3% growth. Hurray.

| 27/12/2016 | 30 Comments

Cayman News Service101 writes: Recent news that the Cayman Islands had experienced 3% economic growth beyond what was originally forecasted must have us all feeling pretty good around Christmas. Shouldn’t it? The campaign season is in full swing and no one should deny the sitting government’s God-given right to celebrate its ‘successes’.

But in other news, there are many reports of increased bank foreclosures on both businesses as well as homes. Most people will find it extremely difficult to point to any declines in the cost of living aside from some reprieve in the area of gas prices at the tank, which were several months behind the immediate price decreases seen in other countries.

Many hundreds, and if we are to believe anecdotal evidence, thousands of Caymanians are out of a job. And telling those persons that the unemployment rate is lower than the last few years does nothing to put food on the table for them.

Several hundred students leave high school each year, including recently in June, without any realistic prospect of either a job or a chance to attend university, mostly because of two things: inadequate credentials on graduation and lack of funding.

The dump and the port have been knocked back and forth with beautiful political maneuverIng to make us feel that we have indeed witnessed ‘progress’, even if neither of these major political promises will have been delivered by May 24th 2017.

The government continues to quietly benefit from the major investments of foreign individuals and institutions while not so quietly blaming them for all our ills, instead of focusing on their own lack of proactive policies to help our people.

Cayman is not broken. It’s still a great place to live. We continue to be among the most fortunate countries in the region and worldwide. But that result is in spite of our recycled politicians, most certainly not due to their efforts.

And as we have been saying for too many years now, we can do a lot better.

Taking credit for a statistical economic upswing does nothing for the people. That’s not where the true hard work begins (or ends).

Giving us political stability (which this government has certainly done) was much needed. But the country needs a lot more than less deal making by politicians. It needs a lot more than being more diplomatic. A quiet reassuring voice does nothing to provide jobs to those that are in need or to help those waiting outside the NAU wondering how they can get on ‘the list’.

This country and its people need a new breed of politicians that actually care about doing all the right things at the right time to help our country to move forward.

It means lifting people out of ignorance, not pandering to it with short-term ‘benefits’ like Christmas beef from the PPM, the ‘care boxes’ complete with haircuts from the CDP or the more traditional $25 bill.

If we as a people could see some semblance that those changes are on the way, that would be a welcome Christmas present.

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Category: Viewpoint

Comments (30)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    You people are ungrateful the ppm is giving you a better country and you still complaining. They have fixed everything that was broken

    • Anonymous says:

      Grateful? Are you seroius? Have you pay any attention to what’s going on in this country last 10 years? Ppm is part of the problem you can’t deny that

  2. Dexter Rivers says:

    101 has stated a lot of his opinions: foreclosures have increased, without a reference to a statistic. When you drill down the causes for foreclosures, you discover most are caused by martial problems and include other factors such as, owners left the island, owners convicted of fraud. Only 3 out of every 20 delinquent mortgages has to do with the loss of income and most do not end in a foreclosure.

    101 opinions’ are just too general water cooler talk, not one factual statistic. Sadly these are the kind of opinions that attract followers,eventually encourages himself to offer his service, as a Member of The Legislative Assembly…. and his misguided opinions becomes established Failed Government Policy.

    • Another Bayer says:

      A loyal PPM blogger defending his cult leaders with own opinions and no stats to back up his generalized views. Doing exactly what 101 did in the view point. Get a life Dexter and ease up on the KOOL AID!

      Good to see PPM bloggers are following the instructions of the party leaders in their newsletter trying to defend the performance of government but instead doing what they bitterly complain about. Now that’s progressive.

    • Anonymous says:

      Oh please give it a rest dexter! We don’t need statistics to know that there are a lot of foreclosures. I experienced it in March and my cousin is going through it right now. The article is right things are very rough out there. No point trying to hide that with your ppm campaigning.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Spot on. We are talking about the wrong things. People are hurting I would like to see who runs in BT.

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m sorry but you will be disappointed in BT. Aside from Alva and maybe Wayne I don’t think we willl have any good options up here.

  4. Tired of Cowards says:

    While I support most of what has been stated,”Several hundred students leave high school each year, including recently in June, without any realistic prospect of either a job or a chance to attend university, mostly because of two things: inadequate credentials on graduation and lack of funding.”
    Question Number 1: Why do they not expect a job? Is it because they do not want to flip burgers, serve people, start at bottom and work their way up?
    The jobs are there if you want them!
    Question Number 2: Why does the local population have the notion that others should fund their post secondary education?
    In the real world, parents, student loans, summer jobs, part time jobs, etc. are the source of funding, NOT hand outs.
    Unfortunately the culture of the civil service which is laden with the “hand out syndrome” is where most of these parents work.
    Sadly until changes are made to the political system whereby any Caymanian can run for political office, nothing will change as the same old dry group will be elected over and over again.
    The definition of insanity…..trying something over and over expecting a different result applies the the political system to a tee here!
    (can’t wait to see how many trolls this one gets.)

    • A trade school on island would suck up a lot of the newly unemployed. Furthermore, less work permits for foreign workers would be required with a trade school.

      The answer is simple and has been applied on other Caribbean Islands.

      • Anonymous says:

        Been talking about this for years but somehow can’t get there. I don’t know why if it’s because young people don’t want to do those jobs. Everybody want to work in the bank.

    • Anonymous says:

      So you are saying that people unemployed because they don’t want to work? Nice one. You get rid of the problem by denying it ever existed. Many are willing to work but they getting pushed out of the market because of crazy low pay because of importation of very cheap Labour.

  5. Jotnar says:

    Maybe you should run 101.

  6. Anonymous says:

    I’d like to see them prove it. Back it up with facts and figures. Let them explain it in plain English such that the average voter can understand. I think you’d have more chance of Donald Trump releasing his tax returns than the CIG being able to explain how they calculate that plucked from the air figure

    • Anonymous says:

      They cannot prove it and that’s why they keep getting away with it. I remember years ago when we were told inflation was so low and we all knew that cost of living was at its highest. I think it was the previous government but same issue

    • Anonymous says:

      As they say there are three types of lies. Lies, damn lies and statistics!

  7. Anonymous says:

    Excellent criticism, but you haven’t presented one single proposal on anything that could be done to make things better.

    If you want people to believe, in your words, “This country and its people need a new breed of politicians that actually care about doing all the right things at the right time to help our country to move forward.” then state explicitly what was done “wrong” and what should have been done at that time.

    Perhaps you are one of those new breed of politician who think that “lifting people out of ignorance” is a simple as relocating them from certain areas of West Bay.

    • Anonymous says:

      Solution is a non ppm or Cdp government. Mostly independent coalition.

    • Anonymous says:

      Ughmm…. me thinks what the writer is saying is very clear. Country growing and leaving too many people behind. Rich getting richer and poor worse off. Need policies to protect our people and better focus on education. Your post however sounds like campaign stuff.

  8. Anonymous says:

    With the limited number of so called “real” or “born” or “generational” Caymanians allowed to seek political office, there is no alternative but to keep recycling the old worn out ones. We shall see if next time around it is a battle to see who can praise the Lord and the Bible the loudest and bash the gay community the hardest.

  9. Smithy says:

    The truth is that there is no credible alternatives to the PPM. Oh wait, you can’t be talking about the ‘Independents’ who have no idea of how to form a government or what to do when they get there. Thrashing about for negatives denies the good job that this government has done whether it suits your agenda or not.

    • POLITRICKS 101 says:

      Short memories by some bloggers eh?

      The PPM formed a government with former UDP Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor and 3 so called independents proves anything is possible. Moses swallowed his hatered of Juliana to help form the current coalition government after he and PPM campaigned that she should be investigated for paving drive ways in the Brac then they rewarded her by making her Speaker of the House on a bigger salary and more authority than their own party members.

      It says everything about the ethics and values of the PPM leadership. The principles they claim to represent are secondary to political expediency they were happy to have Juliana form the PPM. That’s proof positive that sworn political enemies can work together in when power, money and control are at stake.

      PPM need to stop spreading false propaganda and realize the next government will be a coalition because neither PPM or CDP have the credibility to form the next government due to their track records without inclyding independents who will win at least 6-8 seats on 24 May 2017.

      • Anonymous says:

        But they don’t care about memories as long as they can get the handouts around election time that keeps them happy for 4 years

      • Anonymous says:

        Dude, don’t expect ethic and value from politicians that’s your first mistake. I never met a politician with ethics yet!

    • Anonymous says:

      True.

      No port
      No waste management solution
      School still sitting there unbuilt
      Education still poor
      Lots of issues reported in schools
      Gave in to UK on beneficial ownership
      Absolutely no conflicts of interest anywhere at all ( get real)
      Beach vendor issue unresolved
      Crisis with PR immigration issue created
      Poor are poorer and big guys richer
      Hiding immigration report from the people
      Rising crime especially among the youth
      No movement on promise to restructure or privatise government

      I could go on with at least a dozen more issues some of them very very serious.

      And you are talking as if all is perfect with the ppm? Seriously get your head out of the sand bo bo!

  10. Anonymous says:

    101 your post makes no sense. On the one hand the government did good and on the other they are terrible

    • Anonymous says:

      The article is basically saying the Ppm brought stability but nothing else to really help. I also support the ppm proudly but I think they didn’t do enough this time. That doesn’t mean I won’t support them again though just saying

  11. The Watcher says:

    101

    Keep preaching the gospel of #TRUTH

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