Please allow me the opportunity to
clarify some points related to my tenure on the work permit board; recently
there has been information put in the press that may have been misinterpreted.
News outlets on the Island should
do more investigating before writing articles that paint the wrong picture. I
wish words like “conflicts of interest” wouldn’t be used so loosely in the
public domain, leaving news articles open to interpretation by the reader is
wrong and this style of journalism gives the general public the wrong
impression and it’s the main reason I’ve decided to publicly clear the air on
my departure from the work permits board.
It’s not my MO to point fingers and
accuse and I won’t do it in this forum, but I would have hoped the government
officials who reported I was no longer on the board would have used words less
contentious when making this announcement – reasonable notice would have also
been appreciated. I was advised of my departure on November 18, one day before
the news officially broke on November 19.
The conflict I was advised was that
my attendance was being hindered by my full time job. I accepted that my other
work commitments just didn’t allow me to continue to attend as before, so
please don’t be misled with comments like “members not towing the line” and “certain
individuals appointed not following the wishes of the administration.” We towed
the line and like any new board we experienced numerous setbacks that didn’t
allow us to do our work in the most efficient way; anyhow we managed to
overcome those stumbling blocks and carried out the wishes of the Caymanian
people to the best of our abilities collectively. In the process we created a
new chapter, our actions and the present internal changes in the work permits
process speak volumes to our achievements.
Following the law as set out was
our way of doing business, it’s unfortunate some of the public choose to draw
conclusions based on a few lines written in the press. These comments are
simply not the case and are far from the truth.
One local paper on Monday, 22
November suggested that the board “struggled to clear the backlog.” This again
isn’t true as the board took “unprecedented steps” during my time there to
clear the backlog, which was in the thousands. The new board has a strong
foundation to stand on that hasn’t been seen in years and I hope and pray it
continues to keep everyone accountable in immigration from the bottom straight
to the top.
I will close now by saying to the
people of the Cayman Islands, it was indeed a pleasure to have served over the
last 15 months, my time on the board was a priceless experience and now it’s my
hope and I’m publicly challenging the new board to continue the fruitful works
that began so immigration could be a government institution we all can be proud
of.
McCarron Morris McLaughlin
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