PPM dismisses responsibility for ReGen disaster
(CNS): The agreement the PPM signed in 2021 with a Dart-led consortium to develop a waste-to-energy facility and a waste-management system was a terrible deal, according to a recent report by the Office of the Auditor General, but the party, now in opposition, still seems unable to accept responsibility for its failings. Instead, Deputy PPM Leader Joey Hew has taken aim at the sustainability minister’s decision to “abandon” the ReGen deal, accusing the current government of creating more uncertainty and risk.
The OAG report documented his party’s catalogue of errors that forced the current administration to begin exit talks.
In a video message that Hew appears to have recorded and posted on social media before he had read the OAG’s damning report, he hurls incorrect allegations at the Ministry of Sustainability, which took over the project negotiations with Dart following the 2021 elections. Due to a catalogue of concerns, the ministry had asked the audit office to look at the deal up to that point.
In the social media post, Hew implied that the PACT government was to blame for a jump in project costs from “$670 million to an unsubstantiated $2 billion”. However, there has never been any evidence to support the idea that costs had leapt to as much as $2 billion; the OAG’s report suggests that, if the government had gone ahead with the project, the costs would have reached around $1 billion.
But Hew blamed “the dithering and delay from the PACT and the UPM Government over the past three years” for the soaring costs, a position completely contradicted by the audit report. Auditor General Sue Winspear and her team spelt out the reasons for the increasing costs, finding that they were caused by numerous fundamental errors that the PPM-led administration made at the start and in the early stages of the process.
Following the leak of the OAG’s report to the wider public after the office had sent the document to all 19 MPs, the Progressives issued a press release in which the party played down the significant mistakes made when it was in office and even challenged the auditor general’s evidence-based findings.
The party appeared dismissive of basic errors as something to consider for the future, as they sought to play down their significance and point the finger at the PACT Government’s failure to meet the deadlines that the Progressive government had left them with.
The PPM said that “updated information was routinely provided through the procurement process and Ministers made decisions to change approach as new information came to light. Such changes include the capital injection already mentioned, accepting the revised size of the energy recovery plant, and reducing the scope of the contract to cut costs. However, the extent to which the detailed financial modelling assumptions were revisited needs to be clarified. There are significant issues of proper process that the Public Accounts Committee will need to probe in detail whenever it meets to consider the report.”
However, the press release failed to address the fact that the early errors caused the problems that led PACT to question the affordability and value for money of what shaped up to be a disastrous deal that would have massively favoured Dart over the people of the Cayman Islands.
This has left the islands with a major waste-management problem at a time when the population is growing at an unprecedented level. According to the most recent statistics from the Economics and Statistics Office, at the end of October 2023, there were just under 85,000 people resident in Cayman. However, this is believed to be a conservative estimate given the increase in the number of work permits this year, which was well over 37,400 in May, about 1,000 more people than at the time of the Labour Force Survey.
Ignoring the part he played in the process that led to this point, Hew demanded that the current government respond to a list of questions about what happened to the talks since they took office — many of which are answered in the OAG report.
Hew also asked how the UPM plans to replace the 8% of the energy used on Grand Cayman that the WTE plant was expected to generate, which is included in the National Energy Policy. At this point, however, Sustainability Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks has indicated that the government is likely to retender the project and will likely look for a conventional contract with a WTE expert.
The deputy opposition leader demanded to know where a new landfill will be situated, as the existing dump area in George Town could run out of space in the next few years. However, this is largely because the PPM agreed to — and paid for — Dart’s remediation work at the old Mount Trashmore during the negotiations and before any deal was signed.
Critics of the agreement the PPM signed on the eve of the elections have noted that this had weakened the government’s hand in the negotiations because covering up the dump, which is located next to Dart’s flagship town, Camana Bay, was the key motivation for the group to move into the waste management business.
See Joey Hew’s video statement here.
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Category: Environmental Health, Health, Politics
Anyone considering voting for any Ppm member in 2025 is driving our children in the deepest depths of debt that they will never be able to overcome.
yea fa sure ppm dont need be running this country ever again no use
They are all impostors*, with few exceptions.
“[I]gnorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.” — Charles Darwin, 1871
Ignorance itself isn’t something to be ashamed of. We’re all ignorant in certain areas. When combined with a lack of self-awareness though, it could mean the difference between being harmless and dangerous.
“The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world, the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” — Bertrand Russell**, 1933
*a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain.
**a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, social critic, political activist and Nobel laureate.
Stomping his feet like the spoiled brat he’s always been.
He is proof that too many unethical and uneducated people are easily elected to politics in Cayman. I went to high school with him. How he became a leader in Cayman is a sick joke. It says our standard are too low!
…. and these uneducated, incompetent, moronic headless chickens (no offence to decapitated avians), want to build a port?
CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN to imagine the levels of:
• Inefficiency
• Stupidity
• Inaccuracy
And most of all –
• GRAFT/CORRUPTION/”BoBo Tax”
That would be exacted and extracted from the taxpayers of these islands – both international and local, corporate and resident.
The above alone should prove that the port MUST never be built. It would break the country for GENERATIONS to come and would fatally undermine any confidence that international business might have in the islands.
Any I and sorry – these great OAG reports are all fine and dandy …but NOTHING EVER HAPPENS WITH THEM.
…go back to the era of AG Dan Duguay (and before) who was passed over by the then BoBos in charge, as he had the temerity the shine a hygienic light on their tank full of sewage and thus left the island shortly thereafter i.e. he was forced out…
Take any OAG report, ever written, over the years about schools, gas boy, airports, turtle farm, government housing, ReGen WHAT EVER (the litany is just way too long to print) – and just tippex out the name of the then burning issue of the day, insert the next one and reprint ….
Nothing EVER, EVER, EVER happens with these OAG reports. Nothing.
No teeth, no consequences and thus we as islands are DOOMED to have to suffer the repeat of the “mistakes” (and worse) of the (political/Civil Service) past – over and over and over, again, and again and again…… and the corruption, incompetence and stupidity carries on, ad nausaem.
Joey Hew, ‘READY, FIRE, AIM !!’
what a clown…
Seen this guy out on numerous occasions drinking and at restaurants with realtors and developers. He’s bought and paid for.
He is a lovely man who is very sociable, just what is wrong with that? You seem very angry, maybe you should seek counseling.
You think kissing up and accepting expensive wine and dinners from realtors and developers is being “sociable?” You seem very naive, or maybe he’s a relative or friend of yours. Maybe you should try to see reality instead of being blinded by fealty.
I read the report and believe the findings of the Auditor General’s Office over any politician especially Joey Hew and the Progressives.
They negotiated a bad deal from the outset with Dart. Hew is in denial because he is in the middle of all of trying to serve two masters.
Yeah, he really has only one master.
They signed this deal not knowing what the f*ck they were signing.
Stupid is as stupid does. Are we surprised by Joey Who’s stupidity?
Sir Alden was taken to the cleaners when he signed the deal with Joey.
Remember, just before the last election Sir Alden announced that it was a done deal.
We knew something was wrong all along. Joey is Darts greatest ambassador.Joey has lost all credibility now and it is high time he goes. Oh BTW don’t come around by me for any vote.
Stop picking on PPM, they are the best. Override the current government, take control and let Dart do everything. Dart all the way! They have the best people in the whole world working for them.
Mainlined the wretched KoolAid you did!
Sarcasm font is badly needed…
Try /s. It works on Reddit.
Poor Joey Who is obviously not very good at anything he does touches business, politics or acting
Sadly, he’s playing himself. He’s Dart’s political puppet, nothing else.
and NCB’s.
Dude is a dunce and sell out
What an embarrassment Joey has turned out to be as a MLA. Vote him out in 2025!
Don’t worry. He eats and drinks very well.
Has he actually done anything during the past 3 years? He is supposedly my MLA but haven’t heard anything from him .
Have you tried maybe just being wealthier? I’ve heard that attracts his ilk, like flies to shit.
Cayman gets the representation it deserves. Buying votes in the poor areas is the game that has been mastered. Voters don’t want honest MP’s they want people that give them money so buying and selling votes is common in all districts.
Then those by MP’s or Ministers thru negotiations with special interests and financial backers give away millions in concessions to those that pay to play whilst contracts for services are provided in exchange to the Public Official’s various pecuniary interests.
These actions merit full investigations and criminal charges for “abuse of office” as per the standards in public life provisions and the Anti-Corruption legislation.
It is the only way to stop the overt corruption that exists for all to see.
Dart doesn’t want or need him anymore…watch where the PPM will be financed and who they have added to their list of handlers..
PPM needs to go away..Their record is not a good one and they should never ever be able
Such complex and costly projects should be only done by the world’s experts in the field. From scratch to finish. They should also be involved in running the facilities once completed.
The only experts I’d trust are Japanese companies specializing in implementing such projects in developing countries.
CIG must admit they have no expertise whatsoever to get involved in this scale projects.
https://www.jwrf.or.jp/en/overseas/#:~:text=Japan's%20local%20governments%20and%2For,further%20mobilization%20of%20the%20technologies.
https://climateadaptationplatform.com/can-japans-waste-to-energy-technology-shape-global-waste-management/
https://climateadaptationplatform.com/can-japans-waste-to-energy-technology-shape-global-waste-management/
The Japanese are lightyears ahead of the West, and what they do probably seems like science fiction to most, especially those cave people we have for ministers.
Is the PPM blaming just the government for the failure of the deal or DART and the government?
There is enough blame to be shared equally.
Typical blame, blame someone else, never accountable. Well done Office of the Auditor General, need more like you.
From day 1, government should have hired an experienced waste management consultant to set the parameters as to what was needed, then did an RFP. Chosen a “winner “ then execute the contract. If that was done the entire project and remediation would be done. Elect better legislators is the long term solution.
This is the most professional way I’ve ever seen someone say “but lookya, da wassin me, bobo”
He is a buffoon and proves it in the video
The OAG rests the blame on at least 3 political administrations. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that civil servant administrators are the “technical advisors” to the politicians. The politicians dictate the policy they wish to follow, and the civil service “advisors” present options to guide such policies.
This matter spans 3 political administrations, but most likely, most of the same civil servants were involved throughout.
Clearly, this highlights in the civil service administration and of this project…research, options, technical approach, implementation processes, etc.
Franz Manderson and his mostly useless Chief Officers and Dept. Heads have struck again, wasting more public funds!
When will Franz and the Civil Service be accountable???
World class disgrace!!
Or, they did their job and gave options & analysis for the politicians to choose from. Not their fault if the political choice is to not be open about why they make a choice which then doesn’t work out best for the country. See EW Arterial Route as example number 8-2024.
JonJon didn’t like the advice his CO Jennifer Ahearn was giving him, so he had her moved half way through his term.
Blame it on the full moon and the donkey HE-HAW
Well said!
Usual PPM nonsense – the buck stops everywhere but here
PPM live in fantasy land. They cannot be trusted to lead this country ever again. The blatant lies Hew tells in the video proves he unfit as a MLA or leader of anything.
I hate organizations that only try to point fingers and find who to blame rather than finding a solution to the problem at hand. Such a widespread problem in places of weak leadership and always leads to poor performance from the very top to the very bottom.
How pray tell do you find deficiencies in your processes and procedures if no independent party reviews them after the fact?
Pointing fingers and providing suggestions is one of the key ways that improvements are made, more civil servants and politicians need to be critiqued on their performance in post not fewer that might actually motivate them to improve their output.
A colossal failure such as has been on display for many years with Regen, deserves a colossal rebuke – the AG let them off easy from what I can see
Two out of three Cayman politicians are as dumb as the other one. Thanks Joey for proving it.
Joey Hew proves again that he’s a clown and ill equipped to lead this country. Yet those failings will make him the perfect leader for the PPM. He is better off as full time employee for Dart and the developers that keep his remote control in their pockets selling toilet paper.
The PPM are directly responsible for the expensive ReGen mess from day one. Along with the inept civil service that should never been tasked with project management. Both are out of their depth when dealing with a corporate giant like dart that took advantage of them in the negotiations now we country is stuck with a massive bill due to political and administrative incompetence.