Premier Panton commits to social justice

| 14/07/2021 | 130 Comments
Cayman News Service
Premier Wayne Panton delivers SPS remarks

(CNS): The PACT Government will be picking up the tab to feed hungry children in school, expand social care for the elderly, help young Caymanians buy a home and put local people at the centre of the job market. In his remarks on the Strategic Policy Statement delivered Wednesday, Premier Wayne Panton outlined a platform for the next three years with social justice issues at its centre and a realignment of public spending. But while the new premier set out progressive changes and a commitment to climate resilience, PACT has not yet shaken off the historic government dependency on construction and development to fuel the economy and revenue.

In his address to Parliament, Panton focused on the PACT’s underlying principle of people-driven policies that will underpin the spending for the next three years and shape the first budget, which is due in November.

“You will see strategic spending aimed at programmes that will benefit and enrich the people of the Cayman Islands,” Panton said. “A defining ethos for the PACT Government is that in times of overall economic abundance, there should be no economic famine. We can no longer find it acceptable to leave any member of our community behind.”

The premier stated that the government will address every area of Cayman’s economy and society with the community at the centre.

“A core aspect of our approach is that people do not have to suffer in order for a government to employ sensible fiscal discipline. Rather, a targeted approach to budgeting puts public funds where they are most needed, and reduces them where they are not doing the most good. In this SPS, we have put our money where our mouth is, so to speak,” he said.

He outlined a number of specific moves, such as funding free meals to students across all public schools and finally making the long-standing goal that no child goes hungry a reality.

“Study after study has shown that hungry children are poor students. They have poor cognition and educational performance, they are more likely to repeat a grade, come to school late or miss school altogether. We know for a fact we have children who come to our public schools who have missed meals,” he said, as he committed to ensuring that all students are fed. “For some time the education ministry has had a policy of no child goes hungry; the time for talk is over, we are backing that policy with resources,” he said.

He committed to more investment in other social policies, such as establishing more assisted-living homes and retirement facilities, and full support to the family system and communities by providing financial assistance to help working families to offset the costs of day care. The premier said the aim over the coming administration was to fund more government-guaranteed home assisted mortgages, quality affordable housing and reform of the current pensions system.

He also signalled plans to “reform work permit fees, end dependency on cheap labour, increase labour enforcement and increase the minimum wage”, adding that government would take a hard look at social justice in the workplace.

“We believe we should establish a national job criteria list to reduce the number of misleading employment ads as well as implement a system to match all work permit applications to unemployed Caymanians with the relevant skills and experience. There should also be a joint approach between WORC and the Ministry of Education to match available jobs to new graduates,” Panton added.

The premier also spoke about his own goal to build climate resiliency and revealed plans not only to protect existing mangroves but replant those that have been lost.

“This government is serious about supporting climate change resilience and sustainable development,” the premier said. “Most importantly we are committed to reviewing and revising the National Development Plan without which we would just be paying lip service to future generations.” He added that there “should be stiffer fines for environmental violations and mangrove buffer zones that have been damaged should be replanted”.

Reducing the number of second-hand cars imported from Japan and promoting the use of electric vehicles in the public transportation systems were listed, as well as the need to do a better job educating the public about the negative effects of climate change on every aspect of our lives.

He said the diversification of Cayman’s tourism product will have a greater focus on eco-tourism. The government was also rethinking how cruise tourism can best serve the Cayman Islands, he said, and restated the goal to see more Caymanians joining, growing and prospering in the tourism industry.

When it comes to government revenue, there are no plans over the next three years to increase any taxes, though government is expected to increase borrowing slightly next year. But the budgets are forecast to remain in surplus, based on the revenue from financial services and the return of tourism, as well as construction and development.

Despite the hope of many local environmental activists and Panton’s commitment to the environment and greening the economy, he still pointed to the importance of construction and real estate to the Cayman economy.

“As the tourism sector begins to recover, other major sectors of the local economy are showing tremendous resilience and growth,” Panton said early in his address. “The expansion of the construction sector is expected to result in increased demand for goods and services, driving additional revenue from import duties and other consumption-based revenue items.”

But Panton also spoke about some of the problems ahead, including the rise in violent gun crime and the need to get virtually everyone who can be vaccinated before the borders can safely reopen.

He said that while his government has outlined a plan, nothing they come up with will work safely unless everyone is vaccinated. “We must realise the goal of vaccinating 80% of our population… I am begging everyone in this country who has not taken the vaccine – not from a position of weakness but from a position of concern for the health of this country – to help us reach our goal,” he said.

See the SPS and the premier’s remarks in the CNS Library.

See the delivery of the SPS in parliament on CIGTV below:


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Category: Politics

Comments (130)

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  1. anon against corruption says:

    A lot of expat bashing, but nothing on reducing corruption in politics and government which involves our home grown citizens.

  2. Teach a man to fish... says:

    I’m so tired of hearing “We need to lower the cost of living for Caymanians”, “We need low income housing for Caymanians”, “We need to give more jobs to Caymanians”. This is a defeatist mentality. What we need to hear more of is “We need to improve public education in this tiny country, with it’s huge resources, so that more Caymanians can take advantage of high-paying careers”. Why do we want to “lower” everything for Caymanians? There are thousands of people here on work permits that are working in careers that afford them a high quality life here in Cayman. If our people were better educated, particularly those who have no other options besides public schooling, they too would be able to attain a better life for themselves. And I’m in no way expat bashing. That is not my point. My point is that there are opportunities in this country that our own people should be in a position to take advantage of, but they are locked out of those opportunities because they lack the education, they lack the social skills, and in many cases they lack the confidence to go after those careers. We need to better prepare Caymanians to COMPETE, rather than giving them handouts. And yes, I do understand that some Caymanians are indeed in circumstances that require a social safety net. That’s understood. But lets stop with trying to lower everything so Caymanians can reach it, and instead lift Caymanians up so they can reach it.

    • Caymanian on guard. says:

      Stop using lack of educated Caymanians as an excuse and a crutch to inaction. We all know that most so called educated are trained by the person whose position they are slotted into. And, many Caymanians are well educated but not given the opportunity.!

      • Anonymous says:

        “…
        so called educated are trained by the person whose position they are slotted into”

        You are talking about vocational training, not education. Which inadvertently proves the point.

    • Anonymous says:

      Drop the acceptance of baby mama no father in sight mentality, then you will have nurture
      encouragement and guidance through the school years for future generations.

  3. lara says:

    “The PACT Government will be picking up the tab to feed hungry children in school, expand social care for the elderly, help young Caymanians buy a home and put local people at the centre of the job market.”

    This is very misleading, as the government cannot pick up any tabs without taxing it from the private sector. This should read “The private sector will be picking up the tabs…”

  4. Pensioner says:

    Please feed your retired teachers and civil servants who retired with less than $1000.00 pension per month. They suffer silently but are hurting bad.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Code of Conduct commitment in April, social justice commitment in July, – wonderful

    If they can’t produce a simple written Code of Conduct in 3 months I am not holding my breath with respect to any social justice.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Any government in which the real world control is held by our Eternally Honorable Speaker and Wayne is merely the front man will never produce justice, social or otherwise.

    • Al Coholic says:

      4.33pm I wonder if they have a bar in the House of Parliament and if so, whether the Speaker is banned from it?.

      • Anonymous says:

        Under the new rules that he helped draft, the Speaker has total control over the administration of everything that goes on inside Parliament – and he is unlikely to ban himself from anything.

      • Anonymous says:

        A bar in the parliament? I nearly died laughing! Such dreams…

        • anon says:

          12.35pmThere are several in the House of Commons, so in our desperate need to emulate the Mother Country a bar should be provided for the benefit of our “M.P’s”.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Is the commitment to social justice like the April commitment to a soon come Code of Conduct?

  8. Anonymous says:

    15@11:11 – So I guess to you, Fox News and most of their talking heads (except Baier and Wallace) don’t push their narratives? Worse, FALSE narratives! OMG! They are NOT news anchors, they host OPINION shows and you are simply believing their opinions, i.e. their bullshit!! Trump-sheep!!

    Get a real life!

    May I suggest that you watch other channels beside Fox so you will see what FACTS they leave out! I am no fan of Fox but I can soundly criticize them because I regularly watch them just to see how they distort or omit the truth that I get on every other mainstream channel!! Watching only Fox gives you nothing to compare!!

  9. Pensioner says:

    Also PACT GOVT. , you need to look into some of the monthly pensions we retired civil servants are receiving and give a descent upliftment so we will be to properly survive off from it. Cayman is very expensive tol live and what some of us get can only pay a month’s light bill to CUC. The least pension payment for retired civil servants should be $1000 monthly. Stipend folks are receiving $1500 monthly plus along with their work salary. As some have of them already have jobs but worked part-time in the tourist industry. Some of us are really suffering and these are austere times.

  10. Anonymous says:

    “He outlined a number of specific moves, such as funding free meals to students across all public schools and finally making the long-standing goal that no child goes hungry a reality.”

    There are no children going hungry now. I, and many ordinary middle-class people just like me, make regular contributions to Feed our Future.
    http://www.feedourfuturecayman.org/

    When there is a dire need such as this the community steps up. If the PACT government offers every school child free meals, free computers, free tertiary education, heavily subsidized housing etc. then many parents (and potential parents) will start to believe that it’s not that expensive to have lots of children.

    I am one of two children raised by a poor single mother, and I myself have a small family. We don’t live in a gated community, and it took many years of hard work to build our own house the old Caymanian way of block by block with our own sweat. And we don’t take annual shopping trips to Miami or anywhere else.

    I do realize that there are people worse off than me, so I have no problem being charitable with them and offer what little I can afford. However, when PACT government takes our money and gives it to people better off than me under the guise of social justice, it pisses me off because I know it’s really just a case of vote buying.

    • Anonymous says:

      Give him a chance to prove himself.

      • Anonymous says:

        When someone says they are going to kick your ass you don’t “give him a chance” because you already know it’s not going to be enjoyable for you.

        There are approximately 300 to 400 kids who need their school lunches paid for, through no fault of their own, whether it be poor parenting or unavoidable misfortune that could have befallen anyone, but there is an organization filling that need admirably.

        PACT’s solution to 300 hungry kids already being fed by Feed Our Future (FOF) is to provide free food for the thousands on kids in government schools (at our expense don’t forget!) and reduce FOF to a cadre of irrelevant kind-hearted volunteers with nothing to do.

        I take it none of them bothered to read this far into the SPS document.
        “The results of healthcare liability actuarial valuation, completed in April 2021, estimated the post-retirement healthcare obligation as at 31 December 2020 to be $2.4 billion with the post retirement medical expense totaling $184.4 million for the year ended 31 December 2020. The post-retirement healthcare obligation and related expenditure have not been formally recognised in the Statements of Financial Position and Performance”

        Address the real issues first. That’s for civil servants who will be taken care of to the tune of $2.4 billion. What about the rest of us?

        • Anonymous says:

          FOF could probably use their resources for the adult Generational Caymanians who are going hungry or will need assistance after the non Generational Caymanians in the civil service leave and still collect their pensions and healthcare benefits.

          Wayne should downsize the Civil Service to ensure minimum number of expats dependent on govt is decreased and if billions paid over time at least people and funds stay local

        • Anonymous says:

          How about they stop having kids for useless dead beat men?

        • Anonymous says:

          A large number of those kids are not Caymanian. Why are we allowing them to come, be and settle here? This importation of poverty has to stop. It is social and economic madness, and renders Cayman unsustainable.

          • Anonymous says:

            It is greatly influenced by the fact that non-Caymanian civil servants on contract can send their children to public schools basically free and don’t have to pay private school fees.

            If the number of expats in civil service is reduced or contracts limited and not renewed, this will help reduce dependency.

            So once again the expats win…. they can work in our civil service, in jobs that should be first considered for Caymanians, parents have free healthcare, 100% pension and their children can get good education then by age of university their parents probably got status and get scholarships.

            You really believe Wayne, Chris and Andre will address the civil service issue when majority and Jamaicans and Trinidadians?

    • Anonymous says:

      thank you for honesty …instead of wayne’s populist waffle…

    • Anonymous says:

      Excellent comment. Thank you.

    • Anonymous says:

      Very well put 10.24
      Good to have rational measured observation that recognizes the truth of the old adage, “Teach a man to fish”…which no one will aspire to if PACT feeds them every day.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Social justice would require the border being opened and people being allowed to go back to work.

  12. Anonymous says:

    FINALLY A GOVERNMENT FOR CAYMANIANS!

  13. Anonymous says:

    Now to put this plan into action, it’s a good plan and we have to start somewhere. The greatest assets to the country will be its people and its environment and when everyone is taken care of, it’s a win for everyone. Now to stop the killing of the bees and the other good insects through aerial spraying as we will need them to sustain the ecosystem or what’s left of it. There got to be another way of controlling the mosquitoes, maybe localize spraying. They too are important.

  14. Anonymous says:

    No such thing as a free lunch.

  15. Oh, well says:

    Nobody can please everyone every time 🤷🏽‍♀️

  16. Anonymous says:

    FREE BIRTH CONTROL (condoms) should be the starting point. Morning after pill availabilty = step 2.

    Public transport should be switched to propane as initial step rather than directly to electric.

  17. Anonymous says:

    Wayne, until there is an ethics code for Parliamentarians (which should automatically result in Mac Bush being in-eligible for the Office of Speaker) we don’t trust you or believe anything that you may say.

    Every day you are looking and sounding more and more like the buffoon that you support.

    The majority of Caymanians are sick of this continuing charade.

    • Anonymous says:

      Wayne was hoping that by putting the man in funny wig in power to say ridiculous things on a regular basis then nobody would notice the absence of substance in other areas.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Wokeness is in, critical thinking is out

  19. Anonymous says:

    No-one can argue with Wayne’s agenda here. Well said Wayne!
    Low wage / slave expat labour is this country’s dirtiest little secret. Restaurants, construction, security and even domestic labour is being horrifically abused to line the pockets of the privileged

    • Anonymous says:

      Too many bad employers treating staff like slaves. We need to open up for tourists otherwise you can forget about any social plans.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yup. I know of a few nannies who worked for prominent Caymanian families who were used as basically slave labor. They were forced to work for longer hours with no extra pay. As well as work six days a week. Not to mention threatened to not complain to anyone about any part of their job because no one would listen because they have friends in high places or sometimes they were ministers themselves.

        • Anonymous says:

          Yes but they mention them in all their speeches, pack FB with pictures of all their black friends and Jamaican friends, that’s usually enough to convince them

  20. Anonymous says:

    Stopping imported cars from Japan???? Why so that people have less options like being from the biggest weasel car dealership on island GT Automotive?
    Taxes will be going up with the Joe Biden 15% global corporate tax being implemented starting 2023!

    • Benny says:

      8 out of 10 of the people bringing in the cars are foreigners and they doing the same thing GT doing buying for the price of rice and selling for the price of gold

  21. Anonymous says:

    I am really excited for this.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Social Justice, equality of outcomes, climate change, gender neutrality, same sex promotion, what’s next on your top priority list of leftist talking points? Abortions?

    • Anonymous says:

      Hope so!

      Less neglected unplanned unwanted children around would equate to lower crime rates in about 18 years.

      https://scholar.harvard.edu/barro/files/99_0927_crimerate_bw.pdf

    • Anonymous says:

      The slippery slope to socialism pandering to an entitled people.

      CNS: If you waste time watching the Fox News fantasy broadcast you will believe that any move to a fairer society is a “slippery slope to socialism”. In the real world, we think it’s a move towards a social democracy like Finland, the happiest place in the world for a fourth year running, according to the World Happiness Report. Realistically though, Cayman will remain as a democratic capitalist country, with hopefully greater support for the poor and vulnerable.

      • Anonymous says:

        Thumbs up to the commentor

      • Gray Matter says:

        Yes CNS.. FINLAND is the happiest place in the world, because they are also the most racist place in the world. As you say God bless them.

        The Happiest and the Most Racist: Institutional Racism in Nordic Countries

        CNS: I added the link to the article you posted in your follow-up comment rather than post that. I’m curious if you actually read it or just the headline. You’ve concluded that Finland is the happiest place in the world BECAUSE there is racism, but that’s not at all what the article says, nor is there any suggestion that the social democracy of the country is the problem, rather the author is arguing against complacency and ignorance and for greater inclusion for black and brown Finnish people and immigrants. Granted, nationalism and racism is a constant problem in Europe, but this is usually a force from the far right of the political spectrum, not the left.

        • Anonymous says:

          CNS – care to explain why you didn’t publish my comment. Was it because I questioned your neutrality? Shame on you if that’s the case.

          I doubt this comment will get approved either of course.

          My comment was perfectly reasonable and provided a juxtaposition on your Finland thoughts.

          CNS: 1) The comment was daft and required an answer. It was late and I couldn’t be bothered.
          2) You began with an ad hominem argument and ended with a logical fallacy. See (1)
          3) You don’t seem to understand that you pay taxes here, just not income tax.

        • Anonymous says:

          CNS, you did hear of Mao, you know, the one who killed over 70 million of his own people, and was responsible for some additional tens of millions of others around the world. And I’m sure you heard of Stalin, and similar Russian dictators who came before and after him, who were also responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of their own. I’m pretty sure you must have heard of the Soviet bloc countries as well, you know, like East Germany, Hungary, Romania, Albania, etc., countries who repressed their people, jailed them, murdered them outright, etc. What about Cuba? I’m sure you know of that island a few hundred miles away. Do you think that people are demonstrating because of Covid, as CNN tried to sell the story, or because of the repressive regime? All of the above examples were on the far right political spectrum, correct? I think the bigger worry is the left political spectrum. What’s going on in the US is not the same of what’s going on in Finland; not even close.

          CNS: Is this a wind-up comment?

          • Anonymous says:

            A wind-up comment? Really? That’s your response?

            CNS: Yes, it’s far too bizarre to be real.

            • Anonymous says:

              Historic facts are too bizarre to be real? Care to explain?

              CNS: Communism is the far left not the far right. Start there. I posted this link elsewhere. It’s a nice introduction. See also A Brief Introduction to Marxism, which is the ideal behind communism, which most people, at least in the West, now think is unachievable. It’s a bit hard to gauge what the majority of people in, say, Communist China or Russia think about it all since freedom of expression doesn’t exist.

              • Anonymous says:

                CNS: re. my far “too bizarre to be real comment”. You missed the sarcasm. It was a rhetorical question, with the answer being, “No, they’re not at all examples of the far right”.

                Re. your comment regarding people in the west. Most people in the West are basically clueless what communism/socialism is all about, and certainly the younger generation.
                https://www.politics.co.uk/news/2021/07/06/majority-of-young-brits-want-a-socialist-economic-system/

                They’re clueless about the former Soviet Union (Stalin’s Great Purge, the Gulag system, the Ukraine famine; the War Crimes; Collectivization, etc.) China (Mao’s Great Leap Forward/Famine), Cambodia, North Korea, etc.

                Why do I mention these? Before I make the point, allow me to qualify it… You provide a great service to the people of the Cayman Islands, and are courageous to do it in face of some of the adversity that you may face…and from what I gather, you’re in favour of the Scandinavian model of government and social support. But what is happening in the US is not a movement towards that model, but rather a movement towards what is currently playing out in Cuba, and what played out in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries. Don’t believe me, read this article about what a North Korean woman (defector) had to say… You don’t have to go to Russia or China to speak to people. There are plenty of people in the West who experienced the horrors of communism and totalitarianism, and 80% will tell you the very same thing, that what is going on in the US is absolutely frightening.

                https://nypost.com/2021/06/14/north-korean-defector-slams-woke-us-schools/

      • nauticalone345n says:

        Thanks CNS.

      • Anonymous says:

        My thumbs up was for CNS!

      • Anonymous says:

        Like everything else, kindness has to be paid for, and it is always paid for by that sector of society that is gainfully employed.
        Those on the receiving end of our kindness will have no incentive to improve their circumstances…. hence the “slippery slope”
        reference.

      • Anonymous says:

        14@6:12pm – Thumbs up to CNS!

      • Anonymous says:

        CNS, and I suppose you think that CNN is real news? I would rather watch Fox News than all the leftist news channels like CNN, MSNBC, etc. that push a narrative instead of the truth.

        • Anonymous says:

          And that’s why you’re easily manipulated into believing untruths…. good luck with life.

        • Anonymous says:

          Exhibit A: The fall of Western Civilization. Those who can’t recognize Fox News for what it is will vote for anyone, buy anything, destroy everything.

          What a disappointing species.

          #lame

      • Anonymous says:

        Would this be the same Finland that routinely has 8-10% unemployment, that’s been in recession half of the last decade and has the highest suicide rate in the OECD?

    • Anonymous says:

      What exactly is ‘same sex’ promotion? How do I sign up?

    • Anonymous says:

      You are the kind of person I find to be insufferable.

  23. Anonymous says:

    lots of promises and zero information on where the extra revenue is coming from,
    in other words we are in for 4 years of tax and spend policies by pact….a system that has never worked anywhere.

  24. Anonymous says:

    free money making solutions:
    allow sunday trading.
    allow expat/tourist casinos to be opened in hotels.
    start government run lottery.
    quadruple all court and traffic violation fines.
    reduce civil service budget or staff by 15%.
    implement recommendations of miller shaw or e&y reports.

    • JTB says:

      I’m not sure Sunday trading would make much of a difference.
      Casinos if properly managed could be an excellent source of revenue
      We don’t have a big enough population to start a lottery
      Court and traffic fines should not be considered as a source of revenue. That way injustice lies.
      Yes the civil service is over-manned, but is Wayne really going to piss off the biggest voting bloc on the island?
      Good governance would be lovely. We should try it some day.

      • Anonymous says:

        Re not having enough population for a lottery. You could run the lottery from here and allow payouts to non residents – many countries do this eg USA.

    • Anonymous says:

      This is the kind of specificity the SPS is lacking.

    • Anonymous says:

      Introducing a bitcoin standard would bring billions of revenues and hundreds of jobs.

      The Global tax rate will destroy the current financial sector, the world is moving rapidly.

  25. Anonymous says:

    hungry kids???… we have an epidemic of obesity in children!
    talk about classic wayne waffle full of managment speak and soon-come plans…..zzzzzzzzz

    CNS: Sadly, this has been a fact for many years. Find out more here.

    • Tundi says:

      I walk to work everyday and see parents and young kids at Subway or burger King getting them breakfast this is sheer lazyness by parents and no wonder the kids are so obese.
      A box of porridge would last a month and cost a third of the price to spend on vegetables and fruit

      • Anonymous says:

        Well if you have both parents working and stuck in traffic from 5.30 AM Monday through Friday, do you really expect anyone to eat or live healthy? Our government has made a mess of a simple life!!!

      • Anonymous says:

        You do realize that obese kids are not the kids the Premier is talking about. Their parents are feeding them, whether it’s Burger King or not..He is talking about the hundreds that go to school everyday without as much as a glass of orange juice.

        As a teacher who has reached into my pocket many times to feed some of my children, I know this first hand.

        It is a shame and hurts me to hear so many on here calling this socialism, free money and that the kids don’t need it because they are obese. A child cannot learn to his greatest potential when he is hungry.

        I thank the Premier for bringing this to the forefront. I know it’s not the sexy stuff we like to hear but it is the truth and I’m just glad that something will be done.

        • Anonymous says:

          10.18..Nobody is suggesting that kids should go hungry. What is being said is that their parents should set an example by working for their living, not relying on NAU handouts.
          Parents are unwittingly Role models , and the culture of dependence on handouts will be passed on to the next generation.

      • Anon says:

        Or a box of cereal, bread, eggs or breakfast hotpockets! If you really on a budget then you can get frozen veg & fruit, apparently just as healthy. But what do I know!

        • Anonymous says:

          What do these Breakfast for Kids programs actually feed the kids? I’ve asked but never got a reply.

    • Anonymous says:

      Years ago when I was a teacher in the government school system, we teachers used to give lunch money to kids whose mama (there was never a father) was in Miami on a trip. Lack of funds was not the problem it was what these waste of space parents did with it.

      • Anonymous says:

        Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether some parents are making poor budgetary decisions. The issue is that a child is suffering and going hungry. First we fix that, then we focus on how to hold any negligent parents accountable.
        Honestly, why not just incorporate the cost of healthy mess for children into the overall educational expenditure and put everyone on level footing in that respect?

  26. Anonymous says:

    They have learned to sleep with their head straight/forward so if their head is down they are on the phone.

  27. Anonymous says:

    I notice politicians never talk about supporting the middle class hardworking people who pay their bills and lead responsible lifestyles and didn’t take the easy way or wrong fork in the road at each opportunity.

  28. Anonymous says:

    Wages need to be raised, or develop some strategy to lower prices. Even for the well off portion of the population, they can admit a carton of milk should not be 8 flipping dollars!

    • Concerned says:

      I don’t know why you’re moaning. You can get a tax-free Rolex.
      UNTIL THEY STOP TAXING FOOD AND CLOTHING EVERYTHING IN HIS ADDRESS IS GARBAGE. It simlly isn’t right that the rich here pay the same tax through consumption as the poor on a loaf of bread. Why do Caymanians keep voting in complete dweebs!?!?

    • Anonymous says:

      Agree,how about lowering import duties on food which will bring the cost of living down for everyone and will benefit low income earners the most.

      • Anonymous says:

        We could easily be bringing food in from Central/south America for cheaper but there’s a reason why we don’t. We are slaves to America because of our political overlords.

  29. Must be Waffle Wednesday in Parliament says:

    Stiffer fines for environmental violations? Like I’ve never heard of any leaking fuel depot or gas station receiving or paying any fine that might even be close to be considered as a deterrent. The same goes for some vehicle repair shops and boat yards dumping everything they drain, in the ground or up in the bush under cover of night.

    • Anonymous says:

      The key to all is enforcement. We have the laws and regulations, enforce them. Expand enforcement.

    • Anonymous says:

      Harbour house marina and the island close by he dumps all his rusted garbage and tires on. That needs looked at in prospect. I walk my dogs on bay island almost everyday and he’s also removed mangroves. It’s empty and no reason for removal.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Working with worc to give jobs to young caymanian, also you need to work with immigration who is giving permit left right and center a lot of people coming here where there is no jobs but friends getting permits for them and then become a nuisance to the island glad to no you guys putting down your feet to do the right things, it’s all about money grabbing and greed

  31. Anonymous says:

    and while your at it fix your horrible education system. Mandatory school attendance till the age of 20 years

  32. Anonymous says:

    Big words, no money to fund them however. Lip service from the man with no plan. 80% of a fabricated population which includes those ineligible to receive a vaccine will never happen. But then Wayne knows that already.

  33. Anonymous says:

    Reducing the number of imported cars from Japan? Why pick on Japan? At least they come ready for driving on the left. What does the premier want? Imports of gas guzzling vehicles from the USA only?

    • Anonymous says:

      Have you seen his? Also, what is the carbon footprint of a 65′ Hatteras?

      • Anonymous says:

        LMAO – thats true bobo he got a big truck!!!

      • Anonymous says:

        The issue is that the Premier believes every Caymanian can afford a car such as his. It is so sad that our government is so far from understanding the real issues that are affecting the average person.

    • Anonymous says:

      How about getting with first world by implementing emissions testing of vehicles. Do people really understand why so many used vehicles are imported from Japan? It’s because they fail emissions tests there and become too expensive to bring into compliance. Oh but wait we don’t even have any general air quality regulations here otherwise more than half the cars might fail and so probably would CUC.

      • Anonymous says:

        As would the cement companies…

      • Anonymous says:

        Yes, we are importing their garbage. I agree that emissions testing would be good, but a ban on all cars older than X is simpler for implementation.

      • Anonymous says:

        Total rubbish. Do you know how many countries (with emissions testing) import used cars from Japan? Have you even opened your eyes in Cayman to see how many used trucks spewing sulphur are from the USA? Japanese cars are world leaders when it comes to car manufacturing and fuel economy.

        • Anonymous says:

          Many of the used Hondas from Japan here are total rubbish and need to go straight to the crusher. How would you know if these decrepit rice burners don’t meet even the slackest of emissions limits without checking. You must be a dealer though, marking up that cheap garbage for wannabe street racers to buy.

    • Front Runner says:

      I would like to get an electric auto from Japan………. but I haven’t seen or heard anything about the possibility.

      • Anonymous says:

        Electric cars come with another set of problems. Those battery banks have to be replaced and re-cycled properly. I would love one too, but they are still very pricey and it is still cheaper to buy and operate an internal combustion engine.

    • Anonymous says:

      There should be a maximum age on imported cars, say five years old or pay additional import duties on older cars that have a shorter useful life.

  34. Anonymous says:

    Pandering further to the entitlement mentality

  35. Anonymous says:

    The AG, the DG, and at least two others look half asleep. Wake up and take this PACT government serious. It is our last chance to give the country back to the people and not continue to have it serve self-interested and money-hogs within the government and the country in general.

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