Gambling bill sent to select committee, ID bills pass
(CNS): As Premier Wayne Panton wrapped up the debate on the Gambling (Amendment) Bill, 2022 on Monday, he told MPs that it would go to a select committee of the House, where changes to address some of the concerns raised could be made. During the same sitting, both bills paving the way for a national identity system passed through a second vote, with all members of the opposition voting against them. Minister André Ebanks, who brought the bills, said that since the register would no longer be mandatory, there was no sense in holding up the law.
The gambling bill caused concern because of fears it would criminalise ordinarily law-abiding citizens, especially older members of the community, and do little to address the crime that government believes is being fuelled by illegal gambling. “No single piece of legislation is a magic bullet,” Panton said, explaining that the amendment was part of the effort to tackle the crime associated with gambling. He said it was not designed to put people in jail but to help the police.
Since all MPs agreed that something must be done, he said, it was worth giving the bill some time to try to gain consensus on how that could be achieved. Panton announced the plan to create a select committee to make changes to the bill that all members can agree on.
Following the agreement to redraft the gambling bill through a bipartisan approach, the national identity bills both passed through a second reading without any support from the opposition but will now undergo some amendments at the regular committee stage.
The process to establish a national identity scheme was started under the last PPM-led administration and touted heavily by then commerce minister Joey Hew (GTN), now deputy opposition leader. However, while agreeing with the legislation, Hew urged the government to withdraw the bill for more public consultation to educate people about the misunderstandings and gain more support.
But Ebanks made it clear there was little point since the legislation would not come into effect until later next year. He explained that it would take several months to create the register to support the system, giving the government plenty of time to raise awareness about the actual details of the bill and the purpose of the national identity system.
Ebanks said that, since all the mandatory elements of the scheme had been removed, moving ahead with the process would allow the majority of the people, who are welcoming the bill, the chance to sign up.
During the course of the debate, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson reflected on the surprising number of local people who do not have any ID at all, something that came to light when the government first started the annual roadside clean-ups and pride training programmes. He pointed out that some people cannot afford to get a passport, and even the fee for a police clearance certificate to start the process of applying for a job or a bank account is often beyond their reach.
The national identity card will be accessible to everyone as it will be free in the first instance. It will also offer all Caymanians a way of proving who they are without the need for a case full of documents outlining their family history and other personal details. It will also make doing business with the government easier, offer access to a verified electronic signature and put Cayman on the road to a more fully digitalised economy.
See the debates on CIGTV below:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
What a coincidence that they are “cracking down” on numbers as the gambling bill goes to committee.
This is an extraordinary constitutional over reach and the remarks of Ebanks as to just pushing ahead with it despite protestations from the public should fill everyone with fear. this will become mandatory.
The National ID law places certain responsibilities on the applicant and holder of the card, and it makes your application data available to certain third parties, pretty much at the discretion of government (for purposes of national security, which is pretty much anything government wants it to be), and since contravention of certain parts of the national ID law are punishable by a hefty fine and/or jail time, anyone thinking about applying for the National ID Card should read AND UNDERSTAND the law in its entirety BEFORE applying for the National ID.
If you cannot clearly and fully understand the law, and/or you do not fully understand your responsibilities under the law; and/or you do not fully understand the liberties government may take in regard to your information, DO NOT apply for the card!
A national lottery…. the last true tax on the poor 🤔🤔🤔 Can’t we get onto something more important like banning leaf blowers……
We already have a National Lottery, it’s called the collection plate. Although the potential payout is yet to be real or reported.
Ahh the select committee where stupid bills are sent to die. That’s the end of that ! If they have one meeting I’d be surprised
Government needs more income to pay for all the handouts that they are giving away!
Cayman has become a welfare country!!!!
CIG does not comply with CI data protection laws. Why is Jane Doe still allowed to apply at the Company Registry for my birth certificate?
Has anyone else noticed that the only people speaking in favour of the identity register are the politicians and officials who will gain greater power over our information and therefore us? No sane member of the public who has read this new law would ever speak in favour of it.
2 Facts –
1) This register will give a great deal of power over our lives to government officials and politicians.
2) There has never been a situation in which a power given to public officials and politicians was not abused to the detriment of the public.
At present the intimidation and retribution that are applied to those that dare to question or go against anyone in a position of power in government are not entirely effective. The national register will ensure that those in power have the information necessary to be more effective with their intimidation and retribution – that is why this legislation was not made available for public consultation prior to be rushed through.
A free identity card that allows people to prove their immigration status etc is not a bad thing. However, the registry legislation opens the door to the abuse of people’s personal information on a scale that is scary. Every MP who voted for the registry should be booted out of office at the earliest opportunity.
@Crab Claw 3:46 pm
PACT all voted “yes” with the exception of Juju and Jay.
PPM all voted “no”.
This JuJu? Or a different one?
https://caymannewsservice.com/2021/04/elvis-holding-juliana-to-ganja-promise/
Baby Jesus must be rolling in his grave.
more likely adult Jesus, he did make it to 33
So under this new gambling bill, if you catch the number’s man brother with a bag full of cash, will he be suspended on full pay and the money given back to him after they fail to bring a case? And he can return to work again, or will it work differently?
Thou shalt not covet thy numbers man’s cash.
National ID Card regime budgeted to cost CI $8 MILLION (like all government projects this will end up costing at leaast CI $40 MILLION0.
Government expecting people to pay for amendments is stupid, it will not happen.
It is estimated that at least 30% of voters have not changed to their constituency of actual residence. They vote in the constituency that is not where they live. Specifically this has been true for West Bay West registered votors – we all know why that happens and why it is done!
I really expected better from Mr. Ebanks. Had such high hopes for him. It appears he has already drank the kool aid.
“The national identity card will be accessible to everyone as it will be free in the first instance.”
The criminal like mind of government follows the pattern of drug dealers who give out drugs for FREE until their customes are addicted.
Like the drug dealers government will crimilize when holders of the National ID Cards who chose not to pay their National ID Amendment Fee, they then fail to advise the authorities that because of ever increasing unaffordable rents, in for example George Town, they move to an Eastern District where rents are lower, but by failing update their address in the National ID Register – they will then become criminals.
Another reason why this National ID is not good for Caymanians.
The legislation has a large Section on Offenses and not updating your information or even correcting information that may have been wrongly input by anyone permitted to do so (with or without your knowledge) is a criminal offense by the registered person – punishable by fine and,/or imprisonment.
The Registrar and its delegated authority(ies), however, are completely shielded from liability. A person would need to prove the error was made in ‘bad faith’ but first figure out which authority/employee made it. In other words, we’re screwed…well only if a public authority manages to mess up an entry on your record and that could never happen (cough, cough, choke!)
It really should be a requirement for MPs to READ legislative Bills before voting on them. Is that really too much to ask from people who are making decisions that affect ALL of our lives?
Agreed but sadly the ability to read is not a requirement for getting elected and neither is the ability to comprehend – as we have seen.
Bernie, Kenneth, Jay…. Read???!!!
Here’s your conspiracy theory Mr Saunders. people here in the bubble need to wake up.
https://www.crypto-news-flash.com/breaking-australian-citizens-can-only-access-bitcoin-if-they-have-enough-social-credits-report/
“Previously, using the digital ID in Australia was optional and was steadily rolled out to cover federal services like welfare, taxes, education, and health. For businesses, having a digital ID is mandatory. However, signing up for the digital ID involves citizens providing several details like a driver’s license, passport, and others.”
Dear Parliament:
Here are the things I want you to work on; please pardon my arrogance for being so direct:
1. Quality and reliable public transportation. Light rail has been suggested. Certainly comfortable, air-conditioned and reliable bus lines would be welcome. These are the only things that will produce a measurable and significant effect upon our ever-increasing traffic woes.
1a. It may well be too late for bike lanes in Grand Cayman. We are just that overgrown. I believe it is still possible and beneficial to do so in the Sister Islands. Cayman Brac’s roads have been torn up twice without any thought toward repairing the damage with bike lanes. Water Authority runs their expanding lines on the opposite site of the road as the utility poles, and so should we with the bike lanes. Bikes lanes would be a safety to the residents, and an enticement for tourism.
2. Please stop giving concessions to foreign investors. This allows unfair advantage over existing Caymanian businesses, as well as creating a sharp class difference in which the visiting rich are well supported and young Caymanians are unable to afford even a simple home. Foreign investors should be courting US, not the other way around.
3. Properly fix the dump. This means genuine recycling programs, including glass sorting, crushing and bagging in accord with the requirements of the recycling centres in Miami. Keep the dump where it is. Out-of-sight-out-of-mind lined pits are a profound environmental and health detriment to the site; the current location is already contaminated. Why move that contamination? We MUST learn to mitigate it in situ.
4. Pay a living wage that Caymanians can survive on, and in that way invest in our future. As it stands, only foreign nationals who are willing to sacrifice for 4-8 years for the exchange rate of the money they send home can fill the clerk and ‘unskilled’ labour positions. These should be entry-level jobs for Caymanians, and people should be able to survive on one job per family.
5. Nationalise CINICO — or other currently unknown entity; at this point, only CIG employees enjoy full coverage. The mandated insurance provides the minimum coverage and mostly catastropic coverage. The elderly who are not deemed indigent pay for the Silver plan, which pays $400 per year in outpatient, and the rest is on their own pocketbook. This is a horrific thing to cause our retired Seamen and their families to decide between paying health care, and buying food. This is a reality of our non-CIG retirees. Our government is HUGE; please extend your benefits to the rest of the people.
I wish there were an avenue in which we could pen our wishes to the government. I am grateful for this space. The foregoing has been my opinion, but one I have been lead to believe resonates with much of the population.
Best wishes in the New Year everybody.
6. Ban leaf blowers.
Is that possible? I hope so!
Talk to your MP and make our demands clear!
#PFBOLB
Make the traffic police do their job!
Make the Police do their job actually.
Bravo 👏 and don’t bring that nonsense of friggin 30, 40, 50 storey monuments and a port.
FIX what is broke first!
7. Ban felonious & dunce politicians.
8. Impose a minimum IQ threshold of 90 in order to vote.
National ID cards only work if they are free to use and mandatory for all. Franz, as per usual, only now seeing the importance of his post is laughable. Every Caymanian on this island ought to be given such identification so they must not be burdened with the costs associated with getting a passport/drivers license! But Government (all shades) will bend their knees to the slightest push-back even if it is in the public’s interests, give me a break!! Pray that someday we can recall our MPs so we don’t give them 5 years to spit their foolisheness every time they whisper to us sweet nothings …..
Parliamentary terms are 4 (not 5) years.
Can we get a list of every MP that voted to approve that ID bill so they can be voted out in the future?
I fully agree.
Check the Hansard in a few months.
Or check the YouTube footage that is online.
A National Lottery is a great idea.
Everyone is issued an identity card and is only allowed to have two bets per week.
First prize 50k and the balance to charity and admin.
Draws on Wednesday and Saturday nights.
2 dollars per ticket.
No poverty, no stealing to gamble, life enhancing results and all done legally.
$2 a ticket, first prize is $50K? So you need to sell a minimum of 25000 tickets a week to a population of 75000. Twice a week. Before you even cover the prize money, let alone the costs of administering the lottery, distributing the tickets etc.
What could possibly go wrong with a gov’t run enterprise in the Cayman Islands that will likely be handling very large sums in cash?
Agreed – add to that the other bill going through at the same time that will change the anti-corruption act so as to make it nearly impossible to convict corrupt politicians and civil servants – very big dots that are easy to connect if anybody cares to look
“During the course of the debate … reflected on the surprising number of local people who do not have any ID at all … some people cannot afford to get a passport, and even the fee for a police clearance certificate to start the process of applying for a job or a bank account is often beyond their reach.
The national identity card will be accessible to everyone as it will be free in the first instance.”
The Government bench proves, once again, that their National ID will do absolutely nothing to address the problems they have identified that could not be done faster and cheaper another way.
A) Cannot afford a passport? The National ID doesn’t address that. Solution? NAU support for the passport. (Yes, I know they’re talking about the passport as an ID, not implying someone who can’t afford a passport can afford to travel. But if the problem is the cost of the ID for some people … there’s a cheaper way to solve that than the expense of a new ID system that is free to everyone.)
B) Can’t afford a police clearance. – The National ID doesn’t give you a free police clearance so you still have the original problem. And the same solution of NAU support including paying for the police clearance so they can apply for a job to get off of NAU. But now you still have that expense on top of the expense of the new ID system which doesn’t solve the problem they are using to justify the new system.
The Cayman Islands National ID System. An expense in search of a justification, that we seem to have already committed to (bought the cards, etc., as per earlier news reports) so to hell with common sense and full speed ahead on the spending. What an utter waste.
CIG can’t be trusted to deliver their own data, but they want us to trust them with ours. Bad enough that the telecom admins sell our cell phone numbers to spam bots.
There is no point in having a National Identity card if it is not compulsory for everyone. Waste of time