Topic: editorial board
EDITORIAL – A NiCE idea to keep Cayman beautiful all year
Although the putting of extra money in Caymanians’ pockets tends to get top billing in government materials, the NiCE program has at least two other objectives that are even more important to the individuals and the island
EDITORIAL – TechCayman: Silicon Valley, ‘island-style’
Today is a good news day in the Cayman Islands because it foreshadows the dawn of a new industry based on innovation and digital exploration.
EDITORIAL – A classroom for every child in Cayman
It is nothing short of irresponsible for government to pass a compulsory school attendance law, while effectively denying expatriates entrance to the public education system paid for, in large part, through their taxes and fees.
EDITORIAL – Gov. Choudhury: Keeping politics out of the process
It is understandable that people would be eager to bring an end to the tension and uncertainty swirling around Cayman’s highest office. But Cayman has nothing to gain by polarization or further division into opposing camps.
EDITORIAL – One man’s tortuous road to Cayman status
Terrance William Delaney must hold the record for endurance in battling the bureaucracy and, in particular, the Cayman Immigration Board.
EDITORIAL – Work permit stats reflect Cayman’s changing face
New immigration figures confirm that the Cayman Islands population is not just changing; it has already changed.
EDITORIAL – Ensuring sustainable growth in Cayman’s tourism sector
The next stage of our development must be a renewed focus on infrastructure and service that is more than adequate to meet the demand and expectations of our first-class visitors.
EDITORIAL – Internet shaming and our addiction to outrage
People may grow and standards may change, but – as we all know by now (primarily because intrepid scandalmongers continually remind us) – the internet is forever.
EDITORIAL – ‘Mum’ still mum on status of Governor Choudhury
In this absence of any “official statements” whatsoever by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, some scenarios are beginning to gain attention.
EDITORIAL – European Union: ‘Googling for Dollars’
Using a heavy hand and curiously distorted notions of what a free marketplace should look like, EU regulators are endangering a symbiotic system that enhances competition and magnifies consumer choice.
EDITORIAL – Getting government out of the ‘bedroom business’
If this government is, as it claims to be, “of and for the people,” it needs to re-examine what its regulatory policies are doing to the very people it purports to represent.
EDITORIAL – Tinted windows: RCIPS can see clearly now …
The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service’s crackdown on illegally tinted windows may seem like a small thing, but it sends a message that Cayman is a country of laws that are in place to be obeyed – not to be ignored, inconsistently enforced or “winked at.”
EDITORIAL – Mandarin Oriental: Don’t stop the economic carnival
The Beach Bay project adds to a growing list of expansions and new developments springing up in every district.
EDITORIAL – School’s out: Slow down and savor the summer
After months of early mornings, homework assignments and classroom lessons, children have the time and space to follow their own interests.
EDITORIAL – ‘Raise the Roof’ to help stop domestic abuse
The Crisis Centre is composed of stalwart advocates for a vulnerable population that finds it difficult, or unsafe, to speak out publicly about their experiences.
EDITORIAL – FCO silence, tabloid media and Gov. Choudhury
The continuing silence from British officials in regard to the “withdrawal” of Governor Anwar Choudhury is fueling speculation, gossip and rumor – in other words, tabloid fodder.
Mail Call: Sargassum summer
Sargassum. It is quickly becoming a dirty word here in the Caribbean, as massive floating mats of the stuff inundate our shores.
EDITORIAL – For the record: The cost of obtaining public court documents
The Compass does not usually engage in “checkbook journalism,” but this week we were forced to pay cash for a story – not to a source looking for a quick payday, but to the Cayman Islands government. Here's what happened.
EDITORIAL – Sargassum summer: Cayman’s loyal but unpopular guest
Sargassum is more than a nuisance; the flotillas of flora pose a real threat to our tourism economy.
EDITORIAL – Time to examine the logic of our judicial penalties
From the outset we have been of the position that the electronic tags were a “solution” in search of a problem.
EDITORIAL – Gov. Choudhury puts government on ‘burn notice’
Governor Anwar Choudhury has pledged to “shred or burn policies or bits of bureaucracy” that serve no apparent purpose. We say: “Burn, baby, burn.”
EDITORIAL – Protect the public, not members of public boards
To our minds, a far better way to minimize liability for negligent board action is to minimize the potential for error – to slash the number of boards and dramatically raise standards for qualifications and professionalism of board members.
EDITORIAL – Building trust in our booming construction industry
Cayman’s new Builders Law will raise the standard of professionalism in our expanding construction sector, aligning our jurisdiction with other venues that insist on best practices in this critical industry.
EDITORIAL – Hurricane season: Be prepared by being informed
During hurricane season, the best defense is … a good defense. So stock up on supplies, get your house (and/or apartment, business, car, etc.) in order and communicate your plans with family, friends, coworkers and neighbors.
EDITORIAL: Word on the street: Pedestrians beware – and be careful
While everyone, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorbikers, and car and truck drivers, has a responsibility to “share the road,” the reality is that burden is not shared equally. In any contest between a moving vehicle and the human body, steel always prevails.
EDITORIAL – Keeping government out of Cayman’s employment business
Attempting to coerce companies into hiring employees based on anything other than their individual merit threatens to stifle or destroy the economic prosperity upon which we all rely and, incidentally, the foundation upon which Cayman’s “economic miracle” was built.
EDITORIAL – ‘Reign-y’ days: UK restraint vs. direct rule
British lawmakers have fired a first shot, but there may be more than one bullet in that gun.
EDITORIAL – Britain and Brussels: The double threat to Cayman’s economy
During these perilous times, we urge Cayman’s leaders to be uncharacteristically open and communicative with the people of these islands. The offshore financial sector provides over half of the entire government budget, and any threat to that industry threatens us all.
EDITORIAL – A splendid day for a royal wedding
What is it about a royal wedding that so enthralls so many people?
EDITORIAL – Welcoming the world to Cayman
Cayman did not simply break our previous record for airplane arrivals in the first quarter of this year – it shattered them, putting us on pace for a fifth-straight record-breaking year.
EDITORIAL – GM mosquito response (cont’d)
Ms. Barnard also emphasized her track record of honesty and commitment to transparency, providing several examples of such conduct in her career in government and the nonprofit sector.
EDITORIAL – The revealing (and disturbing) MRCU/Oxitec emails
If it were not for Dr. Wheeler and MRCU Research Manager Fraser Allen, it seems likely that Oxitec’s claim that its program had led to a “62 percent suppression rate” of the disease-carrying Aedes aegypti population in the West Bay pilot area would have gone unchallenged by government officials.
EDITORIAL – When Cayman’s private schools run out of space
When pondering a relocation (particularly to a foreign land), three questions rise to the forefront of every parent’s mind:
EDITORIAL – Using Cayman’s charities as pawns in a ‘rigged game’
When it comes to foisting nonsensical and onerous regulations on Cayman’s charitable organizations, here’s what Cayman’s government needs to do: Back off.
EDITORIAL – Brac’s untreated medical waste is a ‘pan-Cayman’ problem
The dozens of red biohazard bags observed by a Compass reporter in the Brac landfill constitute a dangerous and irresponsible disregard for public health that cannot be allowed to continue.
EDITORIAL – Transportation Board: The bus stops here – or it needs to
While the state of Cayman’s bus and taxi service is not as visible as long lines at the airport, or the towering landfill, its dysfunction should be regarded with equal seriousness.
EDITORIAL – Congratulations to Batabano: The beat goes on!
At age 35 (Who’s counting? We are!), Batabano seems to have a magical or mystical quality not just to stay young but to keep young all Cayman Islanders who participate with abandon in the much-anticipated annual event.
EDITORIAL – Investigations into government employees continue to grow
A probe into the possible misuse of government resources adds yet another name to the already-lengthy list of public officials who have been sidelined by investigation.
Weekend Mail Call: Snorkel safety
Snorkelers can greatly reduce their chances of encountering difficulty by taking some common-sense precautions.
EDITORIAL – Expected forecast: ‘Blue skies’ ahead for national airline
The best scenario would be one in which Cayman Airways continues to identify new, profitable routes, enticing commercial carriers to add Cayman to their flight plans.
EDITORIAL – Celebrating Cayman’s blooming season of growth
Here in Cayman, where the flowers remain vibrant all the year round, we have our own season of growth to celebrate – economically, that is – as dozens of exciting development projects are springing up.
EDITORIAL – Straightening out Sunday liquor sales: That is the spirit
Last Friday marked the end of one of the more, let’s say, “interesting” chapters in Grand Cayman’s regulatory history, as the Liquor Licensing Board gave the official green light to 12 businesses seeking to sell alcohol on Sundays.
EDITORIAL: Cleaning up our act – on roadways, beaches and lots
The Cayman Islands are already known as one of the most beautiful, most stable and safest destinations in the Caribbean. Wouldn’t it be equally desirable to be thought of as one of the cleanest as well?
EDITORIAL – Government’s failure to pick up the trash: How hard can it be?
As our readers are well aware, dysfunction at the Department of Environmental Health goes beyond missed garbage pick-ups. When workers do collect the garbage, the problem then becomes where to put it.
EDITORIAL – Hurricane season: Plan early to ensure safety
There is no way of predicting if, where or when severe weather will strike Cayman, but forewarned is forearmed.
Weekend Mail Call: Flex
Here's what readers said about Flex - a new rideshare app that will allow riders to hail a taxi, track its arrival and pay the fare by mobile phone.
EDITORIAL – Welcoming our newest residents
Allow us to officially (and very belatedly) welcome the Cayman Islands’ 708 new permanent residents. Congratulations are in order, and perhaps a bottle of celebratory champagne.
EDITORIAL – Rules of the road: Taming Cayman’s asphalt jungle
As anyone with a passing familiarity with Linford Pierson and Esterley Tibbetts highways (where much of the enforcement operation was concentrated) could tell you, it would not be unreasonable to expect police to be able to issue citations to more than 341 speeders per day.
EDITORIAL – Eliminating the Saturday gridlock at Owen Roberts
Rather than the easy-breezy “rest of the week,” it is the conditions within those three hours of congestion that form the standard by which the performance of our public officials, and the still-under-renovation airport, will be judged.
EDITORIAL – Government hits the brakes on Uber-like service
But thanks to government’s apparently insatiable need to interfere with private enterprise, the Flex app falls far short of offering “Uber in Cayman.”
EDITORIAL – On this holiday: Happy Easter, Cayman Islands!
Whatever you do, and however you celebrate, everyone here at the Compass wishes you a joyous Easter and a happy spring.
EDITORIAL – Customs duties: Re-examining a vital agency
“Behind the scenes” (i.e. at the cargo port), Customs plays a pivotal role in our islands’ security, economy, governance and ordinary business activity – all of which depend on smooth and efficient Customs processes.
EDITORIAL – ‘Bo’s Beach’: A fitting tribute to the ‘Prince of North Side’
Long ago, Mr. Miller championed the idea of creating a public beach on Old Robin Road just east of the junction with Frank Sound and North Side roads. He never contemplated its bearing his name.
EDITORIAL – ‘Government fiber’: A landmark intrusion into the private sector
When leaders of the Cayman Islands telecommunications companies heard Premier Alden McLaughlin say the government was going to build a fiber optic network throughout the east side of Grand Cayman – and make the telecom companies pay for it – they might have thought they were experiencing a “bad connection.”
EDITORIAL – UK wins ‘war’ against EU … then surrenders
Perhaps half-hearted Brexit officials secretly hope, if they manage to bungle the negotiations sufficiently, that the people of the U.K. will change their minds about leaving the EU.
EDITORIAL – Should government ‘indemnify’ public board members?
We acknowledge and appreciate the dilemma: Cayman’s “best and brightest” are unlikely to serve on boards if they put themselves and their families at financial or reputational risk. However, we also have concerns about individuals’ rights to pursue remedies for wrongs done to them by the actions of boards – by one, some or all of its members.
EDITORIAL – When authorities ‘surrender’ to lawbreakers
It is beyond any measure of acceptability that our justice system simply admits its own impotence (and/or incompetence) and “surrenders” in the face of such blatant lawlessness and civil provocations.
EDITORIAL – An island-wide ‘Thank You’ to the HospiceCare donor
The US$1 million gift is the largest anonymous donation HospiceCare has ever received.
EDITORIAL – Consultants’ reports: What did we get for $35 million of advice?
It is difficult to adjudge, in a vacuum, whether the nearly $35 million government spent on outside consultants over the past five years was too much, too little or exactly the right amount.
EDITORIAL – Dilly-dallying and bureaucratic delays at Immigration
How long does it take to stamp a passport? Five seconds? Maybe 10 seconds, if you fumble the pages?
How about six months?
EDITORIAL – When convictions go unrecorded in our courts
Along the marl road, the appearance of favoritism can leave as great an impression as fact. It can contribute to erosion of public trust in the judiciary, perhaps the public institution that relies most on unimpeachability and integrity.
EDITORIAL – The A’s, B’s, and C’s of the world’s disappearing honeybees
Cayman should be cautious whenever we start tinkering with complex ecosystems. When it comes to Nature, “In God We Trust” might be a reasonable motto. No doubt, God knows what He’s doing – but it’s not at all certain that man does.
EDITORIAL – Hiring authority: It must not be delegated or usurped
What Deputy Governor Franz Manderson knows, and former Deputy Governor Donovan Ebanks ought to know, is that department heads – not appointed commissions – MUST be empowered to make hiring decisions.
EDITORIAL – Healthcare obligations: The straight story (minus the sugarcoating)
Every citizen of these fair isles should be asking whether they are comfortable spending “hundreds of millions” of dollars each year of their hard-earned money to pay the healthcare benefits promised to our civil servants by our vote-seeking politicians.
EDITORIAL – Reversing our disturbing increase in traffic accidents
It’s time to hit the brakes and seek answers as to why our roadways are so dangerous and deadly.
EDITORIAL – Consumer Protection: A turkey of a bill that will not fly
Thanks to the U.K., Cayman no longer has the death penalty, but that does not mean we cannot impose capital punishment on proposed legislation that would impose such harm and cost to our community.
EDITORIAL – Dancing in the street: A ‘tip of the hat’ to Officer O’Connor
With his crisp white gloves and good-natured disposition, Officer O’Connor is upbeat and unflappable (a survival quality for someone standing in the middle of George Town intersections). May we be the first to nominate him as a worthy ambassador of these islands?
EDITORIAL – On the Stephens ‘non-deportation’: We got it right
No one likes to be wrong – not the Compass, not Cabinet, not a Chief Officer. But people with courage, at minimum, choose to own their own words – and their own mistakes.
EDITORIAL – A heinous attack on all law-abiding Cayman citizens
Last Sunday’s arson targeting a senior member of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service was far more than a crime. It is a symptom of an unacceptable fraying of respect for law enforcement.
EDITORIAL – The fight for ‘everyday rights’
We are pleased to hear the Human Rights Commission intends to focus its efforts on the issue of lawful administrative action.
EDITORIAL – A chance to plant, take root and grow
Recent years have yielded bumper crops of venues for locally grown produce. Now Andre Gooden and Jesse Basdeo, of Charlito’s Greenhouse farm, are taking the movement one step further by offering free garden plots to anyone who wishes to learn how to farm.
EDITORIAL – Another visit to the airport (and to our keyboard)
In publishing, as in travel, it sometimes makes sense to book a round trip. Last weekend’s smooth arrivals process at Owen Roberts International Airport calls for a “return trip” editorial on the issue of airport delays.
