The Mad Bull’s Blog, Version 3

Hi all. I know that I promised to write something more than that little early morning quickie yesterday, but it never came to pass… I-man sorry about that still, but I have been under some stress at work, and when I am under stress sometimes I don’t feel like writing a stroke!

Doh worry, I am in the place tonight. So, what a gwaan pon the three little rocks beside the Rock? What has been exciting the populace and is in the forefront of plenty people’s? Well, there has been a bit of a storm in the media recently over this whole “Visa for Jamaicans” issue! Yes, remember that I told you that the Government over here was about to implement a visa system for Jamaicans? Well, since then, the issue has been in the press over here, bigtime!

First the Chamber of Commerce and Cayman Net News hit out at the Compass, saying that they (the Chamber) DID NOT call for a visa system for Jamaicans, but rather, for a visa system for visitors from “high-risk” countries.

Soon after that, P.J. Patterson weighed in on the issue. The gentleman was invited here as a guest speaker at the Chamber of Commerce’ 40th anniversary dinner on Saturday night. Well, Mr. P.J. tell dem say he knows that they are within their rights to implement such a visa requirement for Jamaicans. In the same way, the Jamaican Gov’t. had the right to revise their imigration policy as it regards Caymanians also!

Well, that sweet the belly of nuff of the Jamaicans here, who felt that for the most part, we Jamaicans are a boon to the Cayman Islands, and who feel that we are being slighted wrongly. Dem feel away (very badly), as we would say, and P.J. came and said some things that needed to be said!

P.J.’s speech also enraged plenty of the Caymanians, who seemed to feel that P.J. had no right to come here and talk to them any and any kind of way!

There is a bit more, if you want to continue…

The sentiment I sensed was as if the Caymanians were saying “A who dis blood claat fassyhole a talk to? After all, who di rass P.J. think him is, eeeh?”.

Trust me, there was much “discussion” on the radio and out and about in public on the issue, so much so that the Chamber felt that they had to defend their choice of a speaker for their function, and in yesterday’s editorial, the Compass wrote a piece suggesting that they feel that P.J. was well within his rights to say what he said, pointing out that Cayman is democracy that allows free speech, extolling the sentiments and that Jamaicans are indeed a boon to the Cayman Islands.

I am glad to see them say it. Of course, what I said about the Caymanian reaction was not all negative. Some Caymanians are not for the visa system at all…

Still, one might well ask themself, who cares if Jamaica institutes a visa system for Caymanians? I gave that some thought, and I listened as others spoke. Firstly, Caymanians are like all West Indians. We all love “Farrin” (America). After all, if we couldn’t go there, where else were we going to get all our FUBU gear, and our Dolce Gabbana frock and all dem niceness? Caymanians love “Farrin” even more than we Jamaicans do, because they have more dollars to spend, and it is burning them when it sits in their pockets! The thing about it is, if they want a visa, currently they have to fly to Jamaica! Of course, right now they can get a waiver, but with the paranoia of post 9-11 America, no one believes that the waiver system will last.

On top of that, I was assured by many that “Caymanians loved to holiday in Jamaica and ting, because Jamaica is the entertainment capital of the Western Caribbean! Shyte, almost everything that goes on over here re foreign plays, and stage shows and things of that sort feature Yardie entertainers”, some say. “The Caymanians love Yard *, and Yard culture, and, last but not least, they love what Sean Paul and Richie Stevens refer to as the ‘Yardie Bone!’” . That may be. I don’t know, but it may be. Personally, I don’t know how much they need Yard for vacations, etc., but the U.S. Visa thing is important still.

Whatever we think about Patterson’s speech though, it seems that Cayman is going to go ahead with the implementation of the visa system. See here, they say the visa system will commence next Tuesday!

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