Yesterday I highlighted the “Grass Roots” group that wants to “Save Cayman” from the evils of “the death plume will spread and kill almost everything in the harbour.”

“Save Cayman” headed by Courtney Platt and Keith Sahm are begging the registered voters on the Cayman Islands to sign their petition to force a referendum and stop the cruise ship berthing project being built in George Town Harbour.

Snapping at their heels we have another group called “Advancement of Cruise Tourism in the Cayman Islands” with the clever initials ACT. I wonder how long they took to work that one out? They claim to provide the public with accurate information.

Their whole discourse is one of our Front Page stories today and they didn’t pay us, as they did other media houses, to place a full page advertisement to get their message across. This one was actually paid for by another “group” Cayman’s Port, Cayman’s Future headed by Chris Kirkconnell. Cayman’s Port, Cayman’s Future is supported by ACT. Not surprising.

The ACT group is headed up by three well known businessmen Robert Hamaty (Tortuga Rum), Ronnie Anglin (Island Companies) and …….. Chris Kirkconnell (Kirk Freeport).

It doesn’t see fair now to have 2 against one but I think we can safely determine that ACT and Cayman’s Port, Cayman’s Future are one and the same. Especially as Kirkconnell said his group comprises “concerned businessmen and individuals who wanted to ensure the public had access to accurate information about the impacts of the port project.”

The ACT group comprises not just the big groups, but “also involves smaller businesses, tour operators, taxi drivers and individuals who support improved cruise and cargo facilities for Cayman but currently have no platform to have their voices heard.”

The ” Cayman’s Port, Cayman’s Future” advert said the opposition to the port – “SAVE CAYMAN” gave information that was “inaccurate, unsubstantiated scaremongering”.

Kirkconnell is quoted in the Cayman Compass as saying, ““If you asked any of the environmental fundamentalists what percentage of natural resources they would be willing to give up for economic development, the answer would be zero percent. There are people that feel we should never touch nature but there has to be some balance between environmental concerns and the economic and social future of the country.”

“Without a cruise dock, tourism will dwindle to the point where jobs were affected across the industry, from retail business and restaurants to taxi operators and water-based businesses.”

I said a similar thing yesterday. I also noted the “Save Cayman’s” omission that in the Baird report (over 1,000 pages) the port as planned involves LESS dredging than any other site suggested for a cruise dock in Cayman.

But there were equally LOTS of concerns contained in that report. Moving coral reefs and the historic Balbao wreck is MAJOR!!!

It is going to be the case of weighing up the two evils. No Port – No Business No Jobs!
Build Port – No attractions for visitors in George Town.

The Island Once Time Forgot. It has awaken and how!

The grass is growing fast from our roots. Let’s not distort public information. We need the truth.

I urge you to read the Baird Report. It is NOT biased one way or the other. It states the facts and nothing but the facts. (Who said that? – No prize for answer).