Demo uses royal visit to raise social concerns
Protest at the airport as the royal couple arrives
(CNS): A small silent demonstration was held at the airport on Wednesday evening as around a dozen concerned citizens used the opportunity of the royal visit and the arrival of the British press to attract attention to the struggles that many Caymanians are going through, despite all of the news of economic growth. The activists were drawing particular attention to the under-resourced Needs Assessment Unit and the continuing arbitrary nature of who receives support, raising questions about why elderly and disabled people are dying as they wait for assistance.
Speaking to CNS after Prince Charles and Camilla had left the location, Katina Anglin said that she and several other local people had made the decision to come out with placards showing their concerns because too many people believe that everything in the Cayman Islands is rosy when it is not, as many people are suffering and the challenges they are going through are hidden from view.
Anglin said that there are a number of elderly, sick and disabled individuals who are living in terrible circumstances and are literally waiting for someone else to die so that they can get somewhere appropriate to live as well as the financial support they need.
She said that housing is becoming a major concern as rents are extremely high now, and in many cases landlords are refusing to rent to people who are receiving support from the Needs Assessment Unit.
However, government has claimed that it has increased funding for those in need, putting up the monthly payments to veterans and seamen as well as the indigent to $750 per month. But the activists say that there are many problems over how those in need get support and access to the medical care they need, and the situation is in crisis.
Anglin said this was highlighted by the tragic death of Kearny-Hoyt Phillips, who died while waiting for the NAU to provide access to healthcare and emergency food vouchers. But she said his situation prior to his death was not unique, as people in dire circumstances are waiting for many months before they receive support.
Category: Health, Local News, Medical Health
When you start to notice people begging that are clearly non-Caymanian, what does that tell us?
That Alden McLaughlin, the Minister responsible for immigration, must go?
What makes them obviously non-Caymanian???? Because if it’s skin colour apparently you haven’t met the Kirkconnells….or any other white Caymanians lol
I just dont get it.
Why protest the government or NAU and not the Chamber of Commerse or the Labor office. It’s the business community who only now want to hire a college educated person for the $6.00 minimum wage which is lowering the hourly wage which effects your earnings. Instead of fighting so hard for a hand out you should put that energy into a fight for a level playing field.
No permits for entry level jobs. Kirk’s Fosters KFC BK can all afford to pay at least $8-10 per hour.
$8.50x42hours a week is $1,428 and would be a living wage (especially if two income household.) Chamber needs to step up and stop allowing low wage work permits- the imported working poor really doesnt help anyone.
Problem is, caymanians don’t take the job and don’t show up when they do.
You can’t “take” a job no matter how much you show up when it was intentionally designed for a work permit holder and cycled Through same demographic of people even if a vacancy arises.
They don’t apply. Look into it and you’ll see.
100% true
Hello please don’t state Caymanians we are not all in that boat and I don’t take kindly to being labeled. I’m a caymanian and I work hard for what I have and showed up for my job and never missed a day of work. Please express yourself correctly moving forward
If theses people have the health and energy to make signs and be on time at the airport on time . They are sure enough able to find work.
They’re able to look for work but smug expats or their HR Uncle Tom belittling their achievements and experience to justify a permit holder can get pretty discouraging…our new WORC agency seems to be busy making it easier for the employers to circumvent the purposes of the laws and regulations.
Any Caymanian that I know, that has the qualifications, has a good job. What does that tell you?
blah blah blah…I know many that are under employed.
I see people here say we should hold our fellow Caymanian’s to account. They’re right: all politics is local, and if Caymanians don’t care for each other, there’s no solution.
That doesn’t mean this protest was meaningless. Sharing our troubles with the outside world, especially with high profile figures who, if in name only, have a responsibility towards us as British citizens, is a valid and practical way to put pressure on our own political institutions and those who run them.
We have too many foreign people here and have to give vouchers to and can not help our aging Caymanians. We have people who are very sick cannot work but they cannot see NAU cause too many young and non Caymanians there getting help. We need to look out for the people who helped build these Islands. NAU and our GOVERNMENT elected please look out for out elderly people now. Cause come 2021 you will not like it and will be begging like these people.
Get your facts right. NAU don’t give ANYTHING to non-Caymanians. Only in EXTREME cases of domestic abuse will they consider helping non-Caymanians. And ALL its staff are Caymanian. It’s your government, who are all Caymanian, who are not doing the right thing. This is one occasion when ex-pats can’t be blamed at all for social problems. YOU have the right to vote that ex-pats don’t have. Use it properly .
Total unmitigated Bullshit. Significant numbers of non Caymanians are being supported. The fact their Mama may have married a Caymanian does not make them Caymanian.
Actually it does.
Actually, it does not.
Actually, Kato, it does.
It was built by foreigners.
who were rewarded handsomely
It is disheartening to read the negative comments posted on what these individuals are standing up for some recognition of hope for the indigents, elderly and sick persons of the Cayman Islands. Unfortunately no amount education is going to change the vicious cycle this country on. History has proven how the American Indians were brefriended, made drunks and their lands taken by force or by their own people who were sold by the Europeans ideology and the rest his history. Same thing is happening here just this time it is not as vicious but by waiving the almighty dollars to the policy makers. I am unable to see a better cayman in the future. Serious crimes are on the rise and the struggles of the regular Caymanian are real. As the upper echelons continue to call us lazy, useless, entitlement thinkers and feed the usual line of education is the only way to better ourselves yet we are unable to secure employment considering its all false hope. Sooner or than later the bottom of the bucket is going to drop out and one day this small group will be larger and it will not be covered or thrown under the rug. The royal highness prince Charles himself visited and in a nut shell spelt out, stop cutting your noses off to spite your face!
And now the hatred of these so-called Christians will be on display for the world to see
Nothing but bitterness and hatred in their communities
Despicable
Systemic genocide? Get a grip. Whatever the point is, it’s lost due to this nonsense
I find it hard to believe that elderly or disabled people in Cayman have no family who could help them. Where are they? I thought this was a caring Christian place!
Most family members are in the same boat, if not worse off than their relatives. Then the ones who work have their own immediate family to worry about.
At $6 per hr there are thousands of working poor who survive on Needs Assessment Unit vouchers.
The only ones who work $6 per hour are the low skilled work permit holders. No Caymanian would take a job with that pay. They would just rather not work at all!
What do we want? Handouts from the state. What don’t we want? To take one of the many many jobs that are available because we are too precious.
Wrong.
What we do need is realistic living minimum wage of at least $10;.
What we do not need is the continued importation of poverty.
What we do not need is the continued importation of cheap labour.
What we do not need is the continued SLAVE LABOUR MINIMUM WAGE RATE OF $6 PxxxER HR
What we do need is an economy in which all workers earn enough money to live without the need of government living assistance.
Now see if your politicians care.
What we need is unity among ourselves as people seeking to live. Regardless of whether the assistance comes from government, our families or our communities, we should be seeking to take care of each other to ensure the betterment of all who live here.
What do you think m will happen if the minimum wage is increased? The business owners will just pass this added increase in expenses onto the consumer. That means the $10 an hour won’t be enoigh because prices are too high.
It is really stupid to think otherwise.
What a nonsense argument. The government is subsidizing and facilitating the low minimum wage. Let companies who cannot afford to pay a living wage go out of business. Its called the Free Market.
If you can’t add more than $10 of value an hour to your employer, maybe it’s not the employer who is the problem.
I know a man who was justifiably approved for NAU support (this was over 10 years ago). After waiting for most of a year for the subsidy to commence, he passed away from a long-term medical issue. On the morning he died, his family received a call that he could come and collect his cheque!
Thankfully they allowed that subsidy to proceed to help with his funeral costs but he died heartbroken!
Why couldn’t his family help him? I’m sure he had land, house, car etc that they are waiting to cash out.
Stop being do unhuman.
But then you are a well paid Alden / Mac Bot, so you do not understand hardship.
No I am not. I went to school and I worked hard. I did not and do not expect handouts regardless of my situation. If I cannot afford something I do without. I live within my means and look further ahead than next week. I’m planning for my retirement and what happens for me financially and health wise. I am not foolish enough to think that I can just spend every penny now because I have it. I do not expect the govt to help me because they only help the lazy.
The govt should only help the disabled, or the elderly that truly have no options. However, it is not the correct way of thinking that when you get old the govt will help you. Why aren’t we as a very small society trying to help ourselves.
You should ask why his family was so inhuman that they could not help their family member.
His only child that was taking care of him had 3 strokes and now requires care as well.
In saying this you clearly have no idea of cross generational poverty. If I have nothing, cannot make ends meet myself, how in Gods name am I supposed to help other family members.
”Stop being do unhuman.”
You illustrate the problem nicely.
There is a caymanian head of NAU and all employees at the NAU are Caymanians. This is nothing more than Caymanians tearing down Caymanians. The people holdihg those signs needs to go find a job and stop blaming others for their misfortunes and laziness.
Head and employees may be Caymanian, but the beneficiaries are Jamaican.
Seems very unlikely given the law
Thats precisely the point I think they were trying to get across. Since our own people have somehow become our worse enemy they’re escalating the concerns to a higher power for at least awareness on the issues. We’re a Global Britain remember ?
I really hope neither you or your family never HAVE to go to NAU.
It is one of the most humiliating things to have to do in life to lay out your private life on the ground for others to see and be judgemental.
I guess you should just be allowed to show up and say I need money and get it no questions asked.
Your problems come from your parents who never taught you how to take responsibility for your selves. You have allowed yourselves to grow up with no skills, no work ethic, and no self respect. You have my pity. Now grow a pair and learn a skill like the rest of us.
Parents ? You mean father and mother who breed and walk away. Another of the benefits of Mac and his Jamaicanisation of Cayman.
You can’t keep blaming Jamaicans and doing nothing to educate these new Caymanians. I get what you’re saying but throwing around this generalization isn’t changing anything. Start by demanding better education and get people to demand with you and soon things may change. Then you can find a whole new group of people to blame for your lack of human standards.
The best schools are no match for a culture that does not hold education, skill and good work ethics as a priority. Personal responsibility is not a gift. It must be earned. You need to live it to teach it.
It’s true
You can only blame your parents for so long. After that you are responsible for yourself. We are now in the world of the internet and YouTube. If you want to learn something it is right there freely available. You can change your mindset and be a different person at any point in time. You do not have to repeat the cycle.
Whether you choose to improve yourself or choose not to improve yourself is your choice as an adult.
With social services spending millions supporting non Caymanians, what do we expect?
Non Caymanians receiving more funding from Government than Caymanians. Plus, every year, those non Caymanians are sending millions of dollars back to their own Countries.
It is time our Cayman Government Woke-Up and realize that foreigners are financially raping the Cayman Islands & it’s people !!
Is that what your non working friends and family are telling you? A job is when you just show up and some one gives you funds? That’s what you think working is? Get some working friends. Try and listen to them.
From what I see, Caymanians get looked after better than most. It is a very beneficial and “hand out driven” society compared to a lot of countries.
You may wish to change you lens next time you “watch”!
“Systemic genocide”. That was funny.
Says the white foreigner…..LOL
…said the black racist…LOL
Must be mosquitoes or green iguanas or lionfish.
It is unfortunate that these people demonstrating about not getting assistance from the government feel that families are not responsible for their loved ones. It is not the the government’s responsibility to take care of everyone’s needs but instead families need to take care of each other. Children need to care for their aging parents instead of waiting on government or hand outs. Treasury also provides medical loans which Caymanians can apply if they choose to assist themselves or family with medical needs. However instead of being more proactive to help their situation they choose to show how entitled they feel which is part of the reason the number of persons on welfare has grown so rapidly over the years. This is not the Cayman way of yesteryear and we need to reinstate the pride, dignity and ambition we once had.
If our Government would stop granting so many “high school” level work permits …..more Caymanians would be able to work.
Caymanians are willing to work in the hot sun, (e.g Road Clean-up time ),
that means Caymanians are willing to work in the shade too !!
Government needs to STOP allowing work permits to so many cheap labor foreigners
Then parents and the schools should tell these children that they should apply for these jobs and not just expect to start jobs at the top.
Plus you know those road clean up people were not all real Caymanians. Majority were Jamaicans.
I so wish this was true, but lets say it has not been my experience. Caymanians take more time off than other workers, arrive late, leave early and generally lack a work ethic. Note I am not saying all Caymanians but rather the experience I personally have had. This is fact, not racism.
The short little cash grab government work program? Lol. Yeah it’s easy for them to show up for a few weeks rather than the whole year.
If only the NAU was able to provide the same subsistence levels, as the unemployed and unemployable “Royals” receive, there would be no need for fundraising to cover basic needs for Caymanians and a significant decrease in the crime rate.
Exactly.
Maybe they should put all that money into playing a lottery. The chances of that happening are better.
Me Esther WALTON Zepeda needed much help….
In evereting …. I’m can’t live with $650 at month, I’ Work ver y HARD in the road… SOS … I’m live un The Cayman Brac….. Thank’s … Blessings .. .
These activists should take their signs and stand in front of the Government Admin Building or outside of the Legislative Building- not to the airport during the arrival of the Duke and Duchess how are they going to help you- Hold the politicians accountable
We tried, it doesn’t work!
All I hear is… we tried once and gave up after an hour.
Caymanians need to voice their problems more than what they are doing. There is a alot of injustice happening to the young and elderly on this little rock. The worst thing to do when filling an application form is to put your nationality as caymanian.You will never get an interview.
Mostly foreigners are employed into the Needs Assessment Unit and they have no interest in helping the elderly caymanians they only looking out for there own people
And crackheads. They get the most handouts. Rent, cuc i can go on an on. All i see here is lazy ass caymanians. Why una dont go protest in front of mckeeva front door?? The only time he business is election time. Or wait go protest in front of Whogene door!!
Utter drivel. EVERY single one of the staff at NAU is Caymanian. Check it out.
Thank you Katina Anglin & Levon Bodden for spearheading change in the NAU. My dad suffered needlessly because of the NAU & GOVT.
Kristine Phillips
Government wouldn’t help my father. I borrowed money from the bank and helped him myself and I’m his only child. Indigents should be able to get CINICO. If that doesn’t help, then get relatives to pitch in and do fundraisers.
NAU is helping out too many able bodied people instead of the elderly and people who really needed it. Just the other day, someone offered someone a job and they refused it because they are getting help from NAU. The worst part is Government give these people status and then they have to be supported by NAU. Not saying that any of the above is relative to you because I don’t know your circumstances but I have learned not to depend on anyone to help me least of all government.
I thought that you were only allowed NAU once you became full fledged Caymanian and not just a regular status holder and if you tried to request NAU then it would be revoked.
I do think if you have no blood relatives then status/ residency should be revoked no matter the timeline otherwise people will wait until the timeline then start applying and you can’t deport them. Some not all only came to the Cayman Islamds to get free handouts.
Looks like some people want to import poverty. If the people can’t financially sustain themselves in the Cayman Islands, then they need to go home. It is not the Cayman govts responsibility to take care of people from other countries just because they want to live here.
If you are a politician imported poverty that gets status and is entitled to vote is a great deal – costs way less to buy their votes
In the Brac they are giving status today and tomorrow they giving social services
Check the affordable houses on the bluff west end
^this.
750. In Cayman. Big Cayman Islands where gas costs more than $3…Cayman Cayman….and this is okay hooooow? You lost me there dear sir ?
None of these concerns have a thing to do with the UK
You should be protesting MLA offices and the government building
this is comical
This is a shocking. Somebody died, because nobody cared. That is ALWAYS relevant.
43 thumbs up, says something about how far this christian place has deteriorated.
Very sad…..
One day it will be your turn.
@ 5:48 pm
Typical British response; no heart, no compassion. Cold blooded and callous.
How can you say these concerns have nothing to do with the UK?
We are a British Overseas Territory, are we not?
An internally autonomous BOT if you are holding the UK responsible when we have our own elected officials and our own elected representatives who have the power to handle our issues then you are being either illogical or disingenuous or both
The UK has left us to our own devices for decades
Hold Caymanians responsible for our issues not some faroff British government boogeyman
We have 4 million people in UK living in poverty and you want us to be worried about what is happening in the Cayman Islands. Get real!
I’m guessing your definition of poverty is <60% of the median? Whilst Cayman's poor are not the UK's problem statistics like yours are really, really dumb.
We don’t pay UK taxes. It’s not their problem.
Last time I checked our fellow CAYMANIANS have been running this mess for decades
What is the point of flashing a couple signs at a man who has absolutely nothing to do with the issues that are going on here?
You’ll never see any of these people protesting their own MLAs or actually talking to the people who make the choices here
This is all about putting on a show of political resolve in one of the most politically apathetic places I have ever lived as a Caymanian it is disappointing to see people demonstrating when someone prominent comes but these demonstrators vanish as soon as there is no international attention
They want to be seen as victims they don’t actually want to work toward solutions
Amen and this group seems to be spreading hate instead of solutions and people need to be careful who they associate with if those individuals or groups are not offering solutions.
It is called Cayman christianity .
Me first.
Keep on hating on Christianity, when it did you nothing. Rather, it’s peoples’ ulterior motives and selfishness that you’re upset about….without even realizing.
Religion was never the problem, the peoples’ desire to control and dictate to others is the issue!
People continue to use Religion (and Politics) as the scape-goat for their own filthy agendas.