As I listened to Cayman’s new Premier, Hon. Alden McLaughlin’s speech on Wednesday (29) at the long Swearing In Ceremony, I marveled at the rain pouring down from the dark clouds but it wasn’t stopping the sun shining on the Cayman Islands.

We are used to sunshine here and rainfall is not so common. However, over the past 4-5 years dark clouds have been looming overhead and the rain of recession, doom and gloom has fallen on all of us. All our lives here have been affected. The corrupting influence of power has seemed like an epidemic that would eventually infect us all.

All we had was hope.

“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.” – Isla Grant

We have just gone through an election of hope. Hope for a change. A change for the better.

Alden started his speech by marveling and thanking the hundreds of people who were still outside the Legislative Assembly building standing in the pouring rain. He said rain is a blessing and we are all blessed. This was greeted with a thunderous cheer.

Our tiny seed of hope was receiving the water it needed to flourish.

As I listened to our new premier I marveled. Was this the same Alden McLaughlin who has left me in despair over the years? No. It couldn’t be. This was a speech given by a statesman with words of reconciliation and all of us working together. It was said with passion and sincerity. The speech didn’t promise things would improve immediately with a shake of a magic wand. He warned us the path ahead was difficult.

“As a country,” he said, “we make our living from what is still a volatile world economy. The re-ordering of the world’s finances is far from complete. A new world economic order is gradually emerging from the ashes of the 2009 global meltdown and if we are to continue to have a stake in the global financial industry, we must be prepared for further upheaval and indeed threats to the model on which our prosperity has been built. The signs are already there. It will not be business as usual.

“It is clear that disorder will continue to be a feature of western economies for some time to come and indeed the old order may never be fully restored.”

I was particularly impressed with this:

“We must therefore look for new opportunities and new partners outside of our usual comfort zone if we are to continue to grow this sector of our economy.

“As a government we will do our part to protect the financial services industry from the onslaught of new regulation that is being mooted in Europe and elsewhere. I invite the stakeholders in the industry to join us in this common cause for our mutual benefit. I urge them too to think outside the box. The government will certainly support innovation and will welcome new ideas to keep our financial services industry on the cutting edge so long as they continue to benefit the country.

“With respect to our tourism industry we shall continue to provide the economic environment that will attract new investment to our shores. We intend too to continue to diversify our tourism product through medical, sports and education tourism.”

And there was a warning for investors:

“As a word of caution to present and future investors, we expect you to play your part in ensuring that Caymanians play an integral role in the delivery of services in the industry. As a government we are committed to providing the training that is required to move more Caymanians into the industry and I am confident that the Ministers of Tourism and Education will initiate early discussions with industry stakeholders on the way forward. A happy, safe and stable social environment is a prerequisite to a successful tourism industry. It is therefore in the interest of investors to ensure that Caymanians feel included in a business that showcases their country and their culture.

“Beyond the established pillar industries that provide the means for us to manage the country’s affairs, there is a need for diversification of our economy if we are to provide greater certainty to government revenues.”

He spoke of a four year plan and agreement with the United Kingdom. He realised we had to work together and not look upon the UK as a dictator with an iron fist with nothing better to do than try to ruin us. The confrontation and abuse our former premier McKeeva Bush was so intent on firing was a recipe for disaster. It was like an arrogant and silly boy with a catapult taunting a lion.

McLaughlin humbly thanked the electorate and mentioned two little girls who, whilst campaigning, met him with a sign they had made showing support for his party.

It was an excellent speech and delivered perfectly.

The way he has conducted himself over the past few days with plots and knives raised behind his back from some persons he had thought were friends has been exemplary. There was not one word of anger or abuse or even a hint of sarcasm aimed at any of these persons in his speech. What a change from the screams of rage, professed hurts and crocodile tears contained in the ones from his male predecessor.

We needed the rain. Now we have the sun.

I do believe “that as the miracle before your eyes unfolds, you’ll see the field of hope turn to a field of gold”.