The present UDP Government has a number of hot potatoes boiling on the stove and none of them are very appetising to a lot of people. The one making the biggest news at the moment is the proposed George Town cruise terminal.

Whilst most of the focus is on the awarding of the contract to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and its suitability as a partner, who for the most part will be “calling the shots”, there has been little discussion in the media and even less from the government regarding the existing George Town merchants and their concerns. But not for long.

A petition is doing the rounds of these merchants (a copy of which landed on our doorstep) and although the writer of the petition does not want it published in its entirety at present there are some valid concerns contained in the open letter addressed to the Hon. McKeeva Bush.

I quote this from the opening paragraph: “Our concerns as Merchants have escalated from being simply troubled about the timeframe in which the subject facility will be completed, to now, which is a point of despair due primarily to the proposed amount of retail space to be situated within said facility according to information obtained from The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce.

“It is not unreasonable for us to be concerned regarding the amount of proposed retail space because those spaces will at a minimum increase tenfold what is currently situated within The Royal Watler Terminal. This kind of proposal, is frankly not sound long term planning because it can jeopardise Grand Cayman as a “walking destination” for our Cruise Visitors. In essence it will “corral” them for the lack of a better phrase within the proposed Cruise Berthing Facility, thus negatively impacting every Merchant currently located along the Downtown waterfront inclusive of those within walking distance of the waterfront.”

The letter details the negative impact the existing Royal Watler Terminal had to the George Town merchants when it opened in late 2006. The location and the additional retail components contained therein “dramatically and forever changed the flow and direction of Cruise Visitors relative to where the commercial activity of Downtown George Town had naturally developed over the past three decades.”

The merchants had “passionately” pleaded with the Government at that time to “equally distribute the cruise tenders between the Royal Watler Terminal and the two original Terminals.” They said their businesses performed “better when there are passengers offloading on the original North and South Terminals.”  Their plea was ignored and “consequently” several businesses “closed their doors for good.”

The letter goes on: “Alarmingly, the Chamber of Commerce’s report on their trip to visit CHEC Jamaican projects states that CHEC recommends closing the original North Terminal! We question how such a recommendation could be made that obviously shows no consideration to so many of us?

“Unless we are going to be guaranteed 3.5 to 4 million cruise passengers annually, the introduction of what we understand to be in excess of 100,000 sq ft of new retail space will definitely be the ‘last nail in the coffin’ for many of us who are currently hanging on by a thread.

“I fully agree that we need to construct a berthing facility, and feel that the benefits that it will bring will definitely fill those retail spaces that are currently empty and put those of us who are still in business back on the track to prosperity, but not one that we cannot benefit from because of an excessive retail component. This will create a ghost town, which is not good for any component of the Cayman Islands’ bottom line.”

The petition asks Government to give “good” consideration to all the George Town merchants who have invested in Cruise Tourism and to “first consult the Public and Downtown Merchants through a series of Public Meetings before proceeding any further with your negotiations.”

I can sympathise with them and in every problem there is at the very least a compromise solution. It won’t be to everyone’s liking but to be ignored makes people very angry.

Unfortunately, this is something the present Government has been very good at. Those potatoes are still boiling over that fire and not many people are eating them.