ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 High of 90 Low of 78 Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 ONE MAN, ONE VOTE: CAYMAN’S STORMY POLITICAL SEAS 184523-Ad-Strip-SandCastles.indd 14/10/17 6:59 PM SPECIAL FEATURE Congratulations to the class of 2017 1 SPECIALFEATURE CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 Congratulations to the Class of 2017! Longtime rivals join forces to form coalition government Progressives reach agreement with CDP, independents BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com For the second time in four days, longtime political rivals Alden McLaughlin and McKeeva Bush agreed to form a coalition government. Although attempts to make the same agreement Friday were up- ended when Mr. Bush, the Cayman Democratic Party leader, abandoned the deal, it seemed the second time around would be the charm. “We are here to make this work or I wouldn’t be here,” Mr. Bush said Monday afternoon in an impromptu press conference outside the Gov- ernment Administration Building. “I have committed to support Mr. McLaughlin, the premier,… we are here for the betterment of our people. I feel this is the best way for us to get those things that our people are demanding.” Mr. McLaughlin will retain his position as premier under the co- alition government and his long- time second-in-command, Cayman Brac West/Little Cayman MLA Moses Kirkconnell, will also remain deputy premier. Mr. Bush agreed to become Speaker of the House. His two col- leagues, West Bay MLAs Bernie Bush and Capt. Eugene Ebanks, would join the government coalition as CDP members, he said. The diverse group informed Gov- ernor Helen Kilpatrick Monday af- ternoon that they had agreed to make a coalition government that would include all seven elected Progressives party members, the three elected CDP members and two independents – Prospect MLA Austin Harris and West Bay South MLA Tara Rivers. Mr. McLaughlin said he was seeking cooperation from two more independent members in joining the government, for a potential total of 14 members, but he did not have confirmation of those individuals joining as of Monday afternoon. The Legislative Assembly is due to meet Wednesday morning to swear in its new members, name Mr. Bush as Speaker and Mr. McLaughlin as premier. A total of 19 members were elected in the May 24 vote and all will be sworn in that day. Mr. McLaughlin said it was too early to discuss ministerial posi- tions, but noted that he had offered Bodden Town East MLA Dwayne Seymour a post if Mr. Seymour was inclined to join the government. Bodden Town district, the second largest in the territory, would be left without ministerial representa- tion if the government stayed as it is with just 12 members. “The people of Bodden Town deserve to have a minister in the government,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “I’m still hopeful we get on board a couple more of the independents so that we truly have a government of national unity,” he said. “I didn’t want four years of battling over nonsense and personality clashes. “I’m not trying to eliminate all opposition; opposition is a crit- ical component of the Westmin- ster system of government,” Mr. McLaughlin said. There will still be a significant opposition presence in the leg- islature as North Side MLA Ez- zard Miller, East End MLA Arden McLean, Savannah MLA An- thony Eden, Newlands MLA Alva Suckoo and George Town Central MLA Kenneth Bryan were all ex- pected to be on the other side of the House. Mr. Seymour’s fate was unknown as of Monday. Bodden Town West MLA Chris Saunders did not return calls seeking comment Monday. Among the two independents on the government benches, Ms. Rivers had campaigned with the Progressives and was expected to retain her minister’s position in the new coalition. However, Mr. Harris’s addition to the team came as something of a surprise, as he had been involved in discussions as a member of the independents’ coalition that had come very close to forming its own government during closed-door discussions since Thursday. Mr. Harris said he was there for most of the talks. “The independents had, on two separate occasions, the opportunity to form the government and they al- lowed it, for a variety of reasons, to slip,” Mr. Harris said. “I did not be- lieve that opportunity would come a third time.” Premier-elect Alden McLaughlin, left, signs another agreement with prospective Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush Monday outside the Government Administration Building. The two agreed, for a second time, to form a coalition government following days of intense meetings. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Daily Matinees Every Day $8.00 Seniors, Mon-Fri Before 6pm Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 BAYWATCH (R) 12:55 I 3:40 I 7:20 I 10:00 EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING (PG13) 12:30 I 2:50 I 5:10 I 7:40 I 10:15 ALIEN: COVENANT (R) 12:55 I 4:00 VIP I 6:45 I 9:50 VIP GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 3D (PG13) 12:30 2D I 3:30 I 6:30 2D I 9:45 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES 3D (PG13) 1:00 2D VIP I 3:40 I 7:00 2D VIP 9:35 2D DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LONG HAUL (PG) 12:35 I 2:50 I 5:05 I 6:25 I 8:40 - TUESDAY - 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) Honduras stadium stampede: 4 fans die; police fire tear gas TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) – Thousands of fans trying to force their way into a sta- dium for a soccer champi- onship stampeded in panic when police fired tear gas Sunday, leaving at least four people dead. A preg- nant woman lost her fetus and was among another 25 people who were injured, au- thorities said. A spokesman for Univer- sity Teaching Hospital told The Associated Press that the victims died from suffo- cation and multiple broken bones from being tram- pled. The fetus died when its mother suffered se- vere injuries, spokesman Miguel Osorio said. The stampede happened at Gate 11 of the National Stadium in Honduras’ capital as fans tried to push their way into the jammed venue to see the game between Mo- tagua and Honduras Pro- greso, officials said. A police statement said the match appeared to have been oversold. It said the sta- dium, which has a capacity of 30,000, was already full while crowds of fans were still outside brandishing tickets. People became angry when they could not enter and began forcing their way in, the statement said. About 600 police offi- cers were guarding the sta- dium and used water cannon and tear gas trying to push back the crowds. Motagua won the game 3-0, but club president Edu- ardo Atala tweeted afterward that “there is nothing to cel- ebrate with what happened outside the stadium.” HAITI GARMENT WORKERS LAUNCH ANOTHER PROTEST OVER WAGES PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) – Garment workers have taken to the streets of the Haitian capital for the second time in two weeks to demand a minimum wage increase. The workers at fac- tories making T-shirts, pants and other apparel were also demonstrating Monday against the firing of roughly 40 union mem- bers at a Port-au-Prince in- dustrial park. Reginald Lanfontant is a union coordinator and one of the fired workers. He asserts the dismissals are “abusive” and demonstra- tions will continue. They’re demanding 800 Haitian gourdes per eight- hour work day. Based on current exchange rates, that was roughly $12.47 per day. They now earn 300 gourdes, or $4.67. Factories are opera- tional at the park that em- ploys some 18,000 people. Monday’s protest had nearly 500 participants, a far smaller turnout than a May 19 rally that at- tracted thousands. CORRECTION A “Cayman In Focus” story on page 8 of Monday’s Cayman Compass included incorrect information regarding the venue at which the 2017 Cayman Islands Society of Human Resources Professionals conference was held. It took place May 26 at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa. Family secret behind Brazil firm’s $20B buying spree When beef tycoons Jo- esley and Wesley Batista sat down with Brazilian pros- ecutors last month and told them all they knew about the metastatic corruption scandal known as Car Wash, they also let the world in on a dirty family secret. The meteoric rise of the Batistas’s JBS, the global meat powerhouse that seemed to come out of nowhere a decade ago, would not have been pos- sible without a top politi- cian on the take, hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes and a series of sweetheart deals with Brazil’s state de- velopment bank. “It wouldn’t have worked,” Joesley Batista told them, ac- cording to videos of his tes- timony. “It wouldn’t have been so fast.” Not since a former oil ex- ecutive-turned-state witness kicked off Car Wash three years ago has testimony in the case been so explosive and threatened to do so much damage to Brazil’s economy and its political institutions. The fraud that the brothers described in at least seven hours of testimony is so per- vasive that it has tipped Brazil back into political chaos less than a year after the nation’s last president was impeached. In addition to handing over documents allegedly implicating more than 1,800 politicians in the scheme, the beef magnates also provided prosecutors with an audio re- cording in which President Michel Temer appears to be endorsing Joesley Batista’s payment of hush money to a jailed former lawmaker. S&P Global Ratings said May 22, five days after the testimony went public, that it may cut Brazil’s sover- eign-credit rating even fur- ther into junk territory amid concern that the allegations put Temer’s ambitious reform agenda – and even his presi- dency – at risk. Temer has de- nied any wrongdoing. The Batistas, led by the 45-year-old Joesley and older brother Wesley, shot into the global spotlight during the decade-long, $20 billion ac- quisition spree that turned their family owned slaugh- terhouse into the world’s big- gest meat producer. That the brothers are now poised to emerge from the Carwash scandal without facing any criminal charges is a testa- ment to their near-preternat- ural acumen for bargaining. When the two Batistas ap- proached Brazil’s prosecutor general last month offering to trade all the evidence they’d collected in exchange for immunity, the official had “no other alternative” but to give them what they wanted, he recently recalled. The revelations raise questions about unfair com- petition abroad as the com- pany gobbled up more than 40 rivals on four continents between 2007 and 2017. Ac- cording to Joesley Batista, the state-development bank known as BNDES played a crucial role in JBS’s expan- sion in the U.S. The lender in- jected 5.6 billion reais (worth about $3.2 billion using the average exchange rate at the time) in capital for the acqui- sition of Swift & Co. in 2007, the beef-producing units of Smithfield Foods Inc. in 2008, and the chicken producer Pil- grim’s Pride Corp. in 2009. In his testimony, Jo- esley Batista recounted how the decade-long scheme all started at a fateful 2005 meeting with Guido Mantega, who served as the president of BNDES from 2004 to 2006 before taking over as Bra- zil’s finance minister from 2006 to 2014. JBS was then just a privately held slaugh- terhouse, but it had ambi- tious plans to be much more. While other BNDES execu- tives present at the meeting that took place at the bank’s Rio de Janeiro headquarters appeared skeptical, Mantega showed “strong” signs of sup- port, Batista said. Mantega’s lawyer did not respond to email and phone requests for com- ment. BNDES’s press office and a JBS spokeswoman also didn’t respond to re- quests for comment. With Mantega’s blessing, Batista alleged, JBS started looking for opportunities abroad. It quickly found one, and in September 2005 it made a $200 million offer to buy Swift Armour SA in Ar- gentina. BNDES agreed to lend the company $80 million, and the Batistas allegedly paid 4 percent of the value, or $3.2 million, as a bribe to an asso- ciate of Mantega, Batista said. Even with the bribe, Ba- tista remembers thinking the terms of the loan were steep, but it was all they could get. “That’s what it took for us to get the deal done,” he told prosecutors. The brothers claimed to have continued paying kick- backs to that associate until 2009, when they allegedly started negotiating directly with Mantega, Batista said. Overall, Batista said they paid $220 million in bribes, with most of the money being funneled into political cam- paigns. JBS and other com- panies under the umbrella of family holding company J&F Investimentos were the biggest campaign contribu- tors in the 2014 elections, in which President Dilma Rous- seff won her bid for a second term, according to Brazil’s electoral tribunal. Despite the favorable treatment, JBS soon found itself overloaded with debt. Once again BNDES came to the rescue. In 2009, BNDES acquired 3.4 billion reais in local JBS notes that could be converted into stock of JBS USA, the American unit that the parent company planned to spin off in an ini- tial public offering. When JBS failed to carry out the share sale, BNDES converted the debt into the Brazilian company’s shares, only it bought the stock at a premium that led to 267 mil- lion reais in losses for the bank, according to the na- tion’s audit court. The lender also let JBS off the hook for a 345 million-real pen- alty it was contractually ob- ligated to pay. To many long-time Brazil watchers, the allegations are shocking but not altogether surprising. “In public fi- nancing, the ideal is to seek out companies that have a good prospect of gener- ating developments inside the country and who can’t obtain funds in the private sector – neither was true for JBS,” said Sergio Lazzarini, a professor at Insper business school in Sao Paulo and co- author of “Reinventing State Capitalism” about the rela- tionship between government and corporations in Brazil. © 2017, Bloomberg KEY US/MEXICO COMMERCIAL CROSSING REOPENS MEXICO CITY (AP) – The Mexican government says it has resumed import op- erations at one of the bus- iest commercial crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border, just over a week after it was damaged by winds and rain. The federal Treasury De- partment says in a state- ment that full operations were restored Monday on the World Trade Bridge between Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and Laredo, Texas. High winds and rain on May 21 damaged buildings, utility poles, trucks and computers on the Mexican side of the crossing. Build- ings on the U.S. side also experienced roof damage and flooding. Commercial traffic had been diverted to another nearby bridge. As JBS grew abroad, speculation of favorable treatment swirled. Now, the owners say bribes were a key part of plan to raise capital. - PHOTO” BLOOMBERG3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 Lionfish culling tournament nets 503 fish SPENCER FORDIN sfordin@pinnaclemedialtd.com The sustained effort to eradicate lionfish from Cayman reefs continued over the weekend, when the Cayman United Lionfish League held its 22nd culling tournament of the invasive species. Twelve teams came out to catch lionfish and make room for other spe- cies to flourish. The Indo-Pacific Red Li- onfish has been flourishing on Cayman reefs since 2008. CULL holds its tournaments four times a year, and Fos- ter’s Food Fair provides cash rewards for participants. Mark Orr, chief conserva- tion officer for the Department of Environment and one of the organizers of the event, said the tournament on Saturday and Sunday was successful. “We had lots of new teams in this tournament, which we were happy to see. A lot of first-timers,” said Mr. Orr. “We culled 503 lionfish off the Cayman reefs. We saw it as a very good tournament. We had Dayne Brady from Clean Gas who did the cooking for us, and he served over 400 lion- fish tacos so people could try it and see how good it was.” John Ferguson, who has caught many lionfish over the years in Cayman waters, was on hand to demonstrate how to safely de-spine and fillet the fish. Mr. Orr said a new record was set for the smallest lion- fish caught – 18 millimeters (0.7 inches) – and the largest one caught this weekend was 305mm (12 inches). The next cull will take place in late August. One team – Neptune’s Wenches – won prizes for the most lionfish per culler (57.5) and most weight per culler (36 pounds.) Team Feesh caught the smallest lion- fish, and Ambassador Divers caught the largest one. “Our last tournament, we had over 900 fish, and this one brought 500,” said Mr. Orr. “It goes up and down, but di- vemasters are reporting that they’re seeing a lot less lion- fish at the sites they dive at on a regular basis. They’re seeing more return of other reef fish. That’s our goal: To keep our reefs healthy with lots of fish. Eventually, when nature takes over and everything starts seeing these things as prey and they become a regular part of our reef system, we’ll have enough fish to repopu- late our reefs.” CULL has written to the National Conservation Council to request a ban on importing lionfish for local restaurants, but Mr. Orr said so far there has been no new legislation in that direction. “Bringing in lionfish from other places may help other places, but our goal is to keep our reefs healthy,” he said. “The more fish bought locally, it works toward that end. We’d like to see the price come up so that more cullers are incentivized to go out and get them and increase de- mand locally.” 21-year-old man in court on police assault charges CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com A man charged with as- saulting two police officers last week appeared in Sum- mary Court on Monday. Garfield Silburn Jr. re- mains in custody as no bail application was made. Silburn is also charged with criminal trespass, fol- lowing an incident in which two police officers were in- jured in Prospect on May 25. Silburn, 21, is charged with causing grievous bodily harm to a male police officer with intent to cause such harm. The alleged offense occurred in the vicinity of Dogwood Street and Mangrove Avenue. This offense can be dealt with only in the Grand Court, Magistrate Valdis Foldats ad- vised Silburn. The second assault charge is causing actual bodily harm to a female police officer in the same area. The charge of criminal trespass refers to a private residence on Mangrove Av- enue, which Silburn is ac- cused of entering without lawful excuse. Senior Crown counsel Candia James advised that she had spoken with defense attorney Crister Brady, who was in the Grand Court on another matter, and no bail application for Silburn was being made at this time. The magistrate told Sil- burn that he could apply for bail in Grand Court, where he is to appear on June 16. At this stage of proceed- ings, the charges of trespass and assault causing actual bodily harm are remaining in Summary Court, but they will be mentioned on June 16 also. The May lionfish cull yielded the smallest specimen on record - just 18 millimeters - in Cayman. Lionfish caught in the tournament were transformed into tasty tacos. Mark Orr tallies results. A bag of lionfish is weighed after the cull. - PHOTOS: CULL A de-spined lionfish is ready to be cooked. Jason Washington of Ambassador Divers shows off a cooler filled with lionfish.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. You could call it chaos, confusion and turmoil. We call it “Cayman Islands democracy in action.” As soon as the results of Wednesday’s election were finalized, local politicians immersed themselves in high- stakes, cutthroat negotiations, forging and fracturing agreements and alliances as quickly as it took to get from one backroom meeting to another. Now, it appears that the Progressives’ Alden McLaughlin will return as premier, after striking (another) deal with the Cayman Democratic Party’s McKeeva Bush – but not before dramatic cycles of collusion and treachery conjured comparisons to “House of Cards,” “Game of Thrones” or “The Young and the Restless.” We can with confidence pinpoint the origin of the polit- ical soap opera that played out over the past week: the Progressives’ enactment of one man, one vote, and the introduction of 19 separate single-member constituencies. When they divided the country politically, it would have been irrational to expect anything but political division. We lay responsibility for one man, one vote at the feet of the Progressives, but there is plenty of culpability to go around, locally and internationally. A regrettable flaw prevalent among the people of Cayman is we have far too great a propensity to give def- erence to foreign contingents who arrive on our soil, and by virtue of their extra-insular origin, we assume they are diligent, disinterested and knowledgeable. Often, that is not the case. When the government decided to carve up the elec- toral map of Cayman, officials brought in American polit- ical scientist Lisa Handley as an outside expert to chair the Electoral Boundary Commission. Ostensibly, the primary objective of One Man, One Vote, was “equality of voting”: Every person’s ballot should count the same as anybody else’s. If that were true, the first order of business of Ms. Handley’s com- mission should have been to merge North Side and East End – each of which has about half the number of voters as the average Grand Cayman district – into a single electoral district. (The same principle would apply to the Sister Islands’ two districts, which are even smaller, except their two seats in the Legislative Assembly are protected by the Constitution.) Instead of doing the arithmetically obvious, Ms. Handley and her commission decided to leave East End and North Side alone, apparently because the majority of people from those two districts – not to mention their two highly vocal representatives – opposed the idea of a merger. (As if anyone would agree willingly to sacrifice their artificially amplified voice in governance.) With East End and North Side individually intact, the idea of one man, one vote bringing about equal repre- sentation became a farce. The simple fact is, under the current map, the ballots of voters in the four smallest dis- tricts in Cayman count twice as much as voters in the 15 larger districts. (North Side, East End and the Sister Islands comprise less than 12 percent of the country’s registered voters, but more than 21 percent of seats in the LA.) During the 2013 elections, a team of Common- wealth observers drew attention to voting inequality under Cayman’s old electoral system. During last week’s election, another Commonwealth team showed up again. Despite the inescapable reality that the new one man, one vote system has done nothing to address the issue of voting equality, the observers said the change “has con- tributed to a significant amelioration in the situation” … before going on to note the obvious disparities to which we referred above. When the elections consultant and outside “observers” opted for passivity over objectivity, and endorsed the individual districts of East End and North Side, they were by extension approving the post-election tempest that threatened Cayman with hurricane-force winds, but now, thankfully, seems to have passed. After the election, Arden McLean (of East End) and Ezzard Miller (of North Side) should not have been clinking glasses over their respective victories and planning how to influence the formation of the new government. One should have been celebrating – and the other con- ceding – because they should have run against each other. One Man, One Vote: Cayman’s stormy political seas TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS 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” Population death spiral It is hard to succeed if ev- eryone is leaving. Some of the former communist countries are suffering from a popula- tion death spiral, with double- digit population declines over the last 25 years, as can be seen in the enclosed table. The problem is not only that people are leaving these countries, but all too often it is the most productive who are leaving – i.e., young adults. Those who are the least mo- bile – the unskilled, those with physical or mental disabilities and the elderly – i.e., the de- pendent class – are staying. To understand the problem, assume a country with 100 people where 20 percent are children, 10 percent are un- able to work because of lack of skills or disabilities, and 20 percent are retired. That leaves 50 percent of the population as productive workers who not only pay for themselves but for the other 50 percent of de- pendents. If 20 percent of the productive workers leave for what they consider better op- portunities elsewhere, the ratio of dependent population rises from 50 percent to 56 percent. The increase in the depen- dent ratio causes the politi- cians to raise taxes on the productive to support the others, which discourages the productive from working – at least in the home country. Latvia has lost almost a third of its population since it regained its independence in 1992. This would be equiva- lent to the United States losing approximately 100 million people. Other former commu- nist countries have also lost major portions of their popu- lations. The population loss is not only a result of emigration, but also very low birth rates (well below replacement). As noted, as taxes on employment are raised, it both discour- ages work and drives people to places where the real after-tax wage is higher. It is the social insurance taxes – for old age pensions, medical insurance and unemployment insurance – rather than income taxes that are the real job killers. The social insurance taxes on labor exceed 30 percent in many of the countries and can be over 50 percent in Ro- mania. Bulgaria has a flat- rate income tax of only 10 percent on both personal and corporate income, while Lith- uania has maximum rates of a relatively reasonable 15 percent. But when the income tax rates are added to the so- cial insurance taxes, total tax rates on labor are well over 50 percent in most of the population-losing countries. As would be expected, the excessively high taxes on labor not only have driven the working population to places where the real after-tax wage is higher, but have also fueled very large “shadow” econo- mies. (A shadow economy is where people work at least part of the time off the books and where sales and profits are not reported to the tax man.) Some studies esti- mate the size of the shadow economy in the United States is about 11 percent. A week ago when I was in Ukraine, I noticed that there is exten- sive high-rise apartment and office building construction going on in Kiev – the capital of a low-income country en- gaged in a low-level war with Russia. Where are they ob- taining the capital for these homes and offices? Ukrai- nian economists told me that the best estimates of the size of the shadow economy is more than 50 percent of gross domestic product, which means the real economy may be twice as large as the official one. Last Friday, I was in the western Ukraine historic city of Lviv. The large and mostly restored old town was crowded with people enjoying the many outdoor cafes and fine restaurants and shops. People were well dressed and the streets were filled with recent vintage automobiles – clearly living better in the cities than the official statis- tics would indicate. All through Eastern Europe, one finds vibrant and pros- perous cities, such as Vilnius, while the rural country areas are hollowed out as people move to the major cities or to other countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States. where there are more high-paying jobs. Economist and former president of the Lithuanian Free Market Institute, Ruta Vainiene, told me the estimate of the size of the shadow economy in Lithuania is about 29 percent. She noted that a village near the border with Poland lost nearly all of its working-age people be- cause they moved a few miles into Poland for higher wages. So much for the tax base. Much of the rest of Eu- rope is also facing stagnant or falling populations, which means a rising dependency ratio, mainly due to falling birth rates. The only way these countries can avoid real reductions in their pensions and other social programs is by increasing productivity and growth rates, which re- quires lower tax rates and fewer job-killing regulations. Switzerland is an example of doing it right with lower tax burdens in many of its re- gions, and a business-friendly environment. As a result, the Swiss have a labor shortage and need to import workers, which gives them a larger population of well-paid pro- ducers rather than depen- dents. The rest of Europe needs to learn from the Swiss. Richard W. Rahn, chairman of Improbable Success Productions and a board member of the American Council for Capital Formation, is on the Editorial Board of Cayman Financial Review. © 2017, The Washington Times, LLC RICHARD W. RAHN RICHARD W. RAHN5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 Parade of nations teaches children about other countries Pre-school students take part in international day parade JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Students and staff at Shining Stars pre-school spent Friday morning cele- brating the many different countries and cultures of the world with an interna- tional parade day. Filled with laughter and busy chatter, students and teachers donned tra- ditional clothing unique to their countries, waved flags, played music and marched around the school with parents and family members. Vice Principal Karien Odendaal said it is not the first time they are doing the parade of nations. “We want to teach them the geography … we have children from a variety of nations here and so that is why we wanted to do the international parade. We also wanted to teach them that not all children come from the same country and have the same culture,” said Ms. Odendaal. The special educa- tion class showcased tra- ditional wear from coun- tries such China, Jamaica, Cayman, the U.S., the Phil- ippines and Honduras. According to Principal Lorraine Stuart, the pre- school opened in 2012 and operates for full-time and part-time students under the Cayman Islands early childhood curriculum. Runaway truck crashes into beauty salon JEWEL LEVY jlevy@pinnaclemedialtd.com Work came to a standstill at Artista Salon on Eastern Avenue Monday after a run- away truck crashed through the glass doors and ended up in the shop with cus- tomers and workers. Police responded to the scene at Nixon Plaza shortly after 1 p.m., after receiving a report of a vehicle crashing into a building. A customer getting her nails done in a back room said she heard something fall and thought it was a mirror. “We heard one of the other hairdressers scream and we ran to the front [of the] shop and saw the truck in the store, but no one was inside the truck,” she said. Salon owner Chris Morgan said the force of the impact destroyed the shop’s main columns, glass doors, frames and check- in counter. “Luckily no one was injured and no one was in the waiting area when it happened … a hairdresser was assisting a customer in the back when it happened,” Mr. Morgan said. The driver of the run- away truck, who did not give his name, said he had parked the truck in the lot to check his personal car, which was also parked there. He got out and turned around and then heard a big bang. He said, all he could think was, “What is the truck doing over there?” The truck traveled about 50 feet across the parking lot, over a slight slope and through a parking space before smashing through the glass doors. This truck rolled backwards and smashed into the glass doors of a salon on Eastern Avenue. – PHOTO: JEWEL LEVY Pre-school teacher Ztef Mameng carries Caitlynn Conolly dressed in a traditional Caymanian brim hat and carrying a silver thatch bag. Dressed in traditional clothing unique to their chosen countries, children at Shining Stars pre-school gather at the entrance to participate in an international day parade. - PHOTOS: JEWEL LEVY Friends Laila Lopez and Ali Jackson hold hands.Young students parade through Pasadora Place.The islands’ most-trusted news source 6 Community CALENDAR ■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR is published TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS. It is available to charitable or nonprofit organizations. Items should be submitted at least three working days before publication. Information must include name of sender, signature and contact number. ■ Items may be faxed to 949-2662, brought to the Cayman Compass office on Shedden Rd. or emailed to cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com at least three days in advance of publication. TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS TUESDAY, MAY 30 CHAMBER COURSE: First Time Manager. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $450 for members, $525 for future members. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. CHESS GRANDMASTER JUNIOR CHALLENGE: Children who have registered for the Junior Challenge will take on chess Grandmaster Nigel Short at George Town Public Library at 3:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 SMOKING CESSATION: The Public Health Department reminds smokers who wish to quit the habit that there are still some spaces left for the smoking cessation classes that start on May 31 from 5:15-6:45 p.m. every Wednesday for seven weeks. For more information or to sign up, contact the Public Health Department on 244-2889/244-2621, or email sarah.hetley@hsa.ky or nola.sanderson@hsa.ky. SHELTER VOLUNTEERS: Training takes place this evening and tomorrow evening for those willing to assist in hurricane shelters in the event of a major storm. Anyone interested must attend both sessions, from 5:30-9 p.m. at the Prospect Primary School Hall. Training will be on all aspects of shelter management, including basic radio skills and rules governing the shelter. To sign up, call Paulette Rhoden on 949-0290. SATURDAY, JUNE 3 KITTEN ROADSHOW: View kittens available for adoption from the Cayman Islands Humane Society, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Camana Bay Visitor Centre. TUESDAY, JUNE 6 CHAMBER COURSE: Management Communications. 12:30–4:30 p.m. Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $150 for members, $225 for future members. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. LANDLORD & TENANT RELATIONSHIP: From 9–11 a.m. at the Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $175 for members, $225 for future members, Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7 JUST DANCE: Watch dancers from Centre Pointe Dance Studio perform a range of styles from contemporary, tap and ballet to Afrobeat, hip hop and musical theater in a waterfront setting at The Crescent, Camana Bay, from 7-8 p.m. THURSDAY, JUNE 8 CHAMBER COURSE: Employment – Termination of Employment, Notice, Unfair Dismissal, Redundancy & Retirement. 9–11 a.m., Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square; $175 for members, $225 for future members; register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. FRIDAY, JUNE 9 OLYMPIC LUNCHEON: Join Olympians from the Canadian and American swim teams in a set lunch to raise money for the Cayman Islands Cancer Society as part of the annual Flowers Sea Swim. Noon to 2 p.m. at KARoo restaurant in Camana Bay. For tickets, visit www.flowersseaswim.com. SATURDAY, JUNE 10 CONCERT: Musicians and singers from around the island will perform at Mary Miller Hall from 7 p.m. to raise money for North Side Wesleyan Holiness Church’s building fund. The Seaside Sisters & Friends include Elroy Stewartson, Karen Edie Turner, Rico Rolando, Nina Orrett, Jonelle and Justine Ebanks, Nicole Barnett, Darwin Ebanks, Ed Gibson, Jayden Hanna, Jonathan Ebanks and Roger Wilson. Tickets available from any of the Seaside Sisters, Christian Enlightenment Centre, Funky Tang’s, Edie’s Decor or any of the Wesleyan Holiness Churches. $10 prepaid or $15 at the gate. Refreshments will be on sale. TUESDAY, JUNE 13 CHAMBER COURSE: Basic Accounting Made Easier. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $150 for members, $225 for future members. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. THURSDAY, JUNE 15 CHAMBER COURSE: Intellectual Property Basics: Copyright, Trademarks & Patents. 9–11 a.m., Chamber of Commerce, Governors Square. $175 for members, $225 for future members. Register online at www.caymanchamber.ky. GENERAL INTEREST HUMANE SOCIETY THRIFT SHOP: has moved to Venetia Plaza, next to China Village. The thrift shop is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed on Sunday and Monday. Phone number is 945-5596. HIGH SCHOOL PTA: The John Gray High School PTA seeks sponsors, vendors and volunteers for its June 24 summer fair and raffle. The PTA is raising money to assist students traveling overseas to represent the school and country in track and field, swimming, fine arts, academics and more. The PTA invites applications from visual and performing artists, food vendors and volunteers. Email ptajghs@gmail.com for registration forms. If you have a product you would like to sell to the student body and public at the fair, sign up. Booths are $50 and $75. CONTRACTORS REGISTRATION: The deadline for general and civil contractors to register with the Builders Board has been extended by a month. The deadline is now May 31. Registration deadlines for the other categories of contractors remain the same: Residential and Building Contractors, June 30; Trade Contractors, Aug. 31, 2017. BETHESDA COUNSELLING CENTRE: Caters to all who seek help. Open Monday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at 68 Mary St. Appointments available Saturdays and late evenings. Owned and operated by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Call 946-6575. LOST DOGS: The Department of Agriculture and veterinary students of St. Matthew’s University provide an online list of dogs housed at the Department of Agriculture Animal Rescue Shelter in Lower Valley. Anyone missing a dog can check www.smustudents.webs.com. HUMANE SOCIETY BOOK LOFT: North Sound Road. Open Monday 12:30-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 5:30-7:30 p.m. Volunteers needed for front desk a few hours per week. Email humanesocietybookloft@ candw.ky or call 946-8053. Donations of books, games, CDs, stationery, DVDs, cards etc., in good condition always needed. RED CROSS THRIFT SHOP: The Thrift Shop opening hours are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed evenings. Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. SPECIAL OLYMPICS: Volunteers are needed. Tuesdays at the Truman Bodden Complex at 5:30 p.m. for track/field, football and bocce. No experience necessary, just a smile and patience. Wednesdays at Lions Pool 10:15–11 a.m. You do not have to swim, just be able to walk in water chest-deep. Thursdays at First Baptist Church for basketball, 5:30–7 p.m. Saturdays, volunteers needed for Adult Special Olympic swim conditioning at CIS pool 9:30–10:30 a.m. Deck support and in-water swimming assistance needed. For more information, contact Penny McDowall at 516-2578 or pjmcdowall@gmail.com. OPEN STUDIO: Every Thursday 10 a.m. till noon and every Monday 1-4 p.m. at Watler House Studio on grounds of Pedro Castle. Offered by Visual Arts Society to adults/youth who want to work independently in an inspiring atmosphere. Contact info@visualartcayman.com. COMMUNITY CHESS: Tuesdays 5-8 p.m., West Indies Wine Company. Join the Cayman Chess Club for a complimentary chess class and open challenges weekly. Anyone can learn to play and enjoy chess, even beginners. ARTISANS MARKET: Camana Bay every Wednesday, noon till 8 p.m. Visual Arts Society artists display arts, crafts, paintings, prints, hand-crafted jewelry and ceramics for sale. Email info@visualartcayman.com. OPEN CANVAS: Wednesdays. Visual Arts Society supports this event at KARoo Restaurant in Camana Bay. 7-11 p.m. No fee, easels provided. Contact info@ongart.com or jar.was@gmail.com. MUSEUM TOURS: The National Museum provides guided tours for students and school groups free of cost. Students will gain an understanding of Cayman’s geological formation, flora and fauna, seafaring and rope-making heritage, political history and more. Contact the museum to book a tour in advance at 949-8368 or email info@museum.ky. CLUBS, ORGANIZATIONS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: Meets daily to help with drinking problems. For more information, call 926-9044 or visit www.caymanaa.org. NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS: Is available for substance abuse help. Call the info line at 929–NANA (6262). AL-ANON GROUP MEETING: Are you troubled by someone’s drinking? Al-Anon Family Groups can help. Call 928-8843 or email caymanalanon@gmail.com for meeting times. OVERCOMERS OUTREACH: A Christ-centered 12-step recovery group addresses addictions and those affected by them. Meetings at Cayman Islands Baptist Church, Pedro Castle Road, Mondays, 7 p.m. For details, contact Virginia Castillo at 946-2422, or visit www.overcomersoutreach.org. DEMENTIA/ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP: This group meets on the last Wednesday of each month at the Catboat Club clubhouse, North Church Street. All are invited to attend. For more information, call 924-4170 or email info@adacayman.com. TOASTMASTERS CLUB: Cayman has three chapters of Toastmasters International, geared toward development of public speaking and leadership skills. Grand Cayman club meets at George Town Public Library, 3rd floor, 6-7:15 p.m. every Thursday. Eloquent Speaker club meets 2nd and 4th Tuesday 6:30–7:45 p.m. at Savannah United Church Hall. Eminent Orators club meets 2nd and 4th Monday 6–7:30 p.m. at Cayman Academy Canteen. Contact George R. Ebanks at 916-0687/322-9369 or georger.ebanks@gmail.com. ROTARACT BLUE OF CAYMAN: Meets Wednesdays 6 p.m., at Royal Palms Beach Club, West Bay Road. Contact rotaractblue@gmail.com or check www.rotaractblue.org. LEO CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 6:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, contact Secretary Letisha Allen 924-2819. THE LIONS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets every first and third Thursday 7:30 p.m. at the Lions Community Centre. For more information, email LionsClubGCM@hotmail.com. THE LIONS CLUB OF TROPICAL GARDENS: Meet every first and third Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Elizabethan Square (corner unit next to the MLA’s office). Members of the public are invited to attend. ROTARY CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN SUNRISE: Service club meetings 7 a.m. every Wednesday at George Town Yacht Club, 612 North Sound Road. website at www.rotarysunrise.ky or contact info@rotarysunrise.ky. KIWANIS CLUB OF GRAND CAYMAN: Meets first and third Wednesdays of the month, 12:30 p.m., at Britannia Golf Course Restaurant. Projects include promoting well- being of children in the community and schools. For more information, email president@kiwanis.ky or view www.kiwanis.ky. For more Community Calendar events, visit www.caymancompass.com/events. View kittens available for adoption from the Cayman Islands Humane Society, Saturday, June 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Camana Bay Visitor Centre.DISTRICT DAYS 7 District Days West Bay CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 Primary students celebrate cultures of many countries The Sir John A. Cumber Primary School celebrated another successful Interna- tional Night, this one with the theme “Passport to the World,” on May 20. Organizers said the eve- ning was supported by hun- dreds of students, parents and community members, in- cluding the recently crowned Miss Cayman, Anika Conolly. “The night was a culmi- nation of a cultural celebra- tion of countries which each year level had seen studying and researching prior to the event,” a press release from the school states. The Reception class rep- resented the Caribbean, in- cluding Cuba, Honduras, Do- minican Republic and Aruba. Year 1 students represented North America, including Canada, Alaska, Texas and Hawaii. Year 2 students rep- resented China, Japan, the Philippines and India. Year 3 students represented Africa, including Morocco, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Ghana. Year 4 students represented South America, including Brazil, Guyana, Mexico and Peru. Eu- rope was represented by Year 5 students, who put on dis- plays from Italy, Greece, Scot- land and France, while Year 6 represented Australasia, in- cluding Australia, New Zea- land, Fiji and Tasmania. Chris Christian of the Heritage Arts program helped supply artifacts such as a ca- boose, the cook-room, thatch products and local foods in- cluding fritters and fish. Darwin Ebanks gave a brief history of the Cayman catboat, and also provided a handcrafted model of a cat- boat which was displayed. Members of the Filipino community also gave a cul- tural presentation, which in- cluded a dance. A special booth was dedi- cated to the Cayman Islands and was headed by teacher Esther Rivers, assisted by a team of West Bay Commu- nity volunteers. Each class was respon- sible for presenting what they had learned using a variety of media including a form of entertainment such as poetry, dance, song, drama or a game; a form of display such as art and crafts, facts and information; and food and clothing. Many of the children were dressed in clothing that represented the country they were presenting. School Principal Paul Samuel said the event was a “huge success and this was down to the commitment, dedication and hard work of those that made it possible. “It truly was an excel- lent example of the commu- nity and school working to- gether for the betterment of the children.” PROUD OF THEM West Bay’s Kayla Ramos honored Kayla Ramos of West Bay is among this year’s recipients of the Proud of Them awards in the field of academics. Ms. Ramos has a passion for working with children, so it is only fitting that she is on the path to become a teacher, a press release states. Her calling is in special education. The 23-year-old graduated this month with a dual bachelor’s degree in el- ementary education and spe- cial education from the Uni- versity of Nebraska-Lincoln. She plans to pursue her mas- ter’s degree studies in spe- cial education, the press release states. During her four years at university, she made the Dean’s List and maintained a 3.8 GPA. She was chosen to participate in the univer- sity’s Creative Activities and Research Experience pro- gram, which supports un- dergraduates to work with faculty mentors in research. Ms. Ramos is the only stu- dent from the Caribbean to be given this opportunity. Teachers who have men- tored her noted that she is a reflective teacher who cre- ates positive interactions in the classroom. She plans en- gaging lessons and uses the latest technology to meet the needs of all learners. She is also praised for her desire to build relationships with her each of her students, the press release states. Enthusiastic, open- minded, positive, calm and patient are also descrip- tions used to illustrate her teaching style. She also plays an active role in the community, volun- teering for several nonprofit organizations in Cayman and in the United States. Some of those organizations in- clude the Lincoln Children’s Museum, the Kit and Dick Schmoker Reading Center Tutoring Program, and her university’s student council. Back at home, she is a soft- ball coach with the Cayman Islands Little League. Kayla Ramos, 23, from West Bay is a Proud of Them recipient. Sir John A. Cumber Primary School students pose with Miss Cayman Anika Conolly. Brooklyn Ebanks is ‘Miss Brazil.’The emcee for the night was Dianne Varona. Shiloh Carridice with her Year 1 teacher Fradene McLaughlin. They studied Hawaii.The islands’ most-trusted news source 8 TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Mr. Harris said, as a first- term MLA, he had no expec- tation of receiving a minis- ter’s post but felt his Prospect district would get nothing if he stayed in the opposition. The Cayman Compass reached out to all remaining members of the Legislative Assembly who were not im- mediately identified as mem- bers of the government, but received no statements as of Monday afternoon. Governor Kilpatrick is- sued the following statement: “[Monday] afternoon, I met with elected represen- tatives Alden McLaughlin Jr., McKeeva Bush, Moses Kirkconnell, Austin Harris and Capt. Eugene Ebanks. Mr. McLaughlin provided me with evidence that he had sufficient support to form a ‘Government of Na- tional Unity.’ “Accordingly, I have signed the proclamation to … call a session of the Leg- islative Assembly for 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 31, for the purposes of swearing in all newly elected and appointed members of the Legislative Assembly, voting for a Pre- mier pursuant to section 49 (3) of the Constitution of the Cayman Islands, and other attendant matters. Mr. McLaughlin has indi- cated that he will be seeking election to the position of Premier and Mr. Bush to Speaker of the House.” Little transparency for Cayman’s campaign funders BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com There is “limited” trans- parency in the Cayman Is- lands when it comes to revealing who paid for a pol- itician’s campaign and how much they paid, according to a group of international elec- tions observers. Although Cayman got high marks for the conduct of its May 24 elections, cam- paign finance reporting and policing received decidedly lower scores from the six- person Commonwealth elec- tions observer team that vis- ited last week. “The transparency of cam- paign finances was limited as there are no requirements for contestants to submit, or for the authorities to audit or publish, reports on expen- diture before [election] day,” the preliminary report of the elections observers states. Under the Elections Law, all candidates must file a re- port of their campaign-re- lated expenses between Nom- ination Day – in this case March 29 – and Election Day. The candidates are only al- lowed to spend up to $40,000 in that period. The reports of those ex- penses, however, do not have to be delivered to the su- pervisor of elections until 35 days after Election Day, when they are made available to the public. Also, money spent by the candidates before Nomina- tion Day in any election cycle does not need to be reported. Commonwealth observers’ head of mission, Steve Rodan, said the group had received some complaints from resi- dents that this allowed po- litical parties to “pay in ad- vance” for campaign-related expenses or services they re- ceived between Nomination Day and Election Day. Also, contributions made to the political parties are not regulated at all under the Elections Law. “In the absence of public funding for either parties or candidates, some Common- wealth … interlocutors ex- pressed concern that the amount of funding from pri- vate Caymanians was too high and distorted the fair- ness of the campaign,” the observers’ report read. While candidates are re- quired to send the supervisor of elections a report on their expenses between Nomina- tion Day and Election Day, as well as funds received during that period, the supervisor has no idea whether those re- ports reflect the true figures. “There is … no obligation on any state institution to ac- tually verify the completeness and accuracy of the expenses and contributions declared,” the observers reported. The observers noted that while the Commission for Standards in Public Life maintains a register of in- terests for candidates’ busi- ness interests, assets, in- come and debts, more stringent reporting require- ments created under local legislation in 2014 have not been enforced. “The legislation has not commenced to date,” the ob- servers noted. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Some members of the new coalition government are, from left, Premier-elect Alden McLaughlin, West Bay Central MLA Capt. Eugene Ebanks, Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush, Deputy Premier-elect Moses Kirkconnell and Prospect MLA Austin Harris. - PHOTO: TANEOS RAMSAY Longtime rivals join forces to form coalition government Prayer for Cayman leaders Amid the efforts to form a new government over the weekend as various coali- tions rose and fell, some turned to prayer for support and guidance. Around 30 people gath- ered outside the Legislative Assembly on Sunday evening to pray for wisdom to pre- vail in the backroom discus- sions that were taking place to form a government. The prayer meeting was organized by the Ambassa- dors of the Cayman Islands Chaplains Association. Linda McField, chap- lain and ambassador for the organization, said, “We are seeking God’s guidance and direction for those who have been selected to serve, protect and administer the affairs of these beloved Cayman Islands.” A prayer group gathers outside the Legislative Assembly on Sunday evening. - PHOTO: VICKI WHEATON Dominican minister among 8 detained in bribery scandal SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) – Authorities on Monday detained the Do- minican Republic’s min- ister of industry and com- merce and nearly a dozen other people including top- level officials in an inter- national bribery scandal involving the Brazilian company Odebrecht. Prosecutors said those detained also include leg- islators, a former public works minister, a former Senate president, two former directors of a reg- ulatory electricity group and a businessman. They are scheduled to ap- pear in court to face cor- ruption charges. The suspects were de- tained after Odebrecht told U.S. prosecutors that it paid $92 million in bribes to Dominican offi- cials since 2001 to secure 17 key government con- tracts. The company moved its “bribery bureau” to the Dominican Republic from Brazil several years ago and built highways, dams and a coal-burning power plant. Construction of the $2 billion, 720-megawatt plant was awarded to Ode- brecht in 2013 even though the company’s bid was the highest of all those sub- mitted and more than $500 million above the limit set by the country’s Congress. The bribes were part of an overall $788 million that Odebrecht paid to offi- cials in 10 Latin American countries and two African ones to obtain multimil- lion-dollar contracts with local governments. While hundreds of charges have been filed against high-level offi- cials in Brazil, Colombia, Panama and Peru, Mon- day’s arrests mark the first time anyone in the Domin- ican Republic is detained in the Odebrecht case. Attorneys for Domin- ican Industry and Com- merce Minister Tamis- tocles Montas, former Public Works Minister Victor Diaz Rua and former Senate president An- dres Bautista and others could not be immediately reached for comment. The legislators detained automatically have immu- nity, although one of them, Alfredo Pacheco, said he would renounce it and co- operate with authorities. “I am sure I have not been bribed,” said Pacheco, a former president of the Chamber of Deputies. Odebrecht’s contracts in the Dominican Republic since 2001 have totaled $5 billion, or 7 percent of the Caribbean country’s an- nual GDP. Fifteen of the 17 contracts were awarded during the 13-year tenure of President Danilo Me- dina’s Dominican Lib- eration Party, now led by former President Le- onel Fernandez. Fernandez has refused to discuss the bribes. Meanwhile, Medina has created a special commis- sion to investigate the bid- ding process but also de- fended a deal that allowed Odebrecht executives to avoid prosecution. Medina’s administra- tion has said investiga- tions will clear the presi- dent and his aides of any wrongdoing and show they received no money from Odebrecht. The suspects were detained after Odebrecht told U.S. prosecutors that it paid $92 million in bribes to Dominican officials since 2001 to secure 17 key government contracts.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • TUESDAY MAY 30, 2017 Tiger Woods arrested in Florida for DUI Police say Tiger Woods has been arrested on a DUI charge in Florida. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office says on its website that Woods was booked into a county jail around 7 a.m. Monday. He was released just before 11 a.m. on his own recognizance. Fears grow of increasing IS foothold in southern Philippines MARAWI, Philippines (AP) – In- side this lakeside city dotted with hundreds of mosques, a powerful militant designated by the Islamic State group as its leader in the Philip- pines has managed to unify a disparate group of gunmen under a single command. Over the past week, his fighters have shown their muscle, withstanding a sus- tained assault by the Philip- pine military and increasing fears that the Islamic State group’s violent ideology is gaining a foothold in this country’s restive southern islands, where a Muslim separatist rebellion has raged for decades. The army insists the drawn-out fight is not a true sign of the militants’ strength, and that the mili- tary has held back to spare civilians’ lives. “They are weak,” Gen. Ed- uardo Ano, the military chief of staff, said of the gunmen, speaking at a hospital where injured soldiers were being treated. “It’s just a matter of time for us to clear them from all their hiding places.” Still, the fighters have turned out to be remarkably well-armed and resilient. Attack helicopters were streaking low over Marawi on Monday, firing rockets at militant hideouts, as heavily armed soldiers went house to house in search of fighters. For nearly a week, the Is- lamic gunmen have held the Philippine army at bay, burning buildings, taking at least a dozen hostages and sending tens of thousands of residents fleeing. Officials say the commander, Isnilon Hapilon, who is one of Wash- ington’s most-wanted mili- tants, is still hiding some- where in the city. President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law for 60 days in the south last week after the militants went on a deadly rampage in Marawi following a failed military raid to capture Hapilon. In recent years, small mil- itant groups have emerged in the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia and have begun unifying under the banner of the Islamic State group. Jose Calida, the top Phil- ippine prosecutor, said last week that Indonesians and Malaysians were among the fighters in Marawi, and that the violence on the large southern island of Mindanao “is no longer a rebellion of Filipino citizens.” Rohan Gunaratna, a ter- rorism expert at Singapore’s S. Rarajatnam School of In- ternational Studies, believes that IS and the smaller re- gional groups are working to- gether to show their strength and declare a Philippine province of the caliphate that IS says it created in the Middle East. He said the fighting in Marawi, along with smaller battles elsewhere in the southern Philippines, may be precursors to declaring a province, which would be “a huge success for the terrorists.” Last week, twin suicide bombings in Jakarta, Indo- nesia, claimed by IS killed three policemen. While Indo- nesia has been fighting mili- tants since 2002, the rise of the Islamic State group has breathed new life into local militant networks and raised concern about the risk of In- donesian fighters returning home from the Middle East. A police officer watches from the balcony of a bullet-riddled business while government troops battle with Muslim militants in an area of Marawi city, southern Philippines, on Monday. - PHOTO: AP BA travel problems enter third day as most services resume LONDON (AP) – Travelers on British Airways faced a third day of delays and can- cellations Monday, though most long-haul services were resumed, after a co- lossal IT failure over the weekend caused chaos for thousands of passengers. BA chief executive Alex Cruz said the airline was running a “near-full opera- tion” at London’s Gatwick Airport and planned to op- erate all scheduled long-haul services from Heathrow. But he said there would still be delays, as well as some can- celed short-haul flights. Data from flight tracker FlightA- ware.com showed BA can- celed another 27 flights and had 135 more delayed Monday, a bank holiday in the U.K. that sees a high level of air travel. Iberia and Air Nostrum, which like BA are part of the broader International Airlines Group and share some data, canceled over 320 flights Monday. BA canceled all flights from Heathrow and Gat- wick on Saturday after the IT outage, which it blamed on a power-supply problem. The glitch threw the plans of tens of thousands of travelers into disarray – by Sunday night, almost 600 BA flights had been grounded. Cruz told Sky News on Monday the problem started at 9:30 Saturday morning when “there was indeed a power surge that had a catastrophic effect over some communications hardware which eventually affected all the messaging across our systems.” He said there was no evi- dence indicating the airline had come under cyberattack. BA operates hundreds of flights from Heathrow and Gatwick on a typical day – and both are major hubs for worldwide travel. Passengers, some of whom had spent the night at London’s Heathrow Air- port, faced frustrating waits to learn if and when they could fly out. Some endured hours- long lines to check in, re- claim lost luggage or re- book flights at Terminal 5, BA’s hub at Heathrow. Many complained about a lack of information from the airline. The British union GMB linked the IT problems di- rectly to the company’s deci- sion to cut IT staff last year. “This could have all been avoided. In 2016, BA made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India,” said Mick Rix, na- tional officer for aviation at the union. Trump hails the fallen and their families on Memorial Day ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – U.S. President Donald Trump ex- pressed his nation’s “bound- less and undying” gratitude Monday to Americans who have fallen in battle and to the families they left behind, hailing as heroes the hun- dreds of thousands buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In his first Memorial Day remarks as president, Trump told the stories of two soldiers who died in Afghanistan, Green Beret Capt. Andrew D. Byers of Colorado Springs and Christopher D. Horton of the Oklahoma National Guard, as Byers’s parents and Horton’s widow looked on. Of them and all who died in military service, he said: “Words cannot measure the depth of their devotion, the purity of their love or the to- tality of their courage.” Horton, a sniper sent to Afghanistan in 2011, died in a gun battle with the Tal- iban near the Pakistan border three months into his deploy- ment. Byers was on his third combat tour and ran through smoke and a hail of bullets to rescue an Afghan soldier when he was killed. “We stand in awe of your son and his courageous sac- rifice,” Trump told David and Rose Byers, the parents. The president hailed Bob Dole, the former senator who suffered lifelong inju- ries in World War II and at- tended Monday’s ceremony. And he singled out his home- land security secretary, John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, for whom military sacrifice could not be any closer to home. Kelly led the U.S. Southern Command and lost his son, Robert Kelly, who stepped on a land mine while on a Ma- rine patrol in Afghanistan in November 2010. President Donald Trump places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, the Memorial Day holiday in the United States. - PHOTO: AP Data from flight tracker FlightAware. com showed BA canceled another 27 flights and had 135 more delayed Monday, a bank holiday in the U.K. that sees a high level of air travel.Next >