Sidebar: David Kirkaldy
Jennifer Ahearn
This
is the third in a series of interviews highlighting the people involved in the
Future of Cayman economic development initiative. This quarter we review the
driver Enhance Quality of Life and interview co-chairs, Jennifer Ahearn, chief
officer of the Ministry of Health, Environment, Youth, Sports & Culture and
David Kirkaldy, Chamber president elect and president of Massive Equipment
Rental and Sales Ltd, Fireworks Limited and Massive Media Ltd.
What does Quality of Life mean to you?
Jennifer: It can mean so many different things for example being able to live
freely and safely within an environment of your choosing with the people you
want to be with. But to someone with health issues it can mean something as
simple as having access to good quality health care. Someone else may
prioritise our environment and living conditions – it can be very subjective.
When we look at quality of life in
relation to the identified driver we look more at the general wellbeing of the
individuals within a society. This relates specifically to our living
environment, leisure, health, education, public safety and social belonging and
not just the level of income and available employment.
In your opinion what makes the Future of
Cayman different from other economic development initiatives?
David: The Future of Cayman initiative is different because we can all be
involved with its successful outcome, which will span many years and involve
successive leaders. It’s not a one-off
stand alone programme but rather one that seeks to amplify and focus many of
the good efforts that are already under way. The steering committee is made up
of community members from public and private sectors. We are encouraging
members of the public to volunteer for driver and action committees. This is
not just a report on paper, this is developing a long-term strategy designed to
reach achievable goals through a set of methodical actions. The strategic
report is a balanced perspective on all areas of our lives – not just our
financial stability. It addresses the five key drivers simultaneously to offer
a practical approach to tackling the issues we face as Caymanians.
The Future of Cayman is not about
politics. It is a strategy to empower people to work in unison with any
existing government over a set of agreed long term directional objectives. It
is an evolving strategy that will be reviewed regularly by the steering
committee in addition to an annual Forum.
What was the agreed strategic intent of the
Quality of Life group?
Jennifer: In recent years we have enjoyed an excellent quality of life, but it
is not enough to expect this to continue without effort. We must put in place
assurances that what we hold dear: Clean water, personal safety, education for
all, environmental and marine conservation, affordable housing, democratic
governance, will always remain available to us all.
What were the five main objectives to be
identified during your group discussions?
David: Enhance and embrace diversity.
In the context of ‘Quality of Life’ this relates to how men and women, people
of varying ages and abilities and people of different ethnicity relate to each
other in our working and social environments.
Promote a healthy and active
lifestyle. This objective relates to the improvement of health and wellness
within our community. This means providing additional education and outreach
programmes as well as greater opportunities for access.
- Achieve
a balance between the environment and growth. There
are a number of actions attached to this objective including the implementation
of the National Conservation Law, the implementation of a legally mandated
review and update of the National Development Plan, the support of public
recycling initiatives and education campaigns.
- Promote
good governance and justice. This objective focuses
mainly on improving systems for dissemination of information from government
entities as well as public education initiatives.
- Increase
focus on education, family and public safety. This
objective’s actions include the support of a National Crime Prevention
Strategy, as well as an updated National Youth Policy, enhanced at-risk youth
intervention and support programmes and improved family friendly policies for
companies.
Do you see one of your objectives as greater
than another?
Jennifer: These objectives were derived from in-depth discussions with our
entire driver group committee. Each one of these individuals brought passion,
expertise and experience relating to their specific field. David and I,
although co-chairs for the group, were only two voices among many. I’m sure
that each one of us has a natural interest in completing the objectives that
relate most to our own lives, but collectively we would agree that these
actions are to be fulfilled in unison and that no individual action bares more
weight than another. That is the beauty of the Future of Cayman; we are all
working together on a balanced and congruent strategy that encompasses all the
areas of our lives.
Is the Future of Cayman the answer to all of
our problems?
David: No, it is not. This is not a magic bullet. This is, however, what we
feel is a step in the right direction through a set of practical and achievable
objectives in support of five key identified drivers. But what we should
remember is that with enough steps in the right direction you can make some
real headway. A country’s future needs to be shaped and planned. This economic
development initiative has been tried and tested in other countries around the
world and there is no reason this formula can’t work for us.
What are the next steps for your driver group?
Jennifer: Now the Strategic Report is complete and all items have been approved
by Cabinet, we will immediately begin the process of the implementation of the
agreed actions items. David and I as co-chairs will also be there as support to
our driver group members and will provide regular progress reports to the
steering committee. These reports will be available online at
www.futureofcayman.com along with any other news pertaining to this initiative.
Do you see the Future of
Cayman as a sustainable proposition?
David: Yes I do. This is because its success is based upon a shared vision and
a number of realistic and achievable aspirations. A good analogy is that
of building a house. We must start from the ground up and place each brick
firmly and correctly in place before we add the next. This is what the Future
of Cayman is; our community coming together to build a solid Cayman.