ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 High of 85 Low of 74 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 KURT TIBBETTS RETIRES: SALUTING A TITAN OF CAYMAN POLITICS WORLD | PAGE 10 SCOTTISH LAWMAKERS BACK INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM CALL New gov’t to inherit lawyers bill woes Premier drops bill at 11th hour BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands government has, once again, dropped plans to rewrite the law gov- erning legal practitioners in the territory after repeated attempts to negotiate a com- promise failed. Monday’s withdrawal of the Legal Practitioners Bill marks at least the sixth time lawmakers have tried in the past 15 years to update the 1969 law that regulates the opera- tions of law firms and the rules of conduct for lawyers in Cayman. The Cayman Islands Law Society, one of two major representative groups for local at- torneys, expressed its “disappointment” in government’s failure to pass the bill. “Remaining with the status quo will con- tinue to have a negative impact on current and future generations of Caymanian lawyers,” the society statement noted. “The bill would have been an important positive step forward for the Cayman Islands’ legal profession in- cluding Caymanians within the profession, the financial services industry as a whole, and the wider community.” Premier Alden McLaughlin announced late Monday afternoon that his Progressives-led government was abandoning efforts to pass the latest version of the controversial bill, effectively killing it for the Legislative As- sembly term which ended Tuesday. The bill’s passage is considered a crucial step toward protecting Cayman’s financial ser- vices industry from external competitors with no connection to the islands who profit from the use of local financial services regimes without being licensed to practice law here. It is also viewed as required legisla- tion ahead of a territorial evaluation of PLAN HATCHED TO RELEASE GM MOSQUITOES ACROSS CAYMAN ISLANDS National rollout could face new risk assessment process JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Plans to expand the release of genetically modified mosquitoes across Grand Cayman have been submitted to the National Conser- vation Council. The Mosquito Research and Control Unit has applied for a new import permit and out- lined a proposal for a two-year program to fight the disease-spreading Aedes aegypti mosquito islandwide. The proposal contemplates the construc- tion of new mobile labs, converted from ship- ping containers, for hatching the larvae. It also suggests the genetically modified mosqui- toes could be deployed on Cayman Brac. Reports submitted to the council, along with the permit application, indicate the first phase of the project, in West Bay, has been a success and that the MRCU and its partner, British biotech firm Oxitec, are planning a na- tional rollout. Bill Petrie, director of the unit, told the Cayman Compass that the aim is to begin the next phase of the release in Feb- ruary next year, pending government approval. However, the permit request could face an independent risk analysis – similar to the environmental impact assessment process – under new guidelines drafted by the National Conservation Council. Guidance notes, approved by the council at its meeting last week, indicate that all appli- cations to import invasive or genetically modi- fied species should go through a preliminary Election: Tibbetts, Connolly out, Eden back in BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com One long Cayman Islands political career came to an end Monday night, while another lengthy one continued and a fledgling career was seemingly cut short, as candidate nomi- nation day loomed for general election candidates. Legislative Assembly mem- bers paid numerous tributes to Planning Minister and former People’s Progressive Movement (now the Progressives) leader Kurt Tibbetts, who will not seek re-election on May 24. “The decision not to seek to be re-elected this time was not an easy decision,” Mr. Tib- betts said during a speech late Monday night. “I’m not trying to suggest that I’m an old fogey … [but] I feel myself not being able to be what I always was.” Mr. Tibbetts was first elected in 1992 and has been re-elected in every vote since. He has hinted in recent years that it might be time for him to be “put out to pasture,” but there was significant speculation he would rejoin the race one more time in 2017. On Monday night, that speculation ended. In what has become a rare scene in local politics, members on both sides of the aisle praised PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » Cruise ship passengers pour into George Town The George Town waterfront saw one of its busiest days of the year Tuesday, with six cruise ships bringing in more than 20,300 passengers, according to the Port Authority. The Freedom of the Seas brought in 4,530 passengers, with the remaining tourists arriving on Disney Magic, Westerdam, MSC Divina, Celebrity Reflection and Norwegian Epic. – PHOTO: ALVARO SEREY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 - WEDNESDAY - GET OUT (R) 12:35 I 4:10 I 7:20 I 9:50 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D (PG) 12:55 I 3:50 2D I 6:50 I 9:45 2D KONG: SKULL ISLAND 3D (PG13) 1:00 2D I 4:10 I 7:05 2D I 9:55 POWER RANGERS (PG13) 12:30 I 6:45 I 9:35 LOGAN (R) 12:30 | 3:35 | 6:40 | 9:45 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. *Additional charges will apply per 3D ticket requested. 640-FILM (640-3456) CUSTOMER NOTICE Scotiabank & Trust (Cayman) Ltd. wishes to advise that due to the Prime Rate change of the US Federal Reserve Bank on March 15, 2017 from 3.75% to 4.00% the following changes will be made: • USD Prime Rate 3.75% to 4.00% - Effective March 16, 2017 • KYD Prime Rate 3.75% to 4.00% - Effective March 31, 2017 All products linked to USD and KYD Prime Rates will be adjusted on the effective date indicated. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. People had the chance to test drive new Jeeps or try out their own 4X4 vehicles on a specially constructed off-road course at Barcadere as part of Car City’s inaugural ‘Jeep Day’ on Saturday. – PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Off-road adventures In an article titled “Former PPM leader’s brother on op- position team” on page one of Monday’s Cayman Com- pass, Denniston Tibbetts was quoted as stating: “I love my brother, we grew up together. But the [Progressives] never did anything for me.” While the quote was an ac- curate, Mr. Tibbetts asked to clarify that he did not intend to infer that he expected any special considerations from the Progressives party because his brother is former leader Kurt Tibbetts. Rather, he said the comment was intended to infer that the Progressives had not done anything for him as a Caymanian or for Cayma- nians in general. Scotiabank A story titled “Author en- courages women to embrace their differences” on page two of Monday’s Compass should have mentioned that Scotiabank hosted and spon- sored Friday’s “Power of the Purse” event. CLARIFICATIONS JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Construction will begin in May on an 85-home canal-front community in Grand Harbour. The Periwinkle project has been approved by the Central Planning Authority and the first phase will break ground within the next two months, according to project manager Ryan Ostendorf. He said the homes would feature rooftop solar panels and an energy efficient de- sign that will make the com- munity the first develop- ment of its type in Cayman to gain the Leadership in En- ergy and Environmental De- sign (LEED) certification, an internationally recognized rating for environmentally friendly buildings. He said there is huge de- velopment potential for the Grand Harbour lands, next to Hurley’s Supermarket, which have lain dormant for decades despite the commer- cial development in the area. “If you look at the devel- opment in the Seven Mile Beach corridor over the last few years, there is not a whole lot of land avail- able and the properties that are being sold there are in the multimillion- dollar price range. “There has been a lot of condo development on South Sound, but there is no space left in that area. Grand Har- bour is the next natural pro- gression. It has the ameni- ties, it is close to town and it has water access.” He said Periwinkle, which has partnered with con- tractor Arch and Godfrey for this project, is also in talks with the other major landowners over poten- tial projects in the Grand Harbour area. The Periwinkle project will feature a mix of Cayman-style cottages, courtyard town homes and waterfront town homes around a large swimming pool, Jacuzzi and boat dock. Prices will range from $500,000 to $1 million. The first phase will in- clude construction of 24 homes as well as the pool and clubhouse. Mr. Osten- dorf said around half of those units are already sold, and he expects the first buyers to be able to move in around summer 2018. The full development will be built in phases over the next five years and will be spread across a 9-acre site. The design features a walking track around the complex and a commu- nity clubhouse with pad- dleboards and kayaks for communal use. He said the complex is aimed at people seeking a modern, eco-friendly life- style, and that it includes energy-saving features that will limit monthly power bills to less than $150. Grand Harbour project to break ground in May An architect’s rendering of the new Periwinkle community. MEXICO CITY (AP) – The U.S. cruise ship line Holland America says it has halted port calls at Mexico’s troubled resort city of Acapulco and will sail to other destinations in the country “due to recent security concerns.” The news comes as Acapulco hosts an annual tourism fair that officials hope will spark a rebound at the once- glamorous resort. The Seattle-based Holland America says in a statement Monday that eight cruises which once stopped in Acapulco will in- stead go to other Mexican destinations in 2017 and 2018. Acapulco and areas inland in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero have been plagued by high levels of crime and drug gang killings. A few other cruise lines continue to make port calls in Acapulco, but the business began to fall off steeply around 2010. CRUISE LINE STOPS PORT CALLS AT MEXICAN RESORT OF ACAPULCOThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce a series of 19 candidates forums, one for each constituency. Chamber Candidates Forums Our candidates forums have been held every election year since the 1980s, giving Caymanians an opportunity to meet their candidates and learn more about their manifestos and opinions. These forums are proudly hosted in partnership with Hurley’s Media, who will be broadcasting them live on Cayman 27 and/or Rooster 101.9 FM. Candidates will be asked a series of national and constituency based questions, developed from those submitted by Chamber members. The public is invited to attend the forum in their constituency. The first forums will take place in Cayman Brac on April 7 & 8 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The remaining forums will take place from 7:15 – 9:30 p.m. All declared candidates are invited to attend their respective forum, and should confirm their participation by emailing info@caymanchamber.ky or calling 949-8090. Representatives from the Chamber Council and Hurley’s media will be asking the questions to the candidates. The aim of these community events are to educate the persons in each constituency on their candidates in a non-partisan environment. These events will help them decide who to vote for on Elections Day. • Friday, April 7 Cayman Brac East (Veterans & Seamen’s Society Hall) • Saturday, April 8 Cayman Brac West & Little Cayman (Veterans & Seamen’s Society Hall) • Monday, April 10 East End (Clifton Hunter High School) • Tuesday, April 11 North Side (Clifton Hunter High School) • Wednesday, April 12 Bodden Town East (Bodden Town Civic Centre) • Wednesday, April 19 Prospect (Prospect Primary School Hall) • Thursday, April 20 Savannah (Savannah Primary School Hall) • Friday, April 21 West Bay West (John A. Cumber Primary School Hall) • Monday, April 24 West Bay South (John Gray Memorial Church Hall) • Wednesday, April 26 Red Bay (Mary Miller Hall) • Thursday, April 27 George Town South (South Sound Civic Centre) • Friday, April 28 Bodden Town West (Bodden Town Civic Centre) • Tuesday, May 2 George Town West (Cayman Islands Further Education Centre Auditorium) • Wednesday, May 3 West Bay Central (Church of God, Capt. Reginald Parsons Drive) • Thursday, May 4 West Bay North (West Bay Assembly of God, Finch Drive) • Friday, May 5 Newlands (Savannah Primary School) • Monday, May 8 George Town East (First Baptist Church Hall) • Tuesday, May 9 George Town North (ARC, Camana Bay) • Thursday, May 11 George Town Central (George Town Town Hall) The partnership between the Chamber and Hurley’s Media also includes a series of political debates which are to be held at the ARC in Camana Bay. These debates will be broadcast live on Cayman 27 (7:15-9:30 p.m.) on the following dates: Tuesday, April 18 Tuesday, April 25 Monday, May 1 Wednesday, May 10 Monday, May 15 Thursday, May 18 The public is invited to attend these debates, and candidates will be invited by Hurley’s Media. We would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of these community forums. Businesses interested in supporting the forums should contact Nicola Burke at membership@caymanchamber.ky or on 743-9129.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. WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS A long and colorful chapter in the history of Cayman Islands politics is ending. George Town lawmaker Darwin Kurt Tibbetts is retiring from the Legislative Assembly. Mr. Tibbetts closes out his decades of service to the people of these islands with a CV which would rival that of any political friend or foe: He was first elected in 1992, and served twice as Leader of Gov- ernment Business, first from 2000-2001 and then from 2005-2009. Among his other accomplish- ments, he spearheaded the passage of the Cayman Islands Constitution. During the 21st century, the narrative of our coun- try’s electoral system has been largely defined by the continuous combat between Mr. Tibbetts – with his even-keeled and genial demeanor, leading the People’s Progressive Movement party he founded – and West Bay lawmaker McKeeva Bush and his Cayman Demo- cratic Party (formerly the United Democratic Party). Both were lions, equally fearless, in battling each other, but also, and probably more importantly, battling for their constituencies and the causes they believed in. Their rivalry made for good theater, often played out on the stage of the Legislative Assembly. Those who know Mr. Tibbetts, and especially those who have engaged in conflict with him, can attest that no matter how fierce and formidable a foe he might be on matters of policy, when it comes to personal relation- ships, he always comports himself as a true gentleman. Mr. Tibbetts possesses the rare trait, particularly for a politician, of being comfortable with himself. As such, he is known for being comfortable with everybody else, from all walks of life and in any venue, from playing dominoes with constituents at the local watering holes, to arguing points of order in parliament, to hobnobbing with foreign dignitaries and British officials. As evidence of Mr. Tibbetts’s healthy perspective on politics and life, consider the following “gibe” from the website of his North Side restaurant: “On weekdays Kurt is out and about in George Town politicking, however, come weekend you will find the master chef of local delights at Kurt’s Korner. Takeout is available or join others on the veranda. For members of the UDP party, there is a special first class section – right next to the backbench reserved for Ezzard Miller.” That “populist” strain in Mr. Tibbetts has made him popular among voters, and, running in the largest district of George Town, he received the greatest number of ballots in every election since 1996. Think about that. With Premier Alden McLaughlin’s longtime role model, friend and political godfather bowing out of the picture, the looming elections in May are the premier’s opportunity to emerge fully from the long shadow of Mr. Tibbetts and, as the undisputed captain of the Pro- gressives, to steer his party’s political course for better or for worse. On Monday night in the Legislative Assembly, Premier McLaughlin spoke eloquently of his colleague: “I [speak] with a great deal of sadness, but with immense pride for all that he has done in the 24-plus years he’s been a member of this honorable House. He’s been my friend and mentor for a long time.” The premier continued, “Kurt has never wanted power for power’s sake. [He’s] a big man, with a bigger heart, whose place in Cayman Islands history will forever be assured. I know of few people who have given more of themselves … than Darwin Kurt Tibbetts.” What a person’s friends say is one thing. What is more telling, perhaps, is what one’s adversaries say. Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush reminisced that he had remained friends with Mr. Tibbetts “from the good days when we worked at the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1971 to the bad days of politics. That’s what’s important.” Well said, Mr. McLaughlin. Well said, Mr. Bush. And, if we may add our voice to theirs, well done, Mr. Tibbetts. Kurt Tibbetts retires: Saluting a titan of Cayman politics 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 EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” The secret delight of poetry April is Poetry Month, a painful reminder for some, who suffered under English teachers who made them write about the cherry tree wearing white for Eastertide or “The Love Song of J. Alfred Pruneface” by T.S. Eliot, that small dark cloud of a poet. We all suffered under English teachers who forced us to pretend to be sensi- tive and to sigh with appre- ciation over the plums in the icebox so sweet and so cold, and that is why reading po- etry aloud has been shown, time and time again, to be ef- fective at breaking up gather- ings of people. Many police departments now use Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” instead of pepper spray. We resisted poetry in school because we could see that it is full of false- hood. Love is NOT the star to every wandering bark, and many true minds have mar- ried who should have stayed friends. April is NOT the cru- elest month, March is. The best minds of our genera- tion are NOT starving, hyster- ical, naked – most of them are well-fed, calm, and stylishly dressed, thank you. Robert Frost’s little horse was abso- lutely right: it IS queer to stop without a farmhouse near, the darkest evening of the year. Dishonesty has given poetry a bad reputation. You see that uneven right margin and you think, “Oh boy, here we go again. Hallucinationville.” So I am not suggesting that you sit down and read poems for Poetry Month, but that you write your own poem for someone whom you dearly love. Love is never easy to ex- press. Rage is simple, loneli- ness, despair – a child could do it. And they do, especially preschoolers. But love is a challenge, especially for men. Men are wired for combat, to bash the enemy into sub- mission, and it’s hard to wipe the blood and gore off your hands and sit down and write, “O wondrous thou, the wonderment of these my happiest days, I lift my pen to praise thy shining beauty” and so forth. But you can do it. The first step is: Imitate. Google “great love poems” and find one you like a lot and copy and paste it onto a blank page – Burns’s “My love is like a red, red rose” or Stevenson’s “I will make you brooches and toys for your delight” or Yeats’s “Wine comes in at the mouth and love comes in at the eye” – and simply change the nouns, e.g. “My love is like a double bed” or “a trip to town,” “a vision pure,” “a red T-shirt”; “I will make you coffee and serve by candle- light”; “I come in the front door and love comes down from upstairs” – and then go on to plug in new verbs and adverbs, prepositions. It’s like remodeling an old house. If you were very ambi- tious, you could take off from Shakespeare’s famous Sonnet 29, “When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes,” and rewrite that. The first eight lines are about how dreary and hopeless you feel, the last six about how you feel exalted by her love. Simple. Keep the rhymes – “eyes, cries, state, fate, hope, scope, possessed, the great Mid- west” – and replace the rest. Write the poem in black ink on a sheet of white paper – poems should never be sent by email and never never never text a poem – hand it to her and as she reads it, put one hand on her shoulder so that you’re right there when she turns with tears in her eyes to embrace you and for- give you for every way you’ve messed up her life. This is the power of poetry. Poets get the girl. Football heroes get con- cussions or need hip replace- ments. My classmates who played football are walking with canes and moaning when they sit down and they find it hard to figure out the 10 percent tip at lunch. We poets go sashaying along, perpetually 17, lost in wonder at the ordinary, astonished by streetlights, in awe at lawn ornaments, bedazzled by baristas releasing steam into milk for the lattes. This is what you learn during Poetry Month. You may lose the vote, fall into debt, suffer illness and re- morse, feel lost in the crowd, and yet there is in language, everyday language, a source of such sweet delight that when you turn it to a good purpose, two gentle arms may reach around your neck, just as is happening to me right now, and a familiar voice speaks the words I long to hear and my heart is going like mad and yes, I say, yes I will Yes. Garrison Keillor is an author and radio personality. © Garrison Keillor, distributed by The Washington Post News Service with Bloomberg News GARRISON KEILLOR GARRISON KEILLOR Love is never easy to express. Rage is simple, loneliness, despair – a child could do it. And they do, especially preschoolers. But love is a challenge, especially for men.5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 The secret is out. Blue is the new green. doctorshospitalcayman.com The secret is out. Blue is the new green. doctorshospitalcayman.com $4 million spent on land claims for highway widening Road expansion slated for completion mid-2017 BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com More than $4 million has been spent during the last two government budgets on land purchases related to the Linford Pierson Highway widening project. The money for those purchases came from the fund government held for its George Town revitaliza- tion project, Planning Min- ister Kurt Tibbetts con- firmed Monday. According to documents released by government, the revitalization project had more than $5.3 million in its budget during the 2015/16 fiscal year. By year’s end, that amount had been re- duced to about $1.1 million. Most of that was spend on land purchases on either side of the Linford Pierson Highway expansion. The money for the land claims was spent in stages. During the 2015/16 year, gov- ernment initially transferred $1.9 million from the George Town revitalization project to the Linford Pierson Highway land purchases. An addi- tional $1.6 million was trans- ferred later in the year. During the current gov- ernment budget, Mr. Tib- betts said another $307,000 was paid in August for land purchases associated with the project, and that another $243,000 was paid as a “top up” to affected local land- owners in February. The Cayman Islands gov- ernment is allowed to use compulsory acquisition powers to take land or even homes that stand in the way of a public right-of-way de- velopment project, such as the Linford Pierson High- way’s expansion from two to four lanes. Typically, the landowners are compensated for the loss of their property but disputes over those initial compen- sation offers can last years in some cases. According to Mr. Tib- betts, the government iden- tified three homes along the northern side of the Linford Pierson Highway that needed to be demol- ished for the road’s expan- sion. The homeowners will be relocated by the govern- ment. “They’re desirous of re- maining in the same neigh- borhood,” Mr. Tibbetts said late last year, adding that government would assist in the relocation. The government is facing a dispute with one land- owner on the westernmost end of the road widening project, near the intersection with Bobby Thompson Way. Minister Tibbetts said that the landowner in this case disputed the amount of land the government proposed to take from their property to build the new road. The widening of the two roads into central George Town is a key facet of the Progressives-led administra- tion’s effort to revitalize the George Town area. The proj- ects aim to relieve traffic con- gestion into the central busi- ness district from West Bay and the eastern districts. The entire project will not finish during the current term of the Progressives-led government, but Minister Tibbetts has said he hopes it could finish in the second or third quarter of 2017. “We can’t wait to do it,” the minister said. “The traffic in the eastern districts is now at the point where they’re ex- periencing the difficulty that they used to experience … before the East-West Arte- rial was built.” APPRECIATION DAY FOR PENSIONERS NEXT MONTH The Public Service Pen- sions Board, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, will hold a “Pensioners Ap- preciation” event at Pedro St. James on Wednesday, April 12, from 3-9 p.m. Pension board man- aging director Jewel Evans Lindsey said, “In organizing the event, we are partnering with government and others to thank our retirees, who make up 20 percent of our membership, for their ser- vices and contributions over the years.” Pension board staff will be on hand to provide infor- mation, and members will also be able to get free health screenings, courtesy of the Health Services Authority, and advice from CINICO. There will also be out- reach programs, including Meals On Wheels and other community services from the local Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Cayman Is- lands Lions food pantry. Organizers said cov- ered seating will be pro- vided and the Mosquito Re- search and Control Unit will spray the area a few days be- fore the event. Entertainment will in- clude musical group Ju- bilate, as well as students from the John Gray Swing Band. Local artist Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette will give a poetry reading, and spot prizes and giveaways will be up for grabs. Food will also be provided. Free transportation from all the districts will be pro- vided for pensioners to and from the event. Call 917-8851 to confirm attendance. A Pensioners Appreciation event will be held on Cayman Brac on Monday, April 24, or- ganizers said. Government has transferred funds earmarked for George Town revitalization to a project to widen the Linford Pierson Highway. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAYDISTRICT DAYS 6 District Days Sister Islands WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Youth community focus of Brac weekend Young people from across the Cayman Islands took part in three days of community- building events at the recent Brac Spring Weekend. The event on March 10- 12, organized by the Youth Services Unit, involved stu- dents from Grand Cayman, including a group from the Cayman Islands Youth As- sembly and the YouthFlex radio show, joining their peers from the Brac for various activities and fo- rums aimed at building a sense of community among young people, and allowing them to voice their concerns and ambitions. Two youth forums were held at the Layman E. Scott High School, one for students in Years 8 and 9 and one for students in Years 10 and 11. “Both events provided a space for young people from both islands to discuss local issues of interest to them and what they are experiencing as youth,” a press release states. “The forums were lively and provided an opportu- nity for students to advocate on issues important to them. They were also a chance for the unit and participants to form a better idea of what at- tendees and their peers can try to do to promote change.” The weekend also featured a 3-on-3 basketball tourna- ment which drew a large crowd. Four adult and three youth teams engaged in fierce but friendly competition. The Unit was pleased to note increased participation in the basketball event by children in the junior divi- sion. Cayman Brackers played well to retain their title from Brac Spring Weekend ‘15, but Grand Cayman won the overall adult trophy and a prize pack. One junior division player from Cayman Brac won a jersey and Grand Cayman’s adult division winners, Team Grand Cayman comprised of Tre Dilbert, Yohan Fitzgerald, Jahmar Dawkins, Jona- thon Anderson and Kashown Johnson, won gift certificates. A drone racing exhibi- tion at the Bluff play field also drew a large crowd. The drones were piloted by Andrew McLaughlin and Nicholas Bodden, and several spectators donned camera goggles to get the drone racers’ view of them flying through the obstacle course. An island-wide scav- enger hunt followed, with five mixed teams searching for clues to many historic sites on the Brac. Team Lil Angels, made up of Marlena Keating, Vitoria Buttrum, Ayanna Davis-Eden, Shantae Ramoon and Brianna Bodden placed first, winning $150 and goodie bags. Team Phoenix came second, winning $100, and Team Fergy placed third, winning $75. At the kickball competi- tion, Team Cayman Brac de- feated Team Grand Cayman 19-11, and in the half-line kickoff competition, Cody Kirkwood of the Brac won a Lionel Messi jersey. “The basketball tourna- ment went well and I enjoyed scoring,” said Grand Cayman student Kashown Johnson. “One of my favorite mo- ments was hanging out with other young people in the Brac and getting to see what they like to do.” Organizers said they considered the weekend a success. “We are very thankful to our sponsors for helping make this event possible and the love we received from the Brackers who showed up and joined us in all these events,” said Youth Services Unit acting head James Myles. “We were also impressed by the turnout of the junior division at the 3-on-3 bas- ketball tournament and are grateful for the support from the Cayman Brac community. “We are looking forward to growing this event and continuing to help foster di- alog between Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac youth.” The forums were lively and provided an opportunity for students to advocate on issues important to them. Team Lil Angels won the island-wide scavenger hunt. Cody Kirkwood with his prize Messi jersey after he won the half-line kickoff contest. 50 years ago: MLAs hold meeting on proposed Constitutional changes In the March 29, 1967 edition of the Caymanian Weekly, a precursor of the Cayman Compass, news from the Brac included: “MLAs K.P. Tibbetts and Burns Rutty discussed the Constitutional proposals with an audience largely from the western districts on Wednesday last. The east was absent due to lack of transportation. “Chairman was Capt. Mabrey Kirkconnell who en- joyed clarity of understanding of what is at stake in the pro- posed amendments. “Capt. Tibbetts put for- ward the importance of a country being governed ac- cording to laws laid down by the people – we are gov- erned by a Legislative As- sembly controlled by an Ex- ecutive Council. “We do need advance- ment, but must not jump into it suddenly. Remaining with England our Govern- ment remains stable, [but] without foreign investment the islands will never prog- ress. We have a long distance to go in education before we can take responsibility. “Mr. Rutty shared his full agreement with Mr. Tib- betts, and said that he sees the proposed modifications as a major step towards in- ternal self-government. In five or 10 years, the islands may be ready to go into this. Foreign investment symbol- izes the confidence of the outer world in Caymanians. Citing the school which took about ten years to be- come a reality, he said that the British government is taking care of us even if it may appear to be slow, but we are developing and have come a long way since 1959, constitutionally. “Mr. J.A. Ryan, the only nominated member ever for the Lesser Islands, was convincing in his reasons from practical experience in Government and real es- tate contact with foreign capital, the majority voice of the people in Executive Council will bring a reac- tion of no confidence from foreign capital. “The majority of people are more than happy with the status quo abroad and at home.”DISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days Sister Islands CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 Students compete in Ag Show Creek and Spot Bay Primary School students were busy tending the school’s garden over the past few months, and their efforts paid off. Creek and Spot Bay Primary won first place for Grow Boxes and first place for Display, and the Year 3 class earned an honorable mention at last week’s Agriculture Show. The students worked on preparing their en- tries in the School Garden Competition. For the competition, the Department of Ag- riculture provided each school with a garden kit, consisting of 20 seed- lings, seeds and fertilizer. Prizes were awarded based on demonstrating crop care and mainte- nance, nutrition, weed control and disease man- agement, the quality of the garden features, in- cluding aesthetics, and the yield and quality of their produce. The students also cre- ated information mate- rials for the contest. Year 3 students Kedeja Smith, Deanna Watson, Kelwin Scott and Leila Edwards water vegetables. Year 2 teacher assistant Daniella Christian helps students out in the garden. A scuba trip with higher aims A group of scuba divers on a higher mission paid a visit to the Brac this month, using their time on land to lend some elbow grease to assist with various mainte- nance projects and hosting a religious film screening. Jim Mustoe, trip orga- nizer and founder and CEO of the Key Largo, Florida- based Worldwide Christian Scuba Divers Organization, who had previously been on a dive trip to Grand Cayman, said he came up with the idea to visit the Brac after communicating with Pastor Steve Jorge from Grand Cay- man’s First Baptist Church. Pastor Jorge connected him with Pastor Audley Scott of the Brac’s Hillside Chapel. “I could go on and on about how fantastic the trip was,” said Mr. Mustoe in an email, noting that through its activities the group hopes to shine a light on reef conservation and ap- preciating God’s work that can be seen underwater. The group has numerous chapters across the United States whose members take part in dive trips, mostly in the Caribbean. The group of divers, whose motto is “Jesus is the regulator of my life,” stayed at the Cayman Brac Beach Resort. Between dives, they undertook missionary work. “We had two distinct mis- sion sites of which we have to accomplish much, in the four afternoons of approximately 3½ hours each afternoon to complete,” said Mr. Mustoe. “The first, was the re- painting of the outside porch, its railings and ceilings, as well as the entire downstairs inside walls and ceilings of [a] mission house for the Hill- side Chapel. The second, was the complete repainting of the outside walls and steeple of the Church of God, which was right on the coast of the ocean and badly in need of scraping and painting.” He complimented the mis- sion work leader Tea Rajic, who spent time between the two mission sites making sure that everybody had all the supplies, materials, food and water they needed. “She also worked with pastors Tom French of the Church of God and Pastor Audley Scott of Hillside Chapel, to make sure that we provided the funding for everything that we were doing on the mission work, as well as in coordinating our nighttime activities with their churches.” He said the diving was ex- tremely impressive. “The visibility of the water of Cayman Brac was unmatched by any other trip I’ve ever been on with the or- ganization, or anywhere for that matter,” he said. “We also had our daily devotions between these two dives on our boat every day that were led by a dif- ferent member, which was absolutely fantastic, and we learned much as we shared Christ with each other.” Mr. Mustoe was also full of praise about the group’s experience at the Cayman Brac Beach Resort. The dive group also orga- nized a special movie night to screen the “Jesus” film. “On Friday night, approx- imately 170 people showed up for the movie and it was a great success, as many of the [audience] repeated a prayer in the movie … as well as large amounts of people came to our tables to get a copy of the ‘Jesus’ film to take home. We found out the next morning, that there were housekeepers and hotel personnel who were not able to attend the movie, and we were able to pass out the re- maining thumb drives of the ‘Jesus’ film that we had left over, all the way up to one of our members … giving one to the woman working behind the gift shop at the airport.” The group of divers, whose motto is “Jesus is the regulator of my life,” stayed at the Cayman Brac Beach Resort. Between dives, they undertook missionary work. The group at the Brac Reef Beach Resort.Members of the group after an afternoon of work. Group members enjoyed the Brac scenery.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS screening assessment. Lower risk imports will be dealt with internally by the Depart- ment of Environment, but more complex, higher risk applications will be reviewed by independent consultants. The new process was de- veloped following a recom- mendation from Justice In- grid Mangatal after a court challenge to the release of the GM mosquitoes in May of last year. Fred Burton, head of the Department of Environment’s terrestrial resources unit, said the new MRCU and Oxitec ap- plication would be the first application to go through the new process. He said the DoE and the council would have to determine whether there was enough information available already to deal with the re- quest or if it should be sub- ject to a broader independent analysis, which could involve public consultation. Mr. Petrie said the MRCU had submitted the applica- tion early in the hope of be- ginning the national rollout early next year. The application submitted to the council is for the im- port of up to 2 kilograms of eggs per month of the ge- netically engineered strain of the OX513A Aedes ae- gypti mosquito. The permit application states, “As a continuation to the OX513A Aedes aegypti control program under way in West Bay under existing permission from the Depart- ment of Environment, the programmatic use of OX 513 is proposed island wide on Grand Cayman and beyond in other areas of the Cayman Islands as emerging Aedes aegypti threats are identi- fied by the MRCU. “A staged expansion of the program across Grand Cayman including the expan- sion of the OX 513 Aedes ae- gypti production capacity is foreseen.” It indicates that new in- sectaries, converted from shipping containers or in a retrofitted warehouse, will be needed to produce up to 10 million GM mosquitoes a week to support the program. Documents submitted by the MRCU along with the application indicate that the effective elimination of the Aedes aegypti mosquito could be possible over a longer period of time. It suggests the modified mosquitoes are used along- side other suppression tech- niques in an “integrated vector management” plan. The application indicates GM mosquitoes could also be used on Cayman Brac. “The identification of Aedes aegypti in Cayman Brac is illustrative of the need for flexibility in de- ploying the OX513A tech- nology within the territory of the Cayman Islands as the MRCU undertake surveil- lance of Aedes aegypti pop- ulations and identify where the OX513A technology is best suited.” Mr. Petrie said the appli- cation is essentially for per- mission to replicate the work done in West Bay all over the Cayman Islands. “The technique is iden- tical. This is just scaling it up. We are confident it is working and, yes, we wish to continue to expand the program.” The National Conserva- tion Council guidance notes for import of invasive or GM species, approved last week, put in place a new system for assessing such imports. Species which are deemed to be alien and are viewed as potentially invasive or harmful will go through a risk assessment, carried out either by DOE staff or by in- dependent consultants, de- pending on the complexity. “Where the release of an alien species may pose risks to human health, infrastruc- ture and/or economic ac- tivity, issues which are all outside the remit of the Na- tional Conservation Law, the Department, or the indepen- dent consultant if appointed, should seek views from ap- propriate external agencies on these matters and take those views into account in formulating the risk as- sessment report; and the Council will take these same views into account when making a decision.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Plan hatched to release GM mosquitoes across Cayman Islands Miller defends ‘swamp’ road proposal JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com North Side legislator Ezzard Miller defended plans for three new roads in the district and accused the National Conserva- tion Council of being “out of touch” for requesting an environmental impact as- sessment before the roads could be gazetted. Mr. Miller, in a personal statement to the Legisla- tive Assembly on Monday, said the proposed roads – a highway linking Rum Point to Bodden Town and two farm roads – were the re- sult of 10 years of discus- sions with landowners and farmers in the area. He said his request to Cabinet for the farm roads to be gazetted was sup- ported by a petition from 73 landowners in the area who, he said, knew the “topography of the route” better than anyone on the Department of Environ- ment or the National Con- servation Council. “This preposterous, id- iosyncratic and idiopathic proposal by the DoE and the unjustified, unreal- istic and irrational ac- ceptance by the National Conservation Council of such a proposal that the two farm roads and the highway extension to Drift- wood Village need EIAs before gazettal is beyond belief and any form of ra- tional thinking.” He added, “It is disappointing and con- cerning but may be an ex- planation of how out of touch the DoE and the National Conservation Council is, that they have not heard and seen any of the 10-year-long public dis- cussion of these two farm roads by the agricultural society, farmers, the North Side council and myself.” The conservation council reviewed the road pro- posals at its meeting last Wednesday and expressed concern that they were not part of any strategic na- tional roads plan. “The arbitrary selec- tion of a road corridor without any strategic as- sessment is not something the DoE can support,” Gina Ebanks-Petrie, director of the Department of Environ- ment, said in a presentation to the council. In its screening opinion on the proposal for the four-mile stretch of highway through the Cen- tral Mangrove Wetlands, given to council members at Wednesday’s meeting, the DoE technical review committee stated, “The need for a public road along this route has not been objectively evaluated. Large tracts of pristine pri- mary habitat of high eco- logical and biodiversity value will be adversely af- fected with the proposed route alignment.” The report described the Central Mangrove Wetlands as the “ecological heart” of Grand Cayman. In his statement Tuesday, Mr. Miller described the area as a “swamp.” He said, “They may have some minor reasons to be concerned by the highway going through the swamp. Yes, I use the word swamp instead of their more sci- entific or environmental sounding Central Man- grove Wetlands, because this area is the same as the swamp that was filled in to develop Seven Mile Beach area. It is only after you cross Prospect and get to poor people land that swamps becomes wetlands. The owners of swamp on the western peninsula were all allowed to extract the economic development potential of their swamp by filling it, but now that it is poor people land in North Sound and Bodden Town it has been renamed wetlands and cannot be developed.”He suggested the proposal could help turn the swamp into the “Fort Lauderdale of Grand Cayman” and allow land- owners to get economic value from their property. He also questioned the need for traffic studies to justify the gazetting of the routes for the two farm roads. “The farm road is not designed or justified on its impact on traffic patterns or demands; it is being built to give farmers motor vehicle access to their farms,” he said. No conviction for officer in assault case Senior constable to return to active duty CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Senior police constable Michael “Bobby” Peart was unconditionally discharged and had no conviction re- corded against him Tuesday after being found guilty earlier of assaulting a sus- pect in custody. Following Magis- trate Angelyn Hernandez’s ruling, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service con- firmed that Mr. Peart would be returning to active duty with immediate effect. The officer had been found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm and common assault against a man in custody on the night of Nov. 28-29, 2014. The magistrate heard ev- idence in November 2016 and delivered her verdicts on Dec. 5. 2016. She ad- journed sentence pending a social inquiry report. After hearing mitigation from attorney Kathleen Ryan on Monday and background information from Crown counsel Scott Wainwright, the magistrate reserved her decision until Tuesday. She unconditionally and abso- lutely discharged the officer. Mr. Wainwright had ex- plained that the man as- saulted by Mr. Peart faced charges relating to the same incident, which had started as a routine traffic stop. The man is accused of assaulting another officer at the side of the road, plus damage and disorderly conduct at the police station. His trial has not yet taken place. The magistrate had found Mr. Peart guilty of as- saulting the man with his baton in the back of a police vehicle and then choking him at the police station. Ms. Ryan told the court that Mr. Peart had been as- sisting another officer by restraining the prisoner. “His intention was to keep the situation from esca- lating,” she said. At the sta- tion, his purpose in acting as he did was to reduce the prisoner’s aggression. Ms. Ryan said Mr. Peart had an exemplary record over his 16 years with the police service; he had twice received a commission- er’s commendation; he had never had any disciplinary actions against him. She asked the court to balance that one incident against his career as a whole. She pointed out that a conviction would mean the loss of Mr. Peart’s job, which would cause great financial difficulty to his family. She said he wished to apologize to the court, to the com- plainant and to his supe- riors in the police service. In setting out the reasons for her decision to discharge Mr. Peart, the magistrate cited the sentencing guide- lines issued in 2015 by Chief Justice Anthony Smellie. The court has to balance a number of competing in- terests and objectives, she noted. The court has to tailor the punishment to the individual circumstances of the offender while ensuring that the punishment is com- mensurate with the serious- ness of the offense. She cited a U.K. Court of Appeal case in which the judge acknowledged the ex- tremely difficult task police have in discharging their duties. They have a difficult job, especially when dealing with disorderly or difficult people. People being de- tained can become violent as a result of being angry or in an attempt to secure their release. But the force police use must be propor- tionate to the situation. In Mr. Peart’s case, the magistrate commented, the man being arrested “was no doubt a nuisance, but not a threat.” Assistance was re- quired to get the man hand- cuffed and into the police car, but force was not rea- sonable when it involved the use of Mr. Peart’s baton and later holding the man by his throat. She referred to the so- cial inquiry report, which contained information that was not known to her before and helped her understand Mr. Peart’s reactions that night. Without indicating what that information was, she said she considered the period around November 2014 to have been extraor- dinary times for him. When that information was con- sidered in light of the in- flammatory words from the complainant, it amounted to substantial mitiga- tion, she said. The magistrate pointed out that the law gives her the discretion to not record a conviction when the char- acter, antecedents, age or health of the defendant, or extenuating circumstances, make it inexpedient to in- flict any punishment. The court has to bal- ance justice with mercy, she said, and every case must be dealt with individually. “I cannot see where justice will be served by any other sentence other than an ab- solute discharge,” she ruled. She emphasized that she was not turning a blind eye to the officer’s use of force, but said her decision was based heavily on the exten- uating circumstances. Mr. Petrie said the application is essentially for permission to replicate the work done in West Bay all over the Cayman Islands.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • WEDNESDAY MARCH 29, 2017 IMS Educational Grant Program for Caymanian Students Graduating High School in 2017? Planning to get a degree? IMS is looking for a talented and deserving Caymanian student who has been accepted or conditionally accepted to an accredited college or university in Cayman or overseas to study accounting, law or finance to apply for financial support from our Educational Grant Program for Caymanian Students. International Management Services Ltd • PO Box 61 • 3rd Fl., Harbour Centre Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Cayman Islands Tel: +1 (345) 949 4244 Interested? for more details and an application pack e-mail us at contactus@ims.ky money laundering and ter- rorism financing safeguards in September. Mr. McLaughlin said the government elected in the May 24 general election would be left to deal with the bill, hope- fully before the September evaluation by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. “I am painfully aware … that following the elections the government will be under considerably more time pres- sure to pass legislation gov- erning legal practitioners,” Mr. McLaughlin said, adding that the “substantial body of work” done on the bill would hopefully help the new administration. The immediate forma- tion of a cohesive government after May 24 is not a given be- cause of a large number of in- dependent candidates seeking election. It is likely a coali- tion government will have to be formed following the vote, something that can take sig- nificant time to establish. Mr. McLaughlin said he had hoped to build consensus among all members of the Legislative Assembly to sup- port the bill, and thought that had been achieved after a private meeting of the as- sembly on March 16. “Things being as they are,” he said, “I have to say … un- fortunately, we have not yet been able to agree on the de- tails of those amendments. Given the seminal impor- tance of this legislation … this government would prefer to pass a bill with the over- whelming support of this honorable House.” Opposition members of the assembly did vote to support the second reading of the leg- islation last week, but it was apparent later in the week that an agreement in principle evaporated once lawmakers saw the specifics. “The devil, as they say, is in the detail,” Mr. McLaughlin quipped. Opponents of the leg- islation, which included a number of local lawyers who wrote letters to the govern- ment and assembly members complaining of discrimination in hiring and promotion at local law firms, said the cur- rent version of the bill merely cemented the “status quo” that had prevented Caymanian at- torneys from advancing in the profession. However, Mr. McLaughlin noted that the difficulties ex- perienced by Caymanian law- yers have occurred under the current Legal Practitioners Law, not the draft bill govern- ment was attempting to pass. “I cannot comprehend how retaining the status quo helps Caymanian lawyers,” he said. Opposition Leader McK- eeva Bush and independent opposition MLAs agreed that dropping the bill was prob- ably the only option gov- ernment had at this stage. Mr. Bush had often advised against rushing into legisla- tion that assembly members did not understand. “We have to be careful what we do,” Mr. Bush said. “We have to look out for busi- ness, we cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Mr. McLaughlin said that had been the experience of other Caribbean jurisdic- tions which had passed ill- advised laws that had unin- tended consequences to their financial services interests or other businesses. Independent opposition members, who had railed the loudest against the updated version of the bill, did not cel- ebrate its withdrawal Monday night. Several MLAs said they understood how important the legislation was to Cay- man’s financial services in- dustry and to the proper op- eration of the territory’s most lucrative business sector. “The one opinion that mat- ters that didn’t seem to be relevant until October of last year, was that of Caymanian lawyers,” George Town MLA Winston Connolly said. “This bill was flawed.” Bodden Town MLA Alva Suckoo said past “mistakes” in failing to promote Cayma- nians to ownership positions in local law firms needed to be addressed in any draft of the lawyers bill a future gov- ernment might approve. “It must be done. Those of us that get the opportu- nity to do it, let’s do it right,” Mr. Suckoo said. Investigation urged Mr. Connolly formally re- quested Cayman Islands Gov- ernor Helen Kilpatrick to con- vene a commission of inquiry into various allegations of law-breaking that dominated the latter stages of the Legal Practitioners Bill debate. During the debate, oppo- sition Legislative Assembly members quoted from a number of documents written by Caymanian attor- neys, dating back to a Jan- uary 2013 presentation to the Grand Court opening by Law Reform Commission Chairman Ian Paget-Brown. “The evidence shows that Caymanians are deliber- ately being marginalized in the workplace, denied fair opportunities to advance, have been instructed on oc- casions about how to vote at Caymanian Bar Associa- tion elections, told that to be a ‘team player’ they must allow the status quo to con- tinue uninterrupted, and used as pawns to secure status grants and permanent residence and once the Cay- manian has outlived his or her usefulness in securing those grants they are un- fairly or constructively dis- missed,” Mr. Paget-Brown’s 2013 statement read. Mr. Paget-Brown made further allegations that some firms had “misled” the Trade and Business Licensing Board and potentially misled immi- gration authorities about the experience of their job appli- cants and in the filing of job advertisements. Mr. Connolly noted during his debate on the Legal Practitioners Bill that no one had publicly dis- puted those claims, and that “nothing happened” after the claims were made. These issues of conflict could only be determined by an “independent body,” Mr. Connolly said Monday. He said the commission, if formed, could help determine whether any government of- ficials violated the terms of the Immigration Law and the Legal Practitioners Law, or if they had conspired with others to do so. No response to Mr. Connolly’s request had been made by the gov- ernor’s office as of press time Tuesday. The law society has re- sponded to Mr. Connolly’s allegations previously and did so again Monday in the same vein: “The society re- iterates that it strongly ob- jects to allegations that ac- tions by local law firms in hiring attorneys overseas could amount to a breach of Cayman Islands laws and notes that Attorney General Samuel Bulgin has previ- ously refuted such claims in the Legislative Assembly.” Mr. Tibbetts for his 24-year service in the assembly. Even Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush, who has often been at odds with Mr. Tibbetts in the past 15 years, said the planning minister has re- mained his friend through it all. “That’s what’s important,” Mr. Bush said. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who said he thought of Mr. Tibbetts as his “big brother,” said the former Progressives party leader had defied many conventions in Cayman politics, including older politicians not recog- nizing when it’s time to quit. “Kurt has never wanted power for power’s sake,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “[He’s] a big man, with a bigger heart, whose place in Cayman Is- lands history will forever be assured. I know of few people who have given more of themselves … than Darwin Kurt Tibbetts.” “I will forever … want to serve my country,” Mr. Tib- betts said, adding that ser- vice would just take a dif- ferent form in the future. Another politician from the “class of 1992” – Bodden Town patriarch Anthony Eden – reversed his deci- sion to step down from pol- itics, which he announced last October. Mr. Eden told Legislative Assembly members that at age 72, he would seek election “one more time” to the House. “I’ve been humbled by the numerous calls, the over- whelming number of people from every district in the Cayman Islands asking me to reconsider my decision,” Mr. Eden said. The longtime MLA said he would run in the district in which he lives, Savannah, as an independent. Meanwhile, George Town MLA Winston Connolly ended months of specula- tion Monday afternoon, an- nouncing that he would not seek re-election this year. Mr. Connolly, a first- time member of the Legis- lative Assembly, was elected in May 2013 as an indepen- dent and shortly after joined the Progressives coalition as a backbencher. He left the ruling admin- istration in early 2016 after falling out with the govern- ment leadership. Mr. Connolly said Monday that it was a great honor to serve the Caymanian people and that he felt “humbled” that voters had enough con- fidence in him to elect him four years ago. “But I do not love pol- itics,” Mr. Connolly said during a “personal explana- tion” statement in the Leg- islative Assembly. “I will not offer myself as a can- didate for re-election. I will go back to being a husband for my wife and father to my children. I will be the first to admit they have suf- fered and have been affected by my … role.” Mr. Connolly said many people had urged him to run again in George Town, but that he declined. “[Running] just for the sake of politics is not enough,” he said. Progressives Premier McLaughlin said Monday night that he is “not about to step down” and would lead the Progressives party into the May 24 gen- eral election with a full slate of candidates. However, that slate will now not include two of the party’s perennial “tent pullers,” Mr. Tibbetts and Mr. Eden, who left the Pro- gressives in late 2015 in a dispute over the rights of same-sex couples. The Progressives are ex- pected to run Mr. McLaughlin, Minister Marco Archer and MLAs Roy McTaggart and Joey Hew in George Town, along with party supporters David Wight and Barbara Connolly. It’s unclear at this stage who the party will run in the district’s seventh seat with Mr. Tib- betts bowing out. Meanwhile, the indepen- dent opposition group led by North Side MLA Ezzard Miller and East End MLA Arden McLean has lost one of its promising younger mem- bers in Mr. Connolly. Mr. McLean mourned Mr. Connolly’s departure: “It’s a sad day when young, progressive people leave these chambers.” Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell, who is running with the Progressives in the upcoming election, said he was “shocked” by the George Town MLA’s decision to call it quits after his first term. Nomination day Wednesday is the day when all Cayman Islands political candidates – more than 70 at last count – must register with the Elec- tions Office to contest the May 24 election. Nomination stations will be open between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. in 17 locations around Grand Cayman and two in Cayman Brac – one nomina- tion location for each of the 19 single-member constituen- cies in the islands. This year will be the first time Cayman has held an election under the “one man, one vote” scheme, under which voters will get to select only one candidate on the ballot. Previously, Cayman held elections under a mul- timember district system, in which voters chose anywhere from two to six candidates. Election: Tibbetts, Connolly out, Eden back in CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 New government to inherit lawyers bill woes CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Winston ConnollyKurt TibbettsNext >