Hello my people and residents of the Cayman Islands.  Over the years I have written many letters to the Press re my own views of our community, and giving suggestions on what I have experienced growing and living in these islands.  I don’t have a degree in Sociology (wish I did), but I have been blessed with a little grey matter between my ears, thank God.   We have now reached a time in our history that we have developed to a fair extent our built environment and service industries, but I believe we are SOCIALLY and MORALLY BANKRUPT.  It’s very unfortunate that in our quest to chase material wealth we have overlooked this, and we continue to this day just making one big deal after another, with those who continue to use us for their own selfish reasons.

I know many will not read this, and of those that do some will disagree, and some could care less for what I’m about to say, but hopefully there will be the few that take the time to digest and understand and possibly even share my views.  I have great faith in our young people, especially those of university age at this time, and I believe therein lies the hope for these islands.  At the same time I worry for them and their future if my words are not heeded, and hence my main reason for writing.

Folks we missed the boat from the early development of these islands, not to say that a lot of good work and thought didn’t happen back then, and has given most of us a decent standard of living, but I maintain that we developed this country and forgot its people to a large extent.  Apart from the glaring failures in our education system, which have seen many graduate and ill-prepared to take their rightful place in society, or didn’t graduate at all, we have given our people a sense of entitlement that in these hard times, are really our greatest enemy.  BEING CAYMANIAN IS NOT A QUALIFICATION folks, as some of our past Leaders suggested it was.  You also have to be able – and if the system failed you, it is in your interest through the sweat of your brow, to make sure you equip yourself to hold a decent job and earn an honest living.  Also in the past, and even now, we have those in authority that people could run to and complain and the big whip would be used to chastise the offending party, when in truth again we were simply cultivating a sense of entitlement.  Don’t get me wrong, I want every Caymanian born here or adopted to have a bright future and have their stake in this country, but right now we are ill-equipped to do so and this folks is where the buck stops!  This is where those that don’t have and want will turn to other means – and we are seeing this as I write – robberies, burglaries, drugs, murder and the list goes on.  This my people, is The Cancer Within!  The Cayman Islands now remind me of beautiful fruit and when it’s peeled and opened the insides are rotten – no good for human consumption.  If we don’t recognize this and do something about it as a people we are doomed.   This place had the opportunity to be the best of the best.  Because we were late developers we could look around and learn from others mistakes, we could talk to others in our travels and those that visited and see where we didn’t want to go, while at the same time seeing where we should go.

Somehow we have managed to mess this all up and we now an island nation of selfish money grabbers, and those that can put themselves in position to grab the most are doing so, forgetting that those that don’t have will come for what you so selfishly craved and stepped on them to get, using them along the way.

We also now have in this country an entity of seemingly unlimited wealth, known as the The Dart Group, that over the past 10 years have accumulated large amounts of real estate and has grown in leaps and bounds.  At its helm is a Mr. Kenneth Dart – a man largely unknown to the people of the Cayman Islands, who reportedly holds Caymanian Status.  This group, the developers of Camana Bay, a modern town, are now entrenched into the fabric of the Caymanian society, but how much is too much folks?  Most of us can’t see past the fact that Caymanians have jobs with this entity and they buy our property for inflated values giving us some temporary wealth.  I’ve always maintained that no one person or entity should own so much of this small island, to the point where they call the shots with whoever is in “power” (are we really in charge?).  Why do you think that accounting firms limit their revenue from a single source?  For fear of undue influence, that’s why!  Why couldn’t we see this and ensure this didn’t happen?  Why?  Because of greed and selfish reasons, and now we all have to deal with the fallout when this group says what they want to do and how they want to do it.  I don’t blame Mr. Dart – I blame our people who allowed it to happen and benefitted from kick-backs.  Also blame those that sold out, because he couldn’t own what you wouldn’t sell, even if it was a time of economic hardship for you and yours.   Where will this all end folks?  He won’t stop that’s for sure, unless he is stopped through legislation from procuring more and more of this country (and that’s not even on the radar).  The master plan is indeed to make these islands Dart Islands – make no mistake about that.  Along the way he’s hired some of our best talents and brightest minds, and each day it gets harder to control as it likely impacts each of us in some way.  So here’s the dilemma we face – how do we control this entity that is now controlling us?  Or do we allow them to go uncontrolled from hereon and hope that we all benefit from their master plan?

Apart from the Dart group and its huge influence over the country by its sheer size and wealth, there are other foreign entities who do business in this country and don’t carry their weight in assisting in the development of locals.  At least Dart hires and trains locals, but there are others, and you know yourselves, throughout these islands that can do a lot better and offer more to our people.  Instead you protect your own and hire repeatedly from your homelands, where you use the excuse that Caymanians are lazy or can’t do the job.  How hard have you really tried?  Or have you seen this as an easy way out and one that’s convenient to use for your own reasons? Yes, we have those among us that don’t pull their weight, but we also have some of the best among our ranks.  Just give us a chance and we can prove that.

My people you have to be prepared to change gears as well.  You may have been an office executive, but now all you can find is a cashier job or some other blue collar employment.  Take it!  Make do until you can better do, because times are hard and you want to keep something coming in that’s an honest living and will tide you over until you can do better.

Folks there’s one thing I know, and it should be clear to all power hungry souls in Cayman and around the world, is that at the end of the day, there is no power greater than people power!  And if the people are not happy and many are suffering while few are benefitting, you run the risk of social chaos and losing it all.

So again my people and those resident among us, I have said my piece and spoken to each and everyone that reads this.  Your future is in your hands – you decide what kind of islands you wish to have and how you want it developed.  At the end of the day what should be important is that each person has a stake in it, can make an honest living, take care of family and maintain some of the values that made us one of the most welcoming and hospitable places in the world to visit and do business.  If we rush along and develop, leaving our people behind once more, we run a serious risk of social unrest in this country, the likes previously unseen.  Beware of the CANCER WITHIN.

Osbourne Bodden
March 6, 2012