SECTION | PAGE ## TITLE FOR THE SPORT/ BUSINESS SKYBOX FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Murder, mystery and magic November movies at Regal Cinemas Camana Bay run the gamut from horror to heartwarming tales B4 Hidden talents Restaurateur and local icon Suzy Soto reveals her secret artistic streak B5 Events Art & Culture Movies Cayman Brac opens Pirates Week The annual festival begins its voyage in the Sister Island B2 ■ EVENTS Allure Fashion Weekend Khoudia Diop hits the runway. B7 Camana Bay turns 10 next week All are invited to celebrate at the milestone party B3 STOLI FLAVOURS2 for $ 56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $ 56 Until 31 July STOLI FLAVOURS 2 for $56 Until 31 July Registered Merchant of CaymanGiftCertificates.com 20% OFF For the month of November (750 ml or larger bottles only) facebook.com/TortugaFineWinesand Spirits www.tortugawineandspirits.com Connect with us on B2 Allure Fashion Weekend EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 SPEECH IN THE ASSEMBLY: CURBING BULLYING, BLUSTER AND ‘BLAH, BLAH, BLAH’ High of 88 Low of 78 Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. CAYMAN WEEKENDER ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 75 CENTS – FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY ALSO INCLUDING BIG KING ORIGINAL CHICKEN SANDWICH BIG FISH SANDWICHEXTRA LONG CHEESEBURGER Speaker questions PAC role BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush noted a “concern” Wednesday that the Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee had overstepped its role in recent months, wading into areas such as employment within the government service. Accounts committee members, including North Side MLA and Chairman Ezzard Miller and Bodden Town MLA Chris Saunders, have recently queried hiring practices at the Health Services Authority in particular. Both ques- tioned why Caymanians had not been hired to fi ll specifi c roles. Former Chief Offi cer of the Community Af- fairs Ministry Dorine McGee [formerly Whit- taker] retired early in September, shortly after an accounts committee hearing in which she was taken to task over a number of issues in- volving welfare services. Government offi cials did not link Ms. McGee’s departure to the committee proceedings, however. “The PAC is set up to look at and examine cases and claims to ensure that expenditures deliver value for money,” Mr. Bush said. “The PAC cannot delve into areas of operational re- sponsibilities of the public service. That is not the remit of the PAC.” Mr. Bush, who was appointed Speaker after the late May/early June formation of the Na- tional Unity Government, said if the com- mittee continued to go on such “excursions” it would “have to be brought back to the seat of its responsibilities.” “I will ensure the conventions and rules of parliamentary democracy are abided by each and every committee of this Honorable House,” Mr. Bush said. Mr. Miller did not make any comment re- garding accounts committee matters in re- sponse to Mr. Bush Wednesday. Mr. Saunders acknowledged that “some people were upset at the way [he] attacked the HSA” during a recent committee hearing. During an Oct. 10 PAC hearing, Mr. Saunders CIMA CITES SEVEN-YEAR DECLINE IN BANKING SECTOR BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority on Wednesday reported a seven-year decline in the territory’s banking sector, that has seen a drop of about one-third of all retail and non- retail banking operations since 2010. The annual report was presented to the Legislative Assembly and was accepted by lawmakers without comment. The 2016 report noted a 10 percent fall off for retail and non-retail [class B] banking li- censes when compared to 2015. Between 2010 and last year, the total number of retail and non-retail banks licensed in Cayman fell from 266 to 176. “Changes in the laws and regulations around the world have had some impact HOLIDAY INN SOLD TO U.S. INVESTOR The Holiday Inn, one of the only large Caymanian-owned hotels on Grand Cayman, has been sold to a Chi- cago-based investor in a sale that was fi nalized last week. The hotel’s co-owner Reginald De- lapenha confi rmed the hotel, for- merly a Ramada, would remain a Hol- iday Inn hotel. For more, see page 3. Tourism minister defends port project JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Dismissing Opposition criticism of the cruise port project as “fake news,” Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell denied the an- ticipated cost of building two new piers in George Town harbor had spiraled to $300 million. Mr. Kirkconnell, who is also tourism minister, did not say how much the piers are actually expected to cost, however. Initial projections in the business case for the project put the price tag at $150 million. He acknowledged that a decision to move the piers into deeper water to reduce the impact on coral reefs had brought addi- tional expense. But he insisted that government was not picking up the tab or offering any fi nan- cial guarantee for the project, which he de- scribed as essential if the island wanted to remain in the cruise business. “There is no risk to government on this project,” he added. Mr. Kirkconnell said interested consor- tiums had been through a pre-qualifying process and had now been short-listed ahead of the bid process to design, build, fi - nance and maintain the piers. He did not elaborate on government’s intended fi nancing model for the project. The business case envisaged that the piers could be funded through a combination of the fees that currently go to tender opera- tors, around $5 per passenger, and a share of the $14 per-passenger “head tax” charged by government for every cruise ship visitor. Critics have questioned whether that combination of fees would provide suffi - cient annual revenue to cover the cost of PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8 » The government denies that the new cruise port for George Town will cost $300 million. - PHOTO: CHRIS COURT PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 9 »2 LOCAL&REGIONAL FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS Open daily 10am -10pm West Shore Center, SMB Turkey! Turkey! Happy American Thanksgiving! Thursday, 23 November GET YOUR ORDERS IN EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT! Introduction to FOREX & iMarkets Live MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR SMART PHONE CALL 324.2373 COME LEARN HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN THE LARGEST FINANCIAL MARKET IN THE WORLD SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4th Hospital Conference Centre, GT 12:30PM - 2PM FREE ADMISSION Puerto Rico governor to tour Superstorm Sandy sites in NY ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – The gov- ernor of Puerto Rico trav- eled to New York Thursday to see how the state rebuilt following Superstorm Sandy and meet with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to dis- cuss his island’s recovery from Hurricane Maria. Gov. Ricardo Rossello joined Cuomo for an aerial tour of sites on Long Island impacted by the 2012 storm that were rebuilt to be more resilient to flooding. The two men then discussed addi- tional ways New York can help the U.S. territory, and Cuomo announced the de- ployment of additional utility workers to assist in re- storing electricity. Rossello said he hopes Puerto Rico emerges from Maria as well as New York did after Sandy. “Five years down the road, we can have a bigger event where we remember what the catastrophe was,” he said. Cuomo, who has slammed the federal response to the storm, said an additional 350 utility workers and 220 utility trucks would be sent to Puerto Rico this weekend. The state already has sent hundreds of personnel and millions of pounds of sup- plies, and Cuomo has vis- ited the island twice since the storm. “It’s been 35 days,” he said at a joint press conference with Rossello. “The result is intolerable. You cannot have a situation where people don’t have water for 40 days. Just imagine if that happened in the United States …. Puerto Ricans have been treated as second class Americans.” Considered a possible candidate for president in 2020, Cuomo stopped short of calling out President Donald Trump by name. But he said the slow response was contributing to a “hu- manitarian crisis.” Federal officials have defended the recovery ef- fort and said they will re- main in Puerto Rico until the work is done. Rossello also expressed his solidarity with New York following Tuesday’s deadly terror attack in Manhattan. “Our thoughts and prayers are with you after the tragic events that occurred a couple of nights ago,” he said. “We are with you. We will be with you, as you have been with us.” FIFA defendant Takkas agrees to deportation to UK BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Former Cayman Islands resident Costas Takkas has agreed to be deported to the United Kingdom once he finishes serving a federal prison sentence in the U.S. for money laundering, according to court documents made public this week. Takkas, 61, signed his as- sent to a judicial removal order on Oct. 31 after he re- ceived a 15-month sentence for his role in the FIFA rack- eteering scandal that has led to dozens of arrests around the world since May 2015. Takkas is a former Cayman Islands football of- ficial who served as an at- tache to Jeffrey Webb, who has also pleaded guilty in the FIFA case. The order makes Takkas “permanently inadmissible” to the U.S., barring permis- sion being granted for his entry by the Department of Homeland Security. Takkas agreed to be re- moved to the U.K., where he holds citizenship, according to the order. Although Takkas, who lived in Cayman for nearly 20 years, received a 15- month sentence, he will be required to serve only five months of it. Federal Dis- trict Court Judge Pamela Chen agreed he should be credited with 10 months im- prisonment for his time al- ready served in Swiss de- tention following his May 27, 2015 arrest. All other charges filed against Takkas in a No- vember 2015 U.S. fed- eral court indictment were dropped as part of the deal reached with prosecutors to obtain his guilty plea. Police recover boat parts, seek owners Police are trying to trace the owner or owners of several recovered boat parts which they believe were stolen. During an investiga- tion, police officers recov- ered four boat engines and a boat console seat. They are described as: ■■ One black 70 HP Johnson outboard engine ■■ One gray 75 HP Ya- maha outboard engine ■■ One black 150 HP Mer- cury outboard engine ■■ One gray 50 HP Ya- maha outboard engine ■■ One white and brown two-seater console seat Police advised that owners will be required to provide proof of ownership before any items will be released. Anyone who believes they are the owner of any of these items should contact PS Laing at the West Bay Police Station at 649-3999. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello shake hands at a news conference, Thursday, in New York. Cuomo announced that the state will be sending personnel and trucks to aid in the reconstruction of Puerto Rico’s electrical grid. - PHOTO: AP Boater reported missing at sea A 30-year-old North Side man has been reported missing at sea, more than a week after he set off. Police said Thomas Owen Robert Bush was re- ported as going out to sea with another man, whom police have not identi- fied, on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Police were alerted that Mr. Bush was missing shortly after 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday. “Mr. Bush was last seen in the Windsor Park area wearing jean shorts and T- shirt, and was said to have left for sea in a 28ft canoe,” police said in a statement. The Port Authority has been notified of the re- port and has issued a notification for all boat captains to be on the lookout for the vessel and missing boaters. “The police are cur- rently trying to determine a possible location of the vessel in which Mr. Bush departed in order to deploy further search and rescue efforts,” the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service state- ment continued. Anyone with information is encouraged to call George Town Police Station at 949-4222. Robert Bush MAN CHARGED AFTER DIGICEL BURGLARY Defendant accused of handling stolen goods CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Joshua Pars, 25, ap- peared in Summary Court on Thursday charged with han- dling a stolen phone valued at $94. The phone was the property of Digicel, whose store on North Church Street was broken into on Sept. 30. Crown counsel Kenneth Ferguson told Magistrate Valdis Foldats that a number of phones were stolen from the store. He said the bur- glary occurred at night and CCTV showed “about five persons involved.” Defense attorney Lloyd Samson applied for bail on the defendant’s behalf. The magistrate noted that the burglary investiga- tion was ongoing. He granted bail, but with a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Pars was told to reside at a particular address in West Bay with a “doorstep condition” – meaning that if police came to his door at one minute after 7 p.m. and he was not there, he risked losing his bail. The matter was set for mention again on Nov. 28.3 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 1 26 M aclendon Dri v e , Industrial P ark , G r and C a y man | W : w w w.r efuel.ky | E : info @r efuel.ky | T: + 1 345 745 -FUEL (38 35) The energy economy of the Cayman Islands is currently based almost entirely on imported petroleum products with millions of gallons of Diesel and Gasoline imported on a monthly basis to generate electrical energy and supply the transportation sector, the second largest energy consuming sector in the economy. Current trends and pressure for more sustainable options have lead governments around the world to mandate the addition of renewables to petroleum products, and this has resulted in more and more renewables being added to petroleum products in an effort to oxygenate fuels and reduce emissions. Ethanol blended gasolines and biodiesel blended diesels have become commonplace proven fuels around the globe with many billions of miles driven on them every year. The Australian Medical Association has said: FUEL DOESN’T HAVE TO COST THE EARTH! Rethink fuel with Refuel Until now, such fuels had yet to be adopted in Cayman. On March 15th 2017 the Cayman Islands Government passed new legislation in the form of the National Energy Policy. The National energy policy recognizes the benefits of these fuel and promotes their introduction into Cayman's fuel market through its "Fuel Sector Strategy". Specifically promoting the introduction of E10,(10%ethanol, 90% Gasoline) and B5, (5%Biodiesel, 95% Diesel). Refuel is the first company on Island to bring the vision of the Fuel Sector Strategy to life, offering not one, but three grades of E10, a grade of B5 and even a grade of B20,(20%Biodiesel, 80%Diesel). Through our different model, Refuel hopes to prove that these emission reducing modern fuels can be supplied in an economically advantageous manner, and become commonplace in Cayman. It's time to Rethink Fuel with Refuel, where fuel doesn't have to cost the Earth. There is incontrovertible evidence that the addition of ethanol to petrol and biodiesel to diesel will reduce the deaths and ill-health associated with the emissions produced by burning those fuels. ASK ABOUT FLEET MANAGEMENT REWARD PROGRAMS COMING SOON! Holiday Inn hotel sold to US investor JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Holiday Inn, one of the only large Caymanian- owned hotels on Grand Cayman, has been sold to a Chicago-based investor. Reginald Delapenha, co- owner and director of Grand Caymanian Ltd., which owned the North Shore prop- erty, said the sale had been finalized last week. The hotel, formerly a Ra- mada, was renovated, ex- panded and rebranded as a Holiday Inn, since being bought by Mr. De- lapenha and his business partners in 2010. “The plan was to get it up to where it is and then to look at selling. I think the time was right,” said Mr. De- lapenha this week. “We feel we have made a good impact on the tourism product.” As well as rebranding the venue as a Holiday Inn, he said, the group had devel- oped the property, adding an additional 84 rooms. Mr. Delapenha, whose principal interests are in con- struction and development, said he would be focusing on other projects. The 173-room property, which includes 56 time-share units, was sold to Chicago- based SRE Acquisitions II, LLC, which also acquired the unsold time-share inventory. Paul Weimer, of Miami- based CBRE Hotels which brokered the deal, said the new owners would make some modifications to the property but it would remain a Holiday Inn. He said the hotel had not stayed on the market for long. “We specialize in the Ca- ribbean and investors are al- ways interested in Cayman. It is stable, safe, has beau- tiful beaches and has real diversity of things to do,” Mr. Weimer said. Recent sales history sug- gests Cayman’s hotels are in demand for major investors. The Ritz-Carlton, the Mar- riott and the Westin have all been sold to new owners in the past two years. The Holiday Inn, located on the North Shore, has been sold but will retain the brand. The hotel, formerly a Ramada, was renovated, expanded and rebranded as a Holiday Inn, since being bought by Mr. Delapenha and his business partners in 2010. INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY EVENTS BEGIN THIS WEEKEND International Men’s Day observance kicks off a month of events in Cayman on Sunday with a church service at the United Sa- vannah Church. The Department of Counselling Services’ Family Resource Centre is hosting several interac- tive events to highlight this year’s theme of “Celebrating Men and Boys.” The church service be- gins at 10 a.m. on Sunday. According to a press re- lease, the service will “con- firm the importance of male role models for chil- dren and families and also encourage men and boys to appreciate the value of positive behaviors to their health, and to that of communities.” An International Men’s Day Roundtable will be hosted by Rooster 101, at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, during which men and boys will dis- cuss male health issues, male achievements at home and in their fami- lies/partnerships, while looking at obstacles men sometimes face. The final event is Inter- national Men’s Day Family Day on Saturday, Nov. 18, which will be held at Kings Sports Centre from 3.30-7 p.m. This will feature free bowling, rock climbing and skating facilities to pro- vide men with opportuni- ties to further bond with their children. The official Interna- tional Men’s Day falls on Nov. 19. “The objectives of Inter- national Men’s Day 2017 will focus largely on pro- moting men’s and boy’s health, highlighting posi- tive male role models and improving gender rela- tions,” said Health Minister Dwayne Seymour in the press release. “The observance is a chance to take stock of male achievements and contribu- tions, while looking at ob- stacles, especially with re- gards to male behaviors that impact community, family, marriage, and child care,” he said. Department of Counsel- ling Services Director Ju- dith Seymour said, “Dis- crimination that some males experience is not often discussed widely. This year’s events will open up this conversation and look at other aspects of the male condition, pro- viding forums for consider- ation and action.”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. When he called for restraining defamatory, irrele- vant and erroneous speech uttered on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, Speaker of the House McKeeva Bush was 100 percent correct – in half of what he said. It is true that parliamentary privilege endows LA members with “absolute free speech” during proceed- ings, giving them immunity from defamation claims, even if they utter false or misleading statements. Because the privilege is so broad, it is imperative that it must not be abused. Too often and for too long, our elected officials have hidden behind the cloak of privilege to attack and besmirch the reputations of fellow lawmakers or even private individuals (as this newspaper well knows) who have no recourse to a similarly impenetrable “shield.” As Speaker Bush said Wednesday, “Members should be aware of the protection they have when speaking because there is parliamentary privilege. “But it is exactly that protection that dictates decency and truth, not speculation or hearsay.” There is, after all, a difference between free speech and speech free of consequences. Even though Cayman’s MLAs can say anything they please on the House floor, using their position of authority to make verbal attacks based on petty grievances, personal self-interest, or simple lack of willingness to “do their homework” constitutes a gross abuse of power. Irresponsible speech from our elected leaders intro- duces negativity and incivility into our country’s polit- ical discourse. It sets a bad example for the broader society (including the youth) and runs counter to the seemingly endless series of taxpayer-funded “anti-bul- lying” lectures and campaigns designed to inspire cou- rageous conduct and decent behavior. Despite their legal right to speak however they wish – in fact, because of this right – lawmakers should approach the House floor with the same gravitas, respect and, yes, even reverence as they would a courtroom or church. At the very least, anything they dare to say in the House, they should be willing to repeat outside on the steps of the Assembly, and beyond the mantle of parliamentary privilege. Speaker Bush erred, however, when he attempted to conflate the issue of members’ abuse of parliamen- tary privilege with the media’s duty to report parlia- mentary proceedings. Inside the Legislative Assembly, the House Speaker rules floor debate as both judge and jury. That power – like parliamentary privilege – extends only to the threshold of the Assembly. We applaud Speaker Bush for his commitment to monitor closely debates to ensure that lawmakers focus on issues and refrain from scurrilous remarks. However, his contention that journalists “should not add to the wrong” by accurately reporting parliamen- tary debate if an MLA goes off the rails is unmanage- able – and, prima facie, wrong. To illustrate our point, we would ask our readers to tune their TVs to the government’s CIG-TV, or their radios to the government’s Radio Cayman sister station Breeze FM. Both broadcast the proceedings of the Assembly “live.” If an elected member happens to deliver inflam- matory, defamatory or deleterious remarks while on live television or radio, does Mr. Bush plan to sue or sanction government’s own media? If not, certainly he could not sustain an argument that the private media, including this newspaper, should be held to a more restrictive standard. If Mr. Bush is merely suggesting that the media exercise prudent and responsible judgment as to what we choose to print or broadcast, then we have no issue whatsoever with his position. To conclude, we will quote from a relevant passage from Erskine May, the authoritative tome on parliamen- tary practice which Mr. Bush, formerly as a legislator and now as Speaker of the House, frequently cites: “But the publication, whether by the order of the House or not, of a fair and accurate account of a debate in either House is protected by the same prin- ciple as that which protects fair reports of proceedings in courts of justice, that the advantage of publicity to the community at large outweighs any private injury resulting from the publication, unless malice is proved. This is a matter of common law, rather than of parlia- mentary privilege.” Speech in the Assembly: Curbing bullying, bluster and ‘blah, blah, blah’ FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS WASHINGTON – Needing a victory to validate their ma- jorities, congressional Repub- licans have chosen not to em- ulate Shakespeare’s Henry V before Agincourt. He advo- cated stiffening the sinews, summoning up the blood and lending the eye a terrible as- pect. The Republicans would rather define victory down. What began with a bang of promises of comprehen- sive tax reform will end with a whimper: The only large change will be to the national debt. Consider a small pro- posal – repeal of the estate tax. It will be paid by an esti- mated 5,500 people dying this year, raising about $20 billion – a pittance in the $3.88 tril- lion budget. Repeal’s signifi- cance would be philosophic rather than economic. In 1975, Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw explained what he would do with his $75,000 salary: “Ninety per- cent I’ll spend on good times, women and Irish whiskey. The other 10 percent I’ll prob- ably waste.” If you work hard, make a pile, then choose to squander it on dissipations, go ahead, it’s a free country. But try to pass the pile to progeny, grasping government will in- tervene. Ending the estate tax would extinguish the govern- ment’s delusion that it has the duty and skill to prevent the intergenerational transmis- sion of family advantages (of which, money matters much less than transfers of social capital – habits and aptitudes, which government cannot redistribute). Desperate to propitiate impatient constituents, Re- publicans say this is no time (actually, there never is a time) to fret about the national debt, which was $9 trillion a decade ago and passed $20 trillion two months ago, having in- creased 22 percentage points under the Republican pres- ident who preceded the present one. House Speaker Paul Ryan says do not worry, “We finally have a president who is willing to actually balance the budget.” Ryan underestimates the presi- dent, who has promised to eliminate not just the budget deficit but the national debt in just eight years, without touching entitlements. Beneath the froth of po- litical discord, America’s granite-like harmony per- sists. The comparatively su- perficial discord distracts attention from this bipar- tisan consensus: We shall have a generous entitlement state and not pay for it. In- stead, we shall offload onto future generations a sub- stantial portion of the costs of our current consumption of government. As Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute naugh- tily reminds us, during half a century of Republican rhetoric of frugality, 1960 to 2010, entitlement spending grew 8 percent faster under Republican presidents than under Democrats. In the ninth year of an unusually long expansion, and with the economy near full employment (ignore the dismal workforce partici- pation rate), the budget def- icit for the past fiscal year was $666 billion, up $80 bil- lion from the previous year. To partially recoup revenue lost from reduced rates, Re- publicans reportedly flinched (Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz says his fellow Republicans were “asked to vote for a budget that nobody believes in so that we have a chance to vote for a tax bill that nobody’s read”) from a “border adjust- ment tax” on imports ($1 tril- lion in a decade) and now have gone wobbly about completely ending the deductibility of state and local taxes ($1.3 tril- lion). Republicans might still be contemplating steep re- ductions in the amounts that individuals can put into tax- deferred 401(k) retirement ac- counts. This will displease the approximately 32 percent of workers who have 401(k) s, and will worsen the inade- quate savings rate of a nation where defined-benefit pension plans are now mostly luxu- ries for government workers and where almost a majority of people approaching retire- ment have nothing saved for it. The current median Social Security payment is about $16,000 a year. When the president said tax reform is “going to be so easy,” he overlooked this fact: The tax code’s baroque com- plexity that demands radical reform makes the code almost impervious to such reform: Every provision was put there to placate a muscular faction or to create a grateful faction. Republicans should have heeded Dwight Eisenhower’s axiom: “If a problem cannot be solved, enlarge it.” They should have made the case for large reforms that annoy democratically – almost ev- eryone, simultaneously – but for a large purpose. The aim should have been a revenue system that stops subordi- nating economic efficiency to social engineering and rent- seeking, thereby maximizing the probability of economic growth sufficient to fund the entitlement state. Such a bold aim requires a commensu- rately bold argument – for a consumption tax or a carbon tax or a zero corporate tax rate or anything for which public-spirited people might stiffen their sinews and summon up their blood. George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. © 2017, Washington Post Writers Group GEORGE F. WILL GEORGE 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” ‘Defining victory down’ on US tax reform proposals5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 ‘Retired Toddlers’ come to Grand Cayman Devastating hurricane season did not deter Florida family KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Toddlers Jagger and Henley Schomp are fulfilling a dream many work a life- time for: the opportunity to retire on the Caribbean’s white sand beaches. In a “Benjamin Button” case of sorts, this 2- and 4-year-old reversed the time- line and skipped straight to retirement years. The two have been on the road for a year and a half and counting, traveling the world with their parents, Jake and Michelle, who run the website www.re- tiredtoddlers.com. The couple from Tampa, Florida, sold their home last summer and decided to take an extended break from traditional life. What began as a long summer vacation has transformed into an indefinite trip from country to country. The family is now winding down the Caribbean leg of its journey with a month in Grand Cayman’s Rum Point. “They love it,” Mi- chelle Schomp said about her children’s experience in North Side. “They’re having a blast. Our place is right on the sand in an inlet. So our back- yard is sand. They literally just run out and play in the sand and water. There are not many places that they don’t love. They’re kids but they’re adaptable, which is really nice.” At least for the time being, the family has swapped days in day care with kaya- king, snorkeling and other water sports. Henley excitedly re- counted her experience in North Side’s bioluminescent bay, her favorite experience so far in Grand Cayman. The trip, which has al- ready taken the Schomps across much of Asia and Eu- rope, has been an experiment for the family in defying social norms. “We had to let go of what we felt like our peers or so- ciety puts on you, that you should get a bigger house and get two cars and put your kids in school. So we had to let go of those societal expec- tations. That took a little bit of adjusting for us to be OK with it ourselves to take this trip,” Jake Schomp said. “I think since we’ve made that decision and gone on this trip, everywhere we go, it reinforces our decision more and more that we’ve made [the right choice]. We are very thankful we took the opportunity when we had it, and feel like it’s abso- lutely been the right choice for our family.” Facing hurricane season From trying lionfish at East End’s Tukka to climbing temple steps in Cambodia, the family has taken in a world of experiences in a short amount of time. Not all of the days have been easy, however. The Schomps arrived in the Ca- ribbean ahead of what would be a devastating hur- ricane season. As Hurricane Irma struck island after is- land, the family found it- self stuck in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. “We buckled down for the storm. It was terrifying, re- ally terrifying. It ended up being an off-the-charts Cat- egory 5 [hurricane] …. It just sounded like a freight train about to blow down our win- dows,” Mrs. Schomp said. “The pressure was just so intense. So we put the kids in the bathtub, gave them a bathtub party with some treats and endless movies, which to them is heaven, and they were super excited about. So it didn’t even really bother them.” After the storm, the Schomps discovered a Ca- ribbean sense of commu- nity, coming together with neighbors for support and to pool resources. “We couldn’t even get to the grocery stores, the roads were so badly damaged,” Mrs. Schomp said. “Eventually the Na- tional Guard came in and had some food rations. We tried to evacuate a couple of times. We were told FEMA was bringing us a jet, so we all packed our bags, got up there at 8 o’clock. No- body came. No plane came. Nothing came.” Her husband chimed in, “We were disconnected from information. It was a lot of uncertainty over security and food and what would happen next, a lot of hearsay about what’s happening in the next town over. We decided it would be best for our family to get off the island, however we could. We didn’t want to take resources away from the people who were trying to rebuild there.” Eventually, the family made it on a ship to Puerto Rico, where they would later be forced to evacuate the day before Hurricane Maria hit. “[The kids] were troopers. In the aftermath, they brought so many smiles to people’s faces. It was a huge benefit to everybody around us. Also, everyone was so kind to them,” Mr. Schomp said. Despite the intensity of their Caribbean welcome, the Schomps were not de- terred in their travels. After a couple of weeks back home in Florida, the family re- turned to the Caribbean, deciding to spend the last leg of hurricane season in Grand Cayman. “I’ve really enjoyed Grand Cayman as a whole. It has a different feel to it than some of the other islands do. In some ways it’s more devel- oped. In other ways, it’s more rustic. Being out at Rum Point feels so much like we’re in the middle of nature every day,” Mr. Schomp said. The highlight for the couple has been the quality time the family has spent together. In two weeks, the four will return to the United States to spend the holiday season with relatives. After that the Schomps plan to hit the road again, this time to Mexico and then Guatemala. When asked how long their travels will last, Mrs. Schomp laughs. She is not sure. While the kids are young, the couple sees no rush to return to their old life. “I hope they remember how much quality time we got to spend together as a family. That’s why we’re doing this,” Mr. Schomp said. Jake, Henley, Jagger and Michelle Schomp visit Camana Bay in Grand Cayman. The family has been traveling the world for a year and a half. - PHOTO: KAYLA YOUNG6 LOCAL NEWS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS New license plates ready for pickup Public warned against driving with temporary plates Police and the Depart- ment of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing are advising mo- torists that temporary li- cense plates must be re- placed with new plates as soon as possible. In a statement issued Thursday, police announced that the new plates were ready to be collected at the DVDL offices on Crewe Road. The announcement included a warning that people should no longer be driving with temporary plates. “We actually have two rooms full of the uncollected plates,” stated DVDL Director David Dixon in a press re- lease. “To pick up the new plates, customers must bring their temporary registration plates, windshield coupon (if not expired), and log book to our Crewe Road office to re- ceive their permanent plates.” The DVDL began re- placing plates with new electronic tags in February, beginning a process that will see 45,000 of the new plates issued in the Cayman Is- lands over a three-year pe- riod. From December last year, before the new elec- tronic plates were ready, the department started issuing temporary plates to drivers. The temporary plates were issued by the department to about 700 vehicles. Police traffic operations The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service an- nouncement also highlighted operations conducted by its traffic department over the last week. According to the RCIPS, its traffic department set up more than 10 roadblocks and speed traps, and issued 78 tickets. Most tickets were given for speeding, while other tickets were given for window tint and driving un- registered vehicles. “These traffic operations are designed to increase the safety of the public by en- suring that the rules of the road are being followed,” said RCIPS Inspector Ian Yearwood, the head of the traffic management unit. “We all know that speeding is dangerous and puts other road users at risk, but il- legal tint also creates un- safe conditions on the road for a number of reasons, and we are therefore stepping up our enforcement in this as- pect as well.” Drivers in illegally tinted vehicles could receive a $150 ticket or be cited for a traffic offense that requires an ap- pearance in court and the possibility of a $150-$2,500 fine, the RCIPS stated. Movember kicks off for men’s health KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com Moustaches, goatees and beards were flying and the smell of aftershave filled the air, as men sacrificed their facial hair for the “mo- pening” night of Movember at the King’s Head bar in Camana Bay. The annual fundraiser for men’s health and pros- tate cancer education chal- lenges men “to grow your mo and save a bro.” The men who shaved their beards at the Nov. 1 event will grow their facial hair throughout the month to bring attention to pros- tate cancer. They will com- pete Dec. 1 at Calico Jack’s in several moustache-themed categories, including the best “Magnum P.I.” mous- tache, and the “barely mo” ‘stache for the less prolific hair growers. “Movember is a month of activities organized by amazing volunteers called the ‘mo bros’ and ‘mo sisters,’” said Jennifer Weber, opera- tions manager of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. “Overall, they are events to bring education, aware- ness and fundraising to the topic of men’s cancer and men’s health issues in the Cayman Islands. “The proceeds from Mo- vember are really important to us …. One, they benefit our education and aware- ness programs, which are really important for the community. Secondly, they help us with our financial aid program. The financial aid program is what most people are interested in be- cause it helps real people with cancer in Cayman.” A highlight of the month will be the “infoMOtion” night on Nov. 16 at the Lions Community Centre. The night of education starts at 7 p.m. and will offer the opportu- nity to speak with a doctor about men’s health issues. So far this year, the Cancer Society has spent $40,000 on financial aid for prostate cancer in Cayman. “That doesn’t include things like the PSA tests that we run all year long. Those are just expenses we’ve in- curred helping men with prostate cancer who came to us,” Ms. Weber said. For a full list of Movember events and information on how to participate, visit www.movember.ky. New license plates are stored at the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing, ready to be claimed by their new owners. “To pick up the new plates, customers must bring their temporary registration plates, windshield coupon (if not expired), and log book to our Crewe Road office to receive their permanent plates.” DAVID DIXON, DVDL director ‘Mo bro’ Gary Browfield before his beard is shaved, and after, in preparation for Movember.Jean-Louis Lebreux twirls his impressive moustache before undergoing his shave, and clean-shaven, after. William Inniss goes under the blade of barber Salvador Burce at the launch of Movember at the King’s Head bar in Camana Bay Wednesday night. - PHOTOS: ALVARO SEREY Jennifer Weber, operations manager of the Cayman Islands Cancer Society, dons a moustache of her own at the shaving event on Wednesday.7 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 Thank You The Family of Julene Doris DaCosta Banks extend sincere thanks and appreciation for all your support, prayers, phone calls and visits during our time of bereavement. May God’s richest blessings be upon you all. Loxley Banks and the DaCosta and Banks Families Misadventure verdicts for Brac double road fatality CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Separate coroner’s in- quests were held con- cerning the deaths of two men resulting from a No- vember 2015 road accident in Cayman Brac, but the ver- dicts returned were the same: Driver Douglas Kent Carney and passenger Mark Betten- court died by misadventure. A summary of facts indi- cated that neither man was wearing a seat belt and air bags did not deploy. The men were Ameri- cans who had homes in Cayman Brac. Much of the evidence from the first inquest on Oct. 19 was repeated this week for a different jury. The accident occurred on South Side Road East on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, around 4:48 p.m. when light was still good and the road surface was dry. A report by accident re- constructionist Lenford Butler indicated that Kansas construction company owner Mr. Carney, 50, was the driver of a right-hand drive min- ivan, and Mr. Bettencourt, a 54-year-old optometrist, also from Kansas, was the front- seat passenger. The speed limit was 40 mph and the ve- hicle was traveling east be- tween 40 to 50 mph. Mr. Butler said the van drifted to the left and col- lided with five medium size rocks off the side of the road. This caused the left side of the vehicle to slow while the right side continued at the same speed, causing the ve- hicle to go counter-clock- wise. It then hit some bigger rocks and palm trees be- fore coming to rest on its left (passenger) side. The reconstructionist said it was his opinion that al- cohol consumption had re- duced Mr. Carney’s reaction time and caused him to go straight instead of following the curvature of the road. Government patholo- gist Dr. Shravana Jyoti sub- mitted laboratory tests which showed Mr. Carney’s blood/ alcohol level to be .204. The legal limit for driving in Cayman is .100. Officers from the fire de- partment, ambulance ser- vice and police department attended the scene. They saw Mr. Carney behind the steering wheel and a second man between the front and back seat. They worked to ex- tricate the two. While there, police re- ceived information that there was supposed to be a third person in the vehicle. The man inside the minivan was Robert A. Barbera. Inquiries were made at his home and Mr. Bettencourt’s home, while a search of the area around the accident scene was car- ried out. One of the officers then observed part of a green shirt, which could barely be seen, under the vehicle. Fire department per- sonnel pulled the minivan forward and uncovered the third person, Mr. Bettencourt, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Initial media re- ports on the crash indicated that Mr. Bettencourt was found about three-and-a- half-hours after the accident was reported. Mr. Barbera was trans- ferred to hospital in Grand Cayman and subsequently provided a statement. He said Mr. Carney and Mr. Bet- tencourt were going to go diving that day and he did not know if they did or not, but they had stopped for drinks at Barracuda Bar. He joined them there. Around 3 p.m., he knew he had too much to drink. Ar- rangements were made for someone to drive Mr. Car- ney’s vehicle with the three men back to Mr. Barbera’s house, with another person following to take the driver back to the bar. Mr. Barbera’s vehicle remained at the bar. After a while, Mr. Carney said he was hungry and the three men decided to go to his house because someone there was barbecuing, Mr. Barbera reported. He said he left the yard and then he could not remember any- thing until he was in hos- pital. The events surrounding the accident were blurred, but he knew he definitely was wearing his seat belt. Post-mortem examina- tions showed that the phys- ical cause of death for Mr. Carney was severe blunt im- pact trauma to the head. In the accident recon- struction, Mr. Butler said the window on Mr. Bettencourt’s side of the vehicle had been open. He was thrown out of the window onto the ground and the vehicle fell on him. Mr. Jyoti said the physical cause of death was most likely contributed to by the rolling of the vehicle upon the victim immediately after the acci- dent. “Multiple blunt impact trauma to various organs sus- tained during the accident and pressure on the airways and chest caused due to weight of the vehicle on the victim resulting in mechanical as- phyxia are attributable to the fatal outcome,” he reported. The Honda Odyssey van overturned along South Side Road East in Cayman Brac on Nov. 15, 2015, killing two of the three men inside. – PHOTO: ED BEATYThe islands’ most-trusted news source 8 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 • CAYMAN COMPASS on banks in the Cayman Islands,” the CIMA report noted. The agency noted that the decline in Cayman’s banking sector marked a worldwide trend since the 2008/09 global financial crisis. None of the world financial juris- dictions generally consid- ered to be Cayman’s com- petitors saw any significant growth in banking licenses during 2016, and the Ba- hamas, Jersey, Hong Kong and Switzerland all saw slight decreases from the previous year. Only Singapore saw growth in the numbers and that at a minuscule half a percent. Reasons for the decline included a general contrac- tion in global economic growth, “de-risking” activi- ties (ending certain accounts or business relationships considered high risk), legis- lative reforms and mergers within the banking sector. Bodden Town West MLA Chris Saunders, a banker by trade, summarized the re- sults during his debate on the government’s budget Wednesday afternoon: “The pie is getting smaller, but we have to feed more people out of it.” The local banking sector was something of a bright spot for the banking in- dustry. CIMA officials stated that six retail banks here maintained assets and liabilities of US$14.3 billion. “The domestic banking sector remained resilient in the face of the overall decline in total assets and liabilities of the entire banking sector,” CIMA’s re- port noted. “Commercial and retail customers con- tinue to have confidence in the soundness of the do- mestic banking sectors.” The retail banks have showed signs of “stable profits” during the past year, the report noted. Insurance Cayman remains the second-largest offshore ju- risdiction for international insurance companies, be- hind Bermuda, but growth in the international busi- ness sector was largely flat, CIMA officials noted. Total profit for the local insurance market was more than $180 million at the end of 2015, the latest fig- ures available from the fi- nancial regulator. Total written premiums for domestic insurers was $555 million at December 2015, up from $535 million the year before. General insurance, in- cluding health insurance, held 95 percent of the local market’s income from in- surance premiums. Third lawmaker backs limit on status grants BRENT FULLER bfuller@pinnaclemedialtd.com Deputy Opposition Leader Alva Suckoo said Thursday that government should “strongly consider” limiting grants of Caymanian status only to individuals who were Caymanian by descent or who had received that status through marriage. Mr. Suckoo is the third op- position lawmaker to express that view publicly this year, with East End MLA Arden McLean articulating the same position during the spring political campaign and Op- position Leader Ezzard Miller reiterating his long-held po- sition on the subject earlier this year as well. Caymanian status is the local equivalent of citizen- ship in the British Overseas Territory. Legally speaking, there is no “Caymanian” cit- izenship, but the award of British Overseas Territo- ries citizenship to a person in Cayman does not give them voting rights and cer- tain other privileges usu- ally associated with being naturalized. A person may only vote if they are given the “right to be Caymanian” through status. Cayman operates an im- migration system that in- volves graduated rights for a non-Caymanian individual based on how long they re- side in the territory. If the person first obtains perma- nent residence, they may then apply for naturaliza- tion and a British terri- tories passport. Once the person has lived in Cayman for 15 years, they can apply for Caymanian status, re- gardless of whether they have any family connection to the islands. Mr. Suckoo raised the issue while debating the gov- ernment budget Thursday morning, voicing concerns about how many work per- mits for non-Caymanian employees the government intended to grant based on revenues collected for those permits. Some of those permit- holders, Mr. Suckoo said, would stay in Cayman long enough to qualify for per- manent residence and some would then move on to ob- tain citizenship status. “It is now time for us to strongly consider only granting Caymanian status through descent or marriage,” Mr. Suckoo said. The Newlands MLA’s com- ments came as he spoke about concerns that Cayman was importing large num- bers of lower income workers with whom the local popu- lation could not, or would not, compete, essentially “im- porting poverty,” he argued. These low income workers, if they became citizens, could put further strain on the healthcare and public wel- fare system later in life. “We know why it happens, let’s not sugar-coat anything: profit,” Mr. Suckoo said. “I’m not blaming the laborers themselves. I am blaming some of the businesses.” These workers do not live in ideal conditions, living six or eight to a two-bed- room apartment, working excessive hours to send most their earnings home, Mr. Suckoo said. “I feel for some of them, when I see the level of exploi- tation,” the deputy opposition leader said. “The way they’re treated, you wouldn’t treat your dog that way.” Mr. Suckoo said the op- position benches supported government’s plan for a cen- tralized government human resources function that is planned to create a “jobs clearinghouse.” That depart- ment would be able to work with immigration officials to identify job private sector job vacancies, he said. However, he questioned whether government had put enough money into the budget to create and main- tain the computerized in- formation systems required, or for the training and re- training of local workers. There were also questions about just what percentage of the work for this new agency would be done by im- migration officers and which functions would be done by the National Workforce De- velopment Agency. “It’s pleasing to see this is now being delivered, but I’m concerned there will not be sufficient resources,” he said. Status grants Another way to obtain the right to be Caymanian is through a grant ordered by the Cabinet. Three such grants are being brought before the Legislative Assembly during the current budget meeting. Premier Alden McLaughlin said the grants would be considered later this month. Since 2004, the Cabinet has been limited to making four status grants each year, but it has made far fewer in practice, opting to grant only five people Caymanian status within the past dozen years. Two grants were made in 2016 and one occurred in 2014. Two more status grants were made in 2012. “It is now time for us to strongly consider only granting Caymanian status through descent or marriage.” ALVA SUCKOO, deputy opposition leader C&W finances hit hard by hurricanes Losses expected to extend into 2018 KEN SILVA ksilva@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cable & Wireless’ parent company, Liberty Global, re- corded operating losses of around US$202 million in its Latin America and Caribbean markets during the third quarter of this year, due in large part to damage wrought by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, according to the com- pany’s Q3 financial results. The Latin America and Caribbean business’ revenue was about US$908 million, which was a slight growth over Q3 of last year. The op- erating losses were primarily incurred to Liberty Global in- curring impairment charges – write-offs of goodwill and other intangible assets – due to the storms. “Based on our initial esti- mates of the impacts on our operations from these hurri- canes, we recorded impair- ment charges to reduce the carrying values of our good- will, property and equipment and other indefinite-lived in- tangible assets during the third quarter of 2017,” Lib- erty Global stated in U.S. Se- curities and Exchange Com- mission filings. “It is possible that further impairment charges will be required as additional information be- comes available regarding the impacts of the hurricanes on our networks.” Liberty Global estimated that Irma and Maria caused it to lose out on US$19 million and US$3 million in Puerto Rico and its damaged Ca- ribbean markets – primarily the British Virgin Islands and Dominica – respectively. The company projected that the impact of the hur- ricanes will continue to dampen its finances this quarter and beyond due to lost revenue from the devas- tated jurisdictions, as well as rebuilding efforts. The company estimated that it will cost about US$100 million to repair its Puerto Rico network, and that it will lose another US$80-100 mil- lion in revenue in Q4. In the damaged Caribbean mar- kets, it will have to spend about US$50 million to repair its networks, and will lose US$15-25 million this quarter. Those losses could be mitigated by insurance pay- ments of up to US$75 million per hurricane, according to the company’s SEC filings. However, the company stated that it does not ex- pect to receive insurance pay- ments by the end of the year. Despite the losses, Lib- erty Global stated that it was committed to rebuilding the impacted jurisdictions. The company noted in its re- sults that it has raised more than US$1.8 million to assist with relief efforts, and has been offering free wifi spots in Puerto Rico. In this Thursday, Oct. 19, photo, utility workers repair distribution lines damaged by the passage of Hurricane Maria in the Cantera community of San Juan, Puerto Rico. - PHOTO: AP Liberty Global estimated that Irma and Maria caused it to lose out on US$19 million and US$3 million in Puerto Rico and its damaged Caribbean markets – primarily the British Virgin Islands and Dominica – respectively. CIMA cites seven-year decline in banking sector CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Between 2010 and last year, the total number of retail and non-retail banks licensed in Cayman fell from 266 to 176.The islands’ most-trusted news source 9 CAYMAN COMPASS • FRIDAY NOVEMBER 3, 2017 The Roulstone Family regret to announce the death of Frank E. Roulstone, Jr. (a.k.a. "the Weatherman") on October 26th, 2017 His service of remembrance will take place at 3pm on Friday, 3rd November at Elmslie Memorial United Church In lieu of flowers, please honour Frank's memory with a donation to Cayman Hospice Care Death Announcement The family of the Late Freda Maureen Mitchell regrets to announce her passing on Thursday, October 26, 2017. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page Funeral services will be held 2:00 pm Saturday, November 4, 2017 at Church of God Universal, Walkers. Rd. Interment will follow in Garden of Eden Cemetery, Pedro Castle Rd. The family of the Late Renee Jeanne Watler regrets to announce her passing on Wednesday, October 11, 2017. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page Funeral services will be held 2:30 pm Sunday, November 5, 2017 at Church of God Universal, East End. Viewing will take place from 1:45 pm, prior to the service. Interment will follow in East End Cemetery. The family of the Late Evelyn Merl Jacques regrets to announce her passing on Thursday, October 26, 2017. Condolences can be registered at www.boddenfuneralservices.com & Bodden Funeral Service Facebook page Funeral services will be held 1:00 pm Thursday, November 9, 2017 at St. George’s Anglican Church. Viewing will be from 12:00 pm prior to the service. Interment will follow in Prospect Cemetery We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Arthur Clifford General of George Town, who passed away on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 11:00a.m. at Elmslie Memorial United Church Harbour Drive, George Town. Viewing will be from 10:00-10:45a.m. Interment to follow at Prospect Cemetery. We have been asked to announce the passing of Mr. Arthur Clifford General of George Town, who passed away on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 11:00a.m. at Elmslie Memorial United Church Harbour Drive, George Town. Viewing will be from 10:00-10:45a.m. Interment to follow at Prospect Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com We have been asked to announce the passing of Mrs. Blossom Lorretta Grant of West Bay, who passed away on Saturday, October 28, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 10:00a.m. at the George Town Seventh-day Adventist Church, Smith Road. Viewing will be from 9:00-9:45a.m. Interment to follow at Prospect Cemetery. We have been asked to announce the passing of Mrs. Blossom Lorretta Grant of West Bay, who passed away on Saturday, October 28, 2017. A Thanksgiving Service will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 10:00a.m. at the George Town Seventh-day Adventist Church, Smith Road. Viewing will be from 9:00-9:45a.m. Interment to follow at Prospect Cemetery. Condolences can be registered at: www.churchillsfuneralhome.com accused Health Services Authority officials of “nep- otism” in hiring practices: “There’s a culture inside the HSA … that is not in the best interests of good gov- ernance and accountability. The friend-friend business needs to stop.” During Legislative As- sembly proceedings this week, Mr. Saunders said that such remarks were not considered outside the norm in other parliaments or the U.S. Congress. “If you think the PAC here in Cayman is rough, [the civil service] need to take a look at the PAC in the U.K. parliament, because those guys take no pris- oners,” Mr. Saunders said. Thorny issue About four years ago, the issue of legislators getting into the daily op- erations of the civil ser- vice led to a heated dispute between then-Op- position Leader Mr. Bush and Deputy Governor Franz Manderson. The dispute concerned issues regarding the hiring at the time of a new man- aging director at the In- formation and Commu- nications Technology Authority, an appointment to the registrar of lands position and the appoint- ment of a permanent cus- toms collector, culmi- nating in an argument between Deputy Governor Manderson and Mr. Bush over the customs job. Seeking to fill the post with a Caymanian ap- pointee, Mr. Bush pro- posed a motion that would have made the customs department’s budget ap- proval contingent upon hiring a full-time customs collector “from within these islands.” Deputy Governor Man- derson raised lawmakers’ ire with his response to Mr. Bush’s motion, when he was asked about it by another finance committee member. “That motion in- fringes on the governor’s and my responsibility for the civil service in that we are now putting MLAs in a situation where they are now dictating the require- ments, or dictating to me who I should employ, and that cannot be right,” Mr. Manderson said. Charles Clifford, a former MLA and a Cay- manian, was eventually chosen to fill the collec- tor’s position. building and running the piers, without significantly impacting government’s rev- enue from those head taxes. Mr. Kirkconnell has said the ultimate formula will be finalized in the forthcoming tender process. He dismissed claims from the opposition that govern- ment was prioritizing the project over education. “The one thing I agree with is we all want more ed- ucation facilities, more spend on education. Our model to spend more on education is to grow revenue, strengthen the economy and use that money for education, health as we identified,” he said. “If we don’t create op- portunity to grow busi- ness in this country, we won’t have money to provide any services.” Opposition Leader Ezzard Miller said in his speech, Wednesday, that he received some anecdotal information about the port, including doc- uments that had been left on his vehicle’s windscreen. He said he was informed the entire cruise project would cost $300 million “plus” and that government had agreed to provide “all fees related to cruise passengers” to the cruise industry for 50 years. In return, the cruise in- dustry would put $50 mil- lion to $100 million into the project, leaving some $200 million worth of funding in question. Mr. Kirkconnell said the figures cited by the oppo- sition leader were simply wrong: “$300 million in cap- ital costs is not correct. That figure was repeated many times, it’s not correct. The $50 [million] to $100 million cruise line contribution? I don’t know where that came from. Wrong.” He said the govern- ment had taken a firm deci- sion that cruise piers were needed and said the busi- ness case inquiry for the project backed that up. “What we want from a policy standpoint is over- night visitors, and we want cruise. We want to bal- ance and manage them and make sure we maximize the spend when they are in [the] Cayman Islands,” he said. “There are more Cayma- nian entrepreneurs servicing the cruise industry with tours and attractions than there are servicing the over- night visitation. That’s the opportunity and that is what we pushed forward for.” Scuba Hall of Fame announces 2018 honorees The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame an- nounced on Thursday the cohort of Hall of Fame in- ductees for 2018. The inductees will be Ste- phen Frink, Dick Rutkowski, Dr. H.S. Batuna, Wulf Koehler and Boris Porotov. Captain Phillipe Tailliez will also be honored posthumously with the 2018 Early Pioneer Award. Mr. Frink, a photographer in the U.S., is being honored for promoting the Florida Keys diving product. “He has promoted the destination through semi- nars at trade shows, arti- cles and photos,” stated the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame’s announcement. “He has con- stantly given his time and talents to convincing county, state and federal officials of the importance of the Keys reef systems.” U.S. dive trainer Mr. Rut- kowski is being inducted for helping popularize the use of nitrox among sport divers. He also helped standardize and expand hyperbaric chamber training through his Florida- based operation Hyperba- rics International, which he still operates. Dr. Batuna, a medical doctor and diver, will be honored posthumously for helping develop recreational diving in his home country of Indonesia. “Dr. Batuna’s vision re- sulted in the encouragement of other resorts to be formed in the region, which gener- ated sustainable jobs,” the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame stated in its announcement. A German diver, scien- tist, inventor, photographer and writer, Mr. Koehler will be honored for a variety of achievements, including in- structing underwater photog- raphers and manufacturing underwater camera housings. “To add to the list of his successes, Wulf has dived in almost every ocean of this planet,” the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame stated. Mr. Porotov, from Ka- zakhstan, will be honored for being a world-class dive instructor who trained the former Soviet Navy’s special underwater forces, as well as a number of students who set world records in competi- tive scuba diving contests. According to the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame, he be- came such a good instructor in part because he had to teach himself to dive in the 1960s Soviet Union, when no manufactured equipment or instruction material of any kind was available. Mr. Tailliez will receive posthumously the Early Pio- neer Award for helping “lay the foundation for the sport of recreational scuba diving,” the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame stated. He was a French naval of- ficer who also authored sev- eral books on diving. In the weeks leading up to induction ceremonies, the Scuba Diving Hall of Fame also typically announces people from the Cayman diving industry who will be local honorees. Next year’s induction ceremony is sched- uled for Sept. 14, 2018. Speaker questions PAC role CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tourism minister defends port projectNext >