Over 500 people responded to NCA consultation
(CNS): The Ministry of Sustainability received 511 letters from members of the public containing feedback on proposals to amend the National Conservation Act, according to officials. Almost all of them opposed the UPM’s attempt to gut the law. The controversial legislation was withdrawn by the government on Friday, a move that has been welcomed by local activists, TCCP members and the PPM.
The bill was destined to fail since the UPM no longer has a majority and was unable to secure support from the official opposition. It was drafted without input from stakeholders and, if it had passed, would have undermined the fundamental purpose of the law.
Officials from the ministry said that the feedback had been compiled into a ‘Quick Report’ and shared with the members of parliament, including the minister, ahead of Friday’s parliamentary session. However, they were unable to say if a report on the consultation would be made available to the public.
Sustainable Cayman, which had supplied more than 500 of the letters and signatures opposing the bill, welcomed the government’s decision to pull the proposed draft bill. Along with students from the activist group Protect Our Future, the members presented copies of the letters to MPs from TCCP on Friday, urging all members to protect the legislation.
The amendments, if passed, would significantly weaken protections that safeguard the Cayman Islands’ biodiversity and natural resources, allowing potentially irreversible environmental damage, Sustainable said after the bill was withdrawn.
They said the response was “no doubt” due “to the community’s emphatic opposition to voting on this unnecessary legislation”. They added, “This decision reflects the consistent messaging from people across the Cayman Islands and overseas, and extensive advocacy work by Sustainable Cayman and other environmental groups.”
However, as he withdrew the bill, Sustainability Minister Dwayne Seymour still defended the proposed amendments and suggested an intention to bring the changes at another time. This raises the possibility that, even though the bill didn’t pass, a redrafted form might be on the next government’s agenda if the new administration is led by the remaining members of the UPM and the PPM.
This means the bill and the lack of any reasonable justification for it will become a key topic during the coming election campaign. At this point, the TCCP remains the only party committed to retaining the bill in its current form.
“The community’s voice is clear in its call to maintain strong scientific oversight and reject any reductions in environmental assessments which are crucial for the sustainable development of the Cayman Islands,” Sustainable Cayman said.
Sustainability Ambassador Connor Childs said he was relieved that this bill had been withdrawn and that the proposed amendments did not pass.
“This is a crucial victory for the protection of our natural areas for future generations. Thank you to the concerned citizens who stood up in defence of the National Conservation Act and to the leaders who supported this important legislation,” he said.
“The National Conservation Act plays a vital role in ensuring that development progresses in a way that both benefits Caymanians and preserves the very things that make Cayman special. While we celebrate this victory for the environment and democratic engagement, we must all remain vigilant. With elections approaching, there is a possibility that future administrations could attempt to reintroduce similar legislation.”
Sustainable Cayman said it will continue to monitor these developments closely and advocate for permanent protections that preserve the integrity of the National Conservation Act without dilution.
TCCP said that the withdrawal of the bill was a testament to the value of principled, democratic opposition as well as the power of the community, vindicating their members’ decision to resign from government last October. Had they remained as cabinet ministers, André Ebanks, Katherine Ebanks-Wilks and Sabrina Turner would have been bound by collective responsibility to pass what they said was a far-reaching and harmful bill that would undermine the quality of life for this and future generations.
While Heather Bodden, as a back-bench member, could have remained on the government benches and still voted ‘no’, her position as a parliamentary secretary and member of the UPM caucus would still have made her ability to remain difficult, given that she was opposing the premier’s binding Cabinet decision to pursue these worrying and unnecessary changes.
“Only by resigning could we have the freedom to speak out and stand up against the proposed amendments,” the TCCP members explained. “The National Conservation Act is vital legislation that ensures we do not overlook the potential environmental impact when considering the economic and social benefits of development. The proposed amendments, such as removing the requirement for an environmental impact assessment for government projects and removing scientific expertise from the National Conservation Council, increase the risk of doing irreversible damage to our community.”
PPM Leader Joey Hew has said on a number of occasions that his party wants to see some amendments to the law. However, he said that this bill was flawed, and he wants to ensure that legislative changes still uphold both environmental protection and sound governance.
“Our PPM team remains dedicated to a governance approach that prioritises solutions over division, encourages collaboration with all stakeholders, and ensures that any future amendments to the NCC Act are constitutionally sound, well-balanced, and in the best interests of the Cayman Islands.”
As he withdrew the draft bill, Seymour said there were legal and policy issues relating to the balance to be struck between the NCC’s powers to override decisions of other public bodies and those other public bodies’ ability to exercise their own statutory functions.
However, this is not an issue that only affects the conservation law. Many government departments have the power ability to override decisions made by other government departments. For example, the fire service and the Water Authority can override the granting of a planning application that poses a threat to the local water supply or a fire risk.
The National Conservation Act bestows very limited powers on the National Conservation Council, which has been used on a tiny number of occasions to stop the most egregious development in marine parks and the dwindling habitat of the country’s critically endangered iconic blue iguana.
Meanwhile, despite repeated requests, CNS is still waiting for the government to respond to questions about the drafting of this bill, which is said to have been written by an overseas law firm without any input at all from the Cayman Islands’ own environmental scientists.
Neither Cayman’s own local experts at the Department of Environment nor any members of the National Conservation Council, who were appointed directly by the Cabinet, were consulted about the legislation, and the ministry has failed to tell the public why not and who drafted the bill.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
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- Bored
- Afraid
This was an online letter. 500 of 25,000 people exercised their right to send it to their MP. Only the ‘showman’ has to smile for the cameras and make it into a PR story.
Looks like the UDP and oh let’s not forget ‘official’ opposition…need to count their precious days. Hope all election hopefuls are paying attention!
My only question is: Why would any elected government, try to destroy the “National Conservation Act?” It is truly for the best interest of any country, to have one that is effective!!!
Meanwhile, all this distraction and the PPM just said they support the Referendum Bill. Hmmm, we really need a change from this lot of washed up conspirators and sorry but their ‘newbies’ are not cutting it.
The kids are alright.
I understand the reference, but……..
No, sadly, they are not. They are mostly not paying attention and they believe their wishes have no iron. They are floundering through life without any cohesive goal and they think everyone else but them is to blame for their dour condition. The kids need to stand up and make themselves heard, and maybe, just maybe, in the process some of the rest of us downtrodden might back their play. It’s all that is left for us, all of us that aren’t wealthy beachfront condo owners who have no care in the world.
Dwayne and Juliana, got all kind of mouth in Parliament, but was too scared or coward to meet with children who disagree with them
Not even one PPM Member chose to meet witg the children either.
Thats the quality of the new PPM thats running in this election. And yes, Dwayne is running with the PPM again
Truth!
This is turning into a bureaucratic warzone, where the UPM and their allies scramble to distance themselves from responsibility, like a group of grots caught red-handed looting the boss’s stash.
Who better to analyze this spiraling absurdity than The Secretary to the Ambassador of Absurdistan?
🚨 OFFICIAL DISPATCH FROM THE OFFICE OF ABSURDISTAN 🚨
RE: WHO WROTE THE NCA AMENDMENTS?—A MYSTERY SO GREAT EVEN ITS AUTHORS ARE IN HIDING!
Esteemed Citizens of the Cayman Islands,
It has come to the attention of the Absurdistani Diplomatic Corps that an extraordinary spectacle is unfolding within the sacred halls of governance. Over 500 responses flooded the consultation on the attempted dismemberment of the National Conservation Act, and now? Nobody wants to admit they had anything to do with it!
🕵️♂️ WHO WROTE THE AMENDMENTS?
✔ The Premier? NO COMMENT.
✔ The Minister of Sustainability? WHO, ME?
✔ The Shadowy Bureaucrats? NEVER HEARD OF IT.
✔ An AI-generated script designed for maximum environmental destruction? PLAUSIBLE!
Yes, dear citizens, we have reached a point where the authors of this legislative travesty are playing an elaborate game of ‘NOT IT!’ rather than facing the wrath of a thoroughly unimpressed public.
THE TOP SUSPECTS IN THIS LEGISLATIVE WHODUNNIT
1️⃣ THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION
• Their silence is deafening. Perhaps they were hoping this would quietly slip through the cracks while everyone was distracted by overpriced real estate and collapsing infrastructure?
2️⃣ THE UPM’S GHOSTWRITERS
• If past performance is any indicator, these amendments were likely crafted by consultants paid in gold-plated incompetence, with clauses copy-pasted from a developer’s wish list.
3️⃣ DWAYNE SEYMOUR OUR LOCAL ELON MUSK:
• Did he write it? Probably not.
• Would he struggle to read it? Most certainly.
• Could he still be searching for his misplaced speech notes? Absolutely.
THE OFFICIAL RESPONSE: A WELL-COORDINATED CHAOTIC SHRUG
✔ “We are still reviewing.” (Translation: We hope you forget.)
✔ “We are gathering feedback.” (Translation: We didn’t expect anyone to actually read it.)
✔ “We will be transparent.” (Translation: In the same way that a brick wall is ‘see-through’ if you believe hard enough.)
ABSURDISTAN’S OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION
Given the sheer magnitude of denial, backpedaling, and strategic memory loss, the Ambassador to Absurdistan proposes the following solutions:
1️⃣ Declare the NCA Amendments a ‘Divinely Authored Text’
• Since nobody wants to claim ownership, simply state that the amendments were hand-delivered by celestial beings and must be accepted on faith alone.
2️⃣ Introduce the ‘Schrödinger’s Legislation’ Doctrine
• The amendments are both written and unwritten at the same time, existing in a quantum state of political uncertainty.
3️⃣ Submit All Future Policy Changes to the ‘Excavator Collision Approval System’
• If the fateful excavator can successfully read and comprehend a bill aloud without assistance, it may proceed.
• If not? INSTANT REJECTION.
FINAL VERDICT: A COMPLETE & UTTER EMBARRASSMENT
🔥 The NCA Amendments were a disaster from inception—and now, nobody even wants to take credit for them.
🔥 The UPM has turned on itself, scrambling to find a scapegoat, much like a hive of disoriented Tyranids after losing their synapse creature.
🔥 The public is watching—and laughing. The Rogue’s Gallery will be having a field day with this one.
🚨 ADVISEMENT TO THE CAYMAN GOVERNMENT:
If you can’t even agree on who wrote a set of policy amendments, perhaps—just perhaps—you shouldn’t be the ones writing policy at all. 🚨
📝 Final Note:
While the characters in this dispatch are fictional (or are they?), the UPM’s self-inflicted implosion is very, very real.
Post Scriptum:
A FINAL NOTE OF GRATITUDE
To every single person who raised their voice, sent letters, provided feedback, and stood up to protect this island’s natural beauty—THANK YOU.
Your collective efforts ensured that this legislative train wreck didn’t go unnoticed. Without you, the NCA would already be halfway to the landfill.
This victory belongs to the people who care about Cayman’s future, not just its short-term profits.
📝 Disclaimer:
While the characters in this dispatch are fictional (or are they?), the Cayman Islands government is working tirelessly to prove they are even more ridiculous in reality.
Divinely authored text huh! you had to go there. We knew you were a moron but that statement freezes your crazy asquaresus into HERE IS TO x21 LOOKING AT YOU.
Just a reminder to anyone circulating petitions: The Sister Islands may be a drop in the bucket, but collectively, at least a cup we make, and most of us are unafraid to speak our minds.
Make or break often turns on a very few votes.
It was online.
I know. I was thinking of grassroots petitions, and referendum. I don’t believe anyone ever came to the Sister Islands about the Cruise Port Referendum in the past. You might think we don’t matter, but we are every bit as invested as you. You have been told that we’re all either CIG employees or NAU recipients, and while I think that is complete bullshit, even if it were true, don’t all the citizens count for something? Do we not all count?
It’s very telling that despite the abnormally broad community interest, and their snookered position this parliamentary round, Joey Hew and the PPM are still angling and canvasing for what they call “solutions” to what is inferred to be a NCL problem. That’s all you need to know about the PPM.
All these developer puppets keep screaming about how restrictive the NCA is yet a one needs only to look at the myriad of concrete monstrosities rising from 7 mile beach to expose there arguments as a pathetic attempt to appease their monied lords.
None of these projects have been halted despite numerous infractions and protests. EIA’s if done at all are ignored, native flora are bulldozed illegally and unsustainable damage is done to our islands natural beauty year after year. This amendment was meant to be a message to the public and those few government officials who were trying to preserve our home. That message was; “Shut up and get out of the way, money is king and we are gods of avarice. Know your place, and don’t ever presume to question your lords again”
Its the glaring issue in the narrative of the UPM and PPM
For every year of their respective administrations, they stand up and proclaim that construction and development are booming and benefiting Cayman and that they deserve credit.
But then turn around and say the NCA needs to be reformed for better balance because it is hindering development.
Which is it? Because I have lost count of new projects, buildings and areas that are being torn down and filled in. No one on Cayman who does not have a direct financial incentive thinks that development has been hindered one iota in Cayman over the past 15 years but the PPM and UPM expect us to not believe our lying eyes.
Reject their lies – wholesale.
It’s more to do with the dichotomy of development between SMB/GT and the rest of the island.
Yes, development continues apace for SMB/GT, largely due to very few remaining parcels of undeveloped land having sufficient ecological value to trigger an EIA. A 10-storey building as a redevelopment of a previous 3-5 storey building will see no meaningful barriers to proceed. A new office building in central GT is in the same boat.
However, the perception of the NCA fettering development comes into play more so where looking at projects on the Eastern side of the island. You’re more likely to have family-owned land (or multi-family) who carry a fear (unfounded or not) that they will not be able to realize the wealth promised in their land heritage due to provisions in the NCA. This is despite the fact that the majority of those properties (at an individual level) are too small to actually cross that threshold.
This contrast in the perceived application of the NCA and which type of land owner and developer it is more likely to impact is one of the major reasons why you see politicians boasting of construction supporting our overall economic growth and simultaneously saying there needs to be some rebalancing of the NCA. Not saying they’re right, but it’s far more nuanced than this whole “look at all the tall buildings for rich people so clearly complaints about the NCA are utterly unfounded.”
How many jobs did the “monstrosities” create..?
How many $ did they contribute towards government expenses..?
How many $ transfer tax paid to Govt..?
How many dollars continue to be injected into our economy by residents of those monstrosities, spending in restaurants, supermarkets etc.?
What did swampland contribute ..?