Both the Chairman on the Immigration Work Permits Board, David Ritch and the Chief Immigration Officer, Franz Manderson have become the hot celebrities of the media in recent weeks as they become the most sought after guests on radio talk shows as the count down continues to the end of the consultation period on the new amendments to the 2004 Immigration Law.
On the numerous occasions that the two men have appeared, the question of numbers has arisen time and time again and Mr. Ritch has often been heard to say that the whole immigration issue is a matter of numbers.
We agree. Mr. Ritch is correct. Number of bodies affected in are way or the other is the primary problem for some - and on the other hand, a solution for others.
In the end it is a given that the number of people living in this country is crucial to the country's future growth or decline in development.
Population and demographic issues is the centre of topical debates in many countries around the world at present as the global population grows.
For some countries, this is problematic as economies expand to try and accommodate exploding populations with work and basic resources.
In some countries the demographic make-up of the population is problematic as some have aging populations with a shrinking percentage of workers, and others have a young population all fighting for a limited number of workers.
The balance between too much and too little is always fine, but history tells us all economies need to strike the balance of a sustainable population in order for economies to grow.
While over population can strain resources and undermine the environment, just as well - a low population can undermine an economy and prevent success.
For the size of its economy the Cayman Islands' indigenous population is far too small and it can't even come close to sustaining its current economic success without at least maintaining existing population levels. And if it is the desire of the people to see the local economy grow, then the population needs to increase too.
The cost of living here is particularly expensive and many of the everyday luxuries that we enjoy are far more costly here than in the US because our domestic market is so small.
We pay three times as much for basic cable television than our friends in the United States, we pay more for fuel, electricity, phone services, cars, food, clothes, hardware and just about everything, because the domestic market is too small to generate significant competition. This means that prices will remain high and will most definitely increase with a lower population.
This will be especially so as locally owned businesses attempt to garner sufficient income from newcomer work permit holders, who were rolled into the work force -after longer term employees were rolled out. The newcomers will, instead of spending as there is no tomorrow, will instead be saving everything they can because they know that they too will eventually be rolled over.
If the Government means to pursue a policy which deliberately prevents what it considers too many foreigners becoming Caymanian, as is the case with the seven year work permit limit, or rollover policy, then we beg the question: where will the people come from?
Perhaps we here at Cayman Net News have missed some plans the Government has for population boosting.
Maybe the Leader of Government Business, Hon Kurt Tibbetts and the Minister of Culture, Hon Alden McLaughlin, along with other elected Cabinet Members are on the verge of offering a financial incentive to indigenous families to have more children.
The Health Minister could be about to tell us that artificial insemination will be paid for by the HSA in order for more women to have multiple births -though even if they did, it is more of a long term approach to population boosting.
Moreover, if women are busy increasing their families they will also have to step out of the labour market even if just for a limited period adding to the problem.
Dealing with the immediate problem that there are simply not enough Caymanians to fill all the jobs will take something a little more immediate than a pregnancy drive.
Recalling every Caymanian and descendent of a Caymanian who has left these shores and set up a life elsewhere is another option.
Although a sort of 'your country needs you' type approach may fall on deaf ears for some who have been away for such a long time or who may never even have been here.
Still one way or another if we are going to throw people off the Island and insist on limiting the amount we allow to become permanent residents, and eventually citizens we will continue to battle population problems and everything that goes with that.
We agree. It is a matter of numbers, but the question is - is anyone doing the math?
