Lame-duck Cabinet keeps spending public cash

| 25/01/2025 | 96 Comments
Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly presides over what’s left of the Cabinet (file photo)

(CNS): The minority UPM government has shown no signs of letting up on critical decision-making, such as spending and policy, including the drafting of various amendment bills that may not pass, given that the administration lost its mandate to govern back in October. The lame-duck Cabinet, comprising just five ministers, had two meetings in January, during which the members juggled cash from ministry to ministry to spend on projects such as Scranton Park and the new Cayman Brac high school.

Many of the ministers’ policy decisions are not supported by the majority of MPs. While some draft amendment bills will go before parliament and additional spending will eventually require parliamentary approval, the reallocation of cash and some policy decisions, such as the purchase of land, are being made outside of the democratic process.

The brief summaries of Cabinet meetings that are published do not clearly show how much money is being spent where and on what. However, some of the line items described are clear. For example, the government has increased spending on scholarships by some CI$4 million for this year, over and above the nearly $22 million already allocated.

The day after a regular Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 14 January, where millions of dollars were approved, there was an additional brief special meeting where the five ministers approved an increase of $2 million for Tourism Support, which covers promotional and advertising activities. While it has not been spelt out, it’s understood that the money is being used to promote the referendum bill and the minority government’s pitch for a vote on a non-existent cruise berthing project.

Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan also persuaded his colleagues to approve CI$1.9 million for Central Scranton Park in his constituency of George Town Central. This is in addition to the $2.4 million already approved for the 2024/25 budget.

See the Cabinet notes here.


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Category: Government Finance, Politics

Comments (96)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Can anybody tell me what they are building in Watering Place “Gardens”? It looks like more than 75% of it has been paved with asphalt. Looks like hell. Not much of a garden.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Something just dawned on me.
    Can someone please explain what is “caucus”? Parliament, Cabinet, Office of the Governor, the Commissioner of Police, the Chief Justice, the Attorney General are constitutional entities, but there is no mention of any “caucus”. Who came up with it, for what purpose, and can we do away with it?

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    • Diogenes of Cayman says:

      Caucus is a political term not an actual office or entity within the government or the Constitution

      All of the members of a government are ‘in caucus’ or ‘sit in caucus’ with that government i.e. they meet separately from Cabinet and discuss their concerns priorities and focuses – basically its just a term that represents their private side meetings they have to ensure that the backbenches (MPs who are not Ministers) and the Cabinet all support proposals currently seeing as there are no real backbenches and have their issues and concerns addressed privately. They are meant to iron out their differences in private in Caucus and then present a unified front in Cabinet and in Parliament.

      The term is not used as much in Parliamentary systems anymore, but it is used in the US quite a bit especially in the US House and Senate where they refer to the totality of their membership instead of just their leadership as either their ‘caucus’ or their ‘conference’

      Hope that helps

    • Anonymous says:

      Agreed. Civil servants are forced to give presentations to persons who are not Cabinet members. No statutory basis for it.

  3. Frank says:

    Mere mortals frivolous spent not impressed whatsoever. Quite frankly like Gathom City shined the bat 🦇 signal in the sky for Batman to help … Cayman needs The Rock signal to shine in the sky cause Dwayne The Rock Seymour is needed now more than ever to straighten all this out.

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    • Anonymous says:

      frank this is emildo, wa you smokin Breda yak mention some names dat dont mean anything in English wa less in government. stick a pin and wet it bra it comin apartl

  4. Anonymous says:

    𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆.
    You still have a chance to let your MP know they are not supported (LOL!) Text, e-mail, call them — leave a page on their doorstep letting them know that they no longer have your mandate to vote yes to anything. Come on voters, do your job!

  5. Anonymous says:

    Imagine the truffles this lot could sniff out?!?

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  6. Change says:

    ⚠️ MPs are running themselves because the electorate does not get involved. Democracy means the people get together and decide what the country needs, then tells the MPs, who take it to Cabinet; but here, they do what they think is right, and tell us after the fact because we are too busy or lazy to do our job. Absentee shareholders, run away board, unfit managers.

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  7. Change says:

    The absentee shareholders continue to be asleep at the wheel. The lights are on, but no one’s home. Call, text, e-mail, leave a note on your MP’s windshield: “You no longer have a mandate from me; stop making national decisions.” MPs work for us, not the other way around. Come on, voters, let’s do our job.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    any comment ppm?
    any comment Mrs governor?
    any comment chamber of commerce?

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    • Anonymous says:

      This administration inherited the George Town Beautification project from the last PPM administration. Just sayin’…

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Our electoral system is broken. Our politicians know that they can stay elected by buying a few dozen votes using public funds. They have no burying the country in debt if it keeps them in a position to make fortunes in and out of Parliament.
    We also need to severely limit the power of our Cabinet as what is happening now is clearly an abuse that should never have been allowed to happen.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    An illegitimate lame duck, punch-drunk on power, and minutes from retirement – the worst possible combination of conflict factors.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    This is highway robbery of public funds, and WE are the hostages.

    “…members juggled cash from ministry to ministry…” misappropriation of funds is not on. All capital spending projects should be cancelled until the outcome of the election is known.

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    • Anonymous says:

      YOU are not ‘hostages’, watch the world news before you use the word ‘hostage! YOU are free, YOU created your own shit! YOU are responsible! YOU are not a victim!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Agree. And we need to ensure our politicians vow to put in place a more democratic decision-making process on future capital spending BEFORE they get our votes; and full accountability and consequences for their actions afterwards.

  12. MERVYN CUMBER says:

    Since, a fortune has been spent on the “George Town Beautification” project with no evident parking, wouldn’t the Scranton Park site have been better utilised as a multi story car park?

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  13. Anonymous says:

    Dear God, please let us have viable choices. I know I only ask your help when I’m in trouble, Lord, and I’m in it deep along with all my family, friends, and neighbors. Please, please, let a new wave of sense step up to replace the nonsense.

    I know I can’t bargain with you, but we will all praise Your name if we can have choices; real people who actually care about us.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    Time for another civil servant pay rise
    My vote still for sale!

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  15. The Adeptus Ridiculous of Cayman Islands says:

    “The Adeptus Ridiculous: Emperor, Forgive Us, for We Live in Absurdity

    Ah, Cayman, a jewel of turquoise waters, vibrant coral reefs, and a population of 80,000 souls who seemingly live under an unspoken oath of silence. The Emperor, if He graced this island with His presence, might not find heresy in the form of Chaos Cults, but He’d certainly uncover a festering nest of degeneracy, corruption, and nepotism. A world where the truth isn’t hidden, but rather whispered about in corridors and bars—because speaking it aloud might lead to an Inquisitorial visit from the Ordo ‘Sweep It Under the Rug.’

    In a community so small, you’d think transparency and accountability would be as natural as sunshine on Seven Mile Beach. But no. Here, the machinery of governance operates like a poorly maintained servitor, leaking oil and spewing sparks of inefficiency with every movement. The Adeptus Mechanicus would have scrapped it centuries ago. Instead, Cayman’s leadership has retrofitted this decrepit machine with a patchwork of family ties, cronyism, and backroom deals—always ensuring the gears turn just enough to keep the illusion of progress alive.

    And what of the people? The populace, despite living in the shadow of Mount Trashmore’s toxic fumes and breathing the figurative exhaust of mismanagement, prefer to avert their eyes. Fear and apathy reign supreme. Fear of retribution for speaking out. Apathy, born of the belief that no amount of outrage will unseat the entrenched power structures. It’s as though the island itself has become a microcosm of a grimdark dystopia, where hope is a currency long since devalued.

    Nepotism here is not merely a byproduct of power; it is the power. Public service jobs are distributed not by merit but by bloodlines, friendships, and whispered promises made over bottomless cups of tea. Contractors are coerced into hiring ghost workers—phantoms who haunt the payroll but never the worksite. Costs spiral, timelines stretch, and the island earns the dubious honor of having some of the highest cost overruns in the Caribbean. Projects that should take two years drag on for five; five-year plans morph into twelve-year odysseys.

    Meanwhile, the political elite perfect the art of vanity projects. Fully funded, these endeavors are less about public good and more about securing loyalty from their contractor allies—ensuring the wheels of patronage remain greased with taxpayer money. And who presides over this spectacle of absurdity? The Adeptus Arbitrarius, the Governor herself, who bears witness to it all with a serene grin, perhaps savoring the irony of a system unraveling as her tenure nears its end. After all, why disturb the status quo when the impending economic collapse can conveniently be someone else’s problem?

    And let us not forget the environmental atrocities masquerading as progress. The rallying cry of “Pave the Reef!” is not just a slogan—it’s a manifesto for the systematic erasure of everything that makes this island unique. Mount Trashmore leaks its toxic blessings into the ocean, while cruise piers and dry docks are planned with the same reckless enthusiasm as an Ork engineering project. The National Conservation Council fights valiantly, a lone Tech-Priest trying to halt a planet’s descent into the Warp, but the forces of destruction seem insurmountable.

    Cayman deserves better. It deserves leaders who view its natural beauty and cultural heritage not as obstacles to bulldoze but as treasures to preserve. The silence must be broken. The apathy must be shattered. And the machinery of governance must be reforged—not with the rusted parts of nepotism and corruption but with the alloy of merit, transparency, and genuine accountability.

    The Emperor demands it. And so must we.”

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  16. Kurt Christian says:

    God save the King !

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  17. Anonymous says:

    JohnJohn’s Ministry exceeded the budget for Pirates week and wanted Cabinet to take away money from CBC to pay the outstanding bills. The same Minister who refused for years to pay pensions and insurance for his employees. This lot are devoid of shame.

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  18. anonymous says:

    Well, Well Andre and the quitters really showed them! How can anyone even thing about electing him as the leader. Although that’s just a smoke screen as the Wayne$$ is the one in charge anyway. They all get a new multi-million dollar house and stay loyal. Well Kenny now has a five million dollar park for all his cronies – one has to wonder why so much $$ and who’s palms were greased in the process. Stop this Sh*t show and stop it fast before they do more damage than they have already done.

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    • Anonymous says:

      He aligned himself with Ozzie “Driftwood” Bodden.
      So nope.

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    • Anonymous says:

      wait until Kenneth takes charge of hiring in the Civil Service the HR budget will double. He has promised to hire everyone in GT Central. He lost my vote with his latest rant. I hoped 4 years experience as a Minister would have helped. Unfortunately it didn’t. All he has proven is that he can drive a Tahoe.

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      • Anonymous says:

        To 6:32pm: Learn the Constitution. MPs cannot hire or fire the civil service. They are not allowed to and could lose their Ministry for trying. That is the work of the Portfolio of Civil Service’s HR panels, and MPs are not part of those. You are (maybe unknowingly) spreading incorrect information.

        • Anonymous says:

          Who enforces this?

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        • Anonymous says:

          Kenny was on Radio Cayman to say that the laws should be changed to allow MPs to make hiring and firing decisions. Specifically because he promises to help his constituents with their jobs but has no actual power to do so and he thinks that should change.

          Those were his words (not verbatim).

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    • Anonymous says:

      they resigned when they couldn’t stomach any more of this b**t. Good on them. the only politicians around here with any morals and prepared to put country before self.

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  19. Anonymous says:

    And the governor sits and grins ..

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    • Anonymous says:

      What should she do, 10:10? We don’t want Governors who stop us doing what we want to do, we made that clear by cutting as many of their powers as we could. We are wearing long pants now not short ones so there’s no use blaming anyone but ourselves for our useless politics and politicians. We got ourselves into this.

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    • Anonymous says:

      …the brits will do nothing…(on purpose)…..

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      • Anonymous says:

        The UK can’t do anything.

        If they did, the indigenous population would scweam and scweam, “Wacism!!! Colonialism!!!”, like a fat, off-brown, funny-accented version of Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

        We know this because in both Turks & Caicos (2009) and the British Virgin Islands (BVI, 2018), corruption scandals and financial mismanagement led to the UK government intervening. In the Turks & Caicos, a corruption inquiry revealed widespread abuse of power, prompting the UK to suspend local government and rule directly. In the BVI, a U.S. investigation uncovered corruption within the local government, leading to the UK imposing direct oversight.

        Locals in both territories expressed outrage, whinging that the interventions were a continuation of colonial control, and criticising the UK’s actions as paternalistic and undermining their autonomy.

        You have the politicians you elect and thus deserve. You clearly all deeply loathe your own children and grandchildren, because said politicians are condemning them to intergenerational poverty and immiseration.

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        • Anonymous says:

          8:10, when the UK intervened in Turks, our very own Orett Connor with Mr Steve McField bitched about it…the usual colonial stuff…on their morning show on our tax payer funded Radio Cayman.

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      • Anonymous says:

        If the Brits do step in, Saunders will lead Mac and Kenneth types to scream “Colonial Imperialism” followed by their Jamaican hangers on yelling “set my people free”.

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      • Anonymous says:

        You didn’t want them to…oh Ivan…You have all to do it yourselves then…oh look what a mess you made of your own!!

        Victim statement…

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    • Change says:

      To 10:10am: I do not know where you were, but back in 2020 Alden, Arden, Ezzard and a couple others went to the UK to negotiate minimal interference from the Crown (AKA the UK). They succeeded, and we went from having a Legislative Assembly to a Parliament. What she can overhaul are the civil and public service laws and regulations.
      If you think she should, e-mail her at GovernorsOffice.Cayman@fcdo.gov.uk

  20. Anonymous says:

    Lots of paper there. Are we sure they can all read, or does someone need to read it out to them?

    There is also this pretty cool thing, created maybe 30 years ago, pretty sleek now. Its called a laptop.

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    • Anonymous says:

      They’d all be shopping on Amazon or playing games if they had laptops there. It’s what they do in the LA.

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    • Anonymous says:

      To 9:49am: all these idiots have laptops but some of them refuse to use them, forcing the civil service to spend a pretty penny printing stuff that ends up in the shredder.

    • Anonymous says:

      An etch-a-sketch would be more cost effective.

  21. Anonymous says:

    None of this spending approved by voters, whose money they are misappropriating. Voters need to stop them, if they care.

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  22. Anonymous says:

    Did you know that Cayman Brac has more public toilet blocks than anywhere else in the world?

    Just a few short months left in her tenure and the representative from Cayman Brac East is putting yet another toilet block in Watering Place.

    Meanwhile the drive from Watering Place is becoming more and more hazardous, as Water Authority continues tearing up the main road, heavy equipment tracks digging up the lanes and an infinite amounts of bumps and potholes being created.

    While I will be able to go and pee in a new toilet block soon, it will be a bumpy ride. LOL

    Anyhow, cheers …. to another new toilet block!!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      You just never know when the call comes, and you’ll be glad for those toilets.

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    • Anonymous says:

      and another community centre in Spot Bay. Hear one is going in Watering Place Gardens too. There are a lot of people needing housing. Why don’t government put their NAU people in the government housing instead of paying for them to rent other places?

  23. Anonymous says:

    ….meanwhile the electorate sleeps!!

    Wake up people!!!

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  24. Anonymous says:

    Can someone explain how the cabinet can only have five ministers but the constitution at section 44 requires there to be six ministers.

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  25. Anonymous says:

    April 30th can’t come soon enough…
    Hope everyone now realizes that a candidate’s Character and integrity matter more than gifts and self serving promises.
    If a man has been charged and found guilty of deception or drug dealing, that is who he is.

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  26. Anonymous says:

    Use public money (and maybe your own) to buy a few votes, get elected, vote yourself a salary and benefits package of tens of thousands per month, travel the world for 4 years, rinse and repeat.

    It has to end.

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  27. Anonymous says:

    We need a complete re-write of our Constitution and other laws to prevent a repeat of this farce which allows a small group of horse-trading politicians elected by a few dozen votes in tiny constituencies to control the fate of this country. Until that happens we will see nothing but rising debt and fatter politicians.

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  28. Anonymous says:

    Correction – Lame duck Cabinet keeps trying to buy – the election

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  29. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps I stand to be corrected, as far as I am aware Cabinet on its own cannot approve _Additional_ expenditure except for emergencies. Doesn’t the additional expenditure have to be taken to Finance Commitee?

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    • Anonymous says:

      That is correct, 9:13. All these funds were already approved. What the did was take what was rightfully approved for Peter and reassigned it to Paul. No new money.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Throw them all out.

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  31. Anonymous says:

    CO Eric Bush’s lame defence of the Auditor General’s damning report on spending, and the many related issues revealed in the Finance Committee of Parliament this week, shows that CIG finances are in deeper troubles than we could even imagine.
    But. No fuss or protests there.
    And where’s the Brodcast Copy of that meeting that was aired on Radio Cayman this week?

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    • Anonymous says:

      To 7:36 pm: Could not be Finance Committee, since they only happen when parliament is on. Maybe you mean public Accounts?

  32. Say it like it is says:

    The ducks are certainly quacking and it’s costing us a lot of money.

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  33. Anonymous says:

    And exempting themselves from planning permission for a lot of projects.

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  34. Anonymous says:

    As a citizen, I want more say, MUCH more say, in how the funds — which come primarily from us — are spent. I do not feel represented with this government. I have not felt represented for quite a long time. I think that must change. We elect people based upon the promises they make, and then once elected, they recombine into a way which often doesn’t resemble their promises. I am right pissed off about this. I work hard, and my wife works hard, and we are falling behind, and soon might fall under.

    No worries, though, my pension will eventually kick in and pay us $1200/month, which won’t even pay our health insurance.

    We need a renaissance of process; we need politicians who will dedicate their lives toward the betterment of the people, and not the increase of development that does us no good.

    I am right pissed, and I have a right to be right pissed, because I am soon to be broke, through no fault of my own.

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    • Anonymous says:

      To 6:18pm: Ah! Therein lies the problem! We need to tell the MPs what we need done, not elect them based on their promises which are usually far from what the country needs. That is where we keep going wrong; but people are too busy to get together and decide what we need.

  35. Anonymous says:

    Every single UPM member should lose this seat in the next elections particularly the Remier from the Brac and the maniac from GT Central they are completely out of control.

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  36. Anonymous says:

    Wow, what an irresponsible last gasp attempt to buy votes.
    Hope the next government will have the courage to clean up and bring some fiscal responsibility to the benefit of the community.

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  37. Anonymous says:

    please Spend some on early education/LITERACY $$$
    eg.
    Give students an Education Bone for good grades..
    $500 for each A
    $400 each B
    $200 each C.
    They get 10% of their Primary school total in CASH at graduation, they
    they redeem the rest in Scholarship Value upon high school graduation.

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    • Anonymous says:

      …idiotic……

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    • Anonymous says:

      $0 for Cs. Why would you reward mediocrity?

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    • Anonymous says:

      I have little faith in a school system that gives students credit for subjects that they are not studying ……. then reports on them using generic comments and not numbers.
      We have little idea what is going on because a large number of teachers and almost all administrators ( with qualifications from Walmart etc) don’t know either.

      We need to recruit people with a proven record of knowledge and success and STOP pushing clueless staff “up the ladder”.

      • It’s madness says:

        To 3:52pm: I’ve been screaming in the desert for years; no one in the DES or the Ministry listens. I asked why our teenagers come out of high school as young as 16, but they cannot get any entry level jobs until 17. Meanwhile, gas stations, restaurants, call centres, fast food places, etc. have people on work permits. No one in education gives an answer.

      • Anonymous says:

        Unfortunately we do know what’s happening. We’re graduating failures. We’re pushing a huge percentage of these kids into the world completely unprepared for life. They’re bound to fail, hard.

        As you’ve said, they keep pushing staff up the ladder despite the fact that these staff haven’t demonstrated that they can educate our youth. And then these managers hire more incompetent staff who get pushed up the ladder and the cycle repeats. The achievement gap between government and private schools is appalling.

  38. Anonymous says:

    They realize that none of them will be re-elected so its a free for all!

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  39. Anonymous says:

    Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan also persuaded his colleagues to approve CI$1.9 million for Central Scranton Park in his constituency of George Town Central. This is in addition to the $2.4 million already approved for the 2024/25 budget.

    Follow the money!!! I’m sure he’s getting his fair share of this while public beach looks more and more 3rd world every day!

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  40. Anonymous says:

    Has Jay spent the entire infrastructure budget on North Side? Not saying North Sider’s don’t deserve nice things, but the rest of the island is being neglected completely!

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  41. Anonymous says:

    $26 million for scholarships? Seem to recall the scholarships are something like $25K. That’s over a 1000 scholarships. How many students do we have studying overseas that need tax payer support and can make the minimum GPA requirements? Seems a pretty high number given the public schools pass results, and you would think anyone who could afford the private schools is either an expat or doesnt need tax payer support. Or is it a worthy idea that has been turned into another way of distributing tax payer cash to friends? A sudden increase of $4 million just before an election makes you wonder.

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    • Anon says:

      Meanwhile UCCI is hoping to raise CI$500,000 for 50 scholarships this year to celebrate 50 years. CI$10,000 a piece. In that context CI$26 million is wild.

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    • Lack of knowledge says:

      The answers to your questions are public. Just visit the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) website.

  42. Anonymous says:

    First plan of action for whichever government gets in should be to scrap any plans of a $50m school in Cayman Brac. Julianna’s mental state should be questioned for thinking this is a reasonable price. Could build a school for all of those students for $10m with a nice profit.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Add the $200Million new Prison resort and $8Million consultants fees to the list of cancelling waste.

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    • Anonymous says:

      More like 70 millions at least and that is without accounting for the electrical works ,the plumbing and of course the eternity it will take on top of that to qualify the building and the extra man hours to be generously poured in !

      You could send the students to the best world famous schools for a fraction of the cost and given most of the teachers will most likely come from different islands you WILL need to provide lodging on top of that well unless you want to fly them daily !or host them in the trees !

      So that school isn’t anything but a future white elephant, sitting empty, devoid of students, teachers but costing dearly to maintain due to its remarkably remote location !

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