(CNS Business): In an attempt to gauge the public’s view on governance, transparency and politics in general, CNS Business has partnered with the organisers of this week’s Cayman Business Outlook conference and offers readers the chance to have their say anonymously on the subject in a specially devised poll. Results from the poll will then be put to a panel of local speakers at the conference, which will be held this Thursday at the Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa. Readers who would like to submit questions to the panel can do so anonymously as comments to this article.

Brett Hill, President & CEO of Fidelity (Cayman) Ltd, the main promoter of the event, said they chose this particular topic for the poll because politics, good governance and transparency were “hot buttons” in Cayman, as evidenced by the myriad of postings on local websites and calls to radio talk shows. 

“A number of laws have been enacted over the last few years that will require far higher standards of transparency and governance than Caymanians have been accustomed to, including the UK Bribery Act, the Anti-Corruption Law and the Freedom of Information Law,” he explained. “With elections due in 2013 and a seemingly restless and unhappy voting public, the panel discussion on ‘Politics, Good Governance & Transparency; What does the Cayman report card say?’ is an attempt to engage senior civil servants, politicians and the public in a quiet dialogue on this topic with a view to putting these issues in some perspective and to offer some responses to the voters who might have a less than flattering view of the political process in general and good governance and transparency in particular.”

Hill states that most Caymanians agree that institutionalising good governance and transparency is important if democracy is to evolve and mature, and encouraging frank and candid discussion on this subject will allow all sides to understand the issues better.  The panellists include the Governor Duncan Taylor, attorney and PPM Chairman Antony Duckworth, Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick, Information Commissioner Jennifer Dilbert, and will be moderated by former CIMA chairman Tim Ridley.

“There will no doubt be a price to pay in terms of increased costs and the administrative burden if higher benchmarks are set and the country strives to achieve them,” Hill said. “Ultimately, these laws will only be effective if they have real teeth and if there is the political will to put the necessary oversight in place to oversee and enforce them.”

The public is invited to express their view by grading the country on these issues by responding to a survey and also offering questions that they can put to the panelists.  Questions can be submitted anonymously as comments to this article and a selection chosen by the CBO organisers will be put to the panel but will not be published on CNS Business until after the event.

“It promises to be a very interesting and perhaps provocative discussion.  All comments and questions from the public will be treated as from anonymous sources unless otherwise specified and none of the information will be shared with the panellists prior to the discussion.  We are hopeful that we can provide a live broadcast of the discussion for those persons who cannot attend the Cayman Business Outlook conference on Thursday, January 19th at the Westin.”

Have your say on politics, transparency and good governance by taking part in the following poll:

Politics, Good Governance & Transparency: What does the Cayman Islands Report Card say?

For more information about CBO, please call 925-7822 or log onto the CBO website