ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – Wednesday april 29, 2015 SportS | page 18 pascal edging back to form Javelin champ returns from injury High of 91 Low of 77 Slight to moderate with wave heights 2 to 4 feet. editorial | page 4 a quixotic approach to censorship case made for extra la seat Boundary commission hears from George Town residents brent fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Controversial proposals to add one – or perhaps even three – Legislative Assembly seats have not been entirely ruled out by members of Cayman’s three-person Electoral Boundary Commission, according to commis- sion members who addressed Monday night’s public meeting in George Town. “The commissioners could recommend that George Town has an additional constituency with another seat in the Legislative Assembly,” commission member Steve McField said. Boundary commission chairperson, American political scientist Lisa Handley, ini- tially said the commission intended to draw 18 separate single-member voting districts, to replace Cayman’s current six-district, multi- member voting system. However, she conceded during Monday night’s meeting at Mary Miller Hall that additional Legislative Assembly mem- bership is “one of the things we are taking into account” and that the commission might even draw up alternate district maps, based on input it receives from residents this week. That answer was given after George Town resident and former member of the Legislative Assembly Lucille Seymour asked whether the work done by the commission “would have covered” the potential extension of the Legislative Assembly to 19 or even 21 seats. “I sincerely believe that should be taken into consideration,” Ms. Seymour said. Mr. McField, a local attorney serving on his first boundary commission, declined to give his personal views on the subject but indi- cated one might make a case for at least one additional legislative seat in George Town. His comments were based on the fact that the Cayman Islands has 18,297 registered voters, which, if divided evenly, would come to about 1,016 average “voters” per district. Cayman Brac and Little Cayman – which are guaranteed two Legislative Assembly rep- resentatives by the 2009 Constitution Order – would not come close to that number if single- member constituencies were to be adopted. Also, East End and North Side districts, if left alone by the boundary commission, would not have anywhere near 1,000 voters apiece. Meanwhile, George Town, if divided into six single-member districts, would average more than 1,200 voters per district. “George Town has 7,382 [voters],” Mr. McField said. “If you divide that by six, we are 107 overtime charges against employer dismissed Charges filed too late, magistrate rules carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Charges against a construction company for failing to pay overtime to more than 100 employees were dismissed Monday after Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez ruled that the Department of Labour and Pensions had not brought the charges within the six-month pe- riod required by law. Island Builders Ltd. had been charged with 107 counts of failing to comply with the Labour Law by not paying overtime – at least one-and-one-half times an employee’s basic hourly wage per hour after the standard work week or work day. An informal check of the individual charges showed amounts allegedly owed ranging from $20 to more than $5,000. One employee claimed overtime between Jan. 20, 2011 and Feb. 26, 2013; the others were between June 27, 2012 and Jan. 1, 2013. The charges were filed on March 24 and 27, 2014. The question was: When did evidence sufficient to justify proceedings come to the knowledge of a competent complainant? The magistrate first determined that the competent complainant for the Labour Law is the director of Labour and Pensions. The law states that the director is charged with securing the proper observance of the law, New film censorship board planned James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A new Cayman Islands film censorship board, with responsibility for rating movies to be shown in the territory, is being set up. The board will principally be respon- sible for censoring independent unrated movies, but also has the power to ban films and to reclassify mainstream movies al- ready rated by international censors. Proposed new legislation gives the board the remit to consider numerous factors, in- cluding whether the movie meets the standards of “morality, decency and propriety” of the com- munity, when issuing rating certificates. The Film Exhibition Control Bill aims to re- place the old Cinematograph Law, which will be repealed if the new legislation is passed. Anyone who wants to show a movie in the Cayman Islands will have to notify the new Film Control Board in advance. If the movie does not already carry a rating from internationally recognized film censors, the board will be tasked with considering its content and deciding what age group it is suitable for. The board also has the option of ban- ning a movie from being screened if it Movies shown in Cayman may be rated by a locally appointed board. - photo: taneos ramsay PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL Wednesday april 29, 2015 • Cayman Compass www. 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May 2nd, 2015 745-5555 | www.logic.ky $99.95 RESIDENTS $199.00 BARS & RESTAURANTS Man took passports as security for loans People cannot hold other people’s passports, magistrate says Carol Winker cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man who pleaded guilty to operating a busi- ness without a license was granted bail on Monday with a condition that passports be returned to two people who borrowed money from him. The defendant, Leroy Armstrong Henry, also faced five charges of unlawful pos- session of a passport. Armstrong, 39, pleaded guilty to carrying on, or at- tempting to carry on, a busi- ness without a license – the lending of monies and col- lecting interest and deposit, which is required to be li- censed under the Trade and Business Law. One charge related to a pe- riod between September and October in 2013 at School Road and involved two pass- ports; the other pertained to a period between January and April 2014 in George Town and involved three passports. Crown counsel Alex Upton told Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez that two people had not yet received their passports back. The other par- ties did. Defense attorney John Furniss said Henry had the same problem the complain- ants had: he had given their passports to an individual he borrowed money from. Now he had to pay the money back in order to get the passports. “Do we have loan shark business so rampant around here?” the magistrate asked. “Perhaps there should be public education that people cannot hold other people’s passports.” The officer in the case agreed. Only a court or the Immigration Department can hold a person’s pass- port, she noted. The officer ex- plained that a passport does not belong to the individual – it belongs to the country that issues it. Mr. Furniss advised that it would take about a month for Henry to get the $1,400 or so that he owed the individual who had the passports. The magistrate said she really didn’t care about that. She directed Henry to give the officer the name of the indi- vidual who had the passports, as well as contact informa- tion. She then asked the of- ficer to get the passports by 10 a.m. on Tuesday. If they were not obtained, she said, Henry would be brought back to court before his date for sentencing in late May. Details of the cases against Henry were not gone into at this time and there was no mention of how much money was borrowed or for what period. It was ex- pected that such information would be made public at the sentencing hearing. Mr. Upton did say that, in due course, he would ask that the charges of unlawful possession of a passport be left on file. That means they would not be proceeded with at this time, but could be brought back if circumstances warrant, or they could eventu- ally be dismissed. Bilingual Jeb Bush in Puerto Rico SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Jeb Bush’s fluency in Spanish is going over well in Puerto Rico. The former Florida gov- ernor delivered a speech on economic opportuni- ties partly in Spanish on Tuesday, and his audience responded with hearty ap- plause. Bush is fluent in the language, and often uses it in Florida, but it’s rarely heard in Republican presidential campaign politics. In his speech, Bush noted how he came to Puerto Rico to campaign for his fa- ther in the island’s first presidential primary. “For three months, I think I may have become a resident of Puerto Rico, and my dad won, which is a by-product of a great experience,” he said. Bush also spoke about immigration and its impor- tance for the United States, a touchy subject for him in the 2016 Republican presidential contest but one he embraced. “We’re an immigrant nation and we should be proud,” he said, as someone in the audience yelled, “Yes!” Bush smiled. “I know about the immigrant expe- rience because I married a beautiful girl from Mexico,” he said. “My children are bi- cultural and bilingual.” Bush is in the U.S. terri- tory for a fundraising event and town hall meeting with Republicans. He’s expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomi- nation, joining Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, as well as many other prospective rivals, in the race. He wasn’t ready to make that announcement Tuesday. Puerto Rico’s Republican Party leader, Carlos Mendez, leaned forward at one point and passed on an index card with the question everyone was wondering: “Are you going to run for president?” Bush laughed and said, “I’m on the journey of consid- ering that, trying to figure out if I have the support neces- sary to do it. Today’s not the day to trigger a campaign but I appreciate the sentiment.” Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush House bill seeks to curb Cuba travel WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans unveiled leg- islation on Tuesday to sharply curb the Obama administration’s recent moves to ease U.S. restric- tions on travel to Cuba. The provision by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Cuban- American from Florida, would block new flights and cruise ship travel to Cuba. The provision was attached to a must-pass transportation spending bill that the House will consider next month. Diaz-Balart’s move comes in response to new rules issued in January that would ease travel restric- tions to Cuba and permit regularly scheduled flights. “The expansion of reg- ularly scheduled flights to Cuba is an obvious attempt to circumvent the tourism ban,” Diaz-Balart said. “Similarly, allowing cruises to dock in Cuba would vio- late both the spirit and the letter of U.S. law. Increased travel to Cuba directly funds the individuals and institutions that oppress the Cuban people.” The Republican plan would thwart flights but retain new rules permit- ting the import of limited amounts of goods like ci- gars and rum.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 Cayman Compass • Wednesday april 29, 2015 Tell us how RBC helped you achieve your goals for a chance to win a weekend getaway! Log on to rbc.com/caribbean Investing in YOU have a lot on your plate YOU have staff to inspire and targets to meet YOU are a big player and you don’t play games RBC makes your business, our business! “I’m really impressed with RBC’s solutions for business not to mention their regional experience and global reach. Even with their long list of successful clients, I feel like I am their priority.” Patricia – RBC Client It’s All About YouNoah Smith Bloomberg News Harvard economist N. Gregory Mankiw is a great researcher, wickedly smart and possessed of exceptional intuition. His introductory economics textbook, which has earned him a reputa- tion as America’s economics teacher, happens to be my fa- vorite (with apologies to Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, whose book is also good). But I have to say, I don’t really like the way Mankiw presents economic ideas to the general public in the news media. Mankiw likes to boil things down for public con- sumption. For example, take his recent article in the New York Times about the Trans- Pacific Partnership. Now, I’m strongly in favor of the TPP. I think it’s going to do a lot of good. But Mankiw is being too simplistic when he de- fends it by repeating the same basic case for free trade that we’ve been hearing all our adult lives: “Economists are famous for disagreeing with one an- other, and indeed, seminars in economics departments are known for their vocif- erous debate. But economists reach near unanimity on some topics, including inter- national trade ... “The economic argument for free trade dates back to Adam Smith, the 18th-cen- tury author of ‘The Wealth of Nations’ and the grandfather of modern economics. Smith recognized that the case for trading with other nations was no different from the case for trading with other individuals within a society.” This case is really simple, and everyone knows it. If trade didn’t benefit both par- ties, they wouldn’t trade. If trade didn’t benefit both countries, they wouldn’t trade. So allowing volun- tary trade is always good. But by simply restating this Econ 101 argument, Mankiw is failing to give his readers much credit. For one thing, some of the opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership comes from people who sup- port free trade, and who worry that the treaty’s in- tellectual property provi- sions amount to a restriction of trade. As Krugman points out, Mankiw ignores this. Mankiw’s second problem is that this same old case has failed again and again to per- suade the general public. Yes, economists overwhelmingly favor the idea of free trade. But the public remains stub- bornly skeptical. Is this be- cause they are just not smart enough to get the Econ-101- David-Ricardo thing even after hearing it a hundred times? Or is it because people are irrational and biased? In his article, Mankiw lists three biases that he blames for people’s refusal to accept the free-trade argu- ment. These are “anti-foreign bias,” “anti-market bias,” and “make-work bias.” Essentially, Mankiw is telling you that you don’t believe the simple truth be- cause deep down within you lurks a xenophobic socialist. Call me crazy, but I don’t think this is a beneficial, con- structive way for economists to engage with the public. Maybe the public is nei- ther xenophobic nor so- cialist. Maybe people are perfectly smart and rational enough to understand the David Ricardo idea, and also smart enough to understand something else that econo- mists have known for 200 years – international trade doesn’t necessarily benefit everyone within a country. That’s right – trade creates winners and losers. Econ 101 says that the winners out- number the losers in dollar terms, but not necessarily in people terms – if the richest 1 percent of Americans gain $1 billion from a trade agree- ment and the other 99 per- cent lose $900 million, then Ricardo’s theory says the country benefited overall. That outcome is perfectly consistent with Econ 101. Most pro-free-trade econ- omists, if you confront them with this fact, will say that this problem can be solved if we use redistributive taxes to compensate the losers. This ignores that we often don’t know who the winners and losers are from any particular trade deal – this is why you can’t buy insurance against the possibility of losing your job to a trade agreement. This also ignores that the tax system wasn’t set up to carry out this compensation. And on top of that, many pro-free- trade economists, Mankiw in- cluded, are almost always op- posed to tax increases. In other words, Mankiw is giving the public a pro- trade argument that, even on its own merits, might be bogus. Econ 101 says that it’s possible that free trade might hurt the majority of Americans, and yet Mankiw doesn’t seem to think the public needs to hear that fact. Like I said, I am in favor of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And, like most economists, I think free trade has, on bal- ance, been a big net posi- tive for most Americans over the past century, relative to any alternative we might have pursued. But I think the American people are intelli- gent and grown-up enough to hear the basic case against free trade, as well as the case in favor. Yes, Mankiw is smarter than most of us. That doesn’t mean we’re dummies. Noah Smith is an assistant professor of finance at Stony Brook University and a freelance writer for a number of finance and business publications. © 2015, Bloomberg News The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 “Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless.” – Don Quixote Like Miguel de Cervantes’ famous protagonist Don Quixote, the Cayman Islands government sees itself on the side of righteousness. One way it intends to demonstrate this is by the chivalrous passage of The Film Exhibition Control Bill, 2015, the stated goal of which is “protecting children from exposure to harmful film content.” Don Quixote could be excused for preparing to do battle with windmills because he was, after all, insane. We don’t believe the Cayman government suffers from the same affliction, but we do think it is ill-advised in attempting to regulate an art form, particularly when the medium targeted is but the very tip of a prover- bial, very large, iceberg. The three-person Film Control Board the new law would require will have wide censorship powers when it comes to films aired publicly in the Cayman Islands, including assigning a rating to an unrated film; assigning a different rating to a film that has already been rated by a board of internationally rec- ognized film censors; and prohibiting a film from being shown at all. Among the criteria the Film Control Board can consider when making its judgments on any particular film is the use of discriminatory, offensive, obscene or vulgar language; the exhibition of violent and graphic conduct; references to illegal drugs or drug misuse; the portrayal of dangerous or antisocial behavior; scenes of nudity, display of sexual activity, obscene displays and other forms of pornography; content displaying horror, blood and gore; and whether the film is in the public interest. We have to wonder if the film “Haven” by Cayman’s own Frank E. Flowers would pass muster with the Film Control Board because of its content depicting illegal drug use – right here on our shores – sexual content, violence and, prudes might contend, an obscene amount of vulgar language. How about John Grisham’s famous flick, “The Firm,” which portrayed Grand Cayman as a Mecca for money laundering, not to mention lusty sex on Seven Mile Beach? Would that get a thumbs up – or down – from our new arbiters of public morality? If today’s children want to find film content con- taining sex, nudity, drugs, violence, vulgarity, blood and gore, they have only to turn on the television to see what the local cable or satellite television company is offering. And if they can’t find it there, it’s just a click away on the Internet. (Our government might be sur- prised to learn that pornography is a multi-billion dollar business on the Net, and a wide variety of films, lurid and otherwise, can simply be streamed or downloaded from online services such as Netflix to computers, iPads, smartphones and other devices.) Regardless, protecting children from the potential harm of seeing such images should not be the role of a government, but of parents. The fact the government thinks it should or could protect children with The Film Exhibition Control Bill shows how out of touch – like our delusional hero Don Quixote – it is with reality. Cinema-goers are accustomed to being in the dark when watching films; we don’t expect our government to be equally in the dark with its futile attempts to censor them. – EDITORIAL – A quixotic approach to censorship Opinion&Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. Wednesday apriL 29, 2015 • Cayman COmpass Free trade aids growth, even though some people lose Printed and Published by: Caymanian Compass Limited (a subsidiary of Pinnacle Media Ltd) Compass Centre Shedden Road, George Town send us yOur VieWs Or neWs: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman KY1-1108, Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@pinnaclemedialtd.com adVertise With us: Telephone: (345) 949-5111 Email: sales@pinnaclemedialtd.com Website: www.caymancompass.com PUBLISHERS daVid r. legge and Vicki l. legge EdITOR-In-CHIEf daVid r. legge A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way”5 LOCAL NEWS James Whittaker jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman needs more hotel beds to accommodate the growing number of tour- ists flocking to these shores, according to tourism chiefs. After record arrivals in 2014, the first quarter of 2015 has seen a further 5.7 percent increase in stay- over tourism. A total of 45,476 tourists arrived in Cayman in March – the most ever in any single month. January and February 2015 were also record months, contributing to a total of 115,640 visitor arrivals in the first quarter, according to the Department of Tourism. Both Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell and CITA president Ken Hydes have cautioned that the upward trajectory will begin to pla- teau over the next few years. Mr. Kirkconnell told CITA members at their annual general meeting last week that more beds were needed. But he said the future looked bright with sev- eral hotel projects in the pipeline, including the Kimpton Hotel on Seven Mile Beach and a proposed development at Beach Bay, Bodden Town. In the meantime, tourism officials are targeting bigger- spending visitors from the Northeast region of the United States. Director of Tourism Rosa Harris said, “It is another great, positive beginning to the year, and we couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2015. We are optimistic of the tourism performance, which is measured by the growth in air arrivals. The Northeast region of the U.S. continues to be our largest key market for visitation and our efforts to see wins from this market will continue throughout the year. We have excellent airline partners that service the Northeast and we feel there is more room for growth from this area.” Cruise arrival numbers also increased marginally for the first quarter of 2015. Cruise visitation reached 544,073 in the first three months of this year com- pared to 543,017 compared to the same period last year. Cayman Compass • Wednesday april 29, 2015 179205_PRINT-Ad-ChrtyDr-WellDonePage 1 4/27/15 12:54:38 PM After record arrivals in 2014, the first quarter of 2015 has seen a further 5.7 percent increase in stay-over tourism. Tourism arrivals break new records Cayman has been rec- ognized by an international shipping organization as one of the top flags for ships to register under. The ranking means Cayman’s commercial ships and ports follow major international maritime treaties, have good port controls, and high stan- dards for crew training, safety and conditions. The United Kingdom- based International Chamber of Shipping released its an- nual performance reviews for flag states earlier this year, ranking Cayman among the 14 best-performing coun- tries and territories for mari- time flags. Joel Walton, head of the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry, said in a statement released by the Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands, “We are very pleased to again be valued as one of the world’s leading flags and we will continue to strive to- wards excellence. I congratu- late our team on upholding these standards every day and ensuring that ship- owners can carry the Cayman flag with pride.” Three British overseas ter- ritories – the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and the Isle of Man – are on the list of top coun- tries for flagging commercial vessels, relying on the United Kingdom for membership in several treaties, reporting re- quirements and required meeting attendance. Compiled through pub- licly available information, the Chamber report states it is intended to help ship owners choose where to reg- ister a vessel. The organiza- tion also hopes to encourage owners and operators to put pressure on areas that should do better, “especially in rela- tion to safety of life at sea, the protection of the marine en- vironment, and the provision of decent working and living conditions for seafarers.” Joining the United Kingdom territories at the top of the Chamber of Shipping list are Denmark, France, Greece, Japan, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Netherlands, Norway, Korea, Russia and the UK. At the bottom of the list are several Asian and African nations, in- cluding Tanzania, Mongolia, Moldova, Cambodia and Sierra Leone, citing those countries for not following standards on port control, safety or working conditions. Cayman flag ranked high for shippers Stay-over tourism in the Cayman Islands continues to grow.6 LOCAL NEWS Wednesday april 29, 2015 • Cayman Compass Students sell artwork to raise funds for summer art course Jenny Palmer jpalmer@pinnaclemedialtd.com John Gray High School art students are selling orig- inal prints of their GCSE art- work to raise money to at- tend a summer program at a prestigious art school in Atlanta, Georgia. The students will be at Camana Bay on Wednesday, April 29, from noon until 7 p.m. selling their work, the proceeds of which will help pay for airfares, as well as the summer program and tuition at the Savannah College of Art and Design, known as SCAD. The program lasts a week and students take part in cre- ative pre-college seminars which will enhance their art training, prepare them for Year 12 or A levels and give them the opportunity of mixing with other art-minded students internationally. John Gray art teacher Aimee Randolph, who is or- ganizing the trip and trav- eling with the students, said, “I think that it is an amazing opportunity as there are things that the students can do at SCAD that they cannot do on is- land or at John Gray. “They will get to make use of resources that we simply just don’t have, such as digital design, anima- tion and fashion. We felt it was a better opportunity to go somewhere with the stu- dents that is such a cultural hub. We will visit the art mu- seums and experience the culture of the city in the eve- nings after the classes, so I am excited for them.” The students taking part are Lowidka Linares- Watler, Tyra Iton, Aaron West, Selena McLaughlin, Zoe Leggatt, Owen Harris and Katrine David. They have been working hard on their art pieces to raise money for the trip. There was a bake sale on April 22, another to be held on May 6, and dona- tions can be made directly on the fundraising site. Teacher Georgia Harding has made a film for the web- site to support the fund- raising effort explaining that the students “have cultivated a talent that will take them on an unforgettable journey this summer in Atlanta. Help them on their journey … buy their art, support them.” SCAD, which was founded in 1978, has more than 11,000 students from nearly 50 U.S. states and more than 100 countries. As well as the more traditional courses in painting, printmaking and sculpture, the school also of- fers degrees in advertising, branded entertainment, in- teractive game development, television producing and vi- sual effects. The students have all chosen two specialities to study during the summer program. Aaron West has chosen acrylic painting and poster design, Lowdika Linares-Watler chose acrylic and 3-D printing, and Selena McLaughlin opted for wa- tercolor and sculpture. Zoe Leggatt said that it was a “strong possibility” that she would study at SCAD for her degree. “This is the first time to run this opportunity for the students, which costs al- most US$2,000 each,” said Jodi Wisdom, head of art at the school. “It will be a re- ally good experience for the kids, especially the ones who want to continue their ar- tistic careers and they are really excited. They will be able to speak to younger students about the trip to Atlanta and inspire them.” National Gallery exhibition All art students taking GCSE in Year 11 will be ex- hibiting their coursework at the Dart Auditorium at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands from May 4-15. “It is vital that the National Gallery supports the work of young and upcoming art- ists and we look forward to working with the Year 11 JGHS class on their GCSE exhibition.” said Kerwin Ebanks, education officer at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands. “NGCI is committed to supporting three student exhibitions each year in the Dart Auditorium/ Community Gallery as part of our mission to promote the appreciation and practice of the visual arts of and in the Cayman Islands.” For more information on the students’ fundraising efforts, visit gofundme.com/caymanscad. Some of the John Gray High School students going to SCAD are, from left, Lowidka Linares-Watler, Tyra Iton, Aaron West, Selena McLaughlin and Zoe Leggatt. Not pictured, Owen Harris and Katrine David. - Photo: Jenny Palmer “They will get to make use of resources that we simply just don’t have, such as digital design, animation and fashion.” Aimee RANdolph, teacher 7 LOCAL NEWS Cayman Compass • Wednesday april 29, 2015 Wanted: Old eyeglasses During the months of April and May, the Lions Club of Tropical Gardens is collecting used eyeglasses and sunglasses as part of a charitable recycling program. The collected glasses will be cleaned and pre- pared for distribution in de- veloping countries where eye care is often unaffordable and inaccessible. Lion Pat Bazell-Taylor, co- ordinator for the Recycle for Sight campaign said, “We need everyone to donate their used eyeglasses. In most de- veloping countries, an eye exam can cost as much as one month’s wages and a single eye doctor may serve a community of hundreds of thousands of people.” She explains the donated glasses will be shipped to regional Lions eyeglass re- cycling centers where they will be cleaned, categorized by prescription and prepared for distribution by Lions and other groups. Anyone wishing to do- nate used glasses can place them in specially marked Lions Recycle For Sight col- lection boxes located at all Burger King and Popeyes lo- cations, Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital, Clifton Hunter High School, Tropical Optical, and various other opticians’ offices. So far this month, more than 100 used glasses have been collected but the Lions Club and its partners, Burger King and Popeyes, are hoping to collect 1,000 pairs of spectacles, sunglasses or reading glasses. The Club explains that sight preservation has been one of Lions’ defining causes for more than 90 years since they were challenged in 1925 by Helen Keller, who be- came blind and deaf at age 2, to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness.” Lions took on this challenge. Besides recy- cling eyeglasses, Lions Clubs also provide eye screenings, eye tissue for sight-saving surgeries through their eye banks, and treatment to those at risk of losing their eyesight.Lion Paulette Conolly with one of the club’s eyeglass collection boxes. A handbook that explains in detail how to file a small claims grievance in court is now available free of charge to the public. The Office of the Complaints Commissioner has made an expanded fifth edition of the “Small Claims Handbook” available to pro- spective litigants. The 83-page handbook was written by attorney Brett Basdeo, who authored the fourth edition, released in 2010, and is a “quick ref- erence guide that provides simple, lucid and easy to un- derstand explanations and instructions, drawn from the Summary Court Rules 2004,” according to a statement is- sued by the Government Information Service. The handbook also in- cludes downloadable and printable Summary and Grand Court forms that must be completed and submitted to take small claims legal action. “The Handbook is meant to assist the general public in pursuing legal remedy through the Summary Court of the Cayman Islands,” Mr. Basdeo said in the statement. “It al- lows the man on the street to take legal action or defend small claims on his own.” “The Complaints Commission used to get at least three requests a week for the handbook, exclu- sive of online downloads,” said Acting Complaints Commissioner Bridgette Von Gerhardt. “This edition will help to meet that demand, and we thank Maples and Calder and Mr. Basdeo for doing such a thorough and professional job.” The new edition fea- tures simplified legal terms and definitions; reorganized linear structure to mirror the various stages of pro- ceeding; better guidance for both the plaintiff and de- fendant; expanded guidance on limitation periods and on completing court forms; up- dated sample forms; and an enlarged section on the appeals process. The handbook is available on the Office of the Complaints Commissioner’s website www.occ.ky/publications and on the Court’s website: www.judicial. ky/guidance/instituting-small-claims. The 83-page handbook was written by attorney Brett Basdeo, who authored the fourth edition released in 2010 ... Handbook informs How to make small claims Attorney Brett Basdeo hands over the updated fifth edition of the Small Claims Handbook, which he authored, to Acting Complaints Commissioner Bridgette Von Gerhardt, whose office produced the document.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 Wednesday april 29, 2015 • Cayman Compass whether or not a complaint has been filed. Further, the director, deputy director or any labor inspector may in- stitute criminal proceedings for any offense under the law. One case involved a single employee and one case in- volved 106 employees. In the case of the single employee, he came to the department with a query about his overtime on Sept. 17, 2013. On Sept. 20, 2013, a person from the department spoke with the employee and advice was given. “It is the court’s view that, irrespective of the client’s wish, knowl- edge was brought to the at- tention of the department, of such nature which would have indicated that there was a breach of the Labour Law,” the magistrate said. The employee brought his pay stubs in on Oct. 23, 2013. The charge was laid on March 27, 2014. Magistrate Hernandez said it was not necessary for the department to wait for the pay stubs to be brought in. “As long as the department was given information of a breach, then they must act quickly to enforce the law,” she said, adding that there was suffi- cient knowledge of a breach at least from Sept. 30, 2013. Even with the pay stubs, the department did not act quickly enough, she said. In the case involving 106 employees, late information provided to the court showed that the department had started an audit of the com- pany in February 2013 and not in October 2013. It ap- peared that the department had information sufficient to commence proceedings from at least 12 months prior to March 2014, when the charges were laid. Therefore, the magistrate also dismissed these charges because of the six-month time limit required by law for mat- ters that can be tried only in Summary Court. “It is evident from these matters that the department requires a complete re-educa- tion of its responsibilities and its obligations under the Law,” the magistrate said. “These are matters triable summarily [in Summary Court only], and it is incumbent on the depart- ment to act quickly and effi- ciently in laying charges once it has evidence sufficient to commence proceedings. “The distinction of this standard, as opposed to the standard of evidence sufficient to get a conviction, must be understood,” she pointed out. “I am well aware that there are a significant number of employees affected, but jus- tice requires that the court enforces the law equitably, and unfortunately, in this in- stance, the charges were not laid by the department within the six months legislated,” she concluded. On behalf of the defendant company, attorney Guy Dilliway-Parry applied for costs. The magistrate agreed for costs to be taxed. Crown counsel Greg Walcolm gave notice of appeal. considers it “unsuitable for viewership in the islands.” Movies that do carry international ratings, in- cluding the bulk of the mainstream movies shown at the Regal Camana Bay cinema, would not be re- quired to apply for a rating. But the board retains the option of reclassifying such films if it chooses. The bill states, “The board may ascribe a contrary rating to a film in accordance with its rating policies and guidelines if it determines that the content of the film requires a rating different from that ascribed by a board of internationally rec- ognized film censors.” Films that do not carry a rating, such as locally made movies or some low-budget independent films shown at film festivals, will be re- quired to pay a $25 fee to receive a rating before they can be screened. The stated objective of the planned law includes pro- tecting children from expo- sure to disturbing, harmful and adult content and in- forming the public of the content of a film. The board, which will be appointed and paid a fee to be set by Cabinet, will com- prise three members, in- cluding at least one person with relevant experience and qualifications, according to the proposed legislation. The board can consider various factors when issuing a rating, including: ■■ Whether the con- tent is seditious, ob- scene or blasphemous ■■ Portrayal of violence, nu- dity, drug use and of- fensive language ■■ The literary, ar- tistic or educational merit of the movie ■■ Whether the film is in the public interest. The bill establishes fines of $2,000, plus an additional $100 per day, for screening films in contravention of the rating certificate. It also requires the board to advise on the is- suing of premises licenses for public movie screenings and to monitor enforcement activities to “curb the exhi- bition of unsuitable films.” The existing Cinematograph Law put movie censor- ship in the hands of a five- member Cinematograph Board, though it is not clear how ac- tive the board has been in recent years. The bill would have to be debated and approved by the Legislative Assembly before it becomes law. New film censorship board planned 107 overtime charges against employer dismissed CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 Cayman Compass • Wednesday april 29, 2015 In Loving memory of Mrs. Elsie Venida Ebanks. Who le us 23 years ago. Mom your life was a blessing given to us by God. You are missed beyond measure, but you le us a treasure chest of memories which will stay with us forever. Mama and Grandma, we loved you then and we love you now. From your Daughter Connie and Grandson James. To sign the Guest Book visit: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of A wake will be held at 110 Hawkins Drive, Windsor Park on May 2, 2015 at 8 p.m. Mrs. Sylvena Nugent affectionately known as “Mama Sylvena” who passed away on Tuesday, April 14, 2015. A Service of Thanksgiving will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2015 at George Town Seventh Day Adventist Church, Smith Road at 2:00 p.m. Viewing: 1:00 p.m. -1:45 p.m. Interment: Prospect Cemetery going to have a number left over [from 1,000 per district] or we are going to have to configure boundaries to make that work.” Ms. Seymour said she re- alized some would make the argument that “George Town would have too many seats” if the commission adopted that course. However, she noted the advent of single-member voting districts would likely mean that the old district lines of George Town, Bodden Town and West Bay would be washed away. “There won’t be any more George Town, there won’t be any more West Bay, per se,” Ms. Seymour said. “By going into single-member constituencies, you have given the authority to those constituencies.” Ms. Handley agreed that traditional boundary lines would change over time, based on changes in population. For instance, the smaller district of North Side has seen spec- tacular growth in the past two years, becoming Cayman’s fourth largest voting district by the latest population esti- mates. Whether that popula- tion growth is due to voters or non-voters is uncertain, but Ms. Handley said elec- toral boundaries under single- member districts almost never stay constant. “Every time the boundary commission meets and looks at the population figures, the boundaries would change,” she said. Audience members at Mary Miller Hall asked whether this meant lawmakers – who are elected every four years in the Cayman Islands – would be spending the rest of their time redrawing boundaries to favor their interests or a particular political party’s chances during the next general election. Commission member Adriannie Webb said the con- stitution prescribes that a boundary commission should be called once every eight years to review district lines. However, there is nothing that would prevent a government from calling one earlier if its members desired and the ter- ritorial governor agreed. This prospect did not sit well with Deal Ebanks, a West Bay resident who attended Monday’s meeting. “We’re going to spend our money every few years redrawing these boundaries,” he said. Ms. Webb replied that there is no reason to believe the boundaries would be re- drawn every four years, and that no voting system Cayman selected would be perfect. “We will never have a perfect system,” she said. “Why would we spend a lot of money and time going from one imperfect thing to another imperfect thing?” Rudolph Brandt asked at Monday night’s meeting. Boundary chair: ‘One man’ won’t cement political parties Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com There is no partic- ular reason to believe that the creation of single- member voting districts under the “one man, one vote” system will perma- nently enshrine the two- party political system in the Cayman Islands, the chair of the Electoral Boundary Commission said Monday. Responding to a press question during a public meeting at Mary Miller Hall, Chair Lisa Handley stated her belief that single- member constituencies – particularly in an island state as small as Cayman – would make it more attrac- tive for underfunded inde- pendent candidates to seek elected office. “In single-member con- stituencies, it’s much easier for independents who don’t have any party ties to run [for office] because the number of voters you have to reach is smaller, it’s less expensive,” Ms. Handley said. “Proportional represen- tation has much stronger party systems,” she added, indicating that a propor- tional representative elec- tion system is not being considered for Cayman. Proportional representa- tive systems are based on the premise that all votes count, not just those that support the majority candi- dates. Under a proportional representation system, if a political party gets 20 per- cent of the vote, it would get roughly 20 percent of the el- igible legislative seats. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who attended Monday night’s meeting with four of his elected George Town colleagues, has often said that the Caribbean experience with single-member voting dis- tricts has almost uniformly led to the entrenchment of a two-party political system. However, he said Monday that is not the reason for the Progressives-led administra- tion’s decision to move to single-member districts. “There was a refer- endum held after a consid- erable groundswell of public opinion about the need to move to single-member con- stituencies,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “The Progressives ad- ministration is carrying through on what we believe to be an important cam- paign commitment.” In most Caribbean coun- tries with single-member voting districts, two major political parties have dom- inated for decades. In Jamaica’s 2011 election, for instance, the People’s National Party received about 53 percent of the vote, with 47 percent of the vote going to the Jamaica Labour Party. Four other political parties that contested the election received only about 1,000 votes among them, out of more than 800,000 cast. In the U.K., three parties split the majority of seats in the House of Commons, requiring two diametri- cally opposed groups, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democratic parties, to form a coalition govern- ment. “That is much more the exception than the rule,” Mr. McLaughlin said. The Cayman Islands has been a democracy for more than 150 years, but the po- litical party system here did not officially come into being until 2001, when what was referred to locally as a “coup” led to a change in government and fostered the beginnings of the then- United Democratic Party and the People’s Progressive Movement, now called the Progressives. Prior to the last decade, governments formed “teams” of like-minded individuals. While some pundits and modern-day lawmakers have referred to those teams as political parties in all but name, they were not desig- nated as such. Where’s the majority? Aside from the develop- ment of the political party system, some attendees at Monday’s public meeting were concerned about what might happen in small, 1,000-voter constituen- cies where several candi- dates ran and the one with the largest number of votes was elected, regardless of whether they received a ma- jority of 50 percent-plus- one votes. “You are in an enclave, you have 200 people who like you, you get into the legislature without any ex- perience or anything, but you get there just because enough people like you,” said Rudolph Brandt, who at- tended Monday’s meeting. “People who have nothing of worth to offer the people but [are elected] merely because [they are] popular in some sort of enclave somewhere.” Other attendees raised questions about the election of individuals who did not receive at least a majority of votes in their own districts. “We’ve ended up with representatives in some dis- tricts that poll less than 30 percent [in the election],” said George Town resident Billy Adam. “If you’ve polled 30 percent, 70 percent of the [voting] population said ‘I don’t want you.’” Ms. Handley admitted that could occur in a “first- past-the-post” system such as Cayman uses, meaning no runoff elections are held. However, she said, it also oc- curs under the current mul- timember election system. “What you’re describing is not something you can achieve [under the current system],” she said. Case made for extra LA seat CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Five of the six George Town representatives listen to voters’ views on single member constituent districts Monday night. – Photo: Brent Fuller Suspected hit-and-run driver arrested Brent Fuller bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com A Bodden Town man has been arrested in connec- tion with a fatal hit-and- run accident last week in George Town. The 24-year-old man, who was not named because he had not been charged as of press time, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and leaving the scene of an accident. The man is suspected of driving the vehicle that ran over and killed 59-year-old Donnie Ray Connor on the Linford Pierson Highway early Thursday, April 23. Police believe Mr. Connor was riding his bicycle on the shoulder of the road when he was struck. Police said investigators seized a silver Honda they believe was involved in the collision. The vehicle was undergoing a forensic ex- amination and police were still awaiting the results of certain evidence tests on Tuesday, Royal Cayman Islands Police Superintendent Adrian Seales said. The suspect had not been released under bail condi- tions at press time Tuesday. “The commissioners could recommend that George Town has an additional constituency with another seat in the Legislative Assembly.” Steve McField, member, Electoral Boundary CommissionNext >