Archive for January, 2013
Adapted flare gun gets man seven years
(CNS): Following his guilty plea last November, Seymour Patrick Ramsey (38) was sentenced to the mandatory minimum of seven years for the possession of an unlicensed firearm Tuesday. Ramsay appeared before Justice Charles Quin in connection with an offence that occurred last July, when he was caught with an adapted flare gun. In his sentencing ruling Justice Quin said the defendant had made determined and persistent efforts to evade detection. When apprehended, Ramsay was verbally abusive and made deliberate attempts to prevent the police from recovering the gun. From the evidence put before him, the judge found that flare gun was still a firearm, and despite efforts by Ramsay's lawyer to avoid the mandatory minimum sentence, the judge stuck to seven years jail time.
“I cannot find any exceptional circumstances, either for the offence or the offender of this case,” Justice Quin said as he made his sentencing order.
Ramsay was apprehended after police were informed that a man was in possession of a firearm. Officers from the USG were dispatched to Welly’s Cool Spot for observation purposes. Once seen leaving the vicinity with two other people in a vehicle, the officers alerted Ramsay with their emergency lights. He made several attempts to evade the police, and to discard the firearm, the crown explained as they set out the details of the case for the court. But after being chased on-foot, the defendant fell and surrendered to the police and a modified flare gun, along with a small quantity of ganja, was recovered around the area.
When handing down the sentence Justice Quin took into consideration Ramsay’s guilty plea as well as the fact that he has no history of firearms or violent offences and gave him the full discount.
During defense counsel submissions Guy Dilliway-Parr stated that the defendant was a middle aged man who is able to contribute to society. “He is no youngster embarking on a criminal career,” he added.
The lawyer said the defendant had been given the weapon by another person and out of curiosity he had tried to fire it at the beach, however; it did not work. Dilliway-Parry also submitted that there was no evidence to support that the defendant had any intent to engage in a criminal offence or any underlying criminality in this matter.
Defense counsel also argued that there were exceptional circumstances relating to the offence which justified not imposing the minimum sentence of seven years of incarceration. This included describing the weapon as a “contraption” and being in a very poor state of repair.
The firearm recovered by the police was an Orion Flare Gun with a chamber for a shotgun cartridge bolted on and after being tested by authorized firearms officer Anthony Stewart, it was recorded that the weapon did not fire any of the four 12-gauge shotgun cartridges it was found with. Officer Stewart suggested that it was old ammunition because after two attempts at placing new ammunition from the RCIPS armory into it the weapon fired. Stewart also suggested that the weapon fell within the definition of a lethal barreled weapon.
Nevertheless, Justice Quin found that the weapon was a firearm and the judge imposed the seven year minimum sentence with time spent in custody to be taken into consideration. In addition, Justice Quinn sentenced Ramsay to three months imprisonment to run concurrently with the seven year term for the ganja found in Ramsay’s possession during the incident.
The judge also commended the officers involved in the case who had recovered another illegal firearm from the islands’ streets, despite the efforts of the defendant to evade the police.
Alex Alexander competition off to a flyer
(CRFU): With a light sprinkling of rain and overcast conditions in South Sound local rugby fans and players alike could not have asked for better rugby playing weather for the opening round of the Alex Alexander Memorial Trophy competition, proudly sponsored by DART. The opening game, played at 2pm, normally sees both teams slog it out under stifling sunshine whilst the later 4pm game, still being played in the Caribbean heat often benefits from a quickly setting sun. The Century 21 Cayman Storm, looking to defend their 2012 league trophy victory took on the Queensgate Pigs Trotters in the early fixture. (Photo by Caroline Deegan)
The Trotters, who have not held the Alex Alexander Trophy since 2003 (and have also been unable to secure any other CRFU silver wear since 2007) have been seen as the local Journeyman team in recent years.
The Trotters, now coming of age, have welcomed the addition of new talent in the form of Neil Montgomery at scrum half, Alistair Lum at no. 8 and David Acut at 15, and are now undoubtedly a real force to be reckoned with on the pitch. The Cayman Storm on the other hand have always been known for a dangerous attacking backline spearheaded by scrum half Simon Crompton, Vanassio Tokotokovanua in the centres and Keswick Wright at fullback. But the absence of Tokotokovanua with injuries to both wrists and Wright, having opted for early retirement from XV’s rugby (mixed with the notable absences of Camilo Ramirez) put added pressure on returning Storm fly-half Josh Brown to rally his backline.
Neither team was in the ascendancy in the early exchanges and half time was wrung in at 15-15. Although there were chances for Marco du Plessis to draw first blood for the Pigs Trotters with kickable penalties his boot could not find its target as 6 points went begging. It was Claudio Sarfati who drew first blood and scored early on for the Storm but this was shortly followed by a converted Eoghan Ryan try to take the Score to 5-7. A penalty try to the Storm from a trip on Simon Crompton at the back of a Pigs Trotters Scrum allowed the Storm to momentarily regain the lead before Crompton fed the ball to Kieran Lyons when a chip and chase attempt by the Storm scrumhalf was easily picked off by Lyons who ran 50 yards up the field to score and make the scores 12-12. Brown and du Plessis exchanged further penalties end out the half.
Whilst the Pigs Trotters started to open the scoring in the 2nd half the performance was anything but polished as the men in red are still looking to find their feet. Converted tries from James Waters and Alistair Lum plus 2 further Penalties secured by du Plessis brought up the final 35 points for the Pigs Trotters whilst a solitary Josh Brown penalty in the 2nd half were the only points the Storm could amass in the 2nd half.
In the later game the Advance Fire & Plumbing Buccaneers hosted the John Doak Architecture Iguanas. The Buccaneers, fielding a makeshift side without Paul Murphy, Michael Peck, Mariano Marco and Stephan Prior (who were instrumental in the Buccaneers Heineken Charity Shield win over the Century 21 Cayman Storm) due to a mixture of injury, or off island absences, struggled to contain an attacking Iguana backline under the tutelage of new Iguana coach Tim Rossiter.
The Iguanas tallied up a 25 point cushion through tries from Angel Hawkins, Yohann Regnard, Walter Myers and Andrew MacKay plus a further conversion and penalty kick from flyhalf Shaun Hardcastle before Buccaneer loose forward Shaun Gerrard secured 5 points for his team in the closing exchanges of the game.
The Iguanas, thanks to a better point difference march to the top of the league standings with the Pigs Trotters in hot pursuit. The standings show a marked difference from the previous season with 2012 3rd and 4th placed teams sitting in 1st and 2nd but with the Iguanas to host the Storm at 2pm this weekend followed by the Buccaneers hosting the Pigs Trotters it will be anyone’s guess to see how the teams will react after the week 1.
Whilst games are televised online on www.caymanrugbytv.com games can be watched (at no charge) in South Sound at the Cayman Rugby Football Club and spectators will not be disappointed with ample fast, hard hitting action!
Next games:
2 February 2013
2pm John Doak Architecture Iguanas (Home) vs. Century 21 Cayman Storm (Away)
4pm Advance Fire & Plumbing Buccaneers (Home) vs. Queensgate Pigs Trotters (Away)
Follow Cayman Rugby on Facebook and Twitter @caymanrugby
Photo above: Angelito Hawkins chips the ball forward before Saviriano Tabuaniwera can make the tackle
Harbour House Cruiser Series 2013 kicks off Saturday
(CISC): The big sail boats will be in action for the first time this year in race 1 of the 8 race HHM Cruiser series. Last year saw the inaugural “Round the Sound” series and proved very popular, with 17 different boats coming out for what was billed as “fun racing with the emphasis on fun”. Clive Bodden’s Yahoo Yahoo took the trophy last year, sailing consistently in all six races. The series has now been expanded to eight races and everyone will be gunning for the big catamaran. Bruce Johnson’s Blue Runner, which came in second overall, has had his boat out of the water prepping it to do even better this year.
“The races are fun but the prizes from Harbour House are well worth giving it all you’ve got,” explained Bruce.
The cruiser series, which is a collaboration between the Sailing Club and Harbour House Marina, drew plenty of support in its first year.
“We hoped that running fairly short races with easy courses would allow for greater participation,” explained Rick Caley, manager of the sailing club. “No boats felt intimidated racing with the big guns and the spirit after racing was enhanced by some great Barbeques. We hope to attract even more boats to come out and join in the fun this year.”
Saturday 2 February sees the first race which will start at 1pm. Other upcoming race dates are 17 March, 21 April, 1 June and 28 July.
If you are interested in participating or would like more information please contact admin@sailing.ky
Service club offers vocatoinal studies grant
(CNS): Rotaract Blue is inviting applications for this year’s Fred Speirs Vocational Grant which is now in its fifth year. The grant provides young professionals from the Cayman Islands the opportunity to further their studies at home or abroad. The scholarship is open to applicants, between 16 and 30 years of age, who are enrolled or have been accepted into a local or overseas vocational/ technical skills course, above and supplemental to high school. Rotaract Blue said it is very proud of its vocational grant programme which the only grant of this nature available locally.
“By bettering ourselves, we better our community; and as a club we are very excited about being able to assist persons pursuing vocational or technical courses again this year,” a spokesperson for the service club stated.
Interested parties must submit an application before the deadline of Friday March 29th and forms can be downloaded along with additional information regarding eligibility from the club's website – www.rotaractblue.org, under "Downloads" .
Completed applications, including all supplemental documentation, can be submitted via email – rotaractblue@gmail.com or by mail to: Rotaract Blue – Cayman Islands, P.O. Box 30245 KY1-1201, George Town, Grand Cayman, CAYMAN ISLANDS or they can be given to any Rotaract Blue club member.
RCIPS opens nominations for top ‘amateur’ cops
(CNS): The RCIPS has begun preparations for this year’s Outstanding Service Awards and Police Commissioner David Baines is calling on people across the Cayman Islands to nominate their community heroes. The award is for anyone who has played an important role in keeping their neighbours, their communities and the Cayman Islands safe. The award will be presented at the third annual RCIPS Outstanding Service Awards event at the Ritz-Carlton on Friday, 8 March. “This is your chance to recognise the people who go that extra mile to keep the Cayman Islands safe,” said Commissioner Baines. “Those everyday heroes who don’t look for any thanks or recognition.”
The nominations are now being accepted for people or organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to community safety. The nomination form is available on the forms page of the RCIPS website and from all district police stations. The closing date for submission is Friday 8 February 2013. Forms should be submitted to district police stations or to the RCIPS HQ in George Town by 5.00pm on that date. They can also be e-mailed to nominations@rcips.ky.
“The winner may be someone who has been instrumental in helping the police bring offenders to justice, or someone who gives up their free time to work with young people in the community to provide them with positive choices,” Baines explained. “The quality and the number of nominations in previous years has been outstanding. I’m sure that this year, once again, we will hear some greatstories about the many unsung heroes in our midst who deserve to be recognised for their selfless contributions.”
There will be a number of other awards presented on the night, including Police Officer of the Year, Support Staff Member of the Year, Diversity Award, Police Welfare Award and Special Constable of the Year.
The event will be completely underwritten by sponsorship and proceeds from the night will benefit the RCIPS Welfare Fund.
See details of last year’s winners
For further information about ticket sales or sponsorship opportunities please contact Pinnacle Publishing & Marketing on 345-945-6566.
WSPA campaign presses on
CNS): Following the publication of an independent review conducted in December which confirmed a number of problems at the Cayman Turtle Farm that were first revealed publicly by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, a spokesperson for the charity said Tuesday that he believed the welfare of the turtles could still be improved at the farm. Although the WSPA, which is visiting Cayman this week, is pressing on with its campaign to see the CTF turned into a conservation facility, in the meantime it is encouraging the farm management, which has accepted that there are animal welfare problems to be addressed. In addition, the WSPA said the pressure had resulted in the farm taking some positive actions to at least begin addressing the issues.
Dr Neil D'Cruze, the WSPA campaign leader, said that the charity had enjoyed a positive meeting on Tuesday with representatives of the Turtle Farm and government and the officials had agreed to enter meaningful dialogue with WSPA as a way of addressing the turtle welfare problems, which they all acknowledge are real and present.
“There was an acceptance, not least from a senior representative of the CTF, that WSPA’s intervention in highlighting animal welfare problems was positive and has resulted in a recognition that things cannot stay as they are,” said D'Cruze. Recognising the steps the Turtle Farm has now begun to take, the charity said it was still very concerned about the handling of turtles, not just because of the health risk to visitors but the stress of the turtles, and the results of another scientific report were stilloutstanding.
“Our campaign goals remain the same,” D’Cruze said, explaining that the charity is a pragmatic, respected animal welfare organisation working with many stakeholders round the world. “We are always respectful of cultural practices and traditions, and firmly believe that progress can still be made to improve animal welfare while being respectful of these,” he added.
While the meeting was a positive one, it was apparent that there were still significant areas of disagreement as the CTF has stated very clearly that it will continue to act as a farm, selling the turtle meat, with conservation and research running parallel to supplying Cayman’s national dish.
The independent report released last week followed on from the damning findings that the WSPA published last year. Although the Farm had condemned the charity and accused it of making unfounded allegations and stirring up a negative campaign, a freedom ofinformation request revealed that in July of this year the Farm had invited an expert to examine conditions at the farm and he had found many similar issues to those revealed by WSPA, which he had reported back to the Farm’s management.
Like the WSPA report and the independent report in December, David Godfrey, Sea Turtle Conservancy Executive Director, found a significant proportion of turtles at the farm are suffering from a skin diseases and shell rot. Some turtles are suffering from other conditions such as “floating syndrome” as well as lesions of the head and eyes and flipper damage consistent with cannibalism.
The charity says it remains concerned that the farm management has been aware of animal suffering, overcrowding and disease for more than six months, yet repeatedly made public denials to the contrary.
The WSPA said that the farm had gone to “great lengths to keep hidden, identified problems akin to those published in WSPA’s investigation” and had continually sought to undermine the charity’s findings. Yet there is now evidence from three different sources that a significant number of turtles have injuries consistent with severe overcrowding and that disease is a serious problem.
While the farm has billed itself as a conservation facility as well as a supplier of meat, it has not employed a professional vet at the facility. However, it has now begun the recruitment process for a full time animal doctor following the latest recommendations in the independent review.
“The assessment of the Farm in July, and then again in December closely matches our own investigation, proving that the Farm knew our findings were true from the outset,” D’Cruze said. “Instead of taking us up on our offer to work with them to find a solution, they accused us of sensationalism.”
Although the Farm is beginning to acknowledge that there are issues regarding animal welfare and the WSPA is hopeful that there will be some positive change, until such a time as the farming stops and conservation begins in earnest there are still major concerns. While the latest report vindicated the WSPA’s findings, the worry now is that, as the recommendations to address the problem are not backed up with data, the welfare issues may persist and ultimately the entire concept of the CTF is still flawed.
“Very little attention has been paid to addressing the fundamental issue at stake – that green sea turtles are wild solitary animals that simply cannot adapt to life crammed into a Farm with 9000 other turtles,” D’Cruze added.
Meanwhile, as the WSPA continues in its efforts to persuade the Farm to move from a butcher’s shop to a full conservation facility, Humane Society International has also joined the campaign. :
Amanda Mayhew, Manager of Ecotourism & International Trade Policy at Humane Society International, said that as more and more travellers factor animal welfare concerns into their vacation plans, the Farm’s reputation will be key to its future success.
“By transitioning away from commercial production and improving the conditions for its resident turtles, the Cayman Turtle Farm would demonstrate its commitment to its conservation mandate, teach the public to value and respect these beautiful creatures, and set an example for sea turtle conservation worldwide,” she added.
HSI said it has encouraged its supporters from around the world to sign a petition which urges the Farm to improve conditions for the turtles in captivity. In just one week, the petition attracted over 20,000 signatures. These signatures will be added to WSPA’s petition – currently over 117,000 strong – before it’s delivered to the Cayman Turtle Farm on 1 February.
Vote in the CNS poll: What should government do with the Turtle Farm?
TCI lodges formal request for Misick’s extradition
(CNS): Officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands have made the formal request to the Brazilian government for the return of the country’s former leader, the TCI government said Tuesday. Michael Misick has been held in a high security jail cell in Brazil since he was arrestedon an international warrant in connection with a major corruption investigation in the TCI. Although Misick has sent word from the prison on several occasions that he is willing to return to face the special prosecution team in TCI, the government has continued to press ahead with a formal process.
"The formal request for Michael Misick's extradition to the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) was lodged with the Brazilian government today,” a statement from the governor’s office in the overseas territory said Tuesday.
“The Turks and Caicos Islands’ Chief Magistrate and the acting Attorney General formally certified the papers last week and they were taken to Brazil on Sunday. Some time was needed to assemble the documentation and to have the request translated into Portuguese, however the request has been made well within the time limit imposed by the Extradition treaty, in accordance with the intention of the TCI Government and the Special Investigation Prosecution Team (SIPT) to secure Michael Misick's return to the TCI by due process of law," the officials added.
Misick has sent word via his family as well as in written notes from his cell that his human rights are being abused and that he was arrested unlawfully. He claims he has done nothing wrong and has not been charged with any crimes and despite offering to return immediately to TCI he has been held in the Brazilian high security prison.
With the extradition now underway and there being no contest from Misick, the former TCI premier is likely to return home in a matter of weeks, where the political party he once led is now back in office. He will then be questioned by the special prosecutors regarding his role in the high profile corruption scandal there that saw direct British rule imposed on the territory for more than two years.
Woman freed in arson case
(CNS): A fifty-year-old woman who had admitted throwing a propane gas canister through the window of a property, which then exploded, was found not guilty of arson by a jury on Tuesday. Lita Chollette Davis was accused of deliberately and recklessly damaging the apartment where she lived with her boyfriend in Fig Close in West Bay in October 2011. However, she denied that she intended to cause the destruction, claiming that she did not expect the tank, which she threw in a fit of temper, would explode. Edward Henry was inside the property when it did, however, explode in the early hours of the morning, destroying the apartment, damaging a police car and causing Henry serious injury.
Henry was hospitalized for more than two weeks and treated for serious flash burns, which he had received in the explosion when he was thrown from his apartment into the yard. The police car was damaged as RCIPS officers had arrived on the scene almost at the same time that the property exploded, having received a report of the altercation from Henry sometime earlier.
The defendant did not give evidence during the trial but she told the police after her arrest that she had made two attempts to throw the gas tank inside the house. She had stated that this was in an effort to get her boyfriend to come outside and talk with her after he had locked her out of the home they shared following an argument they were having that evening, during which she had received a bloody nose and a black eye.
The jury heard that both the defendant and the victim had a tumultuous relationship and had been drinking that night before they began to argue. The chief justice, who was presiding over the trial, had directed the jury that the case hung on the defendant’s state of mind at the time but that self-induced intoxication was not a defence. Although she had admitted being responsible for the gas ending up inside the property, the question the jurors had to decide was whether she deliberately meant to cause the damage and whether or not she was aware of the dangers associated with throwing a gas tank into a house.
Davis told police in an interview shortly after the explosion that she had no idea that when she hauled the propane gas tank from the regulator outside the property into the home it would blow up. She said her intentionwas to have Henry come outside. She did not mean to cause anyone harm or to cause any damage and had never imagined that the tank of highly flammable liquid which the couple used for cooking would explode. Davis said that she believed by throwing the tank into the apartment then Henry would come outside.
Chief Justice Anthony Smellie took some two hours to sum up the details of the case and direct the jury on the law and the questions they had to decide on, before sending them to deliberate on their verdict. The six women and one man returned after just over two hours with their not guilty verdict.
Davis, who is a foreign national and had received the assistance of an interpreter throughout the case, wept quietly when the verdict was delivered before the chief justice discharged her.
UK lord may be moved aside for local boss
(CNS): Although the current Cabinet appears to be relatively pleased with the lobbying work being undertaken by Lord Blencathra, the UK Conservative peer maybe facing a change in his role. Sources indicate that the interim government wants to see a Caymanian back at the helm of the London Office. While the Tory lord may still be able to assist the Cayman government when it comes to the financial sector, it is understood that the ambassadorial role traditionally held by the head of the Cayman office in the UK should be held by a native of the islands. Blencathra is paid some CI$19,000 per month to represent Cayman but his title as director of the office may soon be removed.
It is not clear yet whether Charles Parchment, the most senior Caymanian in London, will take up the top job or whether another Caymanian will be sent to London but it is becoming increasingly clear that the government wishes for Blencathra to confine his work to the lobbying on behalf of the financial services sector.
The appointment of the Tory peer by former premier McKeeva Bush stirred up controversy both here and in London when even the UK's Foreign Office questioned whether it was appropriate to have a government member of the UK’s House of Lords as an ambassador for an overseas territory. Bush claimed on a number of occasions that Cayman Islands Governor Duncan Taylor had also tried to block the appointment.
Although the peer was cleared by the UK’s own parliamentary committees of any potential conflict of interest, his status as a non-Caymanian continues to generate controversy back in Cayman.
Speaking at a government press briefing last week, both Premier Juliana O'Connor-Connolly and Deputy Premier Rolston Anglin indicated that, while Belncathra’s lobbying was still welcome, the government was reconsidering the structure of the London Office and pointed for the need to make savings there.
Related article:
Lord Blencathra threatens legal action (CNS 30 November 2012)
Leaders find common ground
(CNS): Without former premier McKeeva Bush on the political panel at the CBO conference Thursday, few sparks flew as both the opposition leader and the deputy premier appeared to find common ground on a number of issues. Rolston Anglin,who has been education minister since the 2009 General Election, has rarely missed an opportunity to take political potshots at the former education minister, Alden McLaughlin, over the cost of the two high schools. But in a particularly cordial debate, the two politicians seemed to be in harmony on education and many of the major issues of the day. From the need to reduce the size of government and the services it delivered to encouraging Caymanians into tourism, the policy position of both men was notably similar.
In the absence of the former premier, who was listed in the programme to join his former opposite number and former Cabinet colleague, back-bench MLA Ellio Solomon, who is expected to be appointed as deputy leader of the UDP at the forthcoming party conference, stood in for Bush and attempted to generate some disagreement on the panel. Nevertheless, the debate was an amicable affair with very little controversy. Anglin and McLaughlin both began to look like party colleagues rather than government and opposition.
There were no representatives from the independent camp, despite the community clamour in recent times for more independents in parliament. It is not clear if either of the two MLAs already in the LA were invited but an invitation was extended by CBO to the Coalition for Cayman (C4C). However, none of its candidates or supporters accepted the offer.
The three men who did make the political debate faced questions about their vision for Cayman in 2020, taxation, gambling, minimum wage and one man, one vote.
Both McLaughlin and Anglin talked about the need to reduce the high levels of taxes and fees that present a serious economic burden to both the business community and the man in the street through a reduction in the size of government and the services it delivers. The two leaders said they would not introduce a direct tax of any kind if elected to office and hoped to reduce the existing fees and taxes in an effort to attract more business. Solomon also stated that the UDP did not support any direct taxation, despite his party leader’s attempts to introduce an expat payroll tax last year.
There were few revelations from the politicians about how they would address the economic conundrum that will face any new government, which is how to balance the budget with a growing demand for more services but an increasingly precarious revenue base. Both Anglin and McLaughlin spoke about the need for government to move some services into the private sector so that they could roll back taxes.
McLaughlin said there was a need to restore confidence in government and to eradicate corruption and poor governance, which has impacted business in Cayman. He called for reliable economic figures and a leaner, more efficient government. He said a world class education system was needed to address the problem of unemployment among Caymanians as the system, despite all the work in recent years, had still not recovered from previous years of neglect.
He called for the completion of the John Grey High School and the implementation of the education law to undermine the changes that have been made. McLaughlin also offered his support for the Shetty Health City and medical tourism as a third leg to the local economy. He said he wanted to see a level playing field for local and foreign workers and pointed to the need for a minimum wage to deal with that.
Meanwhile, Anglin, who has been less supportive in the past of a minimum wage, suggesting that it does not address the poverty question, offered his support for a level of pay below which no one should be expected to work. He said it was important for Caymanians to be involved in the economy and he agreed that required a world class education, which he said he hoped would be achieved soon when he rolled out the rest of the reforms following on from past work. He also said he wanted to see government regulate and legislate but it needed to get out of the way of business.
Echoing comments made by McLaughlin, he said he wanted to see Caymanians embracing employment opportunities in tourism. He said that for too long there had been a cultural phenomenon that discourages local people from that sector and there was a desperate need to bring down government debt.
Solomon said Cayman needed to become more self-sufficient when it came to food and that he wanted to see a slow and measured approach to reducing the size of government. He also pointed out that, although both McLaughlin and Anglin had been labour ministers in the past, neither had introduced a minimum wage, something that Solomon himself did not appear to support, although he calledfor a review or committee.
McLaughlin said that although the ministry had already undertaken reviews, research and consultation (as called for by Solomon) when he was minister for labour, the strong opposition in the business community meant he ran out of time. Anglin pointed to the lack of full support across the UDP and implied that Solomon himself was one of those blocking the move.
When it came to the issue of one man, one vote, only McLaughlin remained fully committed, with Solomon wanting a national slate and Anglin still wavering over single member constituencies but he accepted that the country would likely move to one man, one vote.