Defence Bill ready to go to the Legislative Assembly
(CNS): Government has gazetted the draft legislation to give legal standing to the creation of the Cayman Islands Regiment. The bill was gazetted this week, giving an opportunity for public comment before it goes to the Legislative Assembly at the next sitting, which is expected next month. The bill, which defines the local army as a reserve force, outlines its purpose as well as the administration of, and rules surrounding, the regiment.
“The Regiment may be required to perform military services, including training and non-combatant services, both in and outside of the Islands,” the bill states.
The draft law also makes it clear that the voluntary regiment’s main roles are providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as assisting the police and the coastguard. But the law also permits these reserve soldiers to carry guns when on duty with the authority of the commanding officer. As the governor has constitutional powers for local defence, clause 7 provides him with the ability to direct the force at his discretion.
However, Governor Martyn Roper has been keen to stress that the regiment is Cayman’s reserve force and not a tool of the UK.
Speaking at the first passing out parade in August, Roper said the UK’s only interest was seeing the regiment build greater resilience here and in the region for humanitarian and disaster relief. He said it was up to the people of the Cayman Islands how best to develop this new group of local reserves.
The idea for a local voluntary reserve army was the premier’s. Alden McLaughlin had asked the UK about establishing a regiment here after the Bermuda Regiment assisted Cayman in the wake of Hurricane Ivan. But it was not until some fifteen years later, after Roper was appointed governor and when Mark Lancaster was the UK’s defence minister, that the request was taken seriously.
Anyone with comments about the proposed bill can contact the Governor’s Office here.
See the draft legislation in the CNS Library.
Category: Local News
Our friends will be pointing those guns at us soon enough.
Yes, following the UKs Colonial oppression pattern.
I love how many people actually think this is a sign of a coup. Everyone needs to chill. Kenneth Bryan was having an aneurism on that trash show this morning.
A coup? What, by the government? That’s a new one on me.
Read the comments. Everyone is spazzing out
The Bill attempts to legitimize the fact that the the army was illgally established without lawful authority by the wonderful Rule of Law Governor. The UK’s governance is better than fictional comedy.
We do not need this army!! 🙁
Is the Governor following Boris Johnson with his Brexit fiasco. He is hell bent on making a mess in the U.K., like we had here wit( the CP imposed on us. Are we asleep at the wheel? We must wake up!
Do people not remember this government misleading the public during the whole port debate? The misleading radio ads?
The opportunists disguised as ecological experts? The outright lies? The Don’t-question-us-we-know-what’s-best attitude?
And these are the same people you believe are doing right by you NOW?
Meantime in Bermuda
“The island was “back up and running in record time” after Hurricane Paulette hit, the national security minister said yesterday.”
Premier, who said the island had “by and large fared well against the latest test that 2020 has brought us”.
Mr Burt added: “It is a source of some considerable pride in our island that less than 24 hours after a hurricane warning was dropped in our country, our main roads are clear, the airport is open, transport and other public services will resume tomorrow, and our children will shortly be returning to school.
“This speaks to our preparation, our leadership at various levels in this crisis, and the overarching desire of the people of Bermuda to always get to work.”
HOW long would it take to restore power to the entire island in Cayman? 36,000 Belco customers in Bermuda= the entire island.
I think you will find that no one in Cayman gives a ratsa$$ about the goings on in Bermuda. Yet … you keep positing these useless tidbits in every article. Why?
It’s a fair comment from the original poster to be fair pal. We were shocking post Earthquake and will be equally as shit post Hurricane.
Obviously you weren’t here for Hurricane Ivan. I would like to see Bermuda go through that and survive like we did?
What use were the British soldiers they sent us other than to walk around with machine guns like we were criminals and to bring us some horse blankets to cover up a few roofs. They didn’t even have bottled water to give us.
I’m sorry that you feel the way you do but us Caymanians have a way of coming together when necessary and we don’t need any type of military to do that.
Great practice for the next one.
Maybe he/she/. Maybe homesick and needs a push to leave ya!
“However, Governor Martyn Roper has been keen to stress that the regiment is Cayman’s reserve force and not a tool of the UK.”
So if the Governor is in charge of them, how are they not a tool of the UK?
I thought he was in charge of all the security forces of the Cayman Islands and he is the direct representative of the UK..
Things that make you go hmmm..Why are we Caymanians all so gullible?
8.58pm Do you really think the Police Commissioner called the shots on the curfew and lockdown just because he announced the arrangements. So many Caymanians did, you are right about being gullible.
If you read the legislation it also turns out that the regiment is subject to UK military law and the command of British army units. All of which is strictly necessary for a hurricane relief organisation.
Just what we need, more military!
Can we do like Barbados and dump the UK?
The association with the UK is the last bastion of what gives Cayman a bit of credibility on the world stage. Going independent will result in us just being another banana republic island. Our current leaders can barely cope as it is. Imagine going independent! Gasp!
Imagine the mass exodus, then, imagine a financial crisis because no cash flow is coming in but the government and civil service still double dips. No pensions left, half built condos which turn into eye sores like the old Hyatt which in turns leads to wealthy tourism gone because the island is a huge dump. Imagine the government then approving anyone to work here which brings every more riff raff from all around us. Imagine that.
Let’s look at some of that association.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/internal-market-bill-breaks-international-law
We could use our military to attack our number one enemy – Mount Trashmore. Could be Alden’s Waterloo moment.
More likely they’d defend it on his behalf.
What and end up like Jamaican and parts of the Bahamas – awful places.
So let me get this right. We trained a regiment with no law to give it legal standing…Whatever happened to the “rule of law?”
Seriously, you can’t make this $hit up anymore.
How did this happen? Can Alden or the Governor explain, please?
Don’t you know that in Cayman everything is done “after the fact?” It’s the ‘rule of law.”
Al’T hss a nice shiny rubber stamp over at the CPA. Maybe the Governor and Alden can borrow that and we can abolish the Legislative Assembly and save ourselves from having to pay all of the MLA’s.
Exactly! exactamente! exactement! genau!
Love Larner’s facial expression in the background, doesn’t look impressed with the other officers and Alden laughing and joking!
This is the result of drinking too much Fiji Water aka Coup l’Aid.
We’re doomed. Doomed!
I did not realise we had so many strange posters of the QAnon/Trump variety on CNS. I expect we shall soon get one from Roy Bodden warning us about some colonial conspiracy or another to let England take over using this Dads Army and keep the black man down.
QAnon is a load of crap designed by the elite to paralyze gullible conservatives.
They actually believe that paedophiles in high places will be rounded up.
They also believe that Obama and Clinton will be arrested and charged with treason.
They are also convinced that George Bush Snr and John McCain were executed for crimes against the state.
Incredulously, they are also convinced that JFK Jr. is still alive and will help Trump take down the Deep State who are apparently conspiring to take over the world.
What a load of complete bollocks. They say, “Where we go one, we go all.”
Now that part is true, like lambs they will all be led to the slaughter.
There is indeed a conspiracy afoot, but it is much deeper than a left-right fake paradigm.
We will soon be presented with a one-world government and a one-world religion. Dissent will not be tolerated regardless of whether you are religious, conservative, liberal, anarchist. agnostic or no label.
To enforce this New World Order Theocracy, military force will be needed and MartYn Roper must know about it.
Hopefully some of his soldiers will wake up and defect to protect the weak and defenceless rather than be the jackboot of a despotic, globalist government.
Donald Trump is comíng to save no one. Notice he has done just enough to convince evangelicals, right-leaning centrists and conservatives that he actually is a viable defender of solid values.
That evil man is a lightning rod for trouble and he is quite happy for America to be in turmoil as he pays off his immense debt to the Zionist bankers that bailed his sorry ass out of billions in debt back in the 90s.
If you have enjoyed church today, please find someone less fortunate than yourselves and do something nice for them.
XXXXX
There is no way to stop the New World Order. They control the wealth of the world. President Trump is just an entertainer.
@5:38pm, I’ll bet you’re a holocaust denier as well.
No, I am not a Holocaust Denier, XXX
CNS: I’ve deleted the batshit crazy antisemitic drivel. Please get help. If you are Anonymous above, you have dismissed one lunatic fringe conspiracy theory for another that is equally mad. I should have picked up on the One World bollox. There is a vast amount of literature debunking this nonsense but I’m guessing you wouldn’t believe it. BTW, the antisemitism crosses over into QAnon, which basically absorbs all crazy conspiracy theories into its general craziness.
Paying Volunteers 100$ per day, trained to fire weapons, and assist the police.
Let not be deluded this is a military force in disguise as helping for natural events.
Careful what you wish for Premier, this might set us up for a coup in the future.
UK don’t need a coup when it has the constitution. If anything, this stops a local coup.
Paper does not stop scissors
Waste of time and money. Hopefully the opposition can get Jon Jon and JuJu’s help again to vote this down!
Of all the important things that need the government’s attention right now they are pushing this through.
Why was public consultation never sought on this matter? Isn’t that “good governance”?
Well said.
This suspicious enterprise needs to be cancelled and retooled as Disaster Relief Force.
I guess public consultation was not sought because this government and the Governor do not value the opinions of we the people. Perhaps they are afraid, if they do value our opinion and give us enough time that we might not agree with their objective. Perhaps if we knew exactly their obhectives and criteria we might not have an issue with it. You know I have said and will always say that the Premier did a good job along the rest of us to contain the virus so far but right now it appears that he is blind and deaf on the impact of everything else on our lives. Maybe he is tired and just need a long vacation.
No Alden McLaughlin is a tool of the UK, so the governor’s excuse is very, very weak.
I am sure the expats don’t really care if we play soldiers, but I wonder what the outcome would have been if the ruling elite had gone to the people before they built their bloody army.
No one is disputing the need for a solid, fit emergency response team, but training on disaster response should precede military operations.
I am not surprised at this having heard months ago from one of the original Sandhurst participants that this force would operate on a superior echelon to the RCIPS.
Not only that, they have access to a totally secure network at Govt Admin Building which will undoubtedly have connectivity to UK military. They are forbidden to connect to any unsecured network.
The cache of weapons arrived a long time ago on the same BA flight as the original 9 “consultants” who were in fact, highly skilled Commandos.
I hope these recruits know what they are letting themselves in for.
It will just be a matter of time before their friends and family may find themselves staring at the business end of the guns.
MartYn Roper has played his hand quite emphatically here.
Cayman needs to be a lot more alert as to what is transpiring in plain sight.
If Cayman is fine with all this, great.
I retract my original aspersion that they are “playing” soldiers.
They are not playing any more.
God help us if we have social unrest based on unforeseen economic factors.
Quote, “Alden McLaughlin is a tool of the UK”.
Well, golly …… I always thought he was a tool of McKeever Bush.
I am still not clear who has legal control and authority over the regiment. Is it the governor or is it the premier? Does the commanding officer report to the governor or to the premier?
The Commanding Officer is appointed by and reports to the Governor. The position of Governor, upon the formal creation of the Cayman Regiment, will include the second title of Commander-in-Chief of the Cayman Islands, just as with the Governors in Bermuda and Gibraltar. When the Governor says the Regiment is Cayman’s, he means that while it will be legally and operationally accountable to him, it is going to do jobs that we need done that we approve of; it is going to grow and develop to benefit us; and there will be close cooperation between the Governor/UK and the Premier/Cabinet about policy, funding, missions etc. and in all matters the Governor is going to act by consensus and out of respect for the autonomy of the Cayman Islands as much as he possibly can. This is borne out by my quick read of the bill containing requirements for the Governor to consult or even seek the agreement of the Premier but able to act over the objections of the Premier in his own discretion.
In short: I am in charge because I must be, but I fulfill my duty for your cause of an organised, prepared, safe territory that has adequate capability to respond to the specific types of threats it faces.
Things went south at the point where you said that the Governor is going to act by consensus and out of respect for the autonomy of the Cayman Islands. This is definitely not in line with reality. At he end of the day this is a force controlled by and directed by the governor. We need to stop playing with words in an attempt to mislead people.
Oi vey!
Your opinion may be popular but it is just not right. I tell you what: you hold your breath and wait for the Governor to do what you’re afraid of, whatever that is. I’ll wait.
What are you talking about? You must still be half (or fully) asleep.
Yep that’s it, we’re all in a dream we can’t even see, except you. You’re the one who is fully awake, eyes wide open, here to tell us that the Governor is in charge of the Cayman Regiment. Something I said in my original comment. My question to you (if it can get through the tin foil) is this: why do you care who controls the Regiment, and what do you fear is going to be done with it? While we’re at it, how do you feel about 5G and vaccines? A groundbreaking technology and invaluable tool in the fight against disease respectively, or invented by Bill Gates to do…something? Get out of here with your nonsense man.
You need professional help.
Whatever you say. I’m not here to convince you that I know what I’m talking about. Enjoy your conspiracy theories and try to watch your blood pressure.
Who asked you to convince anyone about anything? If you want to convince yourself about something you simply should study some history to understand how things work in the real world.
So long and short of it is that it is ultimately controlled by the Governor who is of course controlled by the FCO. Not a huge surprise, but calling it Cayman’s regiment is a bit misleading.
Really. Want to comment on why the unit is subject to UK military law, the command of any UK military officer of senior rank or units to which it is commanded to assist, why it is authorized to use firearms, why it’s primary duty is “defence of the islands” and not as suggested byvthebGovernor hurricane relief, and the complete absence of any restriction to its duties being confined to the Cayman Islands? As drafted the whole regiment could be mobilised and sent to Afghanistan ( or more likely to do work in other BOTs that the British government doesn’t want to spend money on sending British troops to.
Note the crown above the cap badge. What do you think that means?
It’s certainly not Alden’s family crest, thank god.
The Governor and Premier need to send the Regiment down to Bananas to sort that out! Think they will be doing anything like that?
“the UK’s only interest was seeing the regiment build greater resilience here and in the region for humanitarian and disaster relief”
That is why they wear camouflage. It is important to be able to blend into one’s surroundings to avoid being seen by a disaster, so you can sneak up on humanitarians with that relief.
The existence of brightly colored clothing with high optical contrast and reflective materials normally used in a range of public safety roles, and hardly in short supply, would be completely inappropriate for a stealthy force of friendly helpers.
It’s just standard uniform, and no military force has only one uniform. They will look different in action but when neither engaged in a specific duty nor off-duty, a uniform that looks like this is worn. Anyway, what are you people so afraid of? Understand three things about this unit:
1) It will not be embodied unless the Governor says so. Which means the vast majority of the time, each soldier will be working their day job. Yes, these scary killing machines will be secretly hidden amongst normal society, doing things like fix cars and cash cheques.
2) Only if they have been embodied, meaning they have been told to report and ready themselves for duty, will they be doing anything at all, in any type of clothing.
3) Only if they are deployed on duty and have the express instruction of their Commanding Officer will they carry guns. In that and all other respects they will be under the command of the Commanding Officer who is himself restrained by the Governor’s Orders, the Defence Bill, the Governor’s direct instructions, etc.
So why the fear that we suddenly have a few dozen people who – in addition to the hundreds of police – have a uniform associated with the use of force, and are trained to use firearms under extremely limited circumstances? This is just so normal. Territory that has no defence force at all wants a defence force. Defence forces wear camo. Defence forces are trained to use weapons. What do you want us to have created? A similar sized group of people who organise themselves exactly like a military unit, but just with a different uniform and no guns? Do you know what the advantages are of the uniforms they wear? Are you incapable of appreciating that IF there is a breakdown of law and order during an emergency, everyone here suddenly WILL want to know that there are at least fifty armed, serious looking guys who you do not want to mess with out there? Maybe their camo will allow them to hide amongst all the ruined foliage to catch some looters! Maybe they’ll end up protecting your house!
I address my message not just to you but to any of the why-the-camo-and-guns-then people. The answer is: IT’S A MILITARY UNIT! Beginning and end of story. You have to make a different argument that Cayman doesn’t need one, and that fails too because there was looting after Ivan. You can’t make an argument that our sister countries and territories won’t benefit as well because we have already benefitted from Bermuda’s Regiment and we have returned the favour to other places with humanitarian aid, lending vital equipment and police officers. Did I mention the Turks and Caicos are getting a regiment just like ours, purely because the factors in favour are the same (they get hit by hurricanes too and currently only have a police force)?
Just sit down and take a breath guys. The Governor isn’t creating a gestapo. This is good for us. If I’m wrong, I’ll change my mind, ok? Just so tired of seeing this groundless paranoia. There are SO many other things that are of actual substance to be afraid of; a protection force is not one of them.
Excellent reply.
The paranoia is from the internet tin foil hat brigade, who think Bill Gates is seeking to control the world, or at least he could if 5G doesn’t mess everyone up first.
You obviously know nothing about Bill Gates and if you do, you are presenting surreptitiously.
Do you also know anything about millimeter wavelength radiation and its effect on the human body?
Your glib remarks have destroyed any credibility that you may have had.
If you have something to say, bloody well say it, but childish remarks with no facts speak more about you than your intended victims.
Mate, I bet you don’t even use a microwave.
Don’t worry about the 5G either, if it’s rolled out by Digicel it’ll be so unreliable it won’t get a chance to kill us.
I’d actually be worried about real stuff like the toxic dump.
Your comment confirms that you are good at belittling and know nothing about 5G. In fact your comment is an absolute nonsense. .
5G doesn’t have to be reliable to inflict devastating effect on a human body, but you won’t know ithappening because it is invisible..
Let’s look at the nnEMF issue of invisibility. If people could see WiFi, mircrowave, radio and other forms of light, people would be outcrying for choice over what we are forced to endure with so much interference that would be blocking our vision. The fog alone would get people to change, but because nnEMF fog is invisible, it’s right under everyone’s nose with no big sensory systems to detect it mentally (unless you’re nnEMF sensitive like me), even though our mitochondria sensory systems do detect it. One perfect example that comes to mind is the choice not have SmartMeter light penetrate our brains at 3am when it blasts energy into our pineal glands. Cayman doesn’t offer an opt-out program. Our choices are diminishing slowly and insidiously. Artificial “stuff”is being forced down our throats without our choice.. Unless society regains back an attitude of independence in my opinion, an attitude that we’re not gonna take the crap from those that want to control us.
@10:29
Once you feel what it’s like to be sick, I guarantee that you’ll forever think twice before wasting time on comment like yours
Nice try, but no cigar.
Strange…the kept saying this unit was for “humanitarian assistance and disaster relief”, not defence.
Cayman just does not need a defence force, we have over 400 police men and women plus a coast guard, plus loads of customs officers! How much security do we really need?
Here’s a good question, was there even an official business case written up for this venture?
Why dont you go to the Sandhurst military training site online and let us know where you see any training or classes to do with humanitarian relief!
Regimental Officer training is at Sandhurst, and our recruits did well. More will follow as the Regiment expands. There are pictures of them administering first aid, triaging accident victims, and general peace keeping functions, so button up buttercup.
Propaganda. Not everyone rolls over.
Why is it called the Defense Bill instead of First Aid Bill?
A bandage won’t clear a tree out of the road. CUC shouldn’t have to do that for us. If CUC helps us with it we can do it in half the time. Faster recovery from disasters is good for an image-sensitive small island jurisdiction with limited infrastructure of varying quality. It’s not called the First Aid Bill because we don’t need first-responders, we need what we’re getting.
What you need would be like the US Corps of Engineers, but you’re not getting it. Otherwise these guys would have been training with bulldozers and backhoes, not rifles.
That’s exactly what we’re getting. These reservists have been trained as assault pioneers. That is an engineering job. In a full-sized military, assault pioneers do the job of making it possible for the rest of the force to do theirs. They’re there to bridge gaps, clear obstacles, create defensive cover, put things into position etc. In the context of a hurricane it will be downed power lines, fallen trees, mounds of sand, helping utility trucks get where they need to go, helping first responders find people trapped, etc. We are getting exactly what we need. It’s all the naysayers who aren’t getting it. On one article a few months ago I must have commented 10 times out of frustration that all reservists were to be trained as assault pioneers and I included the Wikipedia link to what they do. I will include it here again for you.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_pioneer
Chagos here we come!
12:39, you sound like a real ignorant Man Friday.