High of 89 Low of 77 Smooth with wave heights less than 2 feet. EDITORIAL | PAGE 4 SPAY, NEUTER AND OTHERWISE CONTROL YOUR PETS SPORTS | PAGE 17 CAYMAN HOSTS YOUTH FOOTBALL TOURNEY ESTABLISHED 1965 www.caymancompass.com – 50 CENTS – MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD TOWN CENTRE PLAZA RED BAY EVERY SIGNATURE ON PORT PETITION MUST BE VERIFIED JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com The Elections Office will need to individually verify every single signature on the cruise port referendum petition before a vote can take place. Elections supervisor Wesley Howell said staff would go door-to-door as part of a broad effort to check every name on the petition against the electoral roll and confirm the signa- tures are genuine. Speaking at a public meeting Thursday night, Howell outlined the procedure that would take place once the referendum campaigners submit their list of names to the Elections Office. Though several campaigners complained the process sounded onerous, Howell said the Elec- tions Office had performed the same exercise for more than 20,000 electors before the ‘one man, one vote’ referendum in 2012 in less than four months. On that basis, he said verifying approxi- mately 5,300 signatures on a petition could take a matter of weeks. He said he had already alerted the deputy gov- ernor that a request for supplementary funding may be necessary to activate the Elections Office and recruit temporary staff ahead of a potential national poll. Campaigners announced last week that they had hit their target and it is understood they plan to present their petition to the Elections Of- fice this week. Howell, who answered questions from the public for around an hour at a meeting at George Town, Town Hall, said the office would then begin the process of verifying the signatures. “Once that process is done and if the 25% From rubbish to religion, volunteers turn out for service Volunteers with the Lions Club of Tropical Gardens celebrate during a neighbourhood cleanup project in George Town, part of the weekend’s 60 Acts of Service sponsored by Celebrate Cayman. - PHOTOS: MARK MUCKENFUSS MARK MUCKENFUSS mmuckenfuss@pinnaclemedialtd.com Some picked up trash, some picked up rakes, others picked up hammers and paintbrushes and a few picked up micro- phones as groups of volunteers across Cayman participated in Celebrate Cay- man’s 60 Acts of Service over the weekend. Whether the organisation reached its goal of 60 service projects is unclear – only 20 were listed on the website – but for those pitching in, and especially for those benefiting from the work, that prob- ably did not matter. Rebecca Bodden, 74, was just happy to have a little TLC given to her home in George Town by members of the Lions Club of Tropical Gardens. The volunteers raked debris from her yard, trimmed trees and performed some maintenance on the home itself on Saturday morning. “I’m feeling good and I’m thankful,” said Bodden, who has lived in the small home with her husband for 26 years. “These are the things we need help with.” Chapter President Jasmine Minott said 22 volunteers were on hand for the morning project. She said members of the club identified the house after surveying the neighborhood. The work, she said, fit Ali Shahan Butt, right, delivers a scriptural reading prior to a discussion on religion by panelists, from left, Tahir Chaudhry, Shilpa Tagalpallewar and Nick Adams. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 11 » PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 » HOW THE REFERENDUM PROCESS WORKS Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell said Cayman is entering “uncharted wa- ters” with its first people-initiated refer- endum. The Compass looks at the key ques- tions around the referendum process, and how they were answered by Howell during a public meeting Thursday night. For more on this story, see pages 6 and 7.2 LOCAL®IONAL MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS BREAKTHROUGH (PG) 1:25 I 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 SUN: 4:10 I 7:15 I 10:00 KALANK (PG) 3:10 I 9:00 (SAT ONLY) I 9:30 (NO SAT) SUN: 3:10 I 9:20 LITTLE (PG13) 12:30 I 3:25 (SAT ONLY) I 3:50 (NO SAT) 6:50 I 9:45 SUN: 3:50 I 6:50 I 9:35 DUMBO 10:30 (SAT ONLY) I 4:35 I 7:15 (NO SAT) SUN: 4:35 I 7:15 CAPTAIN MARVEL 1:40 I 10:00 (NO SAT) SUN: 6:30 I 10:00 THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA (R) 1:10 VIP I 4:35 I 7:00 VIP I 10:15 HELLBOY (R) 12:35 (SAT ONLY) I 1:00 I 6:10 (SAT ONLY) I 6:45 SHAZAM! (PG13) 1:30 I 3:40 VIP I 7:15 I 9:30 VIP SUN: 3:40 VIP I 4:40 I 6:40 VIP 8:00 I 9:40 VIP KIDS CLUB: OVER THE HEDGE(PG) 10:00 (SAT ONLY) CULTURE AT THE CINEMA: THE TRAGEDY OF KIND RICHARD THE SECOND(R18) SAT ONLY: 8:00 • Matinees Daily (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00, Mon-Fri Before 6pm • Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 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. - MONDAY - 640-FILM (640-3456) GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS (PG13) 12:35 3D I 3:50 VIP I 7:00 I 9:35 3D 9:40 VIP INDIA’S MOST WANTED (PG) 12:40 I 3:35 I 6:30 I 10:00 ALADDIN (PG) 1:10 I 4:05 3D I 7:00 JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM (R) 1:10 I 3:35 I 6:35 I 9:25 ROCKETMAN (R) 1:00 VIP I 4:10 I 6:50 VIP I10:00 AVENGERS: END GAME (PG13) 12:30 I 4:25 I 8:15 Honduran protesters set fire at entrance to US embassy TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) – Masked men set fire to a pile of tires placed at the front door of the US Embassy in the Honduran capital on Friday amid three weeks of street protests. At least a half-dozen burning tires sent up a large plume of dark smoke at the embassy before Honduran soldiers moved in with fire extinguishers. Thousands of teachers and medical workers have been protesting against re- cent presidential decrees that they fear could lead to massive layoffs in schools and hospitals. On Thursday, at least 25 people were injured when po- lice broke up a protest march; many of them suffered the ef- fects of tear gas. Protest leader Suyapa Figueroa, who also heads the country’s health workers as- sociation, blamed the Friday fire on “infiltrators from this country’s dictatorial government.” While a local television station had filmed footage of the men setting the fire, it was not clear who they were, nor why they were not stopped by guards outside the embassy. A store was also attacked by masked looters. The incident occurred a day after the US Embassy urged protesters to avoid vio- lence in the protests.A soldier works to put out a tire fire started by protesters outside the main entrance into the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Friday. - PHOTO: AP Mimi spreads birthday joy at Cayman Islands Hospital Skylar May Ebanks, also known as Mimi, turned 6 years old on Friday. The young cancer survivor shared her birthday cheer with the children at Cayman Islands Hospital, where her parents set up Mimi’s Happy Cart last year. The cart offers toys, games and books to entertain children in the paediatric ward. Here, Mimi poses with her mother Mechon Ebanks, centre, and Mimi’s Happy Cart donor Michael Webster. To the left are Lena Thorpe with Leila Thorpe, 2, who enjoyed a surprise gift from the happy cart. - PHOTO: KAYLA YOUNG HONDURAS: US HAS NO DRUG PROOF AGAINST HONDURAN PRESIDENT NEW YORK (AP) – The Hon- duran government says that US federal court documents show no incriminating evi- dence against President Juan Orlando Hernández, despite listing him as being a target of a Drug Enforcement Ad- ministration investigation. Revelations of the investi- gation prompted Hernández’s office to issue a statement Thursday saying that drug traffickers who had been caught and extradited to the US by Hernández in 2015 falsely accused the president and some of his closest ad- visers of drug trafficking and money laundering activities. It said the US government was then forced to investigate those allegations but found no evidence of wrongdoing by the president. A court document filed on Tuesday “shows no precedents linking president Hernández or his officials to drug trafficking”, the Honduran statement said. Neither US prosecutors nor the DEA have commented on the status of the investigation into Hernández, which was re- vealed in documents filed in the Southern District of New York as part of pre-trial mo- tions in the case of one of Hernández’s brothers, Juan Antonio Hernández. There is no evidence of any charges against the president, however. The documents mentioned that President Hernández was among a group of individuals investigated by the DEA since about 2013 for allegedly par- ticipating “in large-scale drug- trafficking and money laun- dering activities relating to the importation of cocaine into the United States”. Hernández was elected president of Honduras in late 2013. One of the documents is a July 2015 request for the court to compel Apple, Google, Mi- crosoft, Yahoo and AOL to give investigators email header information – though not email content – for a number of accounts. Two of the ac- counts are believed to belong to President Hernández, the document says. The statement released by Honduran officials said that the DEA investigation had concluded and that is why officials were able to make the document public. Neither US prosecutors nor the DEA have commented on the status of the investigation into Hernández. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez listens to US Marine Gen. John Kelly, then the commander of US Southern Command, during his official visit to the command’s Miami headquarters in 2014. - PHOTO: APThe islands’ most-trusted news source 3 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 The islands’ most-trusted news source 4 Opinion & Letters The Cayman Compass welcomes comments, opinions and viewpoints from readers. Letters to the editor can be emailed to editor@pinnaclemedialtd.com, submitted via www.caymancompass.com, sent by post or hand-delivered to the Compass office. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Caymanian Compass Limited 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 PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EXECUTIVE EDITOR PATRICK BRENDEL A MEMBER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION “Give light and the people will find their own way” In the Spring a fuller crimson comes upon the robin’s breast; In the Spring the wanton lapwing gets himself another crest; In the Spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish’d dove; In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. – Alfred Lord Tennyson, Locksely Hall As Cayman dogs’ and cats’ thoughts have turned to ‘love’ this mating season, the Cayman Islands Humane Society has found itself overrun with unwanted animals. As the Compass reported last week, there is no more room at the animal welfare group’s shelter, bursting at the seams with, at last count, 99 dogs and 58 cats. That number does not include additional animals which are being ‘fostered’ by temporary caregivers in private homes. “It’s the cats and dogs season,” Assistant Shelter manager Jason Jairam told the Compass, saying the group has been receiving “litter after litter” this spring. They are not alone: Last year, as the Compass has previously reported, the Department of Agriculture impounded 388 dogs — more than a dog per day. Police and Department of Agriculture officers have taken to walking neighbourhoods to educate owners about their responsibilities. The Humane Society estimates it has done more than 10,000 spay and neuter surgeries over the course of its work here — some of them for free. The group holds veterinarian clinics three days per week, during which pet owners can make appointments to have animals ‘fixed’. Still, the problem persists. No pets, particularly dogs, should be left free to roam the neighbourhood, where they chase cars and sometimes people, get into fights or, if they have not been spayed or neutered, impreg- nate other dogs. Pet owners have a legal and ethical obliga- tion to make sure their pets are well cared for, that they are protected from harm and do not present a danger or public nuisance. To our minds, spaying and neutering falls squarely within that realm of responsibility. – EDITORIAL – Spay, neuter and otherwise control your pets MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS PUBLIC STATEMENT Hurricanes: prepare for the worst and pray for the best ALDEN MCLAUGHLIN Each year as I prepare to work on this annual Hur- ricane message to you I do so with a certain amount of trepidation because as I put pen to paper, none of us knows what this hurricane season is going to bring. Too, I am reminded of that 16th century English phrase – “Speak of the Devil and he doth appear.” I certainly do not want to tempt fate! In the past few weeks we have anxiously watched our friends in the southern United States suffer through flooding from torrential rains and damage done by horrific tornadoes. Our neighbours remain in our thoughts and prayers. And while hurricanes can be even more damaging than tornadoes, they are predict- able unlike tornadoes that can pop up quickly. We are blessed because we have a National Weather Service that is linked re- gionally and can stay on top of all weather is- sues and inform us in ad- vance when bad weather is headed our way, giving us time to make preparations. The early predictions from our friends in the United States are already out. We are told that the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season is going to be less active than 2018 with 14 named storms, seven hur- ricanes and three major hurricanes. But do not let that pre- diction put you off your guard. We know that just one bad storm can wreak havoc. We learned that lesson in 2004’s Hurri- cane Ivan, 2008’s Hurri- cane Paloma and watched in 2017 as our sister British Overseas Territories and other islands in the Carib- bean suffered from hurri- canes Irma and Maria. My plea to each of you is to be prepared for the worst and pray for the best this hurricane season, which will stretch from 1 June to the end of November. Earlier this month 17 of our Emergency Support Teams held a hurricane ex- ercise to assess the coun- try’s hurricane plans, poli- cies and procedures to give us a realistic depiction of a hurricane as it approaches, impacts us and then leaves us behind to clean up. I commend them for their diligence and service to our country. What we have learned from past experiences is that no two hurricanes are alike and many are unpre- dictable. For instance Hur- ricane Ivan was not even supposed to hit Grand Cayman; it was headed in- itially for Cayman Brac, until it wobbled. Fortunately we have learned lessons from the storms that either struck us or our neighbours. The main message, though, is be prepared. If we do find ourselves facing another storm this year, I beg you to please pay attention to government an- nouncements and bulletins. All of our media outlets – Radio Cayman FM89.9, the Breeze FM105.3, Cayman Islands Government TV, Cayman Islands Govern- ment Information Services and www.caymanprepared. ky will carry information to tell you what to expect and what to do. Hazard Manage- ment Cayman Islands also works with private media houses that have been dili- gent each time we have faced a storm to get out the impor- tant, necessary information. So, if you do not have a hurricane plan in place for your family or business, make one and then join me in my prayer that God will once again spare our beloved Islands during this 2019 Hurricane Season. Premier Alden McLaughlin, elected member for Red Bay, is Minister for Human Resources, Immigration, Community Affairs, International Trade, Investment, Aviation and Maritime Affairs. If we do find ourselves facing another storm this year, I beg you to please pay attention to government announcements and bulletins. Premier Alden McKaughlin5 LOCAL NEWS CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 George Town Central MLA Kenneth Bryan has re- joined the ranks of the of- ficial opposition. Bryan left the opposition alliance nearly two years ago. The group’s leaders said his return is ex- pected to strengthen and di- versify the group. The move follows last month’s resignation of North Side MLA Ezzard Miller as Leader of the Opposition. Miller has since pushed ahead with plans to estab- lish a new political party, the Cayman Islands People’s Alliance, that he had ini- tially announced in his New Year’s message. In a news release, new Opposition Leader Arden McLean welcomed Bry- an’s return. “I am delighted to wel- come Kenneth Bryan back to the group,” said McLean, the MLA for East End. “Kenneth has been a fierce advocate for his residents in George Town Central and is not afraid to speak his mind. The fresh and challenging perspec- tive that he will bring to the team, is to be welcomed and I look forward to his contribu- tions in helping to create an environment where all Cay- manians can prosper, achieve their full potential, and be valued in our community.” Bryan said he looked for- ward to working more closely with the group. “I am pleased to be re- joining the official op- position,” he said. “It is reassuring to know that con- tributions from all will be valued. I have always enjoyed a good working relationship with many in the group and I look forward to working with them to find solutions for the many challenges facing Cayman and Caymanians.” Bryan left the alliance of opposition leaders in August 2017. At the time, he said he had been “pushed out” of the group, though he remained an independent member of the opposition. Bryan’s rift with the op- position group began after Speaker McKeeva Bush was arrested in July 2017 at a Florida casino. The Florida State Attorney’s Office later announced it would not file a charge of misdemeanour bat- tery against Bush. Bryan disagreed with an opposition statement on the arrest that called on gov- ernment “to take the neces- sary action to restore dig- nity, honour and prestige to the position of the Speaker”. He said he did not want his name associated with the opposition statement and publicly opposed pressure on Bush to step down as speaker, saying it would have been hypocritical of him to presume Bush’s guilt before the matter appeared in court. At the time, he said, “Un- fortunately, the opposi- tion is taking an approach to their style of govern- ance, one I don’t agree with, that if I don’t toe the line, I shouldn’t be in the opposi- tion. There doesn’t appear to be any room for any inde- pendent position.” Proudly distributed by: Email: cocacola@trc-cayman.com Orders: 640-2501 // 623-7701 ext. 2501 DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED Bryan rejoins the opposition POTENTIAL CYCLONE IN SOUTHWEST GULF Forecasters at the US National Hur- ricane Center are watching a low-pres- sure system off the coast of Mexico, giving it a 60% chance to develop into a tropical cyclone over the next several days. According to a forecast issued Sunday morning, “This system is ex- pected to move slowly northwest- ward toward the coast of Mexico, and it could become a tropical cy- clone before it moves inland in a day or two. Regardless of develop- ment, the disturbance will likely pro- duce heavy rainfall over portions of southern and eastern Mexico during the next few days.” The system is located some 800 miles west of Grand Cayman, is moving slowly to the northwest and poses no threat to the Cayman Islands. The official hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin began Saturday, 1 June, and ends 30 Nov., with the tra- ditional peak occurring from August to October. This forecast image from the US National Hurricane Center shows the position and track of the potential cyclone as of Sunday morning. Arden McLean, opposition leaderKenneth BryanThe islands’ most-trusted news source 6 MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS THE ISSUE EXPLAINED: How the referendum process works JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Cayman is entering “uncharted waters” with its first people-initi- ated referendum, according to Elec- tions Supervisor Wesley Howell. Howell spelled out the process that will take place before a vote can happen on the cruise port pro- ject and fielded questions from the public at a public meeting at Town Hall in George Town Thursday night. Members of the campaign group and opposition politicians Ezzard Miller and Kenneth Bryan also spoke at the event. Here, we look at the key ques- tions around the referendum pro- cess, and how they were answered. Now that the campaign group has announced it has hit the required number of signatures. What happens next? Cruise Port Referendum Cayman announced last month that it had collected and verified signatures from more than 25% of the elec- torate, calling for a referendum on the project. The next step is for them to submit that petition to the Elec- tions Office, something that is ex- pected to take place this week. At that point, Howell said it would be up to his office to indepen- dently check every signature on the list is genuine before the petition is declared verified and passed to Cab- inet. Once that process is done and the 25% threshold is verified, then the petition is presented to Cabinet. Cabinet then has to decide if the other conditions for a referendum, under Section 70 of the Constitu- tion, have been met and bring what Howell described as a “bespoke ref- erendum bill” to the Legislative As- sembly. Once that bill is passed, re- turning officers will be appointed and the Elections Office will plan and organise the referendum. What is the verification process? Howell said his office would go door-to-door across the Cayman Is- lands as they seek to verify all the signatures. There will also be oppor- tunities for people to come into the Elections Office as well as public events to allow people to confirm that they signed the referendum. He said every signature would need to be personally verified. Provisions will be made for people who are off- island to verify their signature. That sounds onerous. How long will it take? Howell said the Elections Of- fice carried out a door-to-door ver- ification process of the electoral roll for some 20,000 voters before the 2012 referendum on voting re- form. That was done in the space of three-and-a-half months. With sim- ilar resources, he believes the peti- tion signatures, currently estimated at around 5,500, could be verified in a matter of a few weeks. Does the Elections Office have the resources to do this? Not currently. The office oper- ates a “skeleton crew” during non- election years but Howell said he had alerted Deputy Governor Franz Manderson that a request for sup- plementary funds for more re- sources was likely and he does not anticipate any issues with that. What if people signed the petition but change their mind? If someone changes their mind and claims they did not sign, then their signature cannot be validated and they will not be counted. Howell said, “If they match someone on the voters list and they turn out to say they didn’t sign, or arguably they changed their mind, then we cannot verify that person.” What is to stop government interfering or delaying the verification process? Once the Elections Office is ac- tivated, Howell said he is directly answerable to Governor Martyn Roper, rather than any legislator. He said the office and its staff would be independent of the elected gov- ernment and the governor has ulti- mately responsibility for ensuring the process is carried out properly. “I actually take a leave of ab- sence from my chief officer role and go to the Elections Office full- time,” he said. What if people, particularly civil servants, fear retribution if they are discovered to have signed the petition? Howell said the deputy gov- ernor had already indicated there was no problem with civil servants signing the petition. He said there was “nothing to fear” from the veri- fication process, which he described as an independent, administrative exercise to verify the signatures were genuine and ensure the peti- tion was valid. Roy Tatum, senior adviser to the Premier Alden McLaughlin, at- tended the meeting in a personal ca- pacity. He stood up during the ques- tion-and-answer session to say he believed there was no question of any interference from government or any retribution against anyone who signed the petition. If the petition is verified, is there any reason a referendum would not be held? Howell said there were other tests that Cabinet had to consider to determine if all the elements of the constitutional provision had been met. He said these were outside of his purview. Section 70 of the Con- stitution states that a people-initi- ated referendum on a matter of “na- tional importance” should take place if a petition signed by 25% of the electorate is presented to Cabinet. The only flexibility for Cabinet, once the petition is verified, appears to be around the definition of “national importance”. It is feasible that Cab- inet could seek to argue that the cruise port does not meet that bar- rier. Asked if a determination on this could delay the verification pro- cess, Howell said it would not. He said there was no way for legisla- tors to be involved in the verifica- tion process, which falls under the governor’s supervision, in any way. Who sets the question and the date of the referendum? The Constitution indicates that Cabinet sets the referendum ques- tion and is required to set a date for the vote within a “reasonable time period”. Howell acknowledged there was no legal definition of “rea- sonable time” in the law. Amid fears from the public that the wording of the question, if set by Cabinet, could be loaded to favour a pro-port vote, North Side MLA Ezzard Miller said the question would be set through a bill that would be debated pub- licly in parliament. He said voters could have input through their leg- islators once the bill is published and could hold them accountable at the ballot box if they didn’t support a question that reflected the intent of the petition. When is the earliest a referendum could be held? No one was able to give clear timelines on when the vote might take place, but Howell said the Elec- tions Office would not be respon- sible for dragging it out. “My boss for this is the governor and he would not tolerate me drag- ging this on forever,” he said. If the petition is presented to the Elections Office this week and the office mobilises quickly to get the extra funding and staff it needs to begin verifying the signa- tures, the Compass understands a November referendum is possible. The unknown element is the length of time it might take between the presentation of a verified petition WHAT HAPPENS NOW? SIX STEPS TO A REFERENDUM 1. Campaigners must submit their petition to the Elections Office. 2. The Elections Office will go through a signature-by-signature verification process. 3. If more than 5,333 signatures from registered voters are verified, the petition will be submitted to Cabinet. 4. Cabinet will then determine if the other requirements to trigger a referendum, chiefly if this is an issue of ‘national importance’, have been met. 5. A bill for a referendum will be published and debated in the Legislative Assembly, setting the question and the date of the referendum. 6. Once that bill passes, the writ of the referendum will be issued and the Elections Office will begin organising the poll. Bodden: Stop port negotiations now JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Negotiations over a new cruise port in George Town harbour should be put on hold until the petition for a referendum on the controver- sial project has been verified, Cayman Islands historian Roy Bodden has claimed. Despite the announcement from the referendum cam- paign group that they have passed the number of sig- natures required to trigger a vote, Bodden said he believed the battle was just beginning. He criticised the verifica- tion process, outlined by the Elections Office, which in- volves the name-by-name authentication of every sig- nature on the petition, as “complicated and convoluted”. And he urged the group to assemble a “war chest” and a “battery of lawyers” to ensure they get the referendum they have been campaigning for. Speaking at a public meeting at the Town Hall in George Town, Thursday, he highlighted fears that a deal for the port may be done be- fore a referendum can be organised. “You should insist that while the verification process is going on any negotiations be held in abeyance. I bet you won’t get that concession,” he told campaigners. Government received the final bids on the pro- ject Friday and has indicated that it will evaluate them before announcing a pre- ferred bidder. The petition for a refer- endum has yet to be handed in to the Elections Office. Wesley Howell, the super- visor of elections, speaking at the same meeting as Bodden, said verifying that the signa- tures were genuine was an important part of the demo- cratic process and insisted his office, which reports to the governor, would operate independently and act swiftly once it receives the petition. Bodden said he believes the campaigners will face sig- nificant resistance in their efforts to have their peti- tion accepted. “I would say to you, ‘The struggle is yet to begin.’ I congratulate Cruise Port Ref- erendum Cayman, I congrat- ulate all who signed, but we have to keep fighting, this is a battle that we cannot af- ford to lose.” Bodden, a former Cab- inet minister, said, “I am here only as ‘Citizen Roy’. I have no connections other than I am a signatory of the petition and I will follow it to the end. “But I smell a rat. And the rat it seems to me is in the verification process. I think the deck is stacked against your effort. “While you have crossed the Rubicon, the battle for Rome is yet to begin.” He joined the campaign group in urging government to come forward and explain how it planned to handle the petition. “I would have to cast sus- picion until I am convinced otherwise that the process you are seeking is a clear and straightforward process. For the life of me I can’t under- stand such a convoluted and complicated route to verifica- tion of a couple of thousand signatures.” Bodden said he was per- sonally against the cruise port and the over-develop- ment of Cayman in general, saying “we are on a tread- mill of greed and we need to slow it down”. Johann Moxam, one of the leaders of the campaign group, said it was now incum- bent on government to come out and host its own meeting to answer the public’s ques- tions on how it would handle the referendum. He said the group is in touch with attorneys about the “lengthy and onerous” verification process, among other concerns. He said he believes government is delib- erately trying to slow down the process and frustrate voters seeking to use their constitutional power to force a referendum. “CPR Cayman will not quit and will see this initia- tive through to the end de- spite the obstacles they (gov- ernment) create,” he said. Premier Alden McLaughlin has previously indicated that government will not com- ment until a verified petition is presented to Cabinet. In a message to the Com- pass last month, he described the group’s announcement that it had met the target as “presumptuous and prema- ture” because the signatures have not been independently verified yet. “This will have to be done by the Elections Office be- fore the petition can be pre- sented to the Cabinet. Until that occurs, Government will not comment further,” he said at the time. “ I smell a rat. And the rat it seems to me is in the verification process. I think the deck is stacked against your effort.” ROY BODDEN, historian and former Cabinet minister PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7 »The islands’ most-trusted news source 7 CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 Conveniently located in the East End, this loan centre is dedicated to providing financial advice and solutions to Personal, Business and Platinum Banking clients living in Bodden town, North Side and East End. There are also two 24-Hour Instant Tellers, so you can get cash any time of the day. Friendly and knowledgeable staff are ready to serve you from Tuesday to Friday between 1:00pm and 6:30pm and on Saturdays from 9:30am to 1:30pm. Visit them today at Health City Medical Complex. CLICK cibcfcib.com CALL 1-866-743-2257 POST cibcfcib TWEET cibc_fcib The CIBC logo is a registered trademark of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, used by FirstCaribbean International Bank under license. Visit us in the Health City Medical Complex, East End. Say “Hello” Johann Moxam called on the government to host a meeting to answer the public’s questions on how it would handle the referendum. Michelle Lockwood, one of the campaign organisers, urged petition signers to be proactive and ensure their vote counts. Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell fielded questions from the public on the referendum process Thursday night. - PHOTOS: JAMES WHITTAKER Every signature on port petition must be verified threshold is crossed, the petition is sent to Cabinet,” he said. Cabinet is then respon- sible for determining if the other aspects of Section 70 of the Constitution – the provision which deals with people-initiated referenda – have been met. The section simply states that such referenda must be on issues of “national impor- tance” and must not contra- vene the Bill of Rights. Howell acknowledged Cayman was entering new territory with this refer- endum and said the only guiding legislation came from the short wording in the Constitution itself. If the petition is verified and Cabinet accepts that the requirements of Sec- tion 70 have been met, he said a specific referendum bill would have to be drafted and voted on in the Legisla- tive Assembly. That bill would set the question, the date and the terms of the referendum. Once that is done, the Elections Office, which is answerable to the governor, takes over and is responsible for organising the poll. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 to Cabinet and the passage and implementation of a “be- spoke” referendum law to fa- cilitate the vote. Once the law is passed and the writ of the referendum is issued, the Elections Office estimates it would take 10 weeks to or- ganise polling, including provisions for postal votes, ahead of ‘Decision Day’. Could government sign a binding contract with a developer in the interim? There is nothing to stop government from proceeding with its negotiations and signing a deal if it wishes. Roy Bodden, historian and former politician, has urged the campaigners to seek a commitment to pause con- tract talks until the verifica- tion is complete, but there is no indication that this is in government’s plans. It is pos- sible that the campaigners could seek an injunction through the courts, but there is no legal precedent to de- termine if this is likely to be successful or not. Equally, there is no indication that the presence of a signed contract would be enough for govern- ment to avoid a referendum. It may be that signing an agreement of this kind would risk incurring financial pen- alties if there is eventually a referendum and a ‘No’ vote against the dock. Like a lot of the details around the refer- endum, this aspect is unclear. Isn’t there a referendum law to deal with all this? There is no general refer- endum law, which is why be- spoke legislation has to be passed each time a ballot of this kind is held. Two short clauses in the Constitution are all officials have to go on. Several in the audience, in- cluding lawyer Steve McField, questioned why no refer- endum law had been passed, clearly setting out the verifi- cation process, the steps in- volved and clear timelines, and dealing with some of the other aspects flagged during the meeting. Howell acknowledged, “There is no standing refer- endum law, so every refer- endum as it is now has to have a law passed in parlia- ment to authorise, initiate and set up the terms of the referendum.” Can the campaigners still collect signatures once the petition is submitted to the Elections Office? Howell said he believed they could. He said the peti- tion was not official until it was verified and presented to Cabinet, so it would be open to the group to add signatures as his staff went about their work of veri- fying the names. Is the result of the referendum binding on government? The Constitution states that the result is binding as long as more than 50% of the electorate support it. That means a simple majority of those that turn out would not be enough for the port project to be stopped. Depending on how the referendum ques- tion is phrased, those that do not show will effec- tively be counted as votes for the port. Based on the current electoral roll, at least 10,578 of the 21,155 registered electors would need to turn out and vote against the port to pre- vent government from going ahead with the de- velopment. Voting will take place in all 19 districts and arrangements will be made for postal voting and mo- bile voting along the same lines as during a Gen- eral Election. The issue explained: How the referendum process works CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 CON MAN WHO IMPERSONATED SAUDI PRINCE SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON MIAMI (AP) – A man who re- peatedly impersonates Saudi royals to con investors and live a lavish lifestyle has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for a ruse that fell apart when a victim saw him eating pork, which is prohib- ited in Islam. Anthony Gignac, 48, re- ceived the sentence Friday in Miami for stealing at least $8 million while pretending to be ‘Sultan Bin Kahlid Al- Saud’. He bought a Ferrari, Rolex watches and rented a condo on an exclusive South Florida island with his loot. He pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud, impersonating a diplomat and other crimes. The Miami Herald re- ports that US District Judge Cecilia Altonaga called him a “mastermind”. Prosecutors said it was at least the 11th time Gignac, 48, had been ar- rested for impersonating a Saudi prince. “He was the so-called Saudi prince. He enveloped himself in the trappings of Saudi royalty. He had eve- ryone believing he was a Saudi prince,” Altonaga said. Gignac was born in Co- lombia but was adopted by a Michigan family as a young child. He is an American citizen. He told Altonaga on Friday that while he accepted responsibility, other people were involved and should have been charged. “I am not a mon- ster,” he said. His public defender, Ayana Harris, told the judge that Gig- nac’s difficult childhood con- tributed to his problems. She read a letter from his younger brother, Daniel Gignac, who de- scribed how they were aban- doned in Colombia. Their adop- tive parents later divorced. Daniel Gignac said his brother was forced to care for him.8 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 • CAYMAN COMPASS Young Caymanian artist featured in two exhibits Public Service Pensions Board opens on the Brac KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@pinnaclemedialtd.com The month of June will bring plenty of opportuni- ties to explore the creations of up-and-coming Caymanian artist John Reno Jackson. Two exhibitions fea- turing his work open this month. His solo show, ‘upto- speed’, began 1 June at Full of Beans in Pasadora Place and a multi-artist show, ‘Homecoming’, launches at The Space, formally Awardart Gallery, in Caymanian Village on 15 June. The 23-year-old painter, who goes by Reno, explores form and colour in an ab- stract style reminiscent of American street artist Jean- Michel Basquiat – Jackson’s first ‘art crush’. While Jackson’s work is figurative and free flowing, he hopes his paintings will provoke viewers to stop and think about the emotions they provoke. “I want people, when they see it, to reflect, truly to re- flect and think about what- ever it is they are thinking about,” he said. “[I want] to make sure that when people look at the work, they’re not necessarily looking at what I’m telling them. They’re looking at it from a blank slate because they’re looking at something abstract. I don’t necessarily want them to understand it but I want them to be guided.” He describes his work as blending familiarity with il- lusion to create a non-ob- jective reality packed with emotion. Like Basquiat, an artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent, Jackson also has mixed cultural roots, a theme that he explores throughout his work. “I try to talk about my culture and living in a country that is mixed race and being mixed race,” Jackson said, speaking from his dual-purpose studio and bedroom in West Bay. As he paints, jazz music plays in the background, guiding an almost lyrical flow of brush strokes on canvas. The son of a Cayman Bracker and Texan with Hon- duran roots, Jackson spent his younger years bouncing between the Cayman Islands, south Texas and at times Eu- rope, developing his tech- nique and exploring concepts around identity. Like many young Cayma- nians, he found himself rest- less and anxious to explore the world beyond the Islands. While travel afforded Jackson the opportunity to discover artists like Bas- quiat, Jeff Koons and Ernst Kirchner, he always returns home to Cayman. The cyclical nature of life and coming of age are other themes that interest Jackson. “No matter how hard you try to get away, you come back somehow,” he said. In his formative years, he said he found the size of Cayman limiting, but with time he has come to appre- ciate what the small commu- nity has to offer. “It was kind of stifling at first but then as I started to gain confidence, one of the benefits was it became easier to actually network,” he said. “I think it’s relatively re- freshing because it’s a small place, so reaching out to people is easier.” Cayman does come with its challenges for artists, however. The cost of art sup- plies on island, for example, has driven Jackson to de- velop his initial sketches dig- itally, so as not to waste valu- able canvas space. He has also found the art scene to be closed off at times, making it diffi- cult for younger artists to fully break in. “My opinion now is that a lot of early artists got in the door and they’ve kind of closed the door, not to say they’re bad people,” he said. “I don’t think it comes from a bad place. I think it comes from survival be- cause to survive as an artist here is difficult.” He would like to see the scene open up and wel- come more collaboration. He would also like to see more grant opportunities and sup- port from government for local artists. “Every week or every day almost I feel like I see some- thing in the paper or on the internet about how Cayman has the best beaches in the Caribbean or the best some- thing,” he said. “I just keep thinking, when is it going to say we have the best artists in the Caribbean? Because there are loads of great artists here but I feel like they don’t talk.” He pointed to the Na- tional Gallery’s recent Bien- nial exhibit, a show featuring a cross section of Cayman Is- lands artists, as a good ex- ample of Caymanians coming together as an art community. One of his upcoming shows, ‘Homecoming’, will also be a multi-artist effort, including the works of Simon Tatum, Jared Olsever, Elaena McDonough and Sonia Sajnani. He said the show cap- tures the concept of ‘home’ in a broad sense. “It’s based on a few things like mental home- coming, coming to terms with ideas,” he said. “Two of us are Caymanian artists who are exhibiting our works back home. The other artists are people who want to go back home.” The opening reception for the ‘Homecoming’ exhibit will be from 8pm-12am on 15 June at The Space. Admis- sion is free. His solo show at Full of Beans will run until 29 June. For more information about Jackson’s upcoming shows and art, visit www. renojackson.com or find him on Facebook under @renojacksonart. The Public Service Pen- sions Board has officially opened its office on Cayman Brac. On Friday, Governor Martyn Roper, Deputy Gov- ernor Franz Manderson and other officials led the ribbon- cutting ceremony at the office on Dennis Foster Road. “People on Cayman Brac should have access to similar services available in Grand Cayman and this office is a great way to bring more to Cayman Brac,” Governor Roper said. The office opened in early April. During that time, more than 100 people have ac- cessed services from the of- fice, according to a news re- lease from the pensions board. About 700 people in Cayman Brac are members of a public service pension plan, including nearly 200 people who are pensioners, according to the board. “We care about our pen- sioners, civil servants and public servants and we can now give them this first class office to serve them,” Deputy Governor Manderson said. The pension board’s Man- aging Director Jewel Evans Lindsey said, “This moment represents a significant mile- stone in the history of the PSPB …. It is with a deep sense of pride that we have a much larger presence on Cayman Brac to meet the growing needs of our mem- bers on this island.” John Reno Jackson discusses some of his work from his home in West Bay. John Reno Jackson sits in front of some of his works, a few of which will be featured in exhibitions this month. Public Service Pensions Board Chairman Kenneth Jefferson, Governor Martyn Roper, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and board Managing Director Jewel Evans Lindsey cut the ribbon to open the board’s new Cayman Brac office on Friday. John Reno Jackson works on a painting in his studio space in West Bay. - PHOTOS: ALVARO SEREY9 LOCAL NEWS CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com Jeffrey William Powery, 32, pleaded guilty on Friday to intentionally causing grievous bodily harm to his mother in an incident that occurred in West Bay be- tween 11 and 14 Dec. Powery had previously pleaded not guilty to at- tempted murder in the same incident. On Friday, Crown Counsel Greg Walcolm told Justice Roger Chapple that the new plea was acceptable. He said the mother, Jolene Powery, was in Miami re- ceiving medical treatment. She was not in a position to make a victim impact state- ment. He indicated he was awaiting a report from her doctor in Cayman. Sentencing was set for some time after 29 Aug. Few details were given in court, but the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service did issue a statement on 14 Dec. They said a member of the public had notified po- lice of an altercation on the night of 12 Dec. It had in- volved a woman and a man known to her. Officers at- tended a location on North West Point Road, where they did not receive any response. They went in and found the woman unconscious. One outstanding piece of potential evidence had been a blood spatter report. Jeffrey Powery was rep- resented by attorney Jona- thon Hughes. CAYMAN COMPASS • MONDAY, 3 JUNE 2019 Murder charge withdrawn CAROL WINKER cwinker@pinnaclemedialtd.com On Friday the Crown offered no ev- idence against William Isaac Ebanks Romero, who had been charged with the Christmas morning murder of 29-year- old man Darrington Ebanks in West Bay. Crown counsel Greg Walcolm told Justice Roger Chappel that the Crown was entering a ‘nolle prosequi’ in the matter. The trial was to have started on Monday, 3 June. The phrase ‘nolle prosequi’ refers to a document handed up to the judge stating that the Crown intends that the proceedings shall not continue. The accused person is then dis- charged, but the discharge does not act as a bar to any subsequent proceedings arising from the same facts. Ebanks, who was 21 years old when he was arrested on Christmas Day, was represented by attorney Crister Brady. Powery had previously pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in the same incident. Son admits injuring mother PLANNED POWER OUTAGES WEDNESDAY IN CRYSTAL HARBOUR People in the Crystal Harbour area should expect short interruptions (of no more than 5 minutes) to their elec- trical service on Wednesday between 10-11am, according to a Caribbean Utilities Company statement. Areas affected include Crystal Drive, Crighton Drive from the junc- tion with Crystal Drive west, Galway Quay, Cypress Pointe and Cy- press Pointe North, Sardinia Close, Daum Quay, Hoya Quay and Kosta Boda Close. CUC advises motorists to exer- cise caution because CUC will have a number of trucks and personnel in the Crystal Harbour area at that time. CUC said the outages are required to facilitate “overhead infrastruc- ture upgrades”. For more information on the outage and streets affected, call CUC at 949- 5200 or email service@cuc.ky. POLICE SEIZE GANJA PLANTS ON CAYMAN BRAC Cayman Brac sees spate of arrests The Royal Cayman Is- lands Police Service re- covered 47 mature ganja plants on Wednesday after conducting an operation on Cayman Brac. The officers were acting on informa- tion provided to them, and the RCIPS later arrested a 60-year-old man on suspi- cion of cultivating ganja. A search was later con- ducted at the suspect’s residence and a small por- tion of ganja was seized. The man was warned for prosecution for both pos- session and consump- tion of ganja. The investigation is on- going and the man has been bailed from police custody. Police say five people were arrested on Cayman Brac during this year’s Brac- canal Carnival celebra- tion, 17-20 May. In one case, a 25-year-old Cayman Brac man was ar- rested 17 May and subse- quently charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and common assault in rela- tion to an altercation at a bar. The assault victim was treated for minor facial injuries and subsequently released. The same day, another Cayman Brac man, 47, was arrested on suspicion of pos- session and consumption of crack cocaine, after a con- sumption utensil was found on his person. Police activity did not end with the festival. On 24 May, officers approached two men on West End Road, who were acting suspiciously. Po- lice said they saw one of the men had receipt books used in illegal gambling. Officers searched both men and found a large quantity of cash and several other receipt books, all in the possession of the first man. The man, 70, of Cayman Brac, was subse- quently arrested on suspicion of illegal gaming and pos- session of criminal property. The second man was given a warning about buying lot- tery tickets. Additional cash and gam- bling paraphernalia were re- covered during a search of the first man’s home after officers obtained a war- rant. In total, over $3,000 in Cayman Islands and US cash was seized. The man has been bailed while investigations continue. Incident sparks safety warning from Maritime Authority A “serious failure” that occurred during the launch of a tender boat from a yacht anchored in the Cayman Islands has prompted the Mari- time Authority to issue a safety warning about the launching of watercraft. According to a state- ment from the authority, “On 26 May 2019 a tender was being launched through a side shell opening of a large yacht at anchor. Three crew- members were on board the tender during the launching operation. While the tender was being low- ered, the aft attachment between the tender and the launching appliance failed catastrophically causing the rear of the boat to fall to the water. “Fortunately, none of the crewmembers on board the tender were se- riously injured during the incident. However, se- rious injuries to the crew- members could easily have occurred as a result of the fall to the water or by contact with the free- swinging hook and re- lease gear.” According to the state- ment, “On examination it was found that the hook and release gear had re- mained intact during the incident. The welds con- necting the tender itself to the release gear were found to have failed inside the tender.” The authority high- lighted the following ‘gen- eral safety issues’: ■■ When inspecting and testing launching ap- pliances it is impor- tant to consider the entire system under load. This will include the launching appli- ance and its founda- tions, the falls in use, hooks and release gear, the attachment to the craft being launched and the craft itself. ■■ ‘Man riding’ during the launching of any wa- tercraft should only be undertaken when the entire system has been designed, tested and certified for such activities. Suit- able standards for man riding include the IMO Life Saving Appliances Code. ■■ The risks inherent in all lifting opera- tions, including the launching of water- craft, must be rigor- ously assessed and safe working prac- tices developed. ■■ When ‘man riding’ during launching op- erations, the minimum number of persons necessary for safe launching should be present in the craft being launched. ■■ Appropriate personal protective equip- ment such as life jackets, ‘bump hats’, etc. should be em- ployed whenever their use is indicated by the risk assessment. “ Fortunately, none of the crewmembers on board the tender were seriously injured during the incident. However, serious injuries to the crewmembers could easily have occurred as a result of the fall to the water or by contact with the free- swinging hook and release gear.” CAYMAN ISLANDS MARITIME AUTHORITY, on 26 May incident The Law Courts Building in downtown George Town.Next >