Editorial for March 28: Playing politics with the economy

We note with some dismay the recent passage at the 11th hour of an amendment to the Cayman Islands Immigration Law that seeks to convince the voting public that lawmakers are trying to “do something” about the “problem” of foreign workers in the territory. What the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2013, does is make it appear that local lawmakers are restricting certain job categories – left to future Cabinets and legislatures to define – for Caymanians only.

In reality, the amendment bill as passed will do practically nothing and seems to ignore the simple fact that existing Immigration Law already requires, not suggests, but requires local companies to hire qualified Caymanians for positions as they become open.

Also, looking at the fine print of the proposal, nearly everyone except for some work permit-holders will be exempted from the “Caymanian only” list including: key employees, non-Caymanian permanent residents, spouses of Caymanians, parents of Caymanians younger than 18, certain work permits issued in accordance with gubenatorial-ordered quotas, or a person whose temporary employment is approved by the chief immigration officer or by an immigration-related board.

Once you get through all these exemptions, the Cabinet – in the future – must set aside certain job categories to make them “Caymanian-only” and those jobs are then subject to a vote of the full legislature.

Setting aside the massive issues that could be created if local companies simply cannot find anyone who is qualified to fill various positions – a problem that is entirely disregarded in this legislation – the simple fact of the matter is that the enforcement of existing local laws would prevent any of the issues this latest bill seeks to address anyway.

Meanwhile, yet another piece of legislation is passed – just in time for the May elections – that sends a clear message to foreign workers who may be considering inward investment opportunities and foreign investors looking for a place to spend their capital; and that message is not a good one. Lawmakers should not play politics with the future of the local economy in last-minute attempts to get re-elected.