1. Constitution: What is your opinion of the draft Constitution?
“The constitution is not an instrument for the Govt. to restrain the people; it’s an instrument for the people to restrain the Government”.
The current draft does not completely meet this test, however it has taken 37 years to reach this point and it would be a shame if we missed this opportunity for real reform. If there is a clear understanding/agreement with the UK that we can engage in near future negotiations to complete or amend the few issues which many of the Caymanian people are unhappy with then I am inclined to support it and vote yes.
2. Development: To what extent should all public and private sector projects account for economic social and environmental concerns?
All physical projects should meet the same criteria whether Govt. or private. The updating and implementation of the 2001 Development Plan would go a long way to making this possible.
We have been conditioned in this country to believe that development means construction and concrete; it also means a sensible balance which protects our environment and enhances the quality of life.
3. Economy: How will you strengthen our economy and ensure that opportunities are available to Caymanians entrepreneurs?
Firstly, we have flooded the market with the granting of too many trade and business licenses and work permits in the past 4-5 years, particularly with respect to the construction industry. Normal economic rules of supply and demand are in play and the more saturated the market the lesser the value.
We may have to put a freeze on the granting of any new licenses as well as pass legislation specific to certain services which must be reserved for Caymanians only.
The restructuring of the C.I. Development Bank and the creation of a specific “domestic development fund” for the provision of capital for new entrepreneurs is a must. This could possibly take the format of a joint venture between the private sector financial institutions and Government.
The Local Companies Control Law needs to be visited and reformed.
Immigration control must also be factored in as we cannot continue admitting more people to remain on a permanent basis and expect the economic pie will be able to support all; Cayman is a very small piece of real estate.
4. Education: What changes will you make and implement to re-direct the current strategic plan for education?
The strategy has been developed by a broad group of stakeholders and it should therefore be implemented in a manner and at a pace that allows for continued feedback and evaluation. At the same time value for subsidies being provided to private schools must be evaluated. Evaluation of all factors; e.g., which system has produced the greater numbers of students attending higher learning facilities, comparative costs per student, etc., must be considered in order to determine the most feasible and financially affordable programs to obtain the desired results.
I also propose an exchange student program for final year high school students in order to expose them to the outside world. This will prepare them as they will have to work with and compete against the rest of the world even living in Cayman.
5. Environment: What are your top 5 priorities for protecting our natural environment and do they include support for the National Conservation Bill?
Invite private sector solutions to cleaning up the dump and initiate recycling programs
Initiate the collection and proper treatment of sewage starting in George Town and phasing in across the island with Government in its proper role as regulator with the private sector providing the services.
Replace the current lax enforcement rules by several Government departments and authority with the creation of a comprehensive policing unit namely; an Environmental Protection Agency to enforce laws covering air, land and sea.
Conduct a countrywide survey to identify polluters of our environment and implement an educational program before proceeding with enforcement.
Review the marine parks and their results with a view to closing all areas for a specific period of time in order to allow our marine life to replenish. Accurate monitoring of our coral reefs is a must especially in light of bleaching and affects of global warming.
The National Conservation Bill is as step in the right direction, however to avoid duplication and departmental conflicts it may be more effective to consolidate with the new EPA legislation.
6. Government: How do you propose to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the government services including statutory authorities and government owned companies?
We have to change the way Government operates from a centralized “top down concept” to” bottom up”. The current system calls for district elections and centralized management. What we really need is national elections and district management. District management in George Town could take the form of a volunteer council and a full-time city manager with the elected representative being the conduit to the central government. This would ensure that our capital city, the centre of commerce and main tourist entry point would be managed properly on a day to day basis. District management empowers people to make decisions and take responsibility for such actions; programs, plans, budget and accounts would be posted online. Instead of taking the problems to Govt. for solutions as we have been doing; I propose we take the solutions to the problems at ground level.
Privatize “businesses” which Government is now operates – all at a significant loss. Encourage young /new entrepreneurs to partake in this exercise and introduce some checks and balances to prevent monopolies. Introduce competition for the provision of public services in order to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve quality and customer satisfaction.
Reform the statutory board selection process from political appointments to application based.
7. Health: What will you change about the current health care system?
Strengthen the management of the hospital.
Partner with private sector medical facilities and professionals to benefit from economies of scale and prevent duplication of effort.
Explore options to link our facility with a fist rate facility in Florida with a view to treating more trauma and specialty cases on island vs. flying patients off island which is extremely expensive.
Partner with private sector health insurance providers to provide a sustainable insurance scheme which is acceptable both locally and overseas. Extend mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65.
Promote healthy life style emphasizing enjoyment of our clean environment.
8. Immigration: What are your top five priorities to improve immigration policies including the introduction of new policies?
The immigration Dept. has been reacting to our rapid pace of development for many years.
Firstly, their main role should be the enforcement of who enters and leaves the country.
The responsibility for granting working permits and dissecting the labour issues would be better served by the Department of Labour and human resources.
The grave concern by the Caymanian people is the fact that they are outnumbered in their own country; therefore we have to find ways to reduce the numbers of workers coming into the country.
It is time we examine other ideas example: instead of tying an employee to a specific employer we grant work permits for specific categories. This would allow a pool of carpenters for example to be shared by various companies according to their needs. The Labour Dept and the Chamber of Commerce could manage this program jointly. It would also enforce fair wage rules and consistency in the market and possibly avoiding the need for a “minimum wage”. This system would apply to all except professionals in the financial services industry.
9. National Security: How do you propose to address the rising level of crime including its root causes?
Crime is a consequence of a country which has been developing at too rapid a rate: some locals get left behind at the same time we are importing individuals whose past we are not able to verify. Our visa approval system needs to be evaluated. Enforcement by the Immigration Department needs to be strengthened.
In addition our faith based organizations should be encouraged to develop and mange more programs to assists the less fortunate in our society by firstly preventing them from entering a life of crime, but also to help rehabilitate those who do.
To reduce recidivism, life skills; e.g., literacy, work ethics, money management, job search etc. should be required at Northward Prison.
It is also time to examine the option of a “quota” system for various nationalities to ensure some type of balance.
10. Social/Family: What are the most critical social issues facing Cayman and how would you address them?
Families face the normal stresses that come with a busy lifestyle juggling jobs, children and personal interests. These stresses can become unmanageable however with underemployment, high costs of living, violence at schools, and in the general community. People being underemployed and the rise in crime are not unrelated issues.
There must be a program established to entice young adults who have not completed high school to return to school. I would support paying these folks a wage which would be directly tied to their performance in school. It is cheaper to pay a young person to attend school than it is to maintain one in prison. The engagement of the faith based organizations is also mandatory as they need to play a greater role in mentoring the less fortunate youths in our community.
Provide opportunities for education – undergraduate and continuing education, enforcement of immigration laws and all laws to instill greater confidence in and respect for the rule of law.
1. Constitution: What is your opinion of the draft Constitution?
The draft constitution is an improvement over what we had.. However, I do not believe that we should settle for a document that has been termed “far from perfect”. We should continue working on it until we get it as good as possible. Additional consultation with a more diverse group than just the Ministers Association would not be a bad idea. We are in a position to get this document right and should put every effort into setting a higher standard that we would like to attain. The constitution is meant to be the collective document that reflects our community as a whole and should at least be sufficient enough to service 1 generation of Caymanians. A Bill of Rights would have been a basic component I would have liked to have seen. In addition, I have concerns that the upcoming referendum is not binding; therefore no matter what the people decide the politicians will ultimately decide to do what they wish.
2. Development: To what extent should all public and private sector projects account for economic social and environmental concerns?
We cannot expect the developers to have this concern. We require government watchdog groups and legislation to dictate what the overall ambit should be and how it should be enforced. Clearly all of those factors have to be considered before a major project or development is approved.
3. Economy: How will you strengthen our economy and ensure that opportunities are available to Caymanians entrepreneurs?
In the current economic downturn that we are experiencing we should be very fiscally responsible. Creating business opportunities means that we can make sure that we do not increase government fees at this time. It will be difficult for any business to start-up at this time. However, small business and female owned business account for the majority of the business out there. Offering educational seminars on how to adjust to the difficulties that any business will endure in this climate would also be extremely useful. The fact of the matter is that some businesses will fail. I do not believe that government should intervene to necessarily save individual businesses. However, if the government was operating it’s affairs more effectively and streamlined then they would set the tune for everyone else to follow. Government projects that are not already near completion should be deferred until there are economically feasible.
4. Education: What changes will you make and implement to re-direct the current strategic plan for education?
Some strides have been made already in education. A comprehensive review of the student’s curriculum is key. However, before we even get to the curriculum we need to focus some real efforts on adjusting the overall mindset of our people as whole. Education should be something that we appreciate at the core of who we are. Opportunities are created for our people when we are prepared to take over the jobs in our community. In order to do this we re-evaluate how we have prioritized education. Asians have the best educational results in the world and they do it with the least amount of available resources and physical buildings. We could learn something from their approach to overhauling education. We need the input of all the stakeholders in the community so that we may improve education in meaningful ways.
5. Environment: What are your top 5 priorities for protecting our natural environment and do they include support for the National Conservation Bill?
We need to design and implement an overall environmental plan. This would include educational component and implementation of real world initiatives as well. Cayman relies heavily on our environment to maintain our tourism sector. Yet, our people seem somehow disconnected with how they impact the environment every day. Some immediate initiatives that we can take are: Devise a environmental program; Implement a phased in recycling program; Provide incentives for home and businesses to be more environmentally conscious; Include environmental education in the schools so that our next generation will be more apt to see protecting our environment as a necessity; Government should lead the overall initiative to protect our environment; Government should also look at legislation to prohibit people from harming the environment as well.
6. Government: How do you propose to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the government services including statutory authorities and government owned companies?
One of the areas that I have recognized that government could use help is in the area of training. As an educator I have seen that need and often it goes unattended to. We need persons to have specific training in Public Administration and for a certain grade of jobs in government it should be a requirement of the job. Persons who have been in the civil service for many years should be provided with career guidance and the tools to become more efficient. Government is only as effective as the individual departments/heads of departments and employees. Adopting some aspects of running a profitable business is not a bad idea. Greater accountability and streamlining techniques are always useful.
7. Health: What will you change about the current health care system?
The healthcare system is in shambles by most accounts. We need to hire qualified persons to review the overall system. I would not comment any further unless I had the opportunity to meet with the skilled workers in the healthcare field. Obviously we need to look closely at the level of care that is being provided to patients at the government operated hospital as well as issues with health insurance.
8. Immigration: What are your top five priorities to improve immigration policies including the introduction of new policies?
[no answer included]
9. National Security: How do you propose to address the rising level of crime including its root causes?
I’ve been very disappointed that we continue to look at just the incarceration and punishment of people instead of a more holistic approach. Here’s the content of a recent emailer that was sent out to my e-mail list: With our second murder of 2009 occurring last night we are all saddened by this event. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the on-air personality "Jazzy B". Many of us were also shocked by an attempted kidnapping of a woman in West Bay. I was moved to make sure that I share with you my sentiments on this important issue - CRIME IN CAYMAN. Gone are the days when we left our windows open at night, keys in the car ignition and handbags unattended. When we go for a walk we need to think about security and our own personal safety - it's an ongoing concern for all of us. We cannot expect to have a bustling economy and happy, productive citizens if we live in fear for our lives and safety. More prisons, tougher sentences and more cops is our response to crime when it is already out of hand. However, those are not the means to a sustainable solution. We must be careful that we are looking at the root causes of crime and many of those issues we are not prepared to address. For example, I have been pushing for this government to consider the welfare and safety of our children. If we cannot raise safe and productive children we will never be able to produce productive adults. Expose our children to violence and they will only know violence as a means. Consider this quote: "those to whom evil is done, do evil in return." That is part of the equation. We also have to admit that with such a transient population some of our crime is imported in. What are the solutions for dealing with that? Clearly, we need to do a better job at screening candidates for entry into the Cayman Islands. The Immigration Department has already taken some steps towards that plan; but there is more that can be done. The bottom line is we cannot sit back and do nothing. That may be easy; but I've never been aware of a problem solving itself. It takes a community effort and effective leadership. Proposed Solutions: 1. We must maintain a fingerprint and DNA database to cross reference against that of other agencies; 2. We need CCV cameras to be deployed around the Cayman Islands; 3. Enhance capacity for collecting data on violence; 4. Create, implement and monitor a national action plan for violence prevention; 5. Integrate violence prevention into educational and social programs; 6. Promote cooperation and exchange of information on violence prevention; 7. Establish intervention methods for gang members. We have a lot to learn about what works and what does not work from our neighbors around us. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Clearly that alone is not the answer. I invite your comments and feedback on how we can be more effective at fighting crime in the Cayman Islands: http://sandracatron.com/issue.asp?ID=1
10. Social/Family: What are the most critical social issues facing Cayman and how would you address them?
We have often neglected the social fabric of our community and families for the almightily dollar. As a result we are painfully behind where we should be. Legislation that does not protect our children, teenage pregnancies, youth violence, adult violence and abuse. The list could almost be too lengthily to address here. Two issues that have already been an area that I’m working on include Child Abuse Awareness and prevention, education and treatment as well as teenage pregnancy. Here are some useful links: www.caymansexoffenders.org
http://www.caymannewsservice.com/viewpoint/2009/04/06/cayman-needs-child-advocate-program ; http://www.caymannewsservice.com/headline-news/2009/04/07/candidate-calls-heads-roll-prison#comments