The expression “nip in the bud” says it all. Put a stop to something while it is still in its early development.

It’s not a new expression. It derives from the de-budding of plants. The earlier form of the phrase was ‘nip in the bloom’ and this is cited in Henry Chettle’s romance Piers Plainnes Seaven Yeres Prentiship, 1595:

“Extinguish these fond loues with minds labour, and nip thy affections in the bloome, that they may neuer bee of power to budde.”

Act quickly is self explanatory but it is something we don’t practice much. If you are in government or a politician it is something to be avoided.

“He who waits catches the worm” is the motto here although a better one is ‘he who waits catches the cold”.

I am referring in particular to last week’s incidents involving the Turtle Farm, the dengue fever notice and the Attorney General’s Office in serving the injunction to stop the South Sound mangroves from being destroyed.

If the Turtle Farm had acted quickly and immediately ordered their own independent scientific report on conditions and the effectiveness of sea turtle farming they could have nipped all the hoopla and Paul McCartney to boot in the bud. But they didn’t.

They knew the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) had a very damaging report complete with photographs and video and what did they do? Nothing.

When I say “they” I mean the government. However, did the Turtle Farm and the Department of Tourism put enough pressure on the Minister responsible, Mark Scotland, to act quickly?

Still nothing has happened that we know about. No date when the Turtle Farm’s Independent Report is to be received – if it has indeed even been initiated.

And it all could have been avoided with prompt action.

More worrying is when it involves our health.

At least two days went by before we were told there was several locally transmitted cases of dengue fever.

Yes two days. Actually, it could have been more than two days. If the Caymanian Compass hadn’t requested the information we would probably still have been in the dark.

According to the Compass, and I have no reason to doubt them, Dr. Kumar actually told them “Whether you know on Tuesday or Thursday HAS NO VALUE.” This was in response to the media house asking the Health Services Authority and the Cayman Islands Department of Health about it on Tuesday (16) to get a reply on Thursday (18). At first they had called the Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU). On Tuesday they were told questions had to go to the Ministry of District 
Administration and Works.

Finally, on Thursday, all the media houses in Cayman got a press release from Dr. Kumar, the Director of Public Health, followed by one from the MRCU the following day saying they were stepping up their operations in West Bay.

Dr. Kumar said they had put out a public health notice quickly in September to report there were “one or two” cases on Grand Cayman. Now, a few weeks later there are, as it has been officially reported as I write this (22), seven confirmed cases with 16 other potential cases remaining undetermined.

As Dr. Kumar said it takes time and a procedural process has to be initiated to give out information even when it involves your health. So what does a couple of days matter, here or there? And I still wonder if the media hadn’t inquired would we still know? Whether we are informed now or next month or ever probably has no value any way.

And finally half of the mangroves have been destroyed by fill from R.C. Estates in South Sound through the incredible decision by Cayman Islands Planning Authority to allow the company to do it.

The project was to extend 2,000 feet plus of current coastline 50 feet plus into the sea and build a ‘beautiful’ 9ft. wall to keep the sea at bay. The reclaimed area, though, is an area that was covered by mangroves and killed off by Hurricane Ivan. Since then our public money including donations from abroad plus much time and labour in replenishing the area.

The Protect South Sound group filed, quite rightly, an appeal against the shocking decision and asked the Attorney General to order a temporary injunction to stop work until the appeal is heard. He did nothing until the media was informed early last week that RC Estates had started filling the area in.

Normally, when a notice of appeal is given, no work takes place but there is nothing in law to actually implement it so a temporary injunction has to be done. These are normally executed quickly but not this time. So RC Estates took advantage of the delay and commenced filling.

Now, and I suspect only because of the media attention, the temporary injunction has been served and RC Estates have been forced to stop, even though it took them another one hour and a half after so being served, according to a spokesperson from Protect South Sound.

RC estates have said that, despite the photographs showing the filling being spread over the mangrove replenishment area, they have not destroyed any mangroves.

I am not going to get into that here but the evidence has been shown in photographs here on iNews Cayman.

What I will say, however, on a professional level and as a Chartered Builder and Surveyor (my previous life) the argument that the authority accepted in making their decision to allow the filling, namely “the seaward boundary, determined by the mean high water mark, can be static” is absurd.

Coastal boundaries are ambulatory and travel with water and nature. As a Compass article on the same subject quoting from ex chief surveyor with the Lands and Survey Department here, Alister Ayres says, “in this instance, the seaward edge was properly set at the edge of the mangroves, then the boundary would recede when the mangroves disappeared, and would not extend out again until the mangroves grow back.” That is absolutely correct.

The injunction is set to be considered Tuesday (22) by Justice Charles Quin.