The Cayman Islands government will not proceed as planned this month with a vote on a bill that would have changed the way charitable organisations operate here. 

According to a statement released late Thursday by Cayman Islands Attorney General Sam Bulgin, a recent front-page article in the Observer on Sunday has led the government to re-think the entire proposal. 

The full text of Mr. Bulgin's statement is below:

"The article in the Observer dated Sunday, 29 August raises numerous concerns about the proposed Charities Bill.

"It is clear that more needs to be done by government to clarify the object of the proposed law to further regulate the relevant charities as mandated by Cayman’s international obligations.

"It is not unreasonable for members of the public to harbour some anxiety in circumstances where, as is clearly the case here, there is a lack of clarity in what the law is seeking to achieve. It is incumbent on government to address the numerous concerns before attempting to move ahead with the Charities Bill.

"Accordingly, as the Hon. Premier said earlier, the Bill will be revisited and further consultations conducted with a view to reaching a sensible compromise going forward.

"The government has no intention to destroy the enormous good will relating to charitable assistance. Indeed, the government continues to be very appreciative of the efforts of these charitable organisations and their donors."

The full text of the Observer article can be found at this link: http://www.compasscayman.com/observer/