Referendum result expected on afternoon of 21 May
(CNS): As all eyes turn to the General Election, the people of the Cayman Island will also be voting on the proposed constitution which was agreed in London in February on Election Day—Wednesday 20 May. According to the elections office while the General Election result should be known by the early hours of Thursday morning, the count for the Referendum ballot will begin at 10 o’clock that day with a result coming sometime in the afternoon.
Speaking on nomination day Kearney Gomez explained that the referendum count will take place at the Family Life Centre, off Walkers Road and start in the morning the day after the poll to give his team time to rest following the election count. However, he predicted the result of the constitutional referendum will be known by around 3pm on Thursday 21 May.He said that the count was a national poll but it would be counted on a district by district basis.
Gomez said that on Election Day, which is a public holiday, the polling stations would be designed to allow people to flow through them with the optimum efficiency. With 660 minutes of polling time in each station he said the logistics were such that only a few minutes were available to each person to cast their vote in order to allow every registered voter the opportunity to exercise their democratic right.
He said therefore voters will enter the station show their IDs and first get their election ballot and cast one, two, three or four votes depending on the district. “We estimate around three minutes per person for the election as people often still need thinking time when they arrive at the station,” he said explaining that voting can sometimes be an intimidating experience and people need time to think in the privacy of the booth.
He explained once they have cast their votes for their representatives they will place that ballot in the box and move through the referendum area where he said they will be given the ballot paper regarding the constitution where the question will be: “Do you agree with the Draft Constitution which was agreed by the Cayman Islands Constitution Delegation and the Government of the United Kingdom on 5th February, 2009 and tabled in the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands on 11th February, 2009.”
Having only a yes or no choice Gomez said people will probably only need around a minute to decide on that answer. Once the yes or no vote is cast he said electors then drop that ballot in a separate box and leave the station.
Category: Election 2009
If the majority votes against accepting the draft constitution, you can rest assured the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will insist that we start over again with the constitutional process.
If we do not vote in favour of this draft, then there is very little else we can do since the key negotiators have already agreed to this draft. My fear is the FCO will then give us a constitution that we do not like, but they will insist that we accept. Time is running out on the original terms of reference for Constitutional Modernization. I don’t think that there is anything in the draft constitution that 99% of the people can not live with. It would be a disaster to vote down this draft just because there is two or three sub sections that are not to our complete satisfaction.
Cayman should realise that the FCO and the UK government do not feel the same way about Cayman as Caymanians feel about the UK. There is no MP in the UK Parliament saying they want Cayman to be a part of the UK, like how our politicians keep saying that we want to remain a British Crown Colony.
We must be careful with this particular British Labour Government, they act just like Germany did in the 1930’s..
Is it the whole thing? Couldn’t it be in sections? That way the whole constitution doesn’t have to be turned down if someone just objects to one part.
Sadly, the Pastors will manipulate their congregations (just as they manipulated the Government by going behind the Public’s backs) to vote yes for the constitution, so don’t be surprised if the i’s have it. But God is watching, so even if the i’s have it, the Pastors best be careful with God, God is watching and God knows their hearts and any evil intent or evil motive that is in their hearts, they can’t fool God!! They can only fool people!! They will stand accountable one day before God!! They do not follow God’s Orders of the New Testament, so why do they call themselves Pastors of God’s People??? They are more like baby infant Christians who have not learned more about the New Testament yet, they need to be led by Leaders who acknowledge and follow God’s Order of how to run the churches in the New Testament. They are incompetent Leaders! The Proof is in the Pudding. The Proof is the New Testament, not what i say, but what the New Testament says. Why won’t they teach their congregation the Truth of what is in the New Testament??? Because it would derail their high and mighty position in the Church.
What happens if the majority vote ‘no’ on the Draft Constitution? I haven’t seen anything that really discusses the outcome of this referendum if it is turned down. Do we start over? Will the Government ignore the people and push it through?