Premier reveals plans for new ministry
Premier Alden McLaughlin (file photo)
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin has unveiled plans for the creation of a Ministry of International Trade and Investment that will form part of his portfolio. As he delivered a speech to the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday at the official opening of the 2018/19 session, which took place on Cayman Brac, he told his colleagues that in light of what happened with the UK over the beneficial ownership fiasco, “We cannot rely on the United Kingdom to defend, let alone promote, Cayman’s economic interests.” Pointing to Britain’s own Brexit worries, McLaughlin said it was “time for Cayman to step out of the UK’s shadow and stand up for itself”.
“The ministry’s role will be to enhance the reputation of the Cayman Islands; to advance the economic and political interests of the government, the people and the business community; and to make our economy easier to do business with, including acting as a single doorway for potential foreign direct investment,” he told the members of the LA. “The ministry will assume responsibility for the Cayman Islands Government office in London and other overseas offices, such as the proposed Cayman Islands Government office in Hong Kong.”
McLaughlin said the plan was for the new ministry to become operational early in the New Year.
“The creation of the new ministry is the right response to the changed circumstances we find ourselves in but we must also fight to safeguard ourselves against any further inappropriate interference in what is our own business,” he added.
The premier said that the risks to the future success of the financial sector were a huge frustration when the threats are not just coming “from the usual suspects but from those we should be able to count on; not just as our friends but as our advocates”.
Pointing to what he described as a “handful of misinformed malcontents in the United Kingdom Conservative Party”, he said Cayman is now threatened with the imposition of public registers of beneficial ownership.
Reiterating the commitment to fight that threat when necessary, McLaughlin said he was continuing to press the case for constitutional reform. He said that the UK had responded positively to the issues and agreed to work with Cayman on the reform.
“Constitutional reform may seem a dry subject to some but it matters. It really matters. It matters to our economy and it matters to our people. We Caymanians must be able to chart our own future and to take responsibility for our own affairs, free from arbitrary or perhaps even malicious interference,” he said, as he added his thanks to Leader of the Opposition Ezzard Miller for continuing to work with him on the issue.
Pointing to the need for Cayman to stand on its own two feet, he said he would continue to press the case for change as vigorously as possible. But he also spoke about the need to diversify the economy.
“My own view, repeated to this House many times, is that we must extend our competitive advantage from financial services into other areas of knowledge-based industries and grasp the opportunities of the digital economy,” he said.
In a long speech about the current state of the nation, the premier dealt with a number of topics, including the progress his government has made towards achieving its vision, plan and ambitions for the country, and said it would continue to build on those achievements and ensure a successful Cayman Islands for all the people.
“The cornerstone of our ambition, and indeed our success, is building a strong and resilient economy,” he said. He said his government understood the importance of sustainable economic growth and had set about creating the favourable conditions to drive the economy for many years to come.
“And we are seeing the success of this strategy as our economy continues its trajectory of growth, begun in the last administration, across all the key sectors,” he said.
Category: Government Administration, Politics
We all know that this is being set up just so that Eric Bush (and the other party cronies) can be looked after in cushy jobs in Hong Kong and elsewhere. So transparent.
With all due respect Mr Premier, pls try to get the Departments currently within your Ministry under control before setting up another Ministry. I suggest you start with NAU which is a total nightmare for anyone seeking help. All the kings horses and all the kings men can’t seem to get that Dept working efficiently. Thank you.
Did the Deputy governor and his senior civil servants higher-ups removed the red this time around so that all of the civil servants most of all the whistleblowers can get their 2018 5% cost living pay raise and any other pay raise that they suppose to get. Because whistleblowers are not liked through out government departments and they are looked at like troublemakers by the higher-up civil servants in the government departments because they open alot of cans of worms and they are looked at as a threat so they get treated like they are not civil servants and if they do not deserve the same rights as all civil servants. The senior civil servants higher-ups also tries their best to turn the lower civil servants against the whistleblowers also causing hatred, malice, badmind and war amongst each other in the workplace That is what the withdrawn governor choudury wanted to clean-p in the civil service but he stood-up and were going to stand-up on too much toes. And the senior civil servants and their few lower civil servants did not want that to last any longer. Tell you about the natives the foreigners do not need to help destroy the beautiful cayman islands the natives are doing a perfect job on that.
What is the Ministry of Commerce going to do now? Drop the Commerce part of its job? Frankly the whole set of ministries should be sorted out. Many overlap and some unrelated things are jammed together. Or is that how it is intended so responsibility can be avoided.
I believe there is another new Ministry…the Ministry of Soundbites. Sadly, as one would expect, nothing believable coming from that either.
Speaker of the house is still the premier for the cayman islands. He may not have the title but he have the say and the way. If not the coalition government would be mashed up overnight.
Speaker of the House and de facto Premier
Another wasted money spending minstry . Oh well Jobs for the Boys
He must be getting ready to trade iguana meat… -smh
LOL!
Welcome back Eric!!
Ideas stolen from Governor Choudhury and now sold by politicos to the Cayman Public have you no shame Capn Dunce Alden and Babababushka! Wake up Cayman when last has these two dodos ever come up with a solid or good idea??
Not the guy off Britain’s Trillion Pound Island that didn’t really now what legitimate services our financial industry provided? Can’t see him stammering being very helpful….maybe he’s going to poor them Caybrews.
Grateful to God, please note that your statement is incorrect. The PPM party is not the “party in power”. The Government is a coalition which includes the PPM, CDP and Independents – it’s called the Unity Government
Anonymous 9:21am , so that should show us that there’s bad leadership in the Government , and the leadership is self driven . Which is not in the Islands best interest .
The “party in power” are the ones telling Alden what to do.
The hip hop band named G-Unit comes to mind but ours stands for Gangsta-Unity.
That’s how they roll!
Someone’s setting up a foreign rep job for when he loses next election and is so hated for all the damage he’s done to Caymanians birthrights he can’t go out in public here.
Boring!! We want a Space Force!!!
We already have a bunch of space cadets in our midst.
Not just in our midst, but running the show…
Let’s see this article could’ve sound very much like the story that was given to Mac after the election , that convinced him to believe every word Alden said . Then the unemployment is down , and Civil servants and School Teacher are all getting a pay raise , and the real mega cruise ship can’t stop , because we don’t have a cruise ship pier . All sound good for you but you don’t have to sign the petition for the referendum to stop the pier . That speech was much better than what Mac did yesterday . Are we listening to where he wants to show the UK that we don’t need them .
This speech at CNS sounds different from the one that was published at Compass . Are we understanding where he’s taking the Islands ? Do you think that he is not trying to grow the Islands too fast ?
So we shouldn’t be able to self-govern ourselves? Is that what your saying?
9:33 am , you can’t see that I am talking like I am Alden saying it .
We already do…
You might thumb my comment , but you better think about your and your grand children’s future .
“We Caymanians”? Surely you mean, “we globalists”?
Anonymous 7:38am , you sure said a couple of mouth full there . Do we see why all of these tidings and joys of accomplishment are being publish yesterday and today . Everything is being covered to make you think that everything is good as gold , and to throw you off from being against them the PPM agenda . It’s called get the propaganda out there and throw you off .
MADE HISTORY
Alden and PPM have made history as the only political party in power that has accomplished more things for Cayman than has been accomplish in years.
NO ONE CAN SAY THAT THE PPM HAS NOT DONE ANYTHING FOR THE CAYMAN ISLANDS.
From road works, schools, infrastructures, merging of departments, creation of departments, travels, negotiated with opposition, implementation of key parts of our constitution, good financial decisions whereby taking the country out of serious debt, from teachers and educational review, spearheading plans for an ambitiously huge cruise birthing facility, revising immigration and work related operations, now lowest unemployment rate … and the list of works goes on:
What critic (except for Opposition which has to play the role of Opposition) can ever say the PPM have not broke records in being the party that has accomplished the most things for Cayman ever???
Can anyone show me under McKeeva’s leadership, or previous leaderships what more things they’ve done compared to Aldens lead?!
Nobody is perfect, people are still without jobs, we have a good Opposition Team for them to work with – BUT WE OUGHT TO ALWAYS BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT WE VOTED FOR 🙂
I think more on the lines of have started projects but not finished them.
Let me throw some 2000+ year old political history out here for your to digest: it is all “bread and circuses”
And since very few people (including Cayman’s political leaders) have an interest in history these days; I have added details of what this saying means and where it originated:
Bread and circuses
“A phrase used by a Roman writer to deplore the declining heroism of Romans after the Roman Republic ceased to exist and the Roman Empire began: “Two things only the people anxiously desire — bread and circuses.” The government kept the Roman populace happy by distributing free food and staging huge spectacles.
In other words, “something, such as extravagant entertainment, offered as an expedient means of pacifying discontent or diverting attention from a source of grievance.”
——————–
“In history, a great volume is unrolled for our instruction, drawing the materials of future wisdom from the past errors and infirmities of mankind.”
– Edmund Burke
Someone is due a big job, let’s wait and see who it is…
Neither the PPM nor CDP parties “won” the last election. The leaders of both parties need to be reminded of that indisputable fact and their ambitions checked by both the Opposition (who are still being paid to do a job) and by the people – by Petition for by-election if necessary. Enough is enough.
Empire building!
stop. stop spending.
read miller shaw or e&y reports
Anonymous11:49pm , I agree , and also he needs to read the 1972 Cayman Islands Development Plan . That is what should’ve been followed . Just about everything that has been done is contrary to that plan . These politicians don’t work by any Report or blue print or plan , they work by their own agenda .Which is dangerous .
A great idea
Cart before the horse. Why has he never used logic to reason. Yall sure hes a lawyer?? Cant he see the swiss cheese holes in every govt dept already – Why more cheese for the rats?