It was with disappointment but definitely not unexpected when I received the release yesterday that Cayman Islands Governor Helen Kilpatrick says NO – she will not release the Tempura report (see iNews Cayman story under Breaking News “Cayman Islands Governor says “NO” to ICO FOI Tempura Decision – seeks Judicial Review” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/cayman-islands-governor-says-no-to-ico-foi-tempura-decision-seeks-judicial-review/)

Confirming the very strange precedent of fighting the Cayman Islands government Information Commissioner’s ruling a second time, it does not bode well for the Commissioner’s other rulings.

Added to the seeming disdain for the Information Commissioner is a thinly disguised attempt to delay the ruling to disclose the Tempura report as the governor waits until the very last day of the 45 allowed by law, to make her announcement.

What a disgraceful example from the highest ranking officer on our islands for others to follow.

I am very, very, disappointed at that.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has had battles with many government departments and the delay in providing information being left until the last moment has been a disgraceful abuse by them. This has led to much negative comment from the public here and written annoyance from the ICO because of it. That the Governor herself should practice it too is shameful.

It is one thing to file a judicial review but to delay it to the very last second to gain more time is pretty low.

I expected better and the Cayman Islands and its people expected and deserved more.

Now we have another costly battle, a second one, from the Governor’s office – the very office that started this whole controversial affair that was bungled from start to finish.

Even worse it has cost us, the public, a bill no elected official started nor desired.

And we have to foot the costs again.

It shows utter contempt for every one of us living here.

Once again we also have the standard phrase from Official Kingdom – it “is not in the public interest”.

Governor Kilpatrick, the Acting Information Commissioner Jan Liebaers, said in his decision to allow the Freedom of Information Request for the disclosure of the Tempura report that it was in “the public interest”. He said the summary dismissal of the complaint was reasoned and transparent” and was “more important than the possible damage caused by repeating the allegations in the complaint in the public domain”.

It would have been more accurate for the governor to substitute the word ‘public’ to “our”.

It is one thing to demand transparency and another thing to say “Don’t do as I do – do as I say!” Those days are long gone.

Despite all this I still support Cayman Islands continuing to be a Dependent of the United Kingdom. It does not mean, however, I support everything that it does and rules when it is, in my most humble of opinions WRONG!

But then, I am so old now I have come to expect and live through disappointments.