The People’s Progressive Movement issued a report Monday to its National Council on its first 100 days in office, saying it has delivered on the promises it made during the election campaign.
Leader of Government Business and Leader of the PPM Kurt Tibbetts delivered the report to PPM members at Pedro St. James Castle.
‘In those days and nights in the election campaign, we told you time and again… that we would give you a Government you could trust, that we would deliver on our promises, and I’m here to tell you that we have kept the faith,’ he said.
‘We told you what we would do, and we have done it, and will continue to do it with all our energy and all our resolve.’
Mr. Tibbetts gave many examples, which he said demonstrated the results promised.
He noted that the Government has thus far approved $4 million to continue with the Hurricane Ivan recovery effort to go with the $7.5 million allocated to housing recovery by the previous administration.
‘We are just about completed making assessments in the various districts with regard to financial considerations,’ he said.
The matter of crime is another issue Mr. Tibbetts said the PPM has addressed,
‘Immediately on taking office, we earmarked $49.3 million in capital and operational expenditure for our police force over the next three years,’ he said.
‘Our country must be made safe for all who live and all who visit, and that’s the approach we’ve taken now and will continue to take.’
Mr. Tibbetts said the PPM came into office saying it would tackle the problems with the education system, and that they have done just that.
He said the PPM has organised a conference with the many stakeholders of education that will be a brainstorming exercise with the theme ‘Defining Challenges, Finding Solutions, Together’.
‘The outcome of this conference… will be a document to be called ‘The National Consensus on Education’,’ he said, noting that the document would be tabled in the Legislative Assembly in October of this year.
‘It is the first time this particular approach has been taken, and it will produce the blue print of the way forward for an efficient system geared to our particular needs, not that of some other nation,’ Mr. Tibbetts said.
On the subject of Health Services, Mr. Tibbetts said the PPM discovered ‘to our horror’ that the Health Services Authority had been operating without a budget for the last two years.
‘We took office at a time when the HSA appeared to be adrift, with little sense of direction or purpose, and with scant short term or long term strategies to cope with the incidences of diseases,’ he said.
Mr. Tibbetts said the HSA Board of Directors had been appointed with several mandates, including expanding and enhancing the range of services at the hospital; recruiting the highest calibre medical staff; increasing collaboration with the private sector to provide seamless care for patients; establishing a partnership with St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine to have the Cayman Islands Hospital recognised internationally as a teaching hospital; and to outline by the end of November 2005 ho to solve the existing financial problems and become self-sustaining by the 2007/08 financial year.
Mr. Tibbetts spoke about the PPM’s commitment to all three Cayman Islands.
‘Since taking office, we have set about generating plans for the Sister Islands to develop their significant and unique eco-tourism potential, and in this context, we have discussed with the Department of Tourism, the creation of a five-year tourism plan for developing Cayman Brac’s and Little Cayman’s tourist industry.’
Mr. Tibbetts said the Government has kept its promise in giving tourism top priority.
He cited several examples of success in the tourism sector.
‘We have held extensive meetings with all tourism stakeholders, both local and overseas, to assess the challenges and opportunities, and in the immediate term, we were successful in persuading the US State Department to lift the deadline of 1 January 2006 requiring all US citizens to have passports when travelling to the Caribbean,’ he said.
Mr. Tibbetts said the PPM had strengthened the relationship between the Department of Tourism and Cayman Airways. He also said that ‘a new CAL board has been appointed to address the troubling financial performance in the airline and to develop a path to sustainability’.
‘To this end, a series of efficiency audits have been commissioned by the new board,’ he said.
Mr. Tibbetts also pointed out new positions at the Department of Tourism – a dedicated Cruise Industry Officer and two Deputy Directors – and to four new Ministry of Tourism scholarships to students studying tourism-specific courses.
The PPM has made a number of key decisions on the management of the cruise industry, Mr. Tibbetts said.
‘We have decided not to pursue the West Bay Cruise Terminal and to direct funding from this proposed terminal to the George Town and Spotts locations to improve visitor experience year round. We have also decided to pursue cruise berthing as a possible option,’ he said.
Mr. Tibbetts also commented on the reorganisation of the Pirates Week office into a National Festivals Office, on the redevelopment of Owen Roberts International Airport and the continuing progress on the Boatswain’s Beach development.
With regard to the financial services industry, Mr. Tibbetts said the PPM believed the government needed to become better organised to deal with the international challenges facing the industry.
‘Proceeding from that premise, we have now created a Financial Services Council, which is a body of public and private sector individuals who will monitor developments in the sector and discuss the impacts of various initiatives to deal with both existing matters and new developments,’ he said.
Mr. Tibbetts said a review of the Cayman Islands Monetary had been completed and additional funding provided to acquire more specialist staff for the organisation.
On the subject of immigration, Mr. Tibbetts said the PPM had taken steps ‘to balance the interests of long-term residents with the interests of Caymanians in a way that takes cognizance of traditional concerns as well as long term economic well-being’.
Mr. Tibbetts said the PPM had ‘closed the door once and for all’ on Cabinet dispensing wholesale grants of Caymanian Status.
The PPM has also brought an amendment to the Immigration Law to prohibit visitors from applying for temporary work permits during their stay here.
‘However, in the interest of fairness, we also changed immigration legislation to smooth the transition from temporary permit to full one for essential workers already employed here.’
Mr. Tibbetts also mentioned several other developments that occurred or plans that have been made in the first 100 days of the PPM administration, including with the National Drug Council, the Farmer’s Market, the country’s agriculture, and disaster management.
He also said the PPM has delivered a government that was open, transparent and accountable.
‘To sum it up, this PPM government has embarked on a new culture of governance where corruption is not acceptable, where accountability is paramount, and where Caymanian common sense is the foundation,’ he said.
‘Let there be no doubt about it. Cayman has problems to face and hurdles to clear, but as you’ve heard tonight, we’re on our way and we will prevail.’
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