In the Cayman Islands premier’s New Year’s message, Alden McLaughlin said “the advent of the New Year brings with it hope and the prospect of success and better times. So whether your aim is to lose weight, go back to school, save more money, get that promotion or achieve some other goal, now is the time to commit to doing what is necessary to make it happen. Now is the time for resolutions.  Now is the time for fresh starts”.

He is, of course, absolutely correct.

He also quite rightly praised his government:

“As a country, the Cayman Islands made a fresh start following the elections in May of last year with a new government. Given the experiences of the past decade of Caymanian politics, I was convinced that what the country needed was a government that represented the widest possible cross-section of the Cayman community and that utilized, to the greatest extent possible, the education, skills and experience of all those that were elected, regardless of whether or not they belonged to my party. The result has been an inclusive government made up of an extraordinarily talented team of Caymanians whom I have the honour and privilege to lead. Although many of my team were new to politics and the business of government – and the learning curve has been steep – our government has settled in well.  Indeed, as the past seven months have borne out, our government has tackled and successfully dealt with a number of difficult issues that had remained unresolved for many years. Today, as we welcome a New Year, we can look back with some satisfaction and pride at the achievements of the first months of our term.”

He also said that, “As we start 2014 the prospects for the world economy are much brighter than they were a year ago and Cayman too is poised for significant economic growth and development, bringing with it more economic and employment opportunities for the people of these Islands.

“I truly believe that the future of these Islands is bright.”

He finally mentioned how the whole of the Legislative Assembly just before Christmas “were able to come together, despite differences of opinion, and vote unanimously to pass the National Conservation Law, a critically important piece of legislation that has been necessary and talked about for more than a decade. This was indeed a triumph for our democratic process and a testament to what I hope is a new spirit of cooperation and compromise among the elected members of the House”.

So we have a new year and a new beginning and hope.

As the beautiful words from Isla Grant’s song “Hope” says:

“Plant a little piece of hope and watch it grow

Plant it tenderly with love and let it show

That as the miracle before your eyes unfolds

“You’ll see the field of hope turn to a field of gold

A tiny little flower bathed in gold

Holding all your hope and dreams untold

And silently you say a prayer each night

Asking God on high to make things right

“Everyone needs hope to keep on going

A tiny dream that they can hold on to

And in the spring when sweet birds sing

And small flowers start to show

That’s the time that everyone will know

That like these tiny flowers hope can grow

“Just like flowers need the rain and sun

Hope lives in the hearts of everyone

We need to know we have some one to care

And hope will grow when love is everywhere

“Everyone needs hope to keep on going

A tiny dream that they can hold on to

And in the Spring when sweet birds sing

And small flowers start to show

That’s the time that everyone will know

That like these tiny flowers hope can grow

“That’s the time that everyone will know

That like these tiny flowers hope can grow”

Yes, everyone needs hope but I firmly believe 2014 will be a new beginning and our Cayman Islands field of hope will grow into fruition.

It’s a New Year and a new beginning for all of us.

Happy New Year to each and everyone of you.