We consider a report by Cayman News Service that the Throne Speech announced that Government is going ahead with the East End Seaport project this financial year to be a vicious and a malicious lie. No such announcement was made in the Throne Speech delivered by the Governor on 23 May, 2011. In regard to the East End Seaport project, the Throne Speech termed it as “ongoing plans” and said the Government welcomed the release of the Environmental Impact Assessment to the public, which “has been reviewed by the Department of the Environment”. There is no reference to the seaport project going ahead this financial year.
It should be clearly understood that this is not a Cayman Islands Government project. The Cabinet has not made an assessment of the EIA findings and no decision has been made on the project by Cabinet.
When the Government has a clear understanding of the full impact of this project we will make a statement to the people of the Cayman Islands.
The law that is being drafted by the developer is simply a proposal for draft legislation. If the Cabinet found that it could support any draft legislation, prepared by any entity outside of government, the Legal Department would have to satisfy itself that that draft legislation is in the best interest of the Cayman Islands. This draft legislation would then go to the people for consultation and input, then go to Cabinet before being brought to the Legislative Assembly for debate; this has been done often in the past.
While the Premier thinks this is a worthwhile project that can help diversify our economy and give it a solid backbone for the future, this project has not been given the go ahead by the Government.
Charles Glidden
Press secretary to Premier McKeeva Bush
Related Videos
Good to know the tape this proposal is tied up with is still red, and a well proven procedure made policy.
A press secretary!.. Finally I can stop reading between the lines. For a while there I seem that the premiere has empowered himself authority to cut through the red tape and approve proposal at will.
When any government official say they need to cut through red tape we should all be on alert.
Government is only allowed to cut through red tape when martial law is declared, until then; haste makes waste.
Cline,
You are absolutely right. These blog site have shown that they not only have no credibility, but their articles are incredibly biased and fall more under the category of journalistic activism and opinion shaping rather than reporting facts. They also seem to be in full support for view points that are not only astonishingly destructive but also blatantly false.
Why is a developer drafting legislaton?
Surely the correct procedure is for a developer to make proposals to Government, for Government to consider them, if appropriate to open the proposals for discussion and proposals from other potential developers, then to decide whether and what form of development might be in the public interest, and to draw up (with the help of experts if necessary)in the form of a White Paper proposals for public examination and input?
I suspect and do not trust the idea that a developer should draft legislation. In the world of finance, it would be called insider dealing.
Cline,
I am for this project so far, and I wait patiently for the release of the results of the impact study. But I am more for due process and the safety of this island than any monetary gain. I have land adjacent to the proposed project and as I see it stand to gain by its approval.. But I would rather err in the way of an overstatement than stand mute. We all heard not long ago that Environmental Impact studies were too costly and took too long, where did that go. Activism?. Can you imagine a project such as the dredging of the North Sound even been discussed failing an impact study.. If this newspaper has caused us to actively voice our opinion, great. I believe we still a government of the people, by the people, for the people.