Premier tries new tactic to promote port
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin has launched a new social media and mobile app to promote interaction with Caymanians about shaping the future of the country. While the leader of the coalition government said the aim of the app is for everyone to take part in a debate on the direction Cayman needs to go, he made it clear that “Caymanians 2025” is, at present at least, a way to promote the port project as an intrinsic part of the future, despite the significant opposition to it.
The premier invited people to use the tool to ask him questions about the port project as well as other issues impacting the country. Explaining the purpose and why it is focusing on 2025, the premier said the decisions and actions we take today will create the living realities in 2025 through 2050 and beyond.
He also said it was the time-frame over which work on proposed projects that have begun under the two administrations he has led, such as the airport, the mental health facility, the waste management project and road development, would be completed.
“I believe it is essential for all of us to take part in the debate about Cayman’s future,” he said in a statement about this new promotional platform for government. “In encouraging you to take part, I recognise that as premier I have a special responsibility to make sure that you are well informed about the choices we face and that you are able to get answers to your questions.”
He said the new initiative would get information directly into the hands of the people and give them the opportunity to get questions answered.
“The government is doing much to ensure that you have the information that you need to take a full part in the national debate. Not least in the
current referendum, Cayman has important decisions to make and that is why in addition to the government’s efforts my colleagues and I have put together a resource, independent of government, to help get the information you need into your hands,” the premier added.
The free mobile app, called “Caymanians 2025” is available on the major app stores. McLaughlin said work was being done to make sure it contains everything people need to know about the decisions being made that effect them.
“This is an open invitation to everyone in Cayman who feels their questions have not been answered,” he said, inviting people to ask him via social media or email.
He said he expected that most of the questions right now would focus on the debate about whether Cayman should move forward with the port project, but he hoped in time people will move on to other important issues that will guide Cayman’s future.
“The referendum is not a matter to take lightly. It’s our opportunity to take control over what happens to us today and tomorrow. I don’t want any of us to feel we were not prepared to make this decision,” he said. “All of us need to take responsibility for the quality of life we will have in 2025 through to the next generation in 2050. As responsible decision-makers, we can chart a positive and ambitious future for our country based on sound plans for sustainable economic growth. Or we can ignore reality and believe that we can let the status quo remain, hoping for the best.”
He said the debate about the port was about deciding the direction that these islands will take on 19 December that will impact upon the next generation.
And while many people would certainly agree with that sentiment, many might disagree with the premier’s position that if people don’t support the port project, Cayman will effectively be pushed out of the cruise business, a claim that remains unsubstantiated.
The premier implied that without the piers, cruise business in Cayman will diminish over time and have a knock-on effect on other things, such as government’s finances, entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for Caymanians, maintaining a good standard of living, and whether the reefs around George Town Harbour are in a better or worse condition by 2050.
“So while the question on the ballot paper in this referendum might be about cruise berthing and enhanced cargo facilities, the question for the country really is whether we still have the confidence in ourselves and in our future to grasp the opportunities before us,” he said.
Despite his recent apparent despondency about where public sentiment lies on this project, McLaughlin said he thought that the majority of Caymanians believed the same as him.
“The referendum gives them the chance to show their confidence in themselves and in a prosperous future,” the premier stated. “The choice facing the people of the Cayman Islands on 19 December is a clear one. We can choose to move forward with building our new cruise berthing and enhanced cargo port facilities. If we do so, we guarantee that cruise ships will continue to bring their visitors to Grand Cayman,” he said.
He again stated that an enhanced cargo facility will mean bigger ships, which will drive down the costs of imported goods, even though government has produced no evidence to support this claim.
Reiterating the ongoing talking points about cruise ships getting bigger, which again is not supported by the industry order book, and that Caymanians will lose their jobs and their businesses will fail, even though the overnight sector, which produces three times more revenue than cruise business, is booming.
McLaughlin said that without the port project, “there will be a cost to pay”, as he asked those opponents who he believes will be running for office in the future to accept responsibility for the impact the decision will have on the delivery of sustainable living for all Caymanians.
“All Caymanians must be responsible and participate in the process of making and implementing the right strategic decisions for the well-being of our family, community and country,” he said.
The premier said he came into politics because he wanted to help shape the future of our Islands. “I still do. The launch of the Caymanians 2025 initiative gives you the opportunity to take part in the debate about what the future might be for the benefit of the next generation of Caymanians,” he added.
The public can ask the premier questions by posting on Facebook at Caymanians 2025, via Twitter at caymanians2025, or by email at contact@caymanians2025.com
He will answer through the app, through social media and through a video podcast posted on the YouTube channel, Caymanians 2025.
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Category: Politics
If you let December come and you have not sought to tell the people the Truth, then be prepared for the Truth to expose itself. We see everything and have ears everywhere.
Don’t be stupid.
Moses “the money maker” Kirkconnell….c’mon Mr. Alden… you have lot’s of supporters in Grand… bite the bullet and make Mr. Moses know that this cannot work now…voting is different over here in the Brac…
This government should be desperate. They are obviously only in the game for personal gain with no regard for the Cayman citizens or our country. Vote “NO” and also vote these scoundrels out!
It would take a special kind of stupid to voluntary download and install an app by this regime which tracks your phone, cookies, and website visits, and only delivers fake propaganda in return. Read the non-privacy policy folks.
If the Govt was so concerned about what our young people thought (by creating this app), they would also allow the 300+ newly registered voters to vote in the upcoming Referendum – wha u tink?
Anyone who downloads this app is a fool. Read the terms of service. This app gives CI Government and the Trinidad creators of the app access to your location, emails, contacts, photos, the camera, microphone to record audio, and more.
Read it. It’s right there in the fine print.
#lame
Apple does NOT allow Developers to track any of their users.
If you have an Android device, you should chuck it in the trash and get a device where your privacy is protected.
Wrong. If you give an app permission to spy on you then Apple cannot stop it. In order to use this particular app you must allow it access to virtually everything in your phone.
You are either ignorant of this or lying to make this app seem harmless. Which is it?
No.
Apple will not approve your app if the Developer is tracking people/monitoring them. Full stop.
No amount of legality will allow it with Apple.
Obviously, you know nothing of which you speak.
You are either clueless or dishonest. Read the terms of service for this app. Use of it requires permission to access contacts, microphone, photos, location and more.
No thanks Alden!
Vote no!
But WAIT, he can’t answer the letters from the Trust nor the plethora of letters from CPR group – but has time to answer questions through an APP at this late stage in the game.
At Government meetings, we the people ONLY GOT 1 piece of paper (4″ x 4″) to write down our question that was sifted through, (lucky if yours was read) and the rest were to be put up on Verdant Isle website (within 72 hours) if they were not answered at the meeting. You had your chance – you BLEW IT.
Why is the app necessary? Trying to appease the “millennials”?
GOVERNMENT — JUST GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE AND SPEAK WITH YOUR PEOPLE in the regular town hall fashion like we have always had. Not guarded, not protected by outsiders, not facilitated by outsiders. Caymanian to Caymanian. We all bleed the same color blood my friend. One is no better than the other.
For love of country!
VOTE NO on the 19th, SAVE OUR SEAS, save our Caymanians, save our Tourism – cruise and stay-over! Most of all Save our ISLAND. I want my children and my future grand-children (if I am blessed with any) to see the beauty I have seen for so many years, as a 4th generational Caymanian.
Our forefathers are rolling in their graves! Especially the men who risked their lives out to sea!
Today we had 15000 cruise ship passengers in port. We had a very good day, but not one decent sale to a cruiser. These people do not have any money to spend I the first place. They are, not always, but usually, very frugal. Trust me no one off a Carnival or RCL is making my day in terms of sales.
And thank you PPM for forcing me to pay double time for a flipping public holiday on December 19th. What a bunch of entitled, obtuse, no idea whatever their constituents want or what challenges they are facing. As usual they are either daft or selfish. They don’t need to know that December 19 is a moronic day for both a referendum as well as a forced public holiday because they live in a bubble of high pay that we provide.
Cayman 2025 is sponsored by the MLA’s of the Government of National Unity.
The politicians are running their own social campaign despite hiring Fountainhead, Tower Marketing and Kelly Holdings as PR agencies paid for by the public purse.
Roy Tatum is the administrator for 2025 Cayman and multiple new Face Book pages and social media outlets that are popping up. This is desperation at its best. Good luck to them all because the people are making clear that none of the politicians can be trusted. They now represent the cruise lines and special interests groups that fund their campaigns. In 2021 they will be voted out for failing to listen to the people and forgetting who they are elected to represent. Two years away from the election they are all lame ducks just like the Premier.
Drain the swamp 2021
God Bless Roy.
This is a no brainer…Build the Port now!
Yes, Cayman Mon, you are a no brainer! Thank you for letting us know.
So let the younger generations at 9-18 make the decision for the port why should we let the old dead beats make the path for the future generation.
Pretty sure all the young kids are wiser than the premier and boomer CIG servants.
This was demonstrated already by the protest.
Cymanians first! It is their home, they live here.
Take care of your own people first. Not hordes of cruise ships passengers.
Fix the dump, educate children, public bus system , trade schools, roads interchanges, reduce toxic load on resident’s health from poisoned environment. Investigate why everyone seem to be dying of cancer.
.
Their Facebook page, which is what this app links up to, is “liked” by just 157 kool aid-drinking dummies. Sad.
Forgive me if I have very little confidence in any social media initiatives put forward by this government after the FaceBook performances we’ve seen by Mckeeva and David Wight.
What a great idea! We can now ask the Premier DIRECTLY about issues impacting the country!
Hey young Caymanians! Get on that app and ask your Premier DIRECTLY why he has not implemented a single one of the Auditor General’s recommendations for fixing the FAILED public school system. Appendix 3, page 63:
http://www.auditorgeneral.gov.ky/powerpanel/modules/reports/html/uploads/pdfs/Performance-Audit-Reports-School-education—Final-report.pdf
Ask him why, after spending over $100 million dollars on Clifton Hunter High School, only 39% of students are achieving at the expected level. Go on. Ask him. Post his answers right here!
On your question at the end, there is only so much one can do with the raw materials. You are expecting educational alchemy?
Nope, you’re wrong. Cayman children in private schools doing just fine. When a paving machine operator is also Minister of education what kind of results do you expect? My personal opinion is that your government wants your children to be dumb and hold menial jobs after they graduate, easier to manipulate. For the same reason there are no trade schools to reeducate/retrain unemployable. My parents had zero involvement in my school years, they had no time, working, yet, level of education in my country exceeds that of USA for example. The main issue here is CIG has no strategy when it comes to education. Who do they want their children to be in 21st century and how to accomplish that.
Exactly… blow it up with questions… bet you can’t flip it on it’s side…
There is a Caymanians 2025 twitter account and it is fascinating who they are following…
I am not on twitter so plz tell
Pleased to:
Centre for the Blue Economy (like the CIG cares?)
Coral Watch (clearly the CIG does NOT care)
Sea Turtle Conservancy (Conservation? BAHAHAHAAHAA)
The Arc Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (There won’t be anything left to study after they build the port)
Lisa Friedman – Climate Change Reporter for the NY Times
Global Youth for Climate Action (You can’t make this stuff up!!)
UN Environment Programme
Seriously, worth your time to go have a look. And the profile pic for the page is *drum roll please* None Other Thannnnnnnnnnnnn:
Alden McLaughlin!
What’s an App? There’s a whole bunch of folks like myself who don’t do this c*** and those who do are probably mostly smart enough to recognise BS when they see it. Dumb move.
👍
Uhmmmm….. it’s 2019, almost 2020. Apps are not c***.
No need to be a “smarty pants“. Many use smart phones just for calling and texting. Nothing is wrong with that.
3:02 comment demonstrates that your Premier has no idea who his people are and how to reach them. He wants support of people who have no idea what an App is, (and nothing is wrong with that, many simply not needed on this rock), using technology they don’t understand and don’t use.
Ignorance is never an excuse.
Inform yourself and you will see what an absolute waste of public funds creating this app was.
Educate yourself on the modern politrick tactics of 2019.
Desperate times call for desperate measures…Stop spending our freaken money, Alden..You have already gone through $9M without a damn thing to show for it..Enough is Enough..can’t wait for December 19th…VOTE NO!!
VOTE NO for the port
VOTE NO for Alden and his government
VOTE NO for the 2025 app
He could just have used a Twitter account like the POTUS.
He has one, it’s fluff, and one of his paid people manage it.
To: Camille Pagee and her company Connect Consulting Ltd. you just walked into a major political fray and your app is pathetic.
Despite have a wide range of App Developers and tech companies in Cayman, apparently none of them wanted to touch this app with a ten foot pole.
BTW Ms. Pagee – Terrible, terrible app. It’s a template app and it shows. Complete and utter WASTE OF CAYMANIANS MONEY.
What a disgrace. If he cared so much about listening to people then maybe he and his cronies (Moses, Joey etc) would have spoken to their constituents and actually listened to them. And if they wanted to give answers why aren’t they? Does someone want to explain to me what happens to businesses in GT while the port is under construction? Jobs will be created? Jobs will also be lost, but they haven’t addressed that.
Leave Joey out of it, he is very busy causing chaos on the roads and not doing a damn thing about the stinking pile of shit right in the middle of his constituency.
There has been public meetings in every district, go tonight to Bodden Town and ask him the questions there.
Do you have to submit your questions beforehand?
Yes, all questions are vetted and sanitized for the moderator to read out loud. Anything controversial will not be said..
This is more fudge. There is no real engagement at the so called public meetings. Is propaganda at best. Filtered questions, non answers and no rebuttals. You call that dialogue or consultaton? I call that spin. Now we have more wasted money on an App. Are you kidding me? This is not Alden answering his questions, more folks paid our money to answer for him. What a waste of time. This is beyond a joke now.
Is there a limit how much could be spent on promoting the project nobody wants? Meantime people die prematurely from cancer and nothing is being done to reduce toxic load on residents from the dump, mosquitoes control, incinerators, etc.
I can’t believe how dumb one has to be to believe he/she is invincible and other issues are more important. Nothing is more important than health. Once it is gone, it is gone for good.
Frankly, the dumbest people live on this rock.
Absolutely DISGUSTING the CIG farmed that app out to a company in Trinidad when there are a number of Caymanians on island that develop apps.
The CIG doesn’t even want to use a company in their own CEC or Tech Zone. Speaks volumes, no?
Exactly! Hypocrisy at its best. People need jobs is being screamed on every corner, yet he hires overseas.
Vote No
You may be smart enough to realize how important building up the port may be to Cayman but your voters are not. Give it up my friend you are fighting yourself.
Next Alden will have the helicopter and mosquito plane dropping propaganda pamphlets from the skies. Standby!
If he wasn’t considering that before, he is now…
Vote NO
coooool wonder how much of many money went to pay for this while I cant afford the down payment on a house. But hey glad to see where our governments priorities are.
More money wasted! FIX THE FRIGGING DUMP!!!
Can’t help but think this money could have bought a few electric busses……
Where is the app that enacts SIPL Law, and ensures the LA membership improves by 2025?
You’ll notice the “Caymanians 2025” page itself has existed on facebook since September, and has been posting for all of this month and nowhere not even once do they disclose that it is a page for the government, run by the government or part of a government initiative
Manufacturing consent right before your eyes
The government is desperate and it shows
More BS.
The app better be free as it’s really just to promote the port project and was probably designed using our money.
He has shaped a future where the guests of Cayman are the entitled…thanks Aldart (said no Caymanian ever).
No Civil Servant can sign up to this since it means their questions (& comments?) can be tracked back to their log-in, i.e., they cannot be anonymous, i,e., maintain the appearance of neutrality. – Hopefully the Deputy Governor will clarify this quickly before too many are caught in a trap of unintended consequences.
So that brings the total up to what? 3 or 4 social media groups set up by the government and nominally ‘independent’ pro port groups trying to desperately convince people to support this project
and some of these pages have been up for a while now without disclosing who was behind them,
SupPort our Tourism
Cayman’s Port, Cayman’s Future (run by ‘independent’ people many of whom are conveniently the only people who show up in pro port ads run by the government)
Caymanians 2025
Cayman Port Fact Checker
Worked so well for Vision 2008, why not do it again, just kick the can down the road
Pathetic and laughable. He’s not wrong that decisions need to be made but he shouldn’t be anywhere near them and I don’t need to ask him any questions he’s capable of answering.