Premier André Ebanks introduced the first Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) of his coalition government in Parliament on Friday, 17 Oct., saying it set out the vision of the administration towards a “stronger, fairer and braver country”.
“We want this honourable House and the people of Cayman to first understand our direction, our priorities and our commitments [and] then we will show exactly how we intend to resource and deliver them transparently, professionally and with the utmost integrity,” he said.
Cayman roadmap
Ebanks described the SPS as a “roadmap” towards a Cayman Islands “where every Caymanian has the opportunity to learn, to work, to prosper and to live with dignity” in an island which “protects its heritage, values and culture, even as it adapts to the demands of a rapidly evolving world”.
While the SPS represents the government’s strategic, broad policy framework, the national budget, which will be delivered on 5 Nov., will contain specific spending details, following priorities laid out in the SPS.
The premier outlined the importance of education, affordable housing, health and social care, and public services and said the SPS was “a living plan that recognises our country’s challenges, mitigates the risks and commits us to adapt and overcome”.
“This SPS is not just about balancing budgets or meeting legal requirements,” he said. “It’s about giving Caymanians the confidence that their government, indeed, their Parliament, is looking ahead, making damn tough decisions and investing in the right priorities today, so that we can move on to systematically addressing the priorities of tomorrow.”
Opposition leader Joey Hew said that the SPS had finally been delivered after “an unprecedented delay”, saying that “in almost no time at all, about a half of the government’s first year is already gone. The clock is ticking.”
He said that the opposition was prepared to “act swiftly should the government’s course endanger our collective future” and presented the assembled MPs with his own plan for “stability and growth”.
He said that his Progressives party was “fully prepared to answer the call of duty. We will show, if needed, that we stand ready to move from questioning the government to becoming the architects of Cayman’s future, designing and building a country that works for every single Caymanian.”
Deficit debate
Following the controversies over the much-disputed deficits, Hew called for better data, stronger forecasting and improved fiscal modelling, and said that there was a need to return to strong surpluses and rebuild the national reserves.
“That is the foundation this country needs,” he said, “not the tax, borrow and spend approach that I fear the government is adopting.”
He suggested various policies including a reduction in stamp duty to 5% for Caymanians who aren’t eligible for first-time buyer concessions, a “a real living wage” which better reflects the cost of living in Cayman, a temporary freeze on import duties on fuel, and comprehensive overhaul of the national pension system.
He called government’s recent 100-day report “an exercise in political delusion”, saying “the vast majority of their so-called successes were projects funded, initiated or substantially advanced by the previous administration. This is not governance. This is claiming credit for work that was already done … We insist that you bring your own solutions to this House. Stop dressing up old track records as your own.”
Opposition MP for George Town East Roy McTaggart described the themes of the SPS as “increased taxes, increased borrowing and increased spending” and said that he had “never seen such meagre surpluses being budgeted in this Parliament with razor-thin numbers like this … there is absolutely no wiggle room.”
He echoed Hew’s call for more-robust forecasting, saying “when forecasts are weak, budgets lose credibility. And when budgets lose credibility, the people lose confidence.”
Economic reality
In turn, Minister for Finance Rolston Anglin said that to call the SPS “reckless” was to mislead the public and that surpluses were slim because that was the real situation.
“It’s razor thin because we are being truthful to Parliament,” he said. “It’s razor thin because we are being truthful to the public.”
“We’re not going to buffer up numbers,” Anglin added. “We are not going to reduce expenditures and then very conveniently come with what looks like a very strong-looking budget.”
Winding up the debate after contributions from others including independent MP Chris Saunders and Roy Tatum, Premier Ebanks issued an impassioned plea to all 19 MPs, saying, “The country is tired of hooting and hollering. They want help, they want us, they want it now. Let’s get in the game!”
The motion was passed unanimously by the house. Parliament will meet next on 5 Nov. to debate the government’s national budget.
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