and not indulge in accepting bribes and other formsof corruption. We need elected officials who do not create divisionbut can work with the people of this country as their brothersand sisters, not as sworn enemies.
My fellow Caymanians, representative are obligated to the peoplewho elected them. You should not feel that you simply have tosit back and accept their poor performances year after year. Electpeople who are sincere about changing this country for the goodof its people.
Kenric Welds, West Bay
Tara Responds to Rolston'sResponse
Dear Sir:
In response to a letter written inresponse to my original letter in the 21st September 2000 issueof the Cayman Net News, it appears that I need to state the ResponsibleLeadership team's position on the Constitution in very simpleEnglish:
The Responsible Leadership Team of Bernie Bush, Billy Ebanks,Sterling Dwayne Ebanks, and myself, Tara Rivers, DOES NOT supportindependence from the United Kingdom. And as a matter of FACT,we have never stated that we support full internal self-government.
Our position is and has always been that (and I quote from myoriginal letter), "We (the Caymanian People) need to reviewthe present constitution to assess its relevance and ability todeal with the national and global challenges facing the CaymanIslands. And given this comprehensive review, we must ACT uponthe recommendations put forward by you, the people. Nothing more,Nothing Less!" In other words, NO MENTION of supporting internalself-government or independence.
Now for anyone to interpret anything more from that statement,which is clearly spelled out in black and white, shows a lackof understanding on his or her part. My intention to discuss andhighlight the issue of internal self government, as it is dealtwith in the two previous Constitutional Reviews commissioned bythe Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government,is nothing more than an attempt to highlight the fact that theissue of constitutional advancement is not a new one; it has beendiscussed and debated locally, in the Cayman Islands, for over30 years. And THAT IS A FACT.
But once again due to this most recent misleading statement ofpropaganda and political rhetoric put forward by one of the representativesof the so called Better Balanced Team I must take time to clarifycertain obvious untruths in their attempt to find fault by graspingfor straws.
Firstly, on the issue of describing the legislative changes thattook place in the Legislative Assembly on Friday, July 12, asbeing the 'Friday Fiasco' for rushing through the legislationwithout adequate consideration to the possible effects on thefinancial industry. I would like to remind the public that thatuse of the term is a direct quote from the Caymanian Compass.
And since the author of the response to my letter seems to beunaware of the Caymanian Bar Association (CBA) and the CaymanIslands Bankers Association (CIBA) positions regarding this matter,let me reiterate them for his benefit: the CBA outwardly criticisedGovernment's handling of the situation; and the CIBA said theycould not comment on the effect that the legislative changes wouldhave on the financial industry at that time, because they werenot given sufficient time to review the legislative changes.
Let us not forget the FACT that the OECD initiative on HarmfulTaxation started in 1996, four years ago, so the Government hadample time to prepare for what they felt was the inevitable. Thecandidates running on the theme - 'A Better Balanced Team's -defense of the way Government handled this issue, suggest thatthey approve of the way such decisions and reactions are madeby Government, basically agreeing with 'business as usual' - rushedand keeping the Caymanian people in the dark. I suggest that thatteam therefore cannot offer any helpful change in the way Governmentoperates.
Secondly, it is very disheartening to see that the intention ofthe letter of response written by the so called Better Balancedteam is apparently to spread propaganda that the Cayman Islandshave been told that we must set a date for independence if wedecide to advance our constitution towards a move to internalself government.
My only reply to his assertion is: SHOW US THE PROOF! He claimsthat the Cayman Islands was "told, via various mediums"that that was the case. So what are those media? Where is theletter written and signed by Rt. Hon. Robin Cook or some otherhigh level official of the FCO clearly stating the UK's position?Until the that team can clearly show (in black and white) thatthat was the sentiment expressed by the UK regarding Cayman'sposition, then all they are doing is spreading propaganda, hear-say.
I really think that anyone who attempts to mislead the peopleabout the independence issue, in an attempt to gain politicalmileage, should be ashamed of himself. For any team to try tocreate more confusion and chaos by spreading false propaganda,by spreading misinformation which they cannot prove is totallyirresponsible leadership. Instead, I implore them to run a positivecampaign that will benefit the people rather than devise misconceivedploys to get elected.
However, if by some mysterious event that they are able to producea letter from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding Britain'sposition towards full internal self government, where does thatleave their own position, since they are the ones to say, in blackand white, that THEY AGREE WITH the concept of full internal selfgovernment, that 'the concept of full internal self governmentis palatable in a general sense'?
And regarding my use of quotations from the 1971 ConstitutionalReview (Rt. Hon. Earl of Oxford and Asquith), if the team hadtaken time to read the entire review report, instead of hastilytrying to respond to my letter, basically trying to capitaliseon the momentum that this Responsible Leadership team has created,they would have seen that again, whenever the issue of internalself government was discussed, there was absolutely no referencemade to the need to set a date for independence.
This most recent letter is a clear example of how the public isbeing misled by uninformed candidates claiming to represent aBetter Balance. However, I am happy to see that as a result ofmy letter other candidates have then had to go off to do theirhomework, and try to come to terms with the whole issue of theConstitution and what it means for the continued prosperity ofthe Cayman Islands.
And I am sure they have the Responsible Leadership team to thankfor telling them directly in our letter, where to find the relevantdocuments. That is a clear example, proof, that the ResponsibleLeadership team is not afraid to share information and knowledgewith you, the people (including our opposition), who we will beelected to serve, God's willing, come November 8, 2000.
In conclusion, I will recapitulate the crucial information tobe remembered from this letter:
FACT - the Responsible Leadership team has neverstated, either verbally or in writing, that we support full internalself-government or independence. What we do support is a movetowards addressing the gaps that currently exist in the Constitution,in the best interest of you, the Caymanian People.
FACT - the Better Balance team has publicly stated,in writing, that they agree with the concept of full internalself-government. They are the ones who also believe that havingfull internal self-government means having to set a date for independence.
SO given that they have stated that they supportfull internal self-government, does that mean that they supportthe need to set a date for independence? So anytime you hear anyof them or their agents accuse the Responsible Leadership teamor any other team about supporting independence, please rememberthe FACTS.
May God continue to bless you with the serenity to accept thethings you cannot change, courage to change the things that youcan (on November 8), and the wisdom to know the difference!
Tara Rivers, West Bay