When I die and I am immediately asked to be part of a committee I know I am in Hell.

I have been on many committees in my life and I am currently chairman on one and am an advisor on two others. I have resigned from committees more times than I have fingers.

I have found the larger the committee the less gets done. Committees normally meet at best once a month. Often a sub-committee is formed to report back at a later date to the main committee for them to wait another four weeks or so to enable them to absorb the information that has been supplied. There are often questions raised and more delays result. Outside consultants get involved and even more delays result.

Even after all that and six or more months have passed the committee then has to report back to the original board or, in this case, a Member of the Legislative Assembly, who has to read the findings, ask questions and then himself has to submit it all to his colleagues.

A year has flown by and nothing has been achieved because no decision has been done.

Here we are speaking about the hot and smoky topic of the George Town landfill site – THE DUMP!

In a previous editorial I wrote immediately after the second and most recent fire at THE DUMP, I was sarcastic about the new steering committee Minister Osbourne Bodden proudly announced he has set up to “evaluate strategies, the management of public waste, recycling and waste-to-energy options” at THE DUMP.

This new steering committee mainly comprises civil servants who are often charged with losing races against snails such is their record of speedy decisions.

In a letter to the Minister, the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce has questioned “the merit and value of this approach, ‘of travel, fact finding missions and exhaustive research.’ In fact, we assess it to be unnecessarily protracted and unlikely to deliver value for money. Respectfully, the Islands cannot afford to wait another year or two, or worse, yet another full four year administration to decide on a solution for this urgent, important environmental and public health matter. The public sector facts, data, reports and expertise assembled from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2009 and to 2012 are easily available on island or accessible through desktop technology.”

Well said. I applaud the Chamber, especially this sentence:

“The failure of successive Governments to find a solution is not the result of lack of information, it is the lack of clarity about what the Government is trying to achieve. It is lack of courage to make a decision in the best interest of our Islands.”

I couldn’t have said it better or as well.

“We must move forward with pragmatic urgency to deal with the critical issues negatively impacting our Islands,” the letter says.

PLEASE Mr. Bodden take heed. The public is sick and tired of talk. We want action so DUMP THE COMMITTEE and make a decision. NOW!!!

Note: You can read the Chamber’s letter to Hon. Osbourne Bodden, Minister for Health, Sports, Youth and Culture” in full on our website published February 19 2014 “Cayman’s Chamber questions why more fact finding needed on GT dump” at:

http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/caymans-chamber-questions-why-more-fact-finding-needed-on-gt-dump/