GT seals ‘Yes’ majority

| 19/07/2012

ballotboxref1 (268x300)_0.jpg(CNS): Despite the fact that the majority of people who came out to the polls on Wednesday to vote in the national referendum on one man, one vote voted in favour, the national poll has fallen short of the high bar set by government. In the capital electors voted well over two to one in favour, with 2,360 voting 'yes' and 993 voting 'no'. Although some 5,631 of voters overall polled in favour of changing the electoral system from multi-member constituencies with multiple voting to single member constituencies and OMOV, the premier has said he will not be swayed by a majority that falls short of 50% plus one of the entire electorate.

The count was completed by 11:30 on Wednesday evening with the results from the country's largest district coming in last.

At the final count 37% voted for OMOV and less than 20% against, but with over 33% failing to turn out at the polls, the referendum will not carry.

Results for OMOV national referendum

National vote: 'yes' = 5631, 'no' = 3,001 

CBLC:               yes – 256, no – 203
East End:          yes – 257, no – 79
North Side:        yes – 335, no – 56
West Bay:         yes – 1027, no – 1053
Bodden Town:    yes – 1396, no – 617
George Town:     yes –  2360, no – 993

Check back to CNS tomorrow for more on the historic referendum and what this means for the May 2013 election

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Category: Politics

About the Author ()

Comments (129)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    In the May 2009 elections Mike Adam received 2110 votes, and Ellio Solomon received 1845 votes.

     

    Last night 2360 George Town voters told them that they did not agree with the message they were preaching. When will they start to pay attention to the voters? Do they think that we have short memories?

    • Caymanian to the bone says:

      In 2009, the voters in GT that voted for Mike Adam and Ellio Solomon were obviously voters out of the group of approximately 3,500 remaining (GT has a total of approximately 6,000 voters) who obviously did not vote on Wednesday. Please get some tutoring to brush up on your math. And while you are on your way to smith road and Pasadora place, do stop and tell thePPM and others we will be coming out in force in 2013. So do not count your chickens just yet!!!

  2. Get Bun Up! says:

    Burn Notice. 

     

    You said! 

     " You do realise people that your comments on here, complete with pre-school spelling and grammar, can be read around the world, right?"

    Well, I have found a couple of things you may want to look at in your rant about us Caymanians. 

     

    "get off our fat, lazy, apothetic Caymanian asses"

    You spelt apathetic wrong! Its not apothetic.

     

     "less corrupt, and more compationate government for a bit."

    Compassionate not compationate,

    Just thought I would clear some things up from a grade 8 spelling level. 

     

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Thank you" get bun up", at least you didn't discrminate  this person's  lack of a level of  education.

      Yes we do have people here with Pre-school level of education. What you have to understand, Cayman is very young in the development stage…. coming from a fishing village just 40 years ago.

      Just for clarity, I have read blogs in   the UK tabloids, and found many grammatic mistakes and spellings.

      Thank you for pointing out these areas, maybe that person will check his spelling first. Myself hated school back then… in the 60s, but Im a self learner myself.

  3. Burn Notice. says:

    What a complete, utter and total farce and joke this whole situation, and country is. You do realise people that your comments on here, complete with pre-school spelling and grammar, can be read around the world, right?

    If the great saviour that is Mac E Warrr makes the rules for a referendum, it is not a referendum, it is a sham. If we cannot all be bothered to get off our fat, lazy, apothetic Caymanian asses and actually do something, then we shouldn't waste time on here bitching. Cayman, we have shown ourselves to be pathetic in front of the world, and we shall continue to do so. The 'new breed' of Cayman don't want to change things, they just want to change who pockets the cash.

     

    The referendum result is not binding? FFS, you idiots need to wake up. Why don't you all go to Syria for a few weeks to experience some better, less corrupt, and more compationate government for a bit.

     

    Joke.

    • Anonymous says:

      Did you realize that your posting will be seen around the world?

       

       

      Not a joke!

  4. Anonymous says:

    About 1/3 of all registered voters voted Yes, why then should the government acknowledge them when 2/3 stayed home and voted No?

    • Anonymous also says:

      The way an election works is this. All voters have an opportunity to cast a vote if the issue is important enough to the to take the time and effort to do so.  By not voting those people are saying, I do not care it does not matter to me. Hence the decision is left up to those that do care and those that do vote 2 to 1 YES.  Plain and simple. 

      Mac has never cared about what the pople think and by him refusing to acknowledge that the people in a national election voted 2 to 1 for OMOV and to ignore it is like ringing his own death knell as politician.The people will only go unheard for so long.  He and his legal "vessel" can put all the spin on this they want.  The people know the truth.

      As does the UK.

    • Anonymous says:

      Very unfortunately for Cayman, your question cannot be answered until next May.

    • Anonymous says:

      if you stayed home you didn't vote!

      is it fair that people who stay at home on a day off work and don't vote now hold the balance of power????

      just another day in wonderland….

    • Anonymous says:

      A real donkey face.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Its a sad day for these islands. Without a U.K intervention initiated by the Govenor we are on the path of independence and an increase in political risks for international investors once the link between these islands and the UK has been severed. A very very sad day indeed!

    • jsftbhaedrg says:

      If Cayman ever goes independent this place with be a ghost town as all the expats / investors will pull out.

  6. PPM - former says:

    So PPMdid not only got us into a deficit, but tried very hard to divide Cayman up into 18 parts. I just wonder their plans for our economy. Strangely you hear nothing about their plans. Maybe they don't have a plan.

    • Anonymous says:

      What’s your plan?

    • Anonymous says:

      "did not only got" is not a part of the English language. Try going to school to learn to write. And while you're at it, try learning to write something with sense.

  7. Anonymous says:

    You know what made people disenfranchised and apathetic about coming out.. They are tired of the fighting between the UDP, PPM and Ezzard and when you through in the political "wanna be's" from OMOV it is just a fight about who gets to carry the big stick. 

    This was not about Country, if it was, Caymanians aren't fools, they would have come out an voted in mass. Like me, they stayed home and stayed with the status quo because at least we have many years of knowing that it actually works.

    For the record, I don't really have anything against OMOV, I just don't believe in splitting Cayman up in little districts. It serves no purpose and will not make any representative any more accountable.

    Ezzard shouts about how many meetings he has with his people but does he get anything done politically for his country other than a few little things here and there for his district. How does that help me in George Town? Did he do this when he was previously elected? Ask NorthSiders if he did and how many meeting he held? They voted him out and put Edna in so he couldn't have been doing such a good job? The point I am trying to make is not to make these bunch of politicians from whatever party or group they come from tell you that they are going to work harder for you if they get elected? History has continued to prove us wrong in that regard, be it in single member constituencies like North Side or multimember ones like George Town. You can't change people folks, you have to take them for what they are.

  8. Anonymous says:

    What will be interesting to see is if in the next election that those that voted for OMOV in multi member districts will only cast one vote…That may be a true test of the system..

    If everyone just voted once we would have a different situation, wouldn't we? Don't think it will happen though!

  9. Anonymous says:

    08:11 poster- you have hit the nail on its head. This is most definately not a clear or resounding victory for either side, but as supporters of the YES vote, we can take comfort that our vote was themost popular. Not sure who you are BUT your an individual of brilliance and knowledge.

  10. Anonymous says:

    There were a few things wrong at the Voting booths yesterday:

     

    Despite having ample security and elections office personnel, vandals were allowed to mark up signs – how does this happen?

     

    There were names of persons who have been dead for years on the voter list – how does this happen?

     

    There were voters, who participated in the last election, who showed up to vote but their name was not on the list – how does this happen?

     

    There were voters, who participated in the last election, who showed up at the polling station only to find that their name had already been crossed off the list, but they had not voted yet – how does this happen?

     

    Mr. Supervisor, what kind of operation are you running????? XXXX

  11. Anonymous says:

    5631 YES to 3001 No – the people have said yes:

    UDP will commit politicial suicide to ignore the express wishes of the people! Are they insane?….

    never mind!

  12. Anonymous says:

    This blithering is nauseating.    If you desire other leadership, then democratically elect someone else next election.   Its that easy.   Obviously, many prefer Mac's leadership because they voted in his party. 

    If you want Ezzrd in charge, then Ezzard should endeavor to put together an electable group of like-minded individuals and fully contest the next election. 

    Your almost one sided banter is so annoying.   We have an election folks, where candidates are popularily chosen.   

  13. Joey says:

    National total stands at 5631 yes, 3001 voted no, 45 spoiled, 6,484 no by no show. Total NO votes is therefore 9,485. A resounding No.

    • Anonymous says:

      You idiot, you cannot count or assume that complacent no shows are a no vote because they abstainted from voting and their vote therefore cannot be counted.

      • Anonymous says:

        Two idiots on an island the size of Cayman is definitely not good. Both him and McKeeva are counting non votes and calling them votes. How dumb can two people possibly be? Oh wait, we have about three thousand dummies here too, right?

    • Anonymous says:

      R u dum?

    • Anonymous says:

      If you place a ballot in the box without any markings on it then it is a SPOILED ballot. Not showing up is the same as not marking your ballot, so no-shows should really be counted as spoiled ballots.

    • Anonymous says:

      What about the people eligible to vote who haven't signed up to vote yet. Shouldn't they be counted as NO votes as well? LOL.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Thank you GT, BT, CB/LC & WB.  WB it was a pleasure to see that you are awaken.  Thank God there are still some honest, respectable and understandable persons in the district of WB.  Its obvious that you are not part of the group living in McKeeva's and Dart pockets.  Hopefully, by May 2013 a lot more will awaken and they will execise their democratic right and make that change in WB.  Yesterday, was just a process, grant it we did notmake the numbers needed to get the refrendum passed, but we sure as hell sent a strong message.  To those of you, who though by staying home, you were accomplishing something, you did!  You did NOT exercise your democratic rights to vote in your own Country, maybe it was because you were misled by McKeeva and the UDP, disenfranchised by Politicians or just plain lazy, whatever the reason, you have failed miserably and you may just hurt yourselves in the long run. Voting gives the people a voice in their own country…..we are talking about country "yes", NOT party, Team or McKeeva….We are talking Country…Bo Bo.

    • Anonnymous says:

      "WB it was a pleasure to see that you are awaken".  A lot of WBayers are "awaken" but not only to what is happening in WB, but nationwide.

  15. Anonymous says:

    Don't discount the number of YES'S in WB!  That was a positive sign for change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Thank's WEST BAY!!!!!

  16. Anonymous says:

    Maybe the percentage of no showers is indicative of the percentage of the population who:

    • Did not understand the OMOV concept and refused to be guided by any side and wanted (with understanding) to make their own decision based on facts and not party politics.
    • Are fed up with all political representatives whether PPM or UDP and could not distishish this from any other power struggle among our leaders.

    I can say this, because I was one of them, until I decided to educate myself, did my own research and listened to both sides with a very open and natural mind. I weigh in on how any outcome would affect the future of the Cayman Islands and our future generations.

    This is the approach I plan to take in May 2013 if I live to see it. I plan to put the future and betterment of these islands first. This is where I call home and my children  call and know as home and we have nowhere else to run to when the “shit hit the fan” and frankly at thatpoint it makes no sense to cast blame then.

     

  17. Anonymous says:

    The YES vote numbers send a clear message to the UDP Government despite the outcome. That mesage is the majority of the people that voted are tired of McKeeva & his style of running this country. This mesage is the death knell for the UDP in the next election. All the positive OMOV voters in the next election will support the majority of independant candidates & see them with a seat in the LA.  Except in West Bay ( of course )

  18. law makers says:

    just the change the voting law to state "50% +1" and you will see how many changes will happen with laws.  no way in the real world will a country get the entire register voters to vote.

  19. Anonymous says:

    My frustration with this whole issue was that it became a Vote yes if you support PPM and Independents and Vote no is you support UDP and that is not what was supposed to happen.  Both teams confused the issue by sinking to using the issue to campaign.  So many people told me they thought if they vote yes to OMOV it would remove the current Gov't and that is because the PPM and Independent took hold of the OMOV initiative and used it to slander the UDP and the UDP took hold of it to slander the PPM and Independent and its the people who got lost in the middle trying to figure out what the heck single member constituencies are!  I have no political experience and don't understand much of the jargon and it was extremely difficult for me to educate myself on the issue because so much time and effort was wasted trying to wade through all the name calling and hoopla.  OMOV wasnt supposed to address who was elected it was supposed to address HOW they were elected.  I sincerely, hope that the voter turnout will be better for the 2013 elections but again until the mudslinging and tit for tat stops the confusion will continue.  I have seen toddlers resolve their differences in a more mature manner than these grown adults, its sickening to watch and listen to.  I do think though that this referendum shed some light on how the electorate feel about their representation, I expected WB to be a landslide NO and was surprised the difference was so close.  Now the current Government and any who will run against them have an insight into just how the public is feeling.  personally, I think we need some strong Independents because party politics is too much like gang warfare.  Look at the numerous YCLA nominees and recipients, put them all in a room together and you are telling me there arent about 10-15 strong political candidates?  I think Cayman needs new representation we have been picking from the came ole basket for too long.

  20. Anonymous says:

    This is only the second time Cayman voters have ever been able to express themselves about how they want their government to be set up. It's always been decided by a few before this. The good representatives will take note that 2 out of 3 people supported this even though the premier was against it. Democratic change is messy and takes time. Hang in there!

  21. Anonymous says:

    "The Conquering Saviour shall break every chain and give us the victory again and again"…………come May 2013 the UDP shall continue the walk down freedom street and the Hon. W. McKeeva Bush will return as our Premier!

    • Anonymous says:

      We take it it was your church that stole our two million? Those three criminal investigation chains should prove to be quite a job for the Conquering Saviour.

  22. Anonymous says:

    65% (5,631) of voters who turned out to yesterday's OMOV Referendum voted YES! 

    The people CAN still claim a strong VICTORY! 



    In other countries that have referendum votes, this would have been a clear pass at 15% over the 50% + 1 of voters who turned out (8,677) bar.

  23. Anonymous says:

    Tell a fool he's not a fool and he'll believe it cos he dont want to be a fool….. MacKeeva relies on the ignorancy of his voters, and time and time again they dont disappoint him.

     

    • Anonnymous says:

      People were bombarded with instructions, not educated – from both factions.

      • Anonymous says:

        I found the OMOV people to be very educating and honest.  They didn't push anything.  They explained the pros and the cons.  I can't speak for all OMOV meetings but the one I went to was not a push down your throat kind of thing.

    • Ha Ha says:

      Oh, man, this is one of the funniest ironic statements I've read in a long time.

  24. Knot S Smart says:

    It does not take a stretch of the imagination to realize that in the future any Govt might not like the UK having to approve our budget and bring a referendum and word it:

    'Do you want the UK to have the final say over your local representatives'?

    That Govt could then take funds from the treasury and have a one-sided campaign to encourage the voters to 'vote no' or abstain from voting (as they have just done).

    Then those who do not vote will enable that Govt to take Cayman independent…

    The constitution needs to be amended to say 50% + 1 of the electors who voted – rather than of the entire amount of registered voters.

    This referendum shows that we are truly in a dangerous position!

  25. Jacky Boatside from Oldbush says:

    Lord man please get off this subject because i can not listen to another tirade by the UDP's Legal representative Jonah Killjoy that would just finish kill me. The man i swear swallowed a radio or something and it appears to be stuck on one station.

  26. Anonymous says:

    That is not stopping me from voting for only ONE MAN!! If you dont deserve my X you not getting it!

  27. Anonymous says:

    Congrats to the people of these Islands that went out yesterday and voted YES. If Mckeeva had any common sense he would see what meesage the people of this  country is telling him about his leadership including West Bay with a difference of twenty odd votes the Referemdum mite not have got the target but be hold they voice their opinion so to me that more than a WIN.

  28. Anonymous says:

    Another big push we need is for family members to remove their deceased relatvies from the voter's registry. We all knew that it was a high bar to reach, especially with so many zombies here, but at least it was proven that the majority was in favour of the system. Change won't fully occur until we get all of these old guys out, anyway. Change will come in due time, just will it be soon enough?

    • Anonymous!!!LY says:

      I fully agree with family members and the public knowing that they are deceased and knowing that some registered voters have not been on islan in over 6 years should be taken off the voters list.

      How can we ever acomplish anything better if we continue to live a life of lies. If your son or daughter lives over seas and have not returned for a long period of time they should be removed, NO, they hide the truth and leave them on the  register and let them vote, very unfair.

       

      • Anonymous (not verified) says:

        Headline should be “40 dead people vote no” – because that is the official position taken by our government. Only in a UDP dominated Cayman!

      • Anonymous says:

        While I think your point is valid, it might be reasonable for those who are away to study or getting experience abroad to be able to vote.  We don't have all of the necessary resources to educate and train persons in certain fields of work and they must get the work experience abroad first.  If their intention is to return home, they should return to a country where they feel they can raise their children….or they won't be returning! At least if they have had a say in this possible future, they can take a small comfort in that.  And we need people like that.  Obviously if they have no intentions of returning in the near future then their vote is pretty useless.  That being said….anyone who is smart enough to get an education and work experience abroad and has seen the light..who go and come back to this chaos..will likely be voters we want on our side.

    • Anonnymous says:

      I wonder if there is any correlation between the Registrars office and the Elections office – would think this would be an obvious avenue for advising deaths once they are registered.  I don'tbelieve the registration of deaths is left to families any longer – maybe the hospitals or the funeralhomes registers deaths? Not sure.

  29. Sad Stories being told says:

    This morning most people are saying  "I just went with what other people said, I d not know anything about this foolishness"  Very sad, because it goes to show that the PPM and UDP should have sat down in a sensible decent way and discussed this.

    Half ot the people who voted Yes do not have the slightest idea what it is all about.  Very sad.

    I saw something similar to this happened to a Politician, but in his favor.  Every one wanted him out.  And all the voters did not give him a first or second choice vote, they gave him a throw-away vote, which made him the First Elected.  Of course they were all shocked, so was he.   But it goes to show that long education on these process is very important.

    Frankly speaking I think the OMOV is a good thing, but I do not think we were ready for it now.

    • Anonymous says:

      You are so very right. I hope Mr Gomez doesn't whup my ass for this but I actually managed to convert TWO people to 'yes' right at the polls yesterday. These people had absolutely no idea what they were voting on but had very obviously been instructed to vote no. This, along with the large number of people that did not turn up to vote at all is very disappointing indeed, Cayman. We MUST do better than this for the sake of our country and our future and ourselves and our families.  

  30. Anonymous says:

    I beg to correct.  It is not the high bar set by government that made OMOV failed BUT… what the constitution requires/says.  Please confirm this with Mr.Billy Adams, he knows the constitution inside out. The constitution says that it must be 7500 or 50% of the Voters.  What is not clear about that?  So if you choose to stay home or go out the bottom line is that the country did not get the requirement to PASS based on the constitution AND, NOT ANY BAR SET BY GOVERNMENT.  I did not vote because I still do not understand if it should be a Yes or a No and I really do not believe in anything anymore.  Very Fed Up. 

     

    CNS: Today's Viewpoint provides a good explanation as to why the high bar for this referendum was not set out in the constitution but by the UDP government.

    • Anonymous says:

      You are wrong. This was a govt.-initiated referendum under section 69 of the Constitution which does not set any bar. The threshold was set by the government in the Referendum Law which it passed in May.  A people-initiated referendum under section 70 would have required a majority of registered electors as per that section. In addition govt-initiated referenda in most democratic countries require only a majority of those voting. That is what the 2009 Constitution referendum required. 

  31. Albert Jackson says:

    People associated with OMOV can feel proud they accomplish something never done before in history and they have become an effective force that has to be dealt with in the near future. It is not easy dealing with a political force locked in the past dictating our future. Intelligent people can see this and will adjust to remedy the situation. The people that did not vote are narrowly focused and must be bypassed to reach the goal of full human rights and accountability by our elected officials. Congratulations to all of you that voted yes to move our country into the twenty first century. The numbers are there and that is why the Premier rigged the vote. Don’t give up; you have started a very effective movement separating yourselves from the fakers and takers in control of our government. (The numbers show it) God bless you all and thank you for your efforts.

     

                                                                                    Albert Jackson  

     

     

                             

    • Your Area says:

      Albert, where I would agree with you in most of your comments, as far as I am concerned Cayman is already devided into constituencies, only they have not been legally named. 

      However I do not feel we should have people from your area running in an area where they do not even know where the gas station is.   That is un acceptable.  I feel that no one has won.  Because the persons who did not go out to vote was expressing that they was not for it, but could not bother to go out and waste time since staying home would send a message of how they felt.  There is so much division now in the districts, I do not want to imagine what would happen if we were legally divided.  Give it some thought.

  32. Anonymous says:

    Not trying to burst anyone's bubble and after having voted YES myself, this result is certainly not one to be celebratory about. It is however refreshing that the majority of the voters yesterday favored OMOV but is it a clear indication that the overall majority of electors favor it- I say no. The entire process was rushed by BOTH sides of the argument and it is my opinion that the Referendum should have been put to the people during the next General Election with the understanding that if the majority voted YES that the OMOV system would have to come into effect in the 2017 election. The OMOV supporters should be somewhat thankful for the low turnout- because if the turnout was higher, the results MAY have been different this morning and MIGHT not have been in the favor of us who voted YES.

    • Well spoken says:

      08:11 the only thing I can say to your comments is that all of it make sense.  You are an honest thinker, and people like you need to voice your concerns more.  Thank you for well spoken words.

      • Anonymous says:

        I also agree. The island needs to hear the voices of the people who are concerned with the well being of our country.

    • Anonymous says:

      The reason that some of the people did not come out was because they were told that "if you do not go out and vote you will be counted as a "yes" vote. I too was told the same thing and not until late in the afternoon when a very learned lawyer that I called told me different, so I hurriedly went out to vote 'yes". Alot of the Bracers understood that if you stayed home it was as good as saying yes. Lets not be blinded and face the truth. On another note Ms julie kept plugging at her meetings that this attack was at McKeeva. but we hope that she will now see that he is more popular than her, alot of his unpopularity is because of the stupid decisions , vindictiveness, and things that she does that costs us so much. She will cost him the next election too. Please stop quoting the bible and practise it.

  33. Anonymous says:

    Will PPM change system if they take power in May 2013?

  34. Anonymous says:

    TAKE NOTE the people have spoken, the results of FOOLIO’s national vote is that he has lost his seat and the UDP Government is out of office and they have all lost their jobs. Whether it is now or next May the UDP are finished because the country will not tollerate people who will not embrace democracy and who are only interested in self interest in lining their pockets with the selling out of our country to DART and the Chinese.

    • Not So says:

      08:08. If I was you I would not Cry Wolf, because this morning there are many persons who are singing a diffirent tune.  Some are quiet and concerned, while many are  saying that they voted yes because they were asked to do so.  Now it is time to begin education the public what  this was all about.

    • Anonymous says:

      Well spoken – I couldnt have said it better myself.

    • Anonymous says:

      08;08

       Please tell the country who you would rather sell the country to,…as you put it? You are so sure of yourself, that you finished off the UDP and Ellio….really!

       

       

      What you fail to tell the people that less than  half the voting public  have spoken out for this  this OMOV. And it was mostly done through hate and emotions, very bad precedent to follow… so unorthodox

      It was just a referendum, not a general election…different pot of tea.

       

  35. Anonymous says:

    How sad for Cayman. We have a chance and true representation and all the benefits that come with it and fear and ignorance have been allowed to quash it. Until our voices carry equal weight our government will never be truly accountable to the people.

    • Anonymous says:

      Stop pointing fingers and blaming the Government. You have a midium to go to, to lobby for your needs…. it's called the district council. You dont want to apprach them because you can't vote them out, is that it? Mr. big ego! power grabber! you not fooling no one but your selves.

      How do you think the world look at you all, tearing down prosperity  and your parlimentarians. Do you think that the Americans tear down their congressmen? no, they lobby them for better opportunities… you come off like a bunch of black crabs in a bath pan.

      This is your voice mouth and ears to your representitives…use them to lobby for you or  shut up. It seems like  your aim is to remove every Government that does'nt cater direct to your personal whims?

       

  36. Anonymous says:

    Well done my fellow Caymanians! There is still hope for this country. In any other country this result would have passed such a referendum. Continue to build on this. Remember it took 10 years of campaigning for women to obtain the right to vote in this country. They did not stop because their first 3 efforts were ignored.

  37. Anonymous says:

    Shame on all the registered voters who did not vote. People all over the world are denied the privilege of voting and you choose to sit at home. Well, all I can say is "Don't complain about the state of the country if you don't exercise your right to vote". Shame on you!

    • Anonymous says:

      and who says caymanians are lazy?????

      • Thankful Again says:

        dont know whether I want to call you a creep or something worst.  Keeping your disparging expat comments to yourself!

        If you dont have something decent to contribute, then stay off.  However, please keep your no-voting self out of matters that don't concern you.  Are you trying to justify your job again?!

        Cha-man, sick unna.

    • Anonymous says:

      Staying at home was the same as voting no, so why should I have spent time in a line to do the same thing? I voted no by staying home, as did many thousands of others. I certainly have no shame for doing that.

  38. Anonymous says:

    A majority of the electorate voted. A landslide majority of those who did voted "Yes".

    If this isn't the writing on the wall for those who want to cling to our present system, I don't know what is.

    "One Man One Vote"? Rest assured, it's on its way!

  39. GT Voter says:

    This sends a clear signal to the UDP that a "Change Is Gonna Come"….see you again @ the Polls in 9 + months – May 2013

    • Anonymous says:

      anon 07:16

       

      Yep! and we waiting on you. The OMOV was a  different pot of tea…. it was what it is. A referandum is just a feferandum. we will see you at the polls.

  40. Power of the People says:

    UDP WON THE BATTLE – BUT NOT THE WAR

    I think the numbers speak volumes as to the mindset of the average voter. Under proper (and reasonable) consideration, this majority would signal a change for the Cayman Islands. For a politician to ignore that fact and doggedly carry on with business as usual is foolhardy!

    The premier set the parameters and campaigned wastefully against this initiative. He won the war but not the battle. If he chooses to dismiss the outcome of the referendum, blindly declaring it a win for democracy, given his unrealistic goal post, then he is truly unfit to run a country and should be removed by the voting public at the next available opportunity if not sooner.

    A true democratic representative HEARS the people's wishes and doesn't steamroll ahead because he set a criteria that was not met. Take note Mr Premier, you are hereby on notice and under heavy scrutiny.

    Clearly, his stomping ground swayed the vote – where he has control and knows the ropes for a successful election, in his favour. Not so anywhere else in this nation. I think this was a wonderful exercise in testing the waters prior to the general elections in May 2013. Change IS coming. People ARE speaking up. We are NOT happy with the status quo. 

    I find it most interesting (well there were many interesting things about this process), but it was curious that in the UDP's own backyard, West Bay, they were only able to scrape up 1000 voters to oppose the question of OMOV. That's less than 1/3 of the voting public for that district. What does that tell us? It tells me the UDP's support is waning. 

    The chatter leading up to the referendum rang true on voting day – the majority are seeking change. Unfortunately, that change will not likely come under the circumstances, but the people still have the opportunity to have their wishes effected. Many non-UDP politicians and hopefuls have declared that, should the general elections return a majority vote in favour of the PPM or independents, there is a chance that the OMOV will find its way into being. One can only hope.

    For now, the Premier will surely ignore the numbers and carry on with what he was doing before the bee hit his bonnet. He cannot, however, argue that the he was right and no one wanted this confounded SMC/OMOV in the first place. I wonder what the UDP Secretary, Mr. Ellio Solomon is saying this morning as he has always seemed so sure in his knowledge of what "the majority" was thinking. I wonder if they appreciate that they lost, even in their success to stave off a change that will ultimately take over the way Caymanians go to the polls.

    I find it most unnerving that the UDP campaigned so ardently against this referendum. And so expensively. For what good reason? I can find none! The UDP declared it would not change the party system, but rather make it stronger. Why would they really feel the need to go against it then? With the taxpayer's dollars! Wasteful and unnecessary. In my opinion, 26 votes was hardly worth the time and effort (the very marginal difference between the yesses and the no's in WB). 

    I will close by addressing the apathetic that live amongst us. Shame on each and every one of you. Please do us ALL a favour and remove your names from the electors' register immediately. You are a waste of space on this list. Clearly you do not care to be counted, nor do you seem to have any interest in having your voice heard one way or the other, so maintaining your voting status is no longer required.

  41. Cathy says:

    "he will not be swayed by a majority that falls short of 50% plus one of the entire electorate." Thank you Premier from saving us. Let it be known that Norman Bodden saved us from following Jamaica in its Independence. McKeeva Bush saved us from following Jamaica in its electoral system. Just because Jamaica has it doesn't mean we must change a 100 year old electoral system that has always worked for us!  Thank you again Premier Bush!  Cayman is too small for garrison communities!

    • Anonymous says:

      Does Norman Bodden know about this?

    • Anonymous says:

      Mr Norman Bodden was a  member of the Legislativer Assembly for many years but he was not a member at the time when Jamaica received its independence from Jamaica. The ones who saved us from following Jamaica's example in that matter was the late Dr Roy McTaggart and other stalwarts such as the late Mr Ducan Merren and Mr Willaim Farrington. Dr Roy should have been made a National Hero but because of McKeeva's hatred of his grand-nephews, the Wight twin brothers, tha deserving Hero status was never awarded.

      Having one one man one vote does not create garrison communities and there would be such communities in Jamaica whether there were single member or multi member constituencies as tjhat is the mentality of many Jamaicans. McKeeva has communities in West Bay where he has made people dependent on UDP largesse for their survival, hence ensuring the political dominance of that party

    • Anonymous says:

      1. Norman Bodden had nothing at all to do with the decision to break from Jamaica. Read 'Founded Upon Seas' and bone up on your history.

      2. McKeeva Bush hasn't "saved" us from anything. He has only duped you into believing that. OMOV SMCs is the most widely practised electoral system in the democratic world including the UK, Canada and the U.S., and not simply a Jamaican thing.

      3. Our electoral system is not 100 years old at all.  It derives from our 1959 Constitution which was further refined in our 1972 Constitution. 100 years ago women couldn't vote and that had been in place for a lot longer than a 100 years. Following your logic we should have continued to deny them the vote.  Persons such as Ducan Merren thought that he was "saving" Cayman from women electors and representatives in 1958 as well.

      4. Our electoral system has not always worked for us. It has not produced quality, responsive, accountable representation.

      5. OMOV has nothing to do with garrison communities.   

      Get the facts. Do not be frightened of change.

    • Anonymous says:

      Please go study your history.  It was Dr. Roy McTaggart.  Norman Bodden had absolutely nothing to do with it.  The only thing I can remember Norman doing was getting up on  the plat form with the UDP before the last election and emploring George Towners to vote for them.  He even tried to convince his Church members but thank God, some of them have minds of their own.  I'll bet he is not too happy about them now.

  42. Anonymous says:

    I am not surprised at WB. We have to accept that a lot of those people are not very intelligent and The Premier is their "Jim Jones". They have not only drank the kool aid, they gulped it and now it is "Yes master!", "Whatever you say master", "You tell me what to do master". 

    NS, is a shining example of intelligent voters, they have woken up and although the referendum will not carry I think NSiders sent a clear message to the premier and his goons.  You can try to being Ezzard down all you want but we heard the arguments for and against and your rantings against OMOV did not make sense so we made the intelligent choice. 

    Mr. Premier, you say that your hands are clean and your heart is pure but God is still watching and I will make him be the judge of that. You can fool some of the people, some of the time but not all of the people all the time. (Well except for WB, apparently you have managed to fool some of them all the time)

    • Not good response says:

      06:48, I am quite sure you are a Caymanian, and frankly would not have expected you to say anything else about the West Bay People.  HOW DARE YOU TO BE SO RUDE, RO SAY THE wEST bAY PEOPLE ARE NOT VERY INTELLIGENT.  and their premier is Jim Jones.    Your expressions are not good, and the only thing it will do is to make the West Bay people to be more knitted in their close relationship and decide that they should all bond together as one. and do not allow outside districts to call them Un-intelligent.  Very bad taste to make such an expression.

      • Anonymous says:

        HALF the people in WB voted against what the premier wanted. Give them a break.

      • jsftbhaedrg says:

        As the saying goes, "the truth hurts".

      • Anonymous says:

        hello? Caymanian or not Caymanian its obvious that WB has been eating the same pudding for years and don't see that it has spoiled rotten! I congratulate all the WB voters that voted YES at least they see the light in the mist of that confusion. For those that continue to be part of Mr. Bush dictartorship and continue to make foolish decisions are known as complete FOOLS, sorry dear if the shoe fits wear it! and YES I AM CAYMANIAN!

        • Anonymous says:

          Well,  "yes I'm a Caymanian!" 13;47

          Don't get your hopes up too quick. it is my belief that most voted for OMOV didnt do it for the sake of changing their Rep.

          They just wanted change, most people do. Calling your own fools, don't make you look good. You are the angry one being stressed out, and  making your self ungly with hate, and luminating your ageand wrinkles, while they are calmly, humbly  going about their own business.

           Remember your percentage of  yes voters can change when it comes to the  general election. The referendum was what is was, a referendum. it was not a general election..a different cup of tea.  

          And bear in mind those yes voters, by the time May comes around will hear a different story,,,and can change their minds, also there will be independent candidates, that will dilute the percentage of those same yes voters for OMOV.

           

          Stan the man

           

  43. Anonymous says:

    The Rooster will crow this morning…Wait for the lashings, accusations and "moral victory" accolades…

    It's done…Over 9000 voters were not interested in this…Get over it and move on…

    Find something else to crow about!

    • Anonymous says:

      Very much more importantly, 8,632 people WERE interested in this, and 5,631 people voted yes compared to the 3001 rockheads who voted no. It's done…the udp has at long last lost it's death grip on this country. We do understand why you're cackling like a hen chased off her nest…Get over it and move on, my friend… Find something else to cackle about. 

    • Anonymous says:

      Not interested cuz camanian strongman Mackeeva bush didn’t want them to vote. It’s quite despicable really when a freaking ‘ leader’ of a country doesn’t want his people to vote.

  44. Anonymous says:

    What clearer proof does anyone need that we are not living in a democracy?   The premier is relying on the voters that stayed home (because they don't care) for him to deny the wishes of the majority.

    If the UK wanted a reason to take over, he just gave it to them on a plate.

  45. Anonymous says:

    I thought the “BAR” was set by the constitution …

    • NeoSurvivor says:

      No.   The "BAR" was set by the UDP, which defined a registered voter who didn't vote as a "no" vote — an absolutely unprecedented and absurd idea, and one calculated to temporarily save their bacon. 

      Please note that the majority of those who did vote voted in favor of OMOV.   Change soon come.

    • Anonymous says:

      Anon 06; 20

      I have to support your sentiment. i also thought it was set by the constitution. Can some one please post the section on CNS. Wendy can you, please!

      If this was the case, then why do we have this law as guidance. unless the OMOV is still trying to brain wash the people, and blame UDP for the PPM constitution.

       

      CNS: Today's Viewpoint explains it all clearly.

    • Anonymous says:

      The bar was not set for a govt. initiated referendum. That is what the govt. said this was. 

  46. Anonymous says:

    Congratulations McKeeva Bush, you and your udp party animals still have one third of our voting public believing you are eternally honorable. Not sure where their heads are, or if they even HAVE heads but that's another matter. A word of caution: Thirty percent of the voting public's support is not going to get you very far come next election day. Better get those fridges lined up. It is completely unimaginable, although not unbelievable that the united demonic party are now seeing the wishes of two thirds of our voting public as their victory and will continue to sink this country to the bottom of the ocean as if nothing happened. Power corrupts, Cayman. It even drives some folks to insanity. 

  47. Anonymous says:

    65% say YES to OMOV.  In the middle of the summer vacation season when UDP hoped everyone would be otherwise distracted 57% of the electorate came out to vote for a referendum, and 65% of those voters said YES.  This is an overwhelming cry by the people for OMOV.  In spite of the UDP using our government money to advertise and persuade us to vote no, we overwhelmingly said YES.  

    This should be a clear message to Mr. Adams, Ms. Julie and their colleagues that we are fed up with their silence and obedience to a failed leader.  They stoodby silently while their administration stole our right to democracy by holding an unfair election, and it didn't go unnoticed.  We'll be back out to vote them out of office in 2013.

    • Anonymous says:

      65%mof 57% is nothing to brag about. And for the record many who did not come out to vote could not be bothered to waste their time as their vote is a resounding NO. Its a NO if you vote NO and a NO if you dont vote. Get over it because its a NO to OMOV

  48. Anonymous says:

    53% of Caymanian voters support McKeeva and his vision for this country.

     

    Tragic.

  49. Anonymous says:

    Not to worry Mac. The clear wishes of the voting public, as we all certainly expected, most definitely won't sway the United "Democratic" Party, but we still have three more surprises for you. 1) Three criminal investigations, 2) United Kingdom intervention, 3) The hand of God. Cayman WILL be rid of the greatest pestilence it has ever known. And it definitely won't be long now. 

  50. Anonymous says:

    I voted No by being off Island and I see we won! Now lets get back to whats really important – jobs,jobs,jobs. Ezzard, Enough of your foolish distractions!

    • Anonymous says:

      Really?????  Ezzard and "distractions" is your only problem??  A private entity owns more than 20% of this country, has a say in how the money (Dart deal) is to be spent and Ezzard is your only problem. 

      The people have spoken through the numbers.  WB district alone is not enough to gain the Premier title in the 2013 election!!!!!!

    • Anonymous says:

      It is better for Cayman that people like you remain off island. You're obviously going to McKeeva's Institute of Professional Lunacy if you believe 70 percent of yes votes means "we won". 

    • Anonymous says:

      I voted YES and I'm off island too, but I didnt have a distraction, I had a clear understanding of what OMOV meant. Shame on all those that stayed home and didn't vote or went to the polls and voted no, we have just said to the government that we have , give us more lashings master.

    • Kent McTaggart says:

      the problem is, "jobs, jobs, jobs" for who, who, who?  At what cost, cost, cost? To benefit who, who who?

      When MAC the UDP and the Govt can thell me the answers to those questions in a satisfactory way, I will stop.  Until then Ezzard, myself and my fellow patriots will continue to supply the public with "foolish distractions"

      Regards,  Kent

       

       

    • Anonymous says:

      Doing a little tax free shopping perhaps?

    • Anonymous says:

      Jobs, jobs, jobs. McKeeva has a job. If you think he's the very least bit interested in a job for you you're in for a very big surprise. I suggest you pray to God to give Ezzard strength to continue with his foolish distractions if you really want a job.

  51. Asterisk says:

    West Bay wants more washing machines. Odd to see such a small group of people sell out an entire country.

  52. Anonymous says:

    the real headline is 65% of voters favour omov…….

    another huge embaresssment for the udp…… and again goes to show how out of touch they are with the people….

  53. Anonymous says:

    thw whole thing was flawed to begin with….. it should have been majority rules based on at least 50% of the voters turning out……..

  54. Anonymous says:

    who cares?…. whats the next step in getting mckeeva removed from power??….

    who's up for a march to the governor house?

    • Anonymous says:

      Me boots can't take no more walking… wonder if Mac will gimme a new pair of sneakers…

  55. Anonymous says:

    Boy, if anything, this referendum proves once again that there sure are a lot of lazy, dumb, and indifferent people in the Cayman Islands.  Just as I called it, Big Boy won – hear him rub it in your faces now…  You get what you deserve folks.

    • Mike says:

      Whatan incredibly poor turn out at the polls! Such a low turn out seems to indicate unbelievable COMPLACENCY on the part of the voters. Even when it became a party matter, that failed to motivate people to come out. How is our budding democracy to function properly if people do not care enough to express their wishes through the polls?

      Does this indicate further apathy to come in the next election? I wonder.

      The question I am forced to ask is this – Do the Caymanian people wish to be ruled / managed by someone else for the rest of their lives? Because with this sort of apathy, "da wa ya get!"

       

      • Anonymous says:

        Point Blank:  People are sick and tired of the party rhetoric, the promises made, and the misrepresentation, the cost of living and not being able to save something in the bank. What did you expect?  People see our situation so bad they are not willing to participate. Now, its everyone to themselves.  Sounds selfish, but if the politicians are doing it, the people will do likewise.

      • Anonymous says:

        It was disappointing but it was not "incredibly poor". That would be an average turnout in many countries and we have nothing to compare it against since thisis our first referendum separate from a general election. Not that we should be complacent but we shouldn't exaggerate either.

        I agree with all of your other sentiments.