The son of former Police Inspector Royal Anderson and Mrs. Garnel Anderson (both deceased), a 10^th generation Caymanian, Certified Management Consultant and entrepreneur Gregg Anderson, is making a bid for elective office and is asking the voters of Bodden Town to send him to parliament on May 22nd. He calls on the voters of his constituency to help end divisiveness in our country by voting for an independent candidate.

I have watched the economic, environmental and social decline of my country for the past decade plus and after having witnessed this, I simply cannot sit back any longer and allow the party politics and the related divisiveness to continue to tear our country apart.

We are at a critical juncture in our history and we need exceptional leadership with grassroots passion to guide us through the perilous waters ahead. Our community is more fractured than ever before and we are faced with serious challenges that only astute and well-qualified candidates can address. Most of what our country faces today has come at the hands of partisan and party politics. I firmly believe that an independent candidate can better represent constituents because they are not subject to an “entrenched party agenda.”

Previous Governments have pursued or supported large projects that may have delivered short-term growth but have left us with huge debts. In dealing with Government debt I will advocate for a line-by-line budget review that will cut wastage and “foster efficiency”. I will promote renegotiation of the interest rate of our existing long-term debt. I will actively foster the adoption of “lean management principles” to further reduce Government wastage and bureaucracy. I will push for an amendment of the constitution to include a recall mechanism for MPs that do not perform.

I will seek an acceleration of the existing E-Government initiative to further reduce bureaucratic wastage and also ease the cost of doing business with Government for enterprises. Strong economic management and macro-economic stability must always be a key priority for the Government and Caymanian people. I will insist that Government follows proper procurement procedures and that due process, good governance and transparency be used as the guiding principles in key decision-making.

As far as job creation is concerned, I will actively seek to establish comprehensive Public/Private Partnerships to operate job apprenticeship schemes for high school students and the unemployed.

Small businesses are the engines of growth and the foundation of most of what is great in Cayman in many ways – for example our economic growth, creation of jobs and creation of wealth and the fulfillment of dreams. However, the funding that is critical to small businesses’ success is hard to come by. Therefore, I will promote the establishment of a new Private/Public Partnership funding programme aimed squarely at benefiting small business. This programme will stimulate growth as well as create jobs and restore dignity to our people.

Included on my platform is “Caymanian Enfranchisement” an initiative aimed at ensuring our Immigration Laws are revamped and enforced such that no qualified Caymanian is covertly prevented from filling a position that they can ably perform in. I will also advocate for amendments to our Trade & Business Licensing Law to better facilitate and not impede small business development.

I will also press for a Competition Law that will prevent and repress monopolies in all business sectors. Monopolies drive up the cost of living and should not be allowed to stifle competition.

Another proposal for a reduction in the cost of living involves the development of a comprehensive energy policy that makes extensive use of renewable energy resources to reduce the cost of electricity to consumers. The price of fossil fuel is a significant component of our electricity bill, therefore reducing its use will yield savings for all.

My proposals for improving education include an “afterschool programme” which would operate at the civic centres after school hours and the establishment of a career centre, which would prepare students for entering the workplace.

My specific promises for Bodden Town includes a push for “greater economic development” in the form of small to medium-sized boutique tourist hotels and other small business enterprises. And I advocate for “community hall meetings” to get constituents’ concerns and input as to how they’d like their community to evolve. I also plan to give regular progress reports on Government’s plans to develop our country. Furthermore, I will be the voice of the BT people to ensure that Bodden Town is properly represented and receives its fair share of funding and opportunities for sustainable development. I believe that our district has been misrepresented in key decision-making positions and has been sorely neglected because of this. If I’m elected, I’ll ensure that this does not recur.

I have enjoyed a successful career as Cayman’s first professionally certified management consultant, an entrepreneur, and telecoms executive at Cable & Wireless. At that company I helped, trained and developed many of my fellow Caymanians who were either beginning their career or helped to advance them to senior positions. I have served as a member of the Labour Appeals Tribunal, and have been heavily involved in community activities since the mid 1970s having served as the youngest President of the now defunct Jaycees Club. That club had the foresight to acquire and start the development of the public beach on West Bay road a site that we all enjoy today.

I have served as Director of two Rotary Clubs for several years, and in 1995 co-led the reestablishment of today’s immensely successful Junior Achievement Programme, which had been dormant for years. I have served on the Bodden Town Pirates Week Committee for several years and I was its Chairman in 2009. I served two terms as President of the Grand Cayman Toastmasters Club and one term as Area Governor for the Caribbean Toastmasters and have been featured in a Toastmasters international convention leadership advertisement. I currently attend both the Bodden Town and Savannah United Churches.

Recently, I have been heavily involved in the Coalition to Keep Bodden Town Dump Free and also the One Man One Vote (OMOV) group. I will continue to fight to Keep Bodden Town Dump Free.

I will run as an independent candidate and seek endorsement from the C4C group.

I have a Masters in Business Administration M.B.A., from Queens University, Canada, the Canadian Securities Certificate from the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI), the Certified Management Consultant (CMC), professional designation from the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CAMC), and a Bachelor of Science with honours degree from Anglia Ruskin University, UK.

I am a member of the IEEE & IET, a member of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), and also a member of the American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI).