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JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former police commissioner David Baines left the Cayman Islands this week insisting he was the victim of a baseless, politically moti- vated smear campaign. Mr. Baines, in a final interview with the Cayman Compass, defended his record and condemned what he described as “malicious and vindictive complaints” aimed at ousting him from office. “It was all an attempt to undermine, smear and create an unfortunate situation that meant I couldn’t do my job as commissioner,” he said. “The entire probe was a political attempt, and a successful one, to stop me doing my job.” Mr. Baines said the 22 complaints raised in a no-confidence motion put to the Legislative Assembly by opposition backbencher Bernie Bush had been reviewed by the governor’s of- fice and shown to be without foundation. “They have been looked at and were a waste of public money. They have all been ad- dressed and a response has been made that found no substance to any of them,” he said. He said he made the decision to leave the Cayman Islands after seven years because the “storm of criticism” coming toward the police, of which Mr. Bush’s private members’ motion was one aspect, was making it impossible for him to do his job effectively. “As a leader you have to recognize the time to step aside and allow the service to get on and do its primary role of protecting its citizens rather than being castigated on a daily basis by those who should know better,” he said. The police handling of a search and rescue operation for five missing boaters was the latest touchstone for political and public discontent. Complaints leveled at the organization have included the theft of a large quantity of drugs from the police evidence Appointments slightly restructure police service BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Two veteran British police officers have been hired to fill crucial operational and investigative command roles at the Royal Cayman Islands Po- lice Service. Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown will take over specialist operations, including the Criminal Investigations Department, Finan- cial Crime Unit, the Drugs and Serious Crime Task Force and the Joint Intelligence Unit. Superintendent Robert Graham will oversee police district operations with responsibility for regular patrols, armed units, the Joint Marine Unit, the Traffic Unit and neighborhood policing. Both men started work at the RCIPS on Thursday. The move essentially divides the local police service operations into two distinct areas – detec- tive and investigative services and uniform/patrol services – with Mr. Lansdown taking over both financial crimes and chief detective roles previ- ously managed by two police superintendents Mr. Graham also takes over the responsibilities previously shared between two RCIPS superinten- dents, Robert Scotland and Angelique Howell. Mr. Scotland left the force last month. Ms. Howell is persuing her law articles at a local firm and may be returning to the police service. The appointments of Mr. Graham and Mr. Lansdown were made by former Police Commis- sioner David Baines prior to his departure from the service on Tuesday. “It was decided that a slight realignment be- tween the two key operational commands is more Roger Enrico was frequent visitor to Cayman JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Tributes have been paid to an “incredible man” and a “great leader” after the death of former PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico on a snorkeling trip near Stingray City. The 71-year-old business leader, who was a frequent vis- itor to Cayman and used to own a home at Cayman Kai, died in hospital Wednesday afternoon after getting into difficulties while snorkeling close to the North Sound sandbar. Mr. Enrico, who served for 12 years as board chairman of animation movie studio DreamWorks, was hailed internationally for transforming Pepsi into a pop-culture leader that challenged the supremacy of Coca Cola through innovative ad campaigns and sponsorship deals with pop icons like Mi- chael Jackson and Madonna. He was involved in the Grand Cayman hotel the Com- fort Suites from its inception, and remained good friends with owner Burns Rutty and his family. “He was one of the kindest, most generous people that you could ever come across in life,” Mr. Rutty’s son Gary said Thursday. “He was one of the brightest people I have ever met. He was a wonderful, wonderful man. “He was Google before the Internet was invented. He was a wealth of information. I can’t say enough good words about Baines departs citing political interference TWO UK POLICE SUPERINTENDENTS JOIN RCIPS Former Pepsi CEO dies snorkeling near Stingray City Magic reef restoration ‘99 percent complete’ Organizers leading the volunteer effort to restore the reef off Don Foster’s that was damaged by the Carnival Magic’s anchor in August 2014, say the work is ‘99 percent complete.’ Lois Hatcher with Ocean Frontiers said the work has moved into the maintenance and cleanup phase, with all of the big pieces of coral and many smaller pieces back on the reef. For more on this story, see page 6. – PHOTO: LOIS HATCHER PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 10 »2 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Casual indoor & outdoor dining with a local flair. 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(next to Elgin Court / opposite GT Police Station) CELEBRATING 58 YEARS June 3rd thru June 30th - Open until 6pm, Mon - Sat Shih Tzu Maltese Puppies for sale they are six weeks old and comes with first shots. 1 girls - CI$1200.00 2 boys - CI$1100.00 ea serious enquirers only sheow22@hotmail.com I love you From Wayne Debbie From WayneFrom WayneFrom Wayne II love you love you I love you II love you I love you love you From WayneFrom Wayne love you love you From Wayne Webb sentencing set for Friday BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman Islands busi- nessman Jeffrey Webb faces potential prison time and de- portation in connection with his role in the ongoing FIFA racketeering and bribery scandal at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Friday in U.S. federal court. Webb pleaded guilty in November 2015 to seven criminal counts, including racketeering, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, in the FIFA indictment. The case involves more than 40 former high-ranking officials in world football’s governing body. Webb, a former FIFA vice president, is accused of taking millions of dol- lars in bribes in exchange for awarding commercialization rights for certain football tournaments in the region. Webb, 51, faces up to 20 years in prison for his role in the scheme, although he is expected to receive a reduced sentence after cooperating with the U.S. prosecutors. In Webb’s plea hearing on Nov. 23, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Raymond Dearie also mentioned deportation from America as a “likely consequence” of his guilty plea. However, the judge also pointed out this was not a matter for his court to decide. Judge Dearie pointed out that Webb also faces additional fines totaling US$500,000, or an amount equaling half of the proceeds he received from the criminal enterprise, in addition to the US$6.8 million he has already agreed to forfeit in relation to the case. Although he has agreed to plead guilty, Webb has the right to appeal the length or terms of his sentence in the U.S. if he finds the judgment to be “unreasonable.” If he is deported from the U.S., where he currently lives with his wife and young son, Webb is likely to face addi- tional criminal charges in connection with an unrelated investigation in Cayman. Webb was charged last year in relation to the CarePay hospital swipe-card contract fraud, which led to the conviction of his asso- ciate Canover Watson in Feb- ruary on conspiracy to de- fraud and corruption charges. However, due to the U.S. court proceedings, Webb was not available to stand trial in Cayman with co-defen- dant Watson, who was sen- tenced to seven years’ im- prisonment for his role in the CarePay scheme. BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The costs of MLA sala- ries and constituent allow- ances will increase the gov- ernment’s budget by about $190,000 next year. However, Financial Secre- tary Kenneth Jefferson said that does not mean MLAs are getting a big pay increase. Rather, most of the money is going toward the salary and constituent office of Cay- man’s 19th member of the Legislative Assembly. The $190,000 increase fac- tors in salary of office, as well as what it costs to pay for an additional “constitu- ency allowance” for the new elected position. When Cayman switches to its new single-member district voting system at the next general election, it will also add one more MLA to the current total of 18. The extra legislative seat will be in what is now known as George Town district, based on the current population of eligible voters. Mr. Jefferson confirmed this week that a “modest” increase in salaries for the MLAs, the governor and the deputy governor in the up- coming 2016/17 budget rep- resents about a 2 percent in- crease in annual spending. “It should be noted that an additional MLA will be added in [late] May and this would necessitate the increased costs,” Mr. Jefferson said. The additional costs amount to about $100,000 in spending for the remaining seven months of the 2016/17 budget year, the financial sec- retary said. Another increased cost is for constituency allow- ances provided to MLAs. Ac- cording to Mr. Jefferson, the planned increase is about $89,600 for the year, again anticipating the addition of the new MLA. “Constituency allowances are available to all MLAs to fund constituency offices and support personnel,” he said. “The amount is pro-rated when constituency offices are shared by MLAs.” This is what happens now with lawmakers in the more populous voting districts who are of the same political parties or groups sharing of- fice space. Mr. Jefferson said he expects that arrangement to continue. He said government paid about $685,000 in the 2015/16 budget for the operation of district representative offices. It would be more costly overall if each of the 19 MLAs elected in the next general election decided to operate their own district offices. The MLA offices are ei- ther rented or owned ac- commodations where politi- cians meet with constituents, hold caucus meetings or plan election strategies. They op- erate on a cost-sharing basis which provides less indi- vidual funding to MLAs who have more members in the various offices. The maximum amount a single MLA can receive for a constituency allowance is $4,000 per month, but it has been the practice in re- cent years to share costs. In West Bay, where Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush and MLAs Bernie Bush and Capt. Eugene Ebanks share an of- fice, the allowance payment is $2,400 for each MLA. In George Town, where Premier Alden McLaughlin, Ministers Kurt Tibbetts and Marco Archer and MLAs Joey Hew and Roy McTag- gart share an office, each member receives $2,000 in constituent allowances. New MLA seat adds costs The Alzheimer’s and De- mentia Association of the Cayman Islands joined Al- zheimer’s Disease Inter- national when its rep- resentatives attended a conference in Budapest, Hungary, in April. The conference, hosted by Alzheimer’s Disease In- ternational and the Hun- garian Alzheimer’s Society, drew nearly 900 delegates, including people with de- mentia, professional and family care providers, re- searchers, clinicians, and staff and volunteers of Al- zheimer’s associations. Among the delegates from 70 countries were two representatives from Cay- man’s Alzheimer’s and De- mentia Association, founder and chairwoman Dorothy Davis and board director Lana Mae Smith. During the conference, Al- zheimer’s Disease Interna- tional’s Council, comprised of voting representatives of member associations from 84 countries, voted for the Cayman association to be- come a member of the inter- national body. “The benefits of mem- bership include being part of a global advocacy and support network with op- portunities for training and development and ac- cess to ADI’s materials, in- cluding the Annual World Alzheimer Reports” said Ms. Smith. “It also provides links to an international dementia research network – 10/66 Dementia Research Group and the Medical and Scientific Advisory Group.” She said becoming a member “required being assessed for three years, along with scrutiny of the financials, board makeup, establishment of com- mittees, training plans and publications.” Maintaining member- ship will require annual reports to be made to Al- zheimer’s Disease Interna- tional. Ms. Davis was in- vited to address members of the council. CAYMAN ALZHEIMER’S GROUP JOINS INTERNATIONAL BODY Dorothy Davis, founder and chairwoman of the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association of the Cayman Islands, with Gerry Sampson, chairman of the Board Membership Committee of the Alzheimer’s Disease International’s Council, at the conference in Budapest, Hungary.The islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 discoverfl ow.ky/tv Conditions apply. why Flow TV? Watch all the great sporting moments; Rio Olympics 2016, IPL cricket, COPA America, Barclays Premiere League and access to NFL Sunday Ticket. Call 1-800-534-7253 for a free in-home demo.The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 – EDITORIAL – 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. 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 findtheirownway” It seems that those who are petitioning against the amendments to the National Pensions Law (NPL), which was recently passed in the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly, may have a deficit of facts, especially on two ma- terial areas, of which I will now briefly comment and seek to clarify. As the former Director of Labour & Pensions and the Superintendent of Pensions, I was the “caretaker” of the US$1 billion in Assets Under Administration in the combined pensions funds by all Pension Plan Administra- tors (PPA’s); however even de- spite this large sum I under- stood that it is a far cry from what is needed in order to give retirees (Caymanians and non-Caymanians) a mean- ingful income replacement ratio and therefrom a decent life in their “golden years” … when they are unable to work. Those individuals, or orga- nizations, who object to a re- view and better monitoring and management of our na- tional pensions regime ad- ministration and financial performance are simply obliv- ious to the realities in life, and may be sub-consciously con- doning poverty (“bread”) lines for our retirees, the likes of which have not been seen since the Great Depression. To begin to, finally, ad- dress this matter the current government has at long last brought some amendments to the NPL. Two of these involve increasing the “retirement age” (meaning the normal age of pension entitlement) from 60 to 65. A second amendment is to increase the annual pen- sionable salary limit (or “year’s maximum pensionable earn- ings”) from $60,000 per annum to $87,000 p.a. Therefore the annual deferred Savings for Pensions, based on the 10 per- cent combined contribution will be $8,700 p.a. as opposed to the current $6,000 p.a. Based on research con- ducted last year, it was de- termined that currently the “income replacement ratio,” which is the percentage of their current earnings/salary that retirees will have on re- tirement compared to what they currently earn as an em- ployee is only at a range of 24 to 50 percent. This means that at the forecasted current pensions funds available to retirees, they will have less than half of their income to live on when they retire. With the cost of living, healthcare, etc., who can afford to retire in such circumstances?! The normally accepted and adequate Income Replace- ment Ratio is at a range of 60 to 70 percent. Once the NPL amendments are in place and begin to take root, along with other improvements in pen- sions supervision, it is ex- pected that the Income Re- placement Ratio will track upward to a range of 57 to 78 percent. Now that’s better … That’s what I’m talking about! These amendments were suggested by the international firm Mercer, from its review and report of 2007, so already we are late. Additionally, many progressive and first-world countries are also increasing their retirement age to well be- yond 60. Our people have no income tax, no Social Security, and not much other liquid as- sets to sustain them during retirement. It is therefore im- perative that we maximize the return available to them upon retirement. The increase in the retirement age and the YPME is a bold step in that direction. If the petitioners and their ad- visors have a better solution to address this large socioeco- nomic hurdle, let’s hear it. I am not ignoring or dis- counting the many long- standing problems, and nega- tive perceptions, which exist in the pensions arena in respect to: supervision, governance, controls, rogue employers who deduct from their employees but do not pay into a pension plan, or the historically large levels of delinquent employers. There are clearly many is- sues to be addressed, and some of these, with the proper focus and resolve of policy- makers and pensions regu- lators, will be addressed in the recently passed (interim?) amendments and other com- panion legislative and institu- tional strengthening which are required. Here are a few of the innovations which are needed in order to maintain the mo- mentum and to take pensions to a new platform in these in- come-tax-free islands: Work with industry part- ners, particularly the CFA So- ciety of the Cayman Islands, and introduce a “standardized investment performance re- porting protocol,” which will allow the common pension member/employee to better understand and compare the performance of his/her pen- sion plan, including admin- istration and investment fees and expenses, against cus- tomized but internationally recognized benchmarks. Consider establishing a sliding scale for retirement savings arrangements pay- ments, instead of the fixed $12,000 p.a. which is now the case, and this sliding scale would depend on the value of the person’s fund together with mortality tables and other demographic factors. The regulator, now being the National Pensions Office, should be allowed (from its $1 million in fees and revenue collected each year) to secure the services of an in-house or an outsourced dedicated legal counsel as well as appropriate resources to monitor and an- alyze the investment perfor- mance and financial perfor- mance and compliance of each registered pension plan. The absence of these resources and the chronic delays with re- ceiving legal opinions or assis- tance from within government, as well as the delays in the prosecutorial infrastructure and the courts, seems to em- bolden the law-breakers and the unscrupulous employers. Statements must be more frequent and more reader/user friendly, and incentives should be introduced to encourage members to attend the meet- ings and become more active in their pension plans. In closing I wish to remind and encourage all employees, employers, and other stake- holders in the pensions arena that pensions or retirement normally takes a long view; we must therefore be cogni- zant that there will be the normal peaks and valleys in the investment life cycles, nor- mally within every 10 years. However, properly equipped investment managers and ad- visors can normally anticipate and mitigate the negative im- pact of most of this, working within the various asset allo- cation and prudence as pre- scribed in the regulations. It is important that we do not panic when there is a normal downturn in the market or in the investment performance, and where this happens ensure that you get an explanation from your pension plan or make repre- sentations to the regulators. Pensions and effective retire- ment planning are crucial to building a nation, let’s move forward and do not “throw out the baby with the bath water!” Mario E. Ebanks FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS The sad loss of five boaters in March was a sor- rowful event for the Cayman Islands. However, the recent exoneration of police officers’ actions during the search and rescue operation is good news for law enforcement, and therefore good news for our country. In summary, the review — led by U.K. Coastguard Commander Andrew Jenkins, with support from Cay- manians Kirkland Nixon and Mary Lawrence — found “no major faults” with the operation, and concluded that the police decision not to launch helicopter or marine searches overnight (and to wait until daylight the next morning) was the correct one. Amid foul weather and rough seas, our law enforce- ment personnel, as well as local volunteers, placed themselves at great risk while attempting to locate 9-year-old Kanyi Brown, 11-year-old Kamron Brown and the three adults who accompanied them, Gary Mullings, Nicholas Watler and Edsell Haylock. Although their efforts did not ultimately prove successful, they were in earnest, and we should be grateful to our officers and the members of the community who acted professionally and even heroically. We still mourn those who were lost, but we should also honor those who attempted to save them. In addition to his confirmation that Cayman police conducted the operation appropriately, Commander Jenkins included in his report perhaps even more valuable observations (in the longer term) about weak- nesses in Cayman’s rescue operations. For example, the police have only one helicopter pilot (limiting the availability of the aircraft); staffing in the marine unit is less than half of what it should be; and the police marine vessels appear to be in a state of disrepair. Surely, with central government bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, and boasting of surpluses nearing $150 million, our police should have recourse to, if not excellent, at least adequate resources to enable them to save lives and patrol our surrounding territory. From our perspective — as communicators, observers and fact-checkers — what may be the most significant aspect of Commander Jenkins’s review is that it illustrates that police, who had been accused vehemently and publicly of (basically) lying, were in fact telling the truth all along, and were sharing the facts with the Cayman community as they received them. In this situation, the police performed their duties cor- rectly, admirably, and they were honest. Other people, however, were not so concerned with veracity. Parts of their stories that, all along, were absolutely false (such as the assertion of an early 911 call that never occurred) nonetheless proved effective, in terms of ginning up a hue and cry against law enforcement, specifically now- former Police Commissioner David Baines. While many people may have had genuine ques- tions about tactical aspects of the unsuccessful search and rescue operation, some people, in our opinion, deliberately and callously seized upon public unrest in order to achieve objectives that were purely political, or personal, in nature. As is written in our “exit inter- view” with Commissioner Baines that is published today, the “missing boaters” criticism proved to be the final instance of political maneuvering against him, and the coup de grace for his seven-year tenure. “It was all an attempt to undermine, smear and create an unfortunate situation that meant I couldn’t do my job as commissioner,” he said. As we said at the beginning of this editorial, the good news is that the police were right. The bad news is that Commissioner Baines was also right. Politics and policing don’t, and shouldn’t, mix. Missing boaters: The police, Baines were right Give Pensions Law a chanceThe islands’ most-trusted news source 5 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 STOP THE RELEASE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES Cayman’s Mosquito Research and Control Unit (“MRCU”) and UK Biotech company Oxitec are releasing millions of genetically modifi ed mosquitoes which they say will help fi ght the Aedes Aegypti that transmits Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. Aside from the fact there was no proper public consultation about the decision, can we be sure that the release of these mosquitoes into our environment is safe? Oxitec obtained approval from the FDA in South Florida. Why has the FDA now rescinded that approval and stopped the release pending further assessment and county-wide vote? Do you know, that over 3 million GM Mosquitoes were released in the Cayman Islands in 2009 & 10 with no widespread public awareness? What is the current prevalence of the Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya virus in the Cayman Islands and what are the risks of those virus types manifesting in the Cayman Islands in the future? What are the risks for spreading diseases by biting females? What are the risks of releasing 22 million genetically modifi ed, non- native strain mosquitoes? What is the risk that wild type Aedes aegypti mosquitoes migrate to surrounding areas in response to the releases? What are the risks of increasing other mosquito strains if the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are suppressed? What is the potential impact on the Cayman Islands’ ecosystem and what independent assessments have been conducted? What would be the impact in the event of failure of the killing mechanism due to tetracycline in the environment and/or evolution of resistance or, other reasons as yet undiscovered? If you are concerned about these questions and the lack of any independently published risk assessments, then go to www.change.org (search “Cayman” and “Mosquito”) and sign the on-line petition to the Premier and Cabinet of the Cayman Islands Government: Suspend Oxitec’s GM Mosquitoes Project in the Cayman Islands. How do you feel about millions of genetically modified mosquitoes being released in Grand Cayman? This is a paid advertisement and the sponsor has no association with the website referred to.6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS Reef restoration from Carnival anchor drop nears completion CHARLES DUNCAN cduncan@pinnaclemedialtd.com When the Carnival Magic dropped its anchor in the wrong spot on Aug. 27, 2014, it destroyed about 16,000 square feet of coral reef off the George Town waterfront. Now, almost 20 months later, the restoration work by a dedicated group of volun- teers is almost complete. “It never will be back to what it was,” said Lois Hatcher, one of the lead vol- unteers in the restoration, but the group’s efforts have paid off and the work is now “99 percent complete.” The work involved ce- menting big pieces of coral back onto the reef and using epoxy to reattach smaller pieces. The volunteers set up a coral nursery near the damaged site to grow corals to put back onto the reef. The Carnival Magic cruise ship requested a different an- chorage away from the des- ignated areas because of the weather conditions, according to an incident report from the Department of Environment. A pilot from Bodden Shipping tried to anchor the ship in a sandy area, but instead the ship dropped its anchor and 450 feet of chain on living corals in a popular dive site. “Significant damage re- sulted,” the Department of Environment report stated. Photos from the time show a wide swath of live corals destroyed by the an- chor and chain. The cruise line and its in- surance company gave gov- ernment $100,000 to help with the reef recovery efforts. “All of the heavy work is done now,” Ms. Hatcher said, adding that volunteers spent countless hours salvaging live corals from the rubble and using epoxy to reattach them to the reef. “The volunteers have been great,” she said, and the com- munity backed the effort with “tremendous support” with funding and volunteering. She said the group is plan- ning a party at the end of the month to celebrate wrapping up the restoration work. The work now involves reattaching some of the re- maining corals from the nursery and cleaning and maintaining the site. Ms. Hatcher said volunteers plan to continue to monitor the corals. The next big step will be to see how the corals do during spawning season in September. “We hope to see them spawn this year so the corals can get back to their normal life cycle,” she said. Some promising de- velopments, she said, are “new recruits” showing up on the site, meaning new corals moving naturally to the rehabilitated reef. She said volunteers will be working to keep the corals free of too much algae. “It’s very easy for algae to overgrow the coral and suffo- cate it,” Ms. Hatcher said. Ms. Hatcher said big in- cidents like the Carnival Magic accident can bring people’s attention to the de- struction of coral reefs, but every day larger threats come from overfishing, de- velopment and global envi- ronmental factors. “It’s not just one thing im- pacting the reef,” she said, it’s a number of local and global issues. Overfishing along Cayman’s reefs have caused problems for the corals around the island be- cause fish help keep the algae at bay. “Reefs are the first line of defense against waves if we get a hurricane,” she said. And if that wasn’t reason enough to protect the reef, she argued, “People aren’t going to pay to look at dead reef.” The $100,000 from Car- nival went into a fund with the Cayman Islands National Trust to pay for the cleanup. That money went to buy sup- plies such as cement and epoxy, and to pay stipends of $10 a dive to volunteers, as well as a boat to shuttle volunteers back and forth to the reef. Ms. Hatcher said any money left over in that ac- count will be for the National Trust to support local envi- ronmental causes. “All of the heavy work is done now.” LOIS HATCHER, reef restoration organizer This photo shows a wide area of reef destroyed by the anchor and chain of the Carnival Magic cruise ship. – PHOTO: LOIS HATCHERThe islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 him. He was a friend to me and to my family, he was a genuine guy, an icon and someone we all looked up to.” Mr. Enrico was visiting the Cayman Islands with his son Aaron and a large group of other families, Mr. Rutty said. He was pas- sionate about scuba diving and had just joined his eldest grandson on his first dive in Cayman earlier this week. PepsiCo CEO and Chair- woman Indra Nooyi said Mr. Enrico was a role model and mentor and would be sorely missed. “Today is an incred- ibly sad day for the PepsiCo family, for we have lost one of the true legends of our com- pany and our industry,” she said in a statement. Peter Foulds, a former colleague at Pepsi who also owned a home on island, said they had both been in- troduced to the island and to scuba diving by fellow Pepsi executive, the late Alan Pot- tasch, who owned a home in East End. Mr. Foulds said Mr. Enrico had owned and redeveloped a home at Cayman Kai. He sold it several years ago but con- tinued to visit Cayman. “He was an incredible leader, very tough but al- ways fair and a great guy to be around,” he said. “I was shocked and sad to hear about his death.” Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said he was sad- dened to hear of Mr. Enrico’s death, and expressed condo- lences to his family. “I met Mr. Enrico when he visited Cayman Brac to go scuba diving. He was a great friend of the Cayman Islands and I am very sorry to hear of his loss,” he said. According to advertising industry magazine AdWeek, Mr. Enrico joined Pepsi in 1972 after serving in the army during the Vietnam War, and rose through the ranks to become CEO of bev- erages in 1983. He is credited with helping Pepsi compete with its chief rival Coca-Cola by developing the “Pepsi Chal- lenge,” a blind taste test in which the majority of people preferred Pepsi to Coke. “He later signed Jackson and launched iconic cam- paigns starring The King of Pop along with Madonna, Cindy Crawford and more,” according to the magazine. PepsiCo CEO Ms. Nooyi said in her statement, “Roger Enrico was, quite simply, one of the most creative marketers of his or any generation. He was a risk-taker, never afraid to challenge the status quo or make bold moves to get ahead. He was tough as nails, always prepared to get the job done and beat the competition. At the same time, he had a true love for our people and a pas- sion for empowering them to reach their full potential.” She added: “Roger de- voted more than 30 years of his life to PepsiCo and his leadership was instrumental in making us the company we are today.” A Royal Cayman Islands Police Service spokesperson said police scrambled a he- licopter and the marine unit boat Tornado to the scene after a 911 distress call from a private boat just before 2 p.m. An RCIPS spokesperson said the victim had encoun- tered difficulties while snor- keling and was receiving CPR from people on the boat when police arrived. He was taken to a waiting ambulance at George Town Yacht Club by the ma- rine unit, and was pronounced dead at the Cayman Islands Hospital just after 3 p.m. locker and the hiring of a Jamaican armed officer who was later convicted of murder. Mr. Baines defended his conduct in those high-profile incidents, but said the bulk of the other issues cited by Mr. Bush and other vocal critics were not grounded in fact. Despite the public back- lash and his departure being marked by acrimony, Mr. Baines believes his time in Cayman has been a suc- cess and insists the “silent majority” support and re- spect the police. He believes a vocal, politically and per- sonally motivated minority, amplified by blogs and talk radio, have fueled misconcep- tions about the effectiveness of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. He said he had taken over a force which was “on its knees” in 2009, and that he modernized the operation and made it professional. “We have invested heavily in training, we have tackled the gang crime, we have stopped the killings, we have increased our prosecution of serious offenders, we have taken gunmen off the streets, we have filled Northward, we’ve filled the court. All that has come about by leadership and direction and hard work, not just from me, but by those who have worked tirelessly for me in trying to profession- alize and lift standards.” He said the police were doing their part by arresting and bringing charges which led to convictions held up on appeal at a “level we have never done before” but were being used as a “convenient smokescreen” for political failure to deal with the root causes of crime. “We are responsible for policing. That doesn’t mean we are responsible for crime. We are not respon- sible for poor families, for poor education, for the lack of rehabilitation. “Some of the politicians who have had responsibility for those areas don’t want to ask and answer those ques- tions. It is easier to point the finger at the police. “All I ask is when it comes to election time, ask your MLA, ‘I understand what you are doing about the po- lice, please tell me what you are going to do to help fami- lies in difficulties, to help the court system expedite pro- cedures, what are you doing about schools to identify and mediate problem individ- uals at a younger age so they don’t come into the criminal justice system?’ “Unless we start having that balanced approach, we will have … politics that makes it very easy to blame the police when it goes wrong and for the politicians to take credit when it goes right.” Mr. Baines accepted he had been a polarizing figure as chief of police, saying he had spoken his mind “di- rectly and bluntly” and didn’t take criticism lying down. “I have been answerable to the law. I haven’t been bent by favors for one group or another, and I have been consistent and defended our organization when it has needed to be defended, which no one else was doing.” He acknowledged that it had not been a smooth ride and expressed frustration at what he describes as broken budget promises. He said he had been forced to operate 50 officers short of capacity to deliver a promised pay raise to rank and file officers who until recently were the lowest earners in all uniformed ser- vices in the Cayman Islands. Mr. Baines highlights fi- nally upgrading the police custody cells, which he said were previously an uninhab- itable “dungeon,” as another step forward. Progress, in all areas, has taken longer than expected, he acknowledged. “It has taken three times the energy to get a third of what I had hoped to get done, but that’s just the context of the way things work or don’t work here.” He cautioned against changing the structure of oversight and accountability for police, which is channeled through the governor’s office. “One of the successes of the Overseas Territories in comparison to some of the independent countries in the region is that the commis- sioners have enjoyed indepen- dence from political control have remained operationally independent. They are an- swerable to the law,” he said. “If we start to bend it for political expediency, you will … find, as other independent Caribbean countries have seen, the police are merely a pawn of the political party of the time. That can’t be good for the community or for any nation to do that.” Despite the manner of his departure, Mr. Baines said he leaves with good memories of the majority of Cayman Is- lands people and describes his seven year tenure as a “unique experience.” “I had some memorable experiences that will stay with me for the rest of my life, no more so than on Jan. 1, 2014, which started off with a celebration for being honored by Her Majesty The Queen, to eight hours later finding myself confronting armed robbers at Diamonds International. That is never anything I had ever thought I would have to do and yet did and am pleased to say training and good luck meant that we got a successful re- sult with some great support from members of the public who courageously came in and assisted.” More generally, he says the highlight of his time in Cayman has been “giving justice to victims who never thought they would get it.” Mr. Baines is confident the majority of the Cayman Is- lands public still respect and support the police, though he believes the current political climate may make it harder to find a new commissioner. “I don’t think it will be easy. People will look at it and some quality candidates that would have considered it may say, ‘I see what is on the wall here’ and not bother. “That said, I’m pretty sure they will find someone to do this job and I wish them good luck.” FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 • CAYMAN COMPASS We have been asked to announce the passing of Mrs. Mary Ann Frances Ebanks-Ramoon affectionately known as “Ms. Frances”, who passed away on Tuesday, May 31, 2016. Details for a Thanksgiving Service will be announced at a later date. Condolences can be registered at churchillsfuneralhome.com A Gathering to Celebrate the Life of Anthony (Tony) David James Moore will be held on Saturday 4th June 2016, 5pm at South Sound Community Centre. We regret to announce the passing of Christina Spradling Who departed this life on Friday May 27, 2016. Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Mrs. Spradling will be repatriated to the United States of America. We regret to announce the passing of Cynthia Lavonne Solomon who departed this life on Monday 30th May 2016. Condolences can be registered at boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page. Funeral services will be announced at a later date. Baines departs citing political interference Police Commissioner David Baines left the island this week. – PHOTO: JAMES WHITTAKER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Former Pepsi CEO dies snorkeling near Stingray City CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In this June 14, 1985 photo, Roger Enrico, CEO of PepsiCo, poses in his office in Purchase, N.Y. - PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY JUNE 3, 2016 ,Next >