The East End Community has traditionally been out of the loop of Caymanian socio-economic development and until this date remains economically, culturally and socially neglected. And although some commentators regard East End as a quiet community, representing an ideal Caymanian life style preserved over many generations, the East End communities have for decades been experiencing social and cultural stagnation due to the absence of economic opportunities available in other districts of the Caymanian Islands.
Extreme poverty by modern Caymanian terms, and the migration of many of its educated and professional residents to other districts, has institutionalized East End’s socio-economic and cultural impoverishment.
Culture is the way of life passed on from one generation to the next and it is accepted the world over that all societies except for the most primitive have borrowed from other cultures in order to fuel socio-cultural and physical advancements. However, the carrier of civilization or socio-cultural and physical improvements has most often been economic factors; therefore although many may regard Cayman as now being less morally, socially and culturally ideal, because of economic development; Caymanians have more regard for, and do more to preserve the positive aspects of their cultural heritage today than they did when they were less economically privileged.
In modern society, that is society after the 15th Century, the village became the town and the town the city and the city the nation. Thus the desire of Caymanians to nation build will not be assisted but restrained by politicians with insular and isolationist attitudes toward the future integration of the East End community, and not just some East Enders, into the Caymanian economic miracle.
Politicians who want East End and North Side to remain isolated economically by trying to dictate a planned economic path, which they imagine will preserve what is viewed as ideal traditional Caymanian values and physical composition, fail to understand or accept that a post- modern community cannot survive without the interdependence and stratification that economic development brings to every society.
The present social bonds or solidarity between residents in East End and residents in North Side, which are now viewed as ideal, are but the result of a lack of economic diversification and the social fragmentation this has created. A case in point is the rapid growth of street gangs in these districts and the well established gun and drug trades carried on by some individuals there.
Although it is difficult for me to argue for any particular model of economic development in the Eastern districts, it is obvious that East Enders by themselves have never possessed the economic assets necessary to move their community forward economically. And provide the type of economic diversity East End now requires. But this is not just a socio-economic challenge but a political one as well.
The present government should accept that traditionally many of the Eastern district politicians have behaved much like African chiefs who desired Western goods and education for themselves and their children but not for other members of their tribe since this would lead to the weakening of their hegemony. And make the hard but progressive decision to assist with the creation of the types of growth that will secure Cayman’s position in the global village. The East End Seaport is a visionary enterprise that can help provide the foundation for the maintenance of the progress Cayman has made so far and the improvement of those left on the sideline for so many decades.
I began my considerations of the East End Seaport by arming myself with the facts; not with suspicion and superstition. The task now is to educate, not demonstrate. The churches and schools are important social institutions and these are the places where dialogue can and should begin to take place. The type of civility that one can expect to be displayed in these places even by a politician could create the learning environment for socially responsible developers to become part of the community and thereby gain the trust needed to move East End and the Cayman Islands forward into the 21st Century.
Frank McField
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When I began to read this ;etter, before seeing who the writer was, Frank McField immediately came to mind, as we recognise a writer’s style over time and reading that writer’s material.
And again, even before checking if I was right or not, the question came to mind, why is Frank McField, a Georgetowner, writing about East End and North Side as if he knows what’s best for those communities.
Then I checked to see who the writer was and bingo: our good Dr. Frank !
People like this writer, a politician at heart, will jump on any bandwagon that serves their purpose.
Frank McField needs to stay out of the people of East End and North Side’s business and let them decide their own fate and destiny.
Maybe his grandiose words and sentiments might do some good in our George Town neighbourhoods of School House Road and Rock Hole, if he could ever turn his grandiose, sophisticated and educated writing into meaningful action.
I think this is very well put article which was drafted in a way that makes one think without building on their fears. I am starting more and more to believe that the East End Seaport would be a good thing for the East End, not just because of this article, it also has a lot to do with all the oppositions stated reasons for being against it which strikes me as not having much substance. I have kept myself neutral when in comes to whether or not to support this venture, trying to listen to both sides, by I have not been convinced that there are really valid reasons to be against it because it seems to me that most of what I hear from people rallying against it have no scientific validity such as it completely destroying the water lens. While I do believe that there will be a negative effect on the environment, I also believe that some of these effects can be mitigated modern technology today is capable of just about anything. I also find it hard to believe that he is just planning to dig a hole and run when the land around would increase so much in value once it completed. In essence it will turn from more of less unusable swamp land into high value real estate not much difference than what happened in the North Sound when as those Canals where created. Any type of development by man has a negative effect on the environment in my opinion, but what I think it comes down to is if the good will outweigh the bad.
I do have to say that I was slowly leaning more to the side of the people against it, but the last development with the other quarry owners starting to gripe about the negative effects on the environment this would cause and how there would be lack of jobs for locals created, just gave me more reason to not believe their reasoning because I don’t for a minute think they have any sincere reasons for being against it outside of the effect in would have on their own monopolized business.
On the other hand, I just cannot see anything bad with the East End benefiting from taking some of the limelight and business opportunities away from areas like Georgetown. Why should they have all the fun.
This is just my opinion which come from being on the outside looking in. I do however have a vested interest because I own a nice size piece of land in the area, which I purchased because I preferred that side of the Island because it was less developed and not as crowded as other parts of the Island but I have come to the conclusion that a development such as this would not completely change that although I would hate to see it become as crowded as Georgetown..
@firery
It seems that you are upset at the truth ..
the article is well written and truthful it appears fact more than opinion..what happens in the east end and north side is Everyones business.. its a small place ….or did you forget
NJ2Cay
You’re entirely entitled to your opinion, as is Frank McField and anyone else, for that matter.
I have a real problem with hypocritical politicians; its my blind spot and having hailed from the same George Town community that Frank McFiled hails from and having grown up as boys with some of the other leading political names that I won’t mention, I’m sick and tired of the lot of them.
Don’t be so guillable as to be taken in by Frank’s flowery words and persuasive writing if you are not familiar with the communities he is writing about.
Much of what he has written in this letter is blatantly untrue, particularly regarding poverty in East End, and most of it is rude and highly disrespectful to the people of those communities.
Do not be surprised if we do not see, at the very least, a stinging rebuke from the elected representatives of those two districts, if not worse.
If Frank McField is writing to persuade readers to support this project in East End but cannot show his face in either East End or North Side and speak to those people, which I well know that he can’t, then Frank McField is only doing something for which he has been promised a reward or is trying to ungratiate himself with a 3rd party.
More than likely, Frank McField is trying to re-enter the political arena under the UDP’s umbrella, as he was, as a minister in their former government, pre-Ivan.
Those of us from Rock Hole know Frank McField very well and he cannot even cross the border of School House Road to speak to any of us as he has nothing to say that we wish to hear.
Let Frank McField work to clean up the crime and gang activities in his own neighbourhood first before seeking to advise any other district in Grand Cayman on what’s best for them.
These are my heartfelt sentiments from personal experience of my own neighborhood and the people who live there.
This is a very well-written article.
The idea that, in a community as small as Cayman, nobody except East End residents should have a say in this question is frankly laughable.
Most of the opposition put up to this plan is specious in the extreme. For me, the benefits of the seaport are manifest, and the only real cause for concern is the very strong likelihood that having extracted the cash from quarrying, Mr Imparato will ride off into the sunset leaving a hole behind him which the Government will not have the funding to develop into a port.
A sea port in the East End will bring economic growth to that part of the island, and will allow Georgetown to get rid of the disfiguring cargo port and its consequent congestion, and concentrate on tourist facilities.
It is the gift of every politician to say nothing, but to do so eloquently. Mr. McField’s essay is a perfect example. Anyone who attended the under-publicized meeting with Mr. Imperato (as I did) would know the following:
– East Enders do not oppose development. They oppose the Seaport.
– The Seaport concept in its current form is transparently stupid. What megayacht owner wants to harbor in a container transshipment terminal and next to an oil tank farm? Who wants to spend hundreds a night on a luxury hotel with views of Panamax freighters and the noise and light of 24 hour activity.
– Mr. Imperato has committed to digging the hole, but he has NOT committed to building the hotel, the megayacht port, the container yard or the tank farm. We won’t know if partners can be found for these until the damage is done.
– People from George Town and West Bay attended and spoke up against this. The message was clear: the whole island is against this, not just East End and West Bay.
If Mr. Imperato was not intent on dredging (did you know he owns the dredging equipment?), he would have willing partners in coming up with sensible and sustainable development of his High Rock property. Instead what he has concocted is transparently silly, and he has earned universal mistrust.
JTB
Please do not misunderstand my statements and sentiments.
I am neither for or against this EE port development or any person expressing their opinions, for or against.
I’ve read Dr. McField’s letter and the gist of it is highly misleading, deceitful and manipulative.
When he speaks of using churches and schools to politically indoctrinate and twist the minds of entire communities to support one position or idealogy or another, he has gone way past encouraging support for an economic project, be it in EE, GT or anywhere else.
These are the techiques and tactics that communist and socialist governments like China, North Korea and Cuba have used for years to indoctrinate and control their populations.
Dr. McField is a well-known socialist politician and agitator and Cayman has little experience in dealing with these idealogies and their methods of control.
On the economic front, if it is true that this investor is only committed to dredging out a site for this port, where will the financing come from to build the infrastructure for it ?
This is a major capital project that the Cayman Islands Government will not be able to undertake as all borrowing for capital projects has been suspended by the UK Government until the next election year, 2013.
And rightfully so; if you looked at the Budget figures, it must have taken FS Jefferson some numbers crunching to present budget figures that are a mere CI1 million under the FCO-required cap (490 million minus budget figure of 489 million) and if you believe that this government will be able to stay within that budget figure then you are sadly mistaken.
Cayman seems to have only one sugar daddy and that is Dart and at the end of the day, McKeeva Bush’s government has only been able to pull one rabbit out of the hat and that is Dart, despite many promises and so-called signed agreements that have since been rescinded.
The Caymanian people are not stupid and the greed of some will not render the remainder any less smart.
Smart enough to recognise a wolf in sheep’s clothing when they see one.
Firey, Makes since. And you’re right I am not at all familiar with this guy. Another point you’re right on is that although I don’t believe I’ve seen every inch of the East End, I do not recall seeing any poverty stricken areas over there such as he described and I can see how it could be disrespectful to EE residents. If he is as you said trying to reenter the political arena under the UDP umbrella it makes absolute since why he’d write an article like this.
Thanks for the education
I will wait to see if anyone from East End or North Side chooses to answer Frank McField and not on this forum, but in an open letter printed in the newspaper.
I’m certain that there are individuals who can well answer the assertions that he’s cast on their entire communities and stick up for themselves.
I know Cayman very well and what I can assure you of is that Frank McField has more poverty, crime, smuggling and gang-related issues on his very doorstep of McField Square and Central George Town than he ascribes to the communities of East End and North Side.
But, at the end of the day, political office is what our good Dr. Frank craves above all else and in that respect…
Any means justifies the end.