TCI government loses majority, by-election due

| 08/02/2013

(CNS): Following a decision by Justice Margaret Ramsey-Hale in the Turks and Caicos Islands court Thursday, the government has lost its majority and a by-election is on the cards. The former Cayman Islands chief magistrate, who is now a grand court judge in the British territory, ruled that the November election result in the district of Cheshire Hall was void. The seatwas taken by Amanda Misick for the ruling Progressive National Party, who until Thursday was a Cabinet minister. Misick has now lost her seat because of a petition against the qualification of a third candidate brought by the opposition party People's Democratic Movement candidate Oral Selver, who lost the seat by only 30 votes to Misick.

His target was Edward Smith, who was representing the Peoples Progressive Party and who poled only 58 votes. However, because Smith remains an American citizen it was found that he was disqualified from standing in the country’s election and should not have been on the ballot. Given that his 58 votes could have gone to Selver, which would have seen him move from second place in the poll to first, giving him, not Misick, the seat and crucially the government to the PNP, the losing candidate filed an election petition to the courts in the wake of the result.

Following Ramsey-Hale's decision that declared the election result void, the governor of TCI, Ric Todd, said he would announce a date for a by-election in Cheshire Hall shortly. In the meantime, Misick had ceased to be a minister and the country’s Assembly had one empty seat, leaving the opposition and government with eight seats each along with the two independent members appointed by the governor.

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  1. Rrp says:

    So tci has 19 people people paid to be in the LA? Wow! What’s wrong with just 11 for island the size of ours? When we have 15 here, at least three of them sleep. Imagine next year with 18. Be careful who you vote in. Capt Eugene and Kurt are back on the ballots.

    • Anonymous says:

      Not sure I follow the logic. TCI has 19 so Cayman (which has double the population) should have 11?

      • Anonymous says:

        TCI's population is less than Cayman but they have more islands than Cayman, fyi there are about 8 islands possible more that make up TCI, most people only know about Providenciales but there are also Salt Cay, Grand Turks, Middle Caicos, North Caicos, South Caicos, East Caicos and West Caicos, so go figure why they have more elected leaders than Cayman with only three islands.

        • Anonymous says:

          What has the number of islands got to do with it? MLAs represent people, not islands. Bermuda has 120 islands; do you think that means they should have 120 members in their assembly? It makes no sense.   

  2. Anonymous says:

    Our National Hero Jim Bodden was an American Citizen, and his followers thought ( and still think ) he was the greatest person ever to be elected to office in Cayman. Ask Mary Lawrence about the whole issue of his US citizenship at the time of his election to a seat in Bodden Town. It was a HUGE issue at the time. But perhaps she has moved on from there.

    • Anonymous says:

      You better believe she has moved on – and up too.

    • Anonymous says:

      In this case the words "National Hero" are generally considered to mean "Source Of Much Of Cayman's Corruption Problem".  I suppose being famously corrupt might be a fitting basis to make someone a National Hero in a country where corruption is a significant pastime.

      • Anonymous says:

        Cayman "National Hero" are our seamen and women that stayed home and made the country with the allotment that their husbands, fathers, son and brothers (in general men) sent home.  Caymanians need no reminders of who our national heros are, we know them and don't need some expat(s) to tell us who they are.  Caymanian did not become or know corruption until like the garden of Eden sin entered and that was the first no native that came here and offered us that mango for an extension, then it went to $25.00 and it has opended pandora's box. 

    • Anonymous says:

      He may be your National Hero but he will never be mine. As far as I am concerned he started the greed train of Cayman politics. He may have had a few accomplishments but these are severely tarnished by the negative issues he created.

      • Anonymous says:

        Of all the politician past and present, Jim Bodden has done the most for these islands in terms of progress and making laws that would benefit all Caymanians.  By no means was he a perfect man but I long for the days when he was the ruler of this country.  His administration is the only one in which the average Caymanian was able to progress.  Jim Bodden was the only politician who had the guts to stand up to expats and was willing to put Caymanians first he was the only sensible politician expect for Mr. Orman what had a good immigration policy, since Mr. Jim immigration is a big mess, restriction on Caymanians Status is lifted and now it is no longer Status holder, suddenly everyone is now caymanian. Crime, street vending, unemployment is rampant and the Beloved Isle Cayman has turned into one big third world melting pot that has seen the importation of poverty that was never such.  Jim Bodden may not be your National Hero but he is surely mine because he was a leader that gave his people more than the crumb from the table he gave us a place at the table.  He would not have given away 3,000 status in one day and the many concessions that developers now get which is no benefit to the average Caymanians instead it is more for developers and the politicians.  The day that Jim Bodden died that was the day that the Cayman Islands died also.  Jim Bodden did not tarnish Cayman's image the international crooks, ponzi schemers, corrupt politician and their croonies that are knee deep into scandals and allegations of official corruption and bribery are those that tarnish these islands not Jim Bodden. 

    • Anonymous says:

      You seem to be missing the point. Anyway Jim's election was also void because he was a U.S. citizen and a by election was called. He had to renounce it.  

      There other current MLAs here who hold US citizenships. If the new candidates are smart they will do some digging.  

       

    • Anonymous says:

      Lawrence took Mac's money and did what he wanted.  She has been a disgrace as Speaker.

    • Anonymous says:

      Jim Bodden had to give up his US Citizenship and from that day until he died the good people of district of Bodden Town kept him in there until his passing can't say the same for any other politician in Cayman since that era.   Cayman is now one hot mess and it getting worst each day anyone with US Citizenship would be a fool to give it up to run in Cayman now because this is no longer the the country that Jim Bodden and gave up US Citizenship to run for. Cayman has become a third world, lawless, corrupt banana republic controlled by outside influence.  I feel so sorry for the few good politicians that are running in the May 2013 election my prayers are with them because this is a mess that they have to try to clean up.