Premier’s confidence in port support wavers
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin appeared despondent over government’s situation regarding the cruise port campaign, when he appeared at the fourth public meeting on the issue Thursday evening at the Elmslie Church, George Town. During the meeting he appeared to lose confidence in public support for the project for the first time, saying that if he had known how controversial it would become, government might never have embarked on the proposal, adding that people should vote ‘no’ if they think it is not the right decision.
“The truth of the matter is, had we believed this was going to be anywhere near as controversial as it has now become, we probably would not have even touched it,” he said.
In a sombre meeting, Planning Minister Joey Hew, Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell and the premier all appeared to lack enthusiasm about promoting the project. They were clearly despondent about what appears to be a failure to break through the growing public opposition, although the premier was still clinging onto claims that, having campaigned on the port over two elections, the government had a mandate.
At one point McLaughlin even appealed for help, asking for suggestions on how best to get government information on the project to the public, as he claimed to be doing his very best to inform people. But when asked to put a hold on the project to allow time for more research and to gather information in a effort to gain public support, he said he did not think there would ever be a time when those opposing the proposal would be satisfied, and that there was enough information in the public domain.
McLaughlin said government had spent six years reaching this point and revised his recent comments that the process so far had cost the public purse $5 million, saying he had been “shocked” to learn it was actually $9 million.
“There is, I believe, enough information out there for people to make the decision about whether or not this is a good idea for Cayman,” he said, although he admitted that voters will not have all the information before they go to the polls. But he said he did not think government could change the minds of those who are passionately opposed and feel it is a terrible idea; for those who are agnostic or unsure, there is enough information.
“The reality is if you don’t think this is the direction that Cayman should go then you should vote no and the government will abide by whatever the people’s decision is.”
McLaughlin once again made the claim that the cruise industry would die without piers and said the numbers of people that depended on the cruise sector was nearly five thousand. However, the premier once again failed to note that many of those are taxi drivers and owners, as well as tour operators who also cater to the growing and increasingly much more lucrative overnight guests.
It has also been established that the cruise lines are not going to stop coming. Even the premier admitted that the business would not go away overnight and even with the emergence of bigger ships, there are still dozens of smaller or boutique luxury boats sailing this region, all of which want to call on Cayman.
But finally appearing to see that public opinion is not broadly in support of the project, McLaughlin continued to press home a message of fear that unless Cayman gives the cruise lines what they want, people here will lose their jobs, businesses, homes and be in dire circumstances, despite his claims of a robust economy and the continuous and apparently unstoppable overnight tourism growth.
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Category: development, Local News, Politics
Has Alden resigned yet?
Alden is our Trump. Only problem is that we don’t have a Hillary…
The cruise ship companies will take the cruise visitor tax (laughing all the way to the bank), strangle the tour operators into unsustainably low prices that in turn will plunge safety and quality standards into the abyss (they currently already do this by the way) and then cram the island so full of the cheapest of cheap visitors the residents and stay over tourists wont have a piece of anything decent (let alone paradise) left. Vote NO to mass cruise tourism EXPLOITATION! There is NO mandate (I am Red Bay voter and Alden did not stand on that single issue) and I have absolutely no wish to even been on the same continent, let along same island, for the 2 years that it will take to build a dock and the chaos and sadness that will unfold around it as we all realize someone has made a terrible mistake. That could be you Moses.
How can we get the local boat operators that are in support of this fiasco to understand that the only thing this will for them is that the cruiselines will continue to force them to keep undercutting each other until they’re makeing LESS than they are now. They said it – “we’re not in the tour business – we’re a wholesaler who looks for the best price and then resell the tours on our ships. We are paying the operators the price that they asked for”. VOTE NO!
I think General Custer said it best: “Ohh crap!!”
I actually feel sorry for the Premier. If he and Moses had just spent a little time to get all the facts together and dialogue with the public instead of throwing out so many sound bites and so much misinformation things might have turned out different. I wish they had also just decided to improve the cargo part of the port, make the area where the tourist line up to board the ships nicer by having covered walkways with local musicians recorded music and a lemonade stand for the guests to pick up a complimentary drink on their way through. The government made it controversial from the get go! Mr. Premier it is not too late, as my mother always to us ” only a fool or a dead person who cannot change their minds”. You Mr. Premier is neither. Please do not destroy the environment out there with all the dive sites, coral and fish to do this dock . Surely you do not want to go down in history as the Premier who destroyed the Harbour!! Remember the other Premier did nothing worthy of admiration during his tenure. Come on you are better than this!! Talk with Atlee Bodden and Adrien Briggs about improving their tenders, if they won’t then simply get others to do it. Spend the extra money on making low interest loans available to interested persons to develop more tourists attractions, fix the Dump, crime, education, social services, roads, the district clinics, etc. this is enough to keep any government busy for the next 15/20 years. As long as there are cruise ships plying the Caribbean they will come. We do not need to destroy what we have to achieve that! Blessings Mr.. Premier.