A retiree suffering with cancer and his wife say they were threatened with a fine of up to $5,000 for stating they would be unable to complete a detailed household budget survey being carried out by the Economics and Statistics Office.
The 78-year-old man, who has asked the Compass not to publish his name, is suffering from colorectal cancer, which requires near constant management and care from his wife, also aged 78.
He told the Compass he was too ill to complete the two long questionnaires – a 22-page household survey and a 36-page individual survey – and his wife was too busy caring for him to do so.
The ESO is issuing the household budget survey to 2,400 households in Cayman, the first time such a survey has been carried out since 2015.
The retiree said his wife had told an ESO survey enumerator who had visited their home that neither of them had time to fill out the forms. Two days later, he said, the enumerator returned to their home with a letter of non-compliance that threatened a $5,000 fine, and asked them to complete a daily log of every purchase they had made over the last 14 days, along with receipts.
The letter, a copy of which the Compass has seen, begins with the line, “I trust that this letter finds you well.” The retiree said he had noted the irony of this, as he had made his cancer condition clear earlier to the enumerator.
He said dealing with his illness, which has led to a 20-pound weight loss in recent weeks – leaving him at 126 pounds – has been extremely stressful. Now, being ordered to find time to complete the detailed government questionnaire with a threat of a fine hanging over his head, is “mental torture”.
He said after receiving the non-compliance letter, he visited the Government Administration Building to speak with an ESO official in person, who told him an appointment could be made during which an enumerator would complete the form for them, based on their answers, and it would take about an hour. He has agreed to an interview with the enumerator later this month.
The retiree said the extreme detail the 58 pages of forms go into had been daunting. As an example of how detailed the questionnaires are, he said, they include more than 30 questions relating to items of boys’ clothing.
He added, “I understand the need to check the increasing cost of living, but what is the need to go into this ridiculous amount of detail?”
“Some questions we will not answer,” he said, including, “what is our house worth, and what could we rent it for? We are not real estate agents.”
According to ESO Director Adolphus Laidlow, the survey is mandatory under the Statistics Act, which is “applied impartially among all residents”.
In response to Compass queries, Laidlow said, “The household occupant in question met with the staff of the ESO, and the procedures were explained during the meeting. The individual went out of that meeting feeling assured that an enumerator was available to assist the household in completing the survey once an interview time was agreed.
No exemptions allowed
“At the ESO, we are responsible for administering the Statistics Act as it is written, we are not allowed under the Act, nor do we want the opportunity to use discretion given the numerous reasons (personal, religious, health, ignorance, etc.) given to us daily for non-compliance.”
He said households chosen to fill out the survey are randomly selected from a list of all household addresses in the Cayman Islands.
The current household budget survey began in January and will involve 2,400 households – 200 a month over 12 months.
Asked if he had any discretion to exempt a household from taking part in a survey, he said, “The ESO director does not have any power to waive or exempt anyone from completing surveys.”
The retiree asked, “How can you have legislation that says something is mandatory without allowing for extenuating circumstances?”
According to the ESO, the results of the household budget survey will provide a comprehensive view of Cayman households and their expenditures. The findings will be used to update the consumer price index (CPI) basket of goods and services.
The survey and the CPI results are used by government departments, utility regulator OfReg and the private sector for cost-of-living adjustments and other salary thresholds contained in policies, the ESO noted.
The survey is confidential, and not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
An amendment to the Statistics Act in 2016 made it an offence to fail to complete an ESO survey form within the stipulated timeframe, and as well to knowingly provide false information.
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This is a disgrace the director and who else is responsible for this should be fired.
Democracy or any illusion thereof in this country has long been replaced by Authoritarianism. What was done to this vunerable couple is no less than an act of state aggression against civil society by way of the THREAT of a $5,000 fine (not $50 nor $500 but FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS for not being disposed to complete an ECONOMIC SURVEY. If there is also the threat of the penalty of incarceration for non-payment of the fine, then we have crossed the Rubicon into state VIOLENCE against civil society. The ESO authorities were also not satisfied to terrorize this couple under color of law but made sure they understood the willingness of civil servants to abuse their mandates by demanding all receipts for their last 14 days of purchases. It would serve the public well were the Compass to publish the STATISTICS ACT in its entirety so we can be certain of how much of this is (unlawful) law and whar is simple policy enacted by ESO under color of said law.
This is the type of intimidation tactics we see used in China, Russia, North Korea, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba AND the United States of America.
“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”
Alexis de Tocqueville
“Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free men.” Dwight Eisenhower
“The people cannot delegate to government the power to do anything which would be unlawful for them to do themselves.”
John Locke
“Violence is the last resort of the incompetent.” Isaac Asimov
The diguise of democracy worn by The Cayman Islands Government has now almost completely fallen off. What would complete the reveal is for a benefactor who is a protector of FREEDOM to step forward with the $5,000 and a law firm to represent (pro bono) these honorable senior citizens and let the government prosecute this case. This couple will be in their 80’s when this gets to trial. How about you, Financial Sector? How about you, Tourism Sector? How about you Members of Parliament? This is the CAYMANKIND you want the world to see?