Mr. Jay heard many topics
By Alan Markoff, alan@cfp.ky
Wednesday 15th February, 2006 Posted: 15:03 CIT (20:03 GMT)
Sir Michael Jay, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s top civil servant who visited here last week, got to hear about a wide range of issues impacting Cayman during his visit.
Besides meeting with elected Government officials, Mr. Jay attended a breakfast held at the Governor’s house last Thursday morning and met with civil society members.
Invited to the breakfast were various people heading non–governmental organisations and others who had specific knowledge or responsibilities with regard to issues important to Cayman.
Pastor Al Ebanks, who heads the NGO Working Group on constitutional modernisation, said each invited member of the public had a chance to talk about the issue they knew about.
For the most part, Mr. Jay just listened, Mr. Ebanks said.
“He had very little to say. He was really there to listen.”
Nothing new of significant importance was discussed in Mr. Ebanks’ opinion, but Mr. Jay did walk away with a better knowledge of the issues facing Cayman.
“It was just the kind of conversations we have every day here between ourselves.”
The breakfast and informal chat only lasted about one hour. Some of the topics discussed included constitutional modernisation, the environment, human rights and Immigration.
Constitutional modernisation was one topic that the elected People’s Progressive Movement government steered clear of during its discussions with Mr. Jay.
Instead, it will wait to discuss the subject with an FCO team headed by senior constitutional expert Ian Hendry in March. That team will resume the constitutional talks that were suspended last year before the general elections.
One person who said he spoke about the constitutional modernisation process at length with Mr. Jay was Leader of the Opposition McKeeva Bush, who noted that he had already met with Mr. Jay once before, in October 2004 after Hurricane Ivan hit Cayman.
In addition to constitutional modernisation, Mr. Bush said he discussed the issues of security, disaster preparedness and immigration. The latter issue was not included on the agenda list of topics sent out by the Governor’s Office prior to Mr. Jay’s arrival.
“He said he had heard immigration was a big topic,” Mr. Bush said.
But it was the topic of constitutional modernisation that Mr. Bush said he spoke most about with Mr. Jay.
“I told him we didn’t aspire toward independence, but that there had to be some changes in the Constitution,” he said, adding that Cayman needed to avoid a situation where the Government could become all–powerful.
Mr. Bush said he told Mr. Jay that Cayman also needed a reasonable human rights bill that would protect people’s rights without upsetting the country’s heritage and Christian background.
He also stressed that Cayman did not want any meddling in its affairs by the European Union.
Mr. Bush said afterwards the reason constitutional talks were halted last year was because of an attempt to link the acceptance of the European Union Savings Tax Directive to the UK’s cooperation with constitutional modernisation process.
“It’s a fact that the British Treasury Department was trying to leverage the Constitution and moving it forward against the European Union Savings Tax Directive,” he said. “They told me that if I agreed to that, they would make it easier to get the Constitution approved.
“I told them they couldn’t leverage one against the other and walked away from the talks.”
Mr. Bush said the FCO subsequently denied such an offer, saying the British Treasury had no power to facilitate constitutional matter with the Overseas Territories.
“I have no doubt though that they confer with one another and that there were collaborations against us.”
Mr. Bush also spoke to Mr. Jay about the People’s Progressive Movement’s suggestion that the constitutional modernisation process requires a referendum.
“I told him that if they call for it and lose [acceptance of the Constitution put forward for referendum] then we should have a fresh mandate of the people,” Mr. Bush said, explaining that meant new elections.
By Alan Markoff, alan@cfp.ky
Wednesday 15th February, 2006 Posted: 15:03 CIT (20:03 GMT)
Sir Michael Jay, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s top civil servant who visited here last week, got to hear about a wide range of issues impacting Cayman during his visit.
Besides meeting with elected Government officials, Mr. Jay attended a breakfast held at the Governor’s house last Thursday morning and met with civil society members.
Invited to the breakfast were various people heading non–governmental organisations and others who had specific knowledge or responsibilities with regard to issues important to Cayman.
Pastor Al Ebanks, who heads the NGO Working Group on constitutional modernisation, said each invited member of the public had a chance to talk about the issue they knew about.
For the most part, Mr. Jay just listened, Mr. Ebanks said.
“He had very little to say. He was really there to listen.”
Nothing new of significant importance was discussed in Mr. Ebanks’ opinion, but Mr. Jay did walk away with a better knowledge of the issues facing Cayman.
“It was just the kind of conversations we have every day here between ourselves.”
The breakfast and informal chat only lasted about one hour. Some of the topics discussed included constitutional modernisation, the environment, human rights and Immigration.
Constitutional modernisation was one topic that the elected People’s Progressive Movement government steered clear of during its discussions with Mr. Jay.
Instead, it will wait to discuss the subject with an FCO team headed by senior constitutional expert Ian Hendry in March. That team will resume the constitutional talks that were suspended last year before the general elections.
One person who said he spoke about the constitutional modernisation process at length with Mr. Jay was Leader of the Opposition McKeeva Bush, who noted that he had already met with Mr. Jay once before, in October 2004 after Hurricane Ivan hit Cayman.
In addition to constitutional modernisation, Mr. Bush said he discussed the issues of security, disaster preparedness and immigration. The latter issue was not included on the agenda list of topics sent out by the Governor’s Office prior to Mr. Jay’s arrival.
“He said he had heard immigration was a big topic,” Mr. Bush said.
But it was the topic of constitutional modernisation that Mr. Bush said he spoke most about with Mr. Jay.
“I told him we didn’t aspire toward independence, but that there had to be some changes in the Constitution,” he said, adding that Cayman needed to avoid a situation where the Government could become all–powerful.
Mr. Bush said he told Mr. Jay that Cayman also needed a reasonable human rights bill that would protect people’s rights without upsetting the country’s heritage and Christian background.
He also stressed that Cayman did not want any meddling in its affairs by the European Union.
Mr. Bush said afterwards the reason constitutional talks were halted last year was because of an attempt to link the acceptance of the European Union Savings Tax Directive to the UK’s cooperation with constitutional modernisation process.
“It’s a fact that the British Treasury Department was trying to leverage the Constitution and moving it forward against the European Union Savings Tax Directive,” he said. “They told me that if I agreed to that, they would make it easier to get the Constitution approved.
“I told them they couldn’t leverage one against the other and walked away from the talks.”
Mr. Bush said the FCO subsequently denied such an offer, saying the British Treasury had no power to facilitate constitutional matter with the Overseas Territories.
“I have no doubt though that they confer with one another and that there were collaborations against us.”
Mr. Bush also spoke to Mr. Jay about the People’s Progressive Movement’s suggestion that the constitutional modernisation process requires a referendum.
“I told him that if they call for it and lose [acceptance of the Constitution put forward for referendum] then we should have a fresh mandate of the people,” Mr. Bush said, explaining that meant new elections.
