We reported yesterday (4) that no work has started on the Spotts Jetty and has been delayed indefinitely. Premier McKeeva Bush reversed his earlier statements that said a start on the jetty would be made late July. “We are waiting for final contracts and some plans to be finalised,” he said.

The China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), the chief contractor for the $3 million project, told us they hadn’t even submitted construction plans. That seems a long way from being ‘finalised.’

Also yesterday, Mr. Bush announced in the Legislative Assembly (LA) that the Canadian Commercial Corporation (Canada’s official international contracting agency) would find Canadian companies with the capabilities to take on the project of redeveloping the Owen Robert’s airport. We were all led to believe before this announcement that CHEC would be executing this work. Mr. Bush also announced in the LA that this Canadian Corp. had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA). When asked by the opposition when the MOU would be a public document the premier said, “I don’t know. It was signed by the CIAA. I’m just a humble minister.” He also intimated that the CIAA might never release the document as it might contain sensitive material.

As for the speculation that CHEC instigated by comments he himself had made, Mr. Bush said, “There never was an agreement.”

Unfortunately, it is all these confusing statements and secrecy issues that give rise to most of the negative blogs and comments expressed by an ever-increasing skeptical public.