Archive for May, 2009
Cayman Brac will have a minister
(CNS): With the likely formation of a UDP government later today, returning UDP representative for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, can look forward to a Cabinet seat, which was promised to her by UDP leader McKeeva Bush on the campaign trail. In a neck and neck fight to the finish, O’Connor-Connolly was nudged out of the first elected member position by just 6 votes, with PPM member Moses Kirkconnell gaining 473 (59%) votes to 467 (56%).
Former MLA Lyndon Martin, who lost in 2005 and yesterday failed to regain a seat, received 300 votes and Maxine McCoy-Moore, on her fourth bid for election, polled 80 votes.
After the announcement of the results, O’Connor-Connolly, who has twice before been a member of government, said she was grateful to the people of Cayman Brac for re-electing her. “That was the first race. I realize there is a bigger picture and I’m anxiously waiting to see if we get seven more seats in Grand Cayman because all we need is eight.”
She said, “It’s a sweet victory and I’m eternally grateful to the people of Cayman Brac, but he that laughs last laughs best and I’m waiting for the morning so we can form a government because Cayman Brac will get a minister. I’m happy that my colleague Mose got in, and I believe that we can take this island in a better way forward. The people have spoken and I’m excited.”
McCoy-Moore, undaunted by another defeat at the polls, said, “I’m very happy that Mose won and I’m also happy that Julie came second.” Saying she would definitely run in the next election, she explained, “You know, a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. Next time I’ll be ready like Freddy!”
A total of 817 people on the Sister Islands took to the polls Wednesday out of 980 registered voters. Though both the UDP and PPM campaigns had urged supporters to vote only once, from the voting statistics it appears that most used both their votes in the voting booth, with only 157 people voting just once.
“Action Man” holds on
(CNS): Voters in East End at least opted not to “Stop the Progress” after all and they have sent Arden McLean back to the Legislative Assembly. The People’s Progressive Movement candidate received more than 59% of the vote compared with his namesake John McLean, who polled just over 40%. The second full result of the evening confirms the trend that has now begun to emerge across the islands that Cayman looks to be returning party candidates and rejecting the independents.
North Side may well be the only district to return an independent candidate. So far the UDP are holding on to the first four places in the counts that have been completed in West Bay. In George Town, while incumbent PPM members Kurt Tibbetts and Alden McLaughlin are holding 1st and 2nd place, 3rd and 4th are currently taken by Mike Adam and Ellio Solomon. Meanwhile in Bodden Town Anthony Eden is out in front but being trailed by Mark Scotland which will prove a controversial result if things stay that way, with Osbourne Bodden sitting in third.
North Side returns Ezzard
(CNS): The first result of the Cayman Islands General Election came from North Side where the voters elected independent candidate and former Ex Co Member Ezzard Miller with more than 50% of the vote. Although an independent candidate he has said that he will help the United Democratic Party UDP for a government. The former Health Minister who is no stranger to controversy has said that he does not expect a ministerial post as he intends to work for the people of his district.
Miller beat out Joey Ebanks the PPM candidate who replaced Edna Moyle who announced she was retiring from politics earlier this year. Ebanks polled just over 37% of the votes in what was during Moyle’s tenure a safe seat. However, Ebanks’ campaign got off to a rocky start after it was revealed he had taken a substantial salary advance in his former position as Director of the Turtle. Oswell Rankine came in third with around 12%.
Continuing with its success of returning results within a few hours of the polls closing, the Elections Office said it remains on target to have all results in by midnight.
Polls close after 80% turnout
(CNS): The polling stations closed at 6:00 pm this evening after 12,362 Caymanians cast their vote in the country’s General Election on 20 May representing 80.56% of the entire electorate. Meanwhile, not all of those voters chose to take part in the referendum with less than 70% of people (10,677) casting their vote in that ballot. Supervisor of Elections Kearney Gomez confirmed that, aside from the incidents at two polling station of undue influence which are being investigated (See CNS story), the day was ”hectic” but the dual polling went very well.
With 78 stations now involved in counting the ballots, Gomez said that he expected the first results should be in from East End and North Side by around 8:30 pm, followed by Cayman Brac and Little Cayman around 9:00pm, then Bodden Town at approximately 10:00pm, and ending at around 12.00 am with the results from West Bay and George Town.
“I have challenged our counters and returning officers to have the full General Election Result by midnight,” he added.
Gomez then explained that the referendum ballot boxes are being moved under security to the Election Command Centre from the six district, were they will be watched overnight before that count starts at around 10:00am tomorrow morning at the Command Centre.
With 10,677 voters in the referendum, in order for the new constitution to pass it will need to receive at least 5,339 ‘yes’ votes.
On the preliminary turn out statistics from the Elections Office, the highest voter turn out was in East End where 86.26% of the electorate cast their vote in the General Election and 71.02% of people took part in the referendum. The lowest voter turn out for the General Election was in George Town, where only 77% of the 5,968 voters came out but almost 70% did take part in the referendum.
The lost percentage of the vote in the referendum was on the Sister Islands where only 64.34% voted in the referendum but almost 84% took part in the General Election.
UDP accused of influencing voters in George Town
(CNS): Update 5:30 pm: Following this morning’s reports of the United Democratic Party (UDP) workers handing out cards, to voters, printed with the names of the four George Town candidates and their ballot numbers at George Town Primary polling station election officials have confirmed further reports of similar activity happening in Prospect. Police liaison officer Deborah Dennis said the RCIPS were investigating the incidents. “Police are aware of the allegations and will be carrying out preliminary enquiries while awaiting legal advice and guidance from the elections office,” she added.
“I can’t commenton this at the moment as we are still monitoring the situation and if it is proved to be true we have to check out the implications with regards to the Election Law,” Connor said, adding that it could be considered undue influence.
A number of voters, passers by and field agents representing other candidates in the area all said they had seen the cards, which were the size of a normal business card with the four UDP candidates’ names and numbers listed there. Election officials also reported that some voters had gone inside the polling stations holding the cards and when asked where the cards came from they indicated that they had just been given the cards by the UDP representatives outside.
Although candidates from both parties and the independents are, according to officials, allowed to have their representatives near the polling stations, those agents should not be influencing voters and they should not be giving out any campaign literature of any kind, let alone what appeared to be instructions on how to vote.
Aside from the potential of undue influence, Connor said he was concerned that voters may be confused by the political representatives outside the stations who legally hold registered voter lists but are not election officials. He said voters should check their names with officials from the election office and not with political agents.
One observer noted that she had seen the cards been given out all morning and suspected dozens had already been given to the voters who had been to cast their vote in the General Election at that station. By 11:00am, around the time when officials were called out to that station, almost 40% of voters registered to cast their ballot at that station had already voted.
Allegations were also made from a number of observers that it was the George Town candidates themselves who had given the cards to their representatives at the tent to hand out to voters as they arrived.
However, following the arrival of election officials and the police, Jonathan Piercy one of the UDP’s four George Town candidates arrived to discuss the matter with Orret Connor. Piercy said that the accusations were merely hearsay and there was no proof that any had been given out by their people on Election Day as the cards had been in circulation for about a week. However, Piercy, one of the UDP’s four George Town candidate, told CNS that if the cards were being given out on Election Day, he accepted that it would be illegal.
According to Section 92 (3) of the Elections Law, on polling day candidates are not allowed to publish any printed material which invites or induces the public to vote for a particular candidate or group of candidates and anyone contravening this section is liable to a fine of up to $500 or six months in prison. The question of undue influence, however, could also give rise to a more serious question of whether the vote and ultimately the result would be unfairly influenced.
Early poll stats reveal lower referendum vote
(CNS): Updated 4:00 pm: The afternoon bi-hourly poll statistics have confirmed the trend that emerged this morning that not all of those who are going to the polls to vote in the General Election today are voting in the Constitutional Referendum. The Election Office figures reveal that at 3pm almost 64% of Cayman’s registered electorate had come out to vote but only 52.5% of the total electorate had cast a ballot in the referendum.
Out of Cayman’s 15,316 voters by mid afternoon 9728 had voted in the general election and 8072 the referendum. More than 76% of registered voters had already gone to the polls by 3’ O’Clock in North Side and close to three quarters in East End but in both districts the vote for the turn out for the referendum was considerably lower. In North Side just over 65% had also made a democratic choice on the constitution and 56.9% in East End.
Voters were out bright and early in the districts this morning and by 9:00am almost a quarter of the electorate had already been out to cast their votes in the General Elections. In North Side over 36% of eligible voters had been to the polls and placed their Xs in the General Election within the first two hours of polling and across all three islands almost 25% of people had voted.
With Cayman’s history of a high turn out the Elections Office said it is hoping that tradition will continue and also carry through to the historic Constitutional Referendum but early indications reveal that voters are not necessarily taking part in both ballots with the first bi-hourly poll statistics for the referendum being on average around 5% less than the showing for the General Election.
The referendum and the elections are taking place side by side but in separate stations where all voters are required to pass through both stations but are not obligated to vote in both. Although the referendum on the constitution will pass with over 50% of voters who turn out saying yes and not as a percentage of the electorate, a low vote in the constitution could cloud the result.
This year the total electorate includes 15,361 people spread through the districts with the largest number concentrated in George Town where 5,968 are registered to vote. In West Bay there are 3762 voters and 3481 in Bodden Town. Over on the Sister Islands some 980 people are eligible to vote and in the two smaller districts ofEast End and North Side there are 599 and 571 respectively.
CNS launches free Classifieds
(CNS): Today Cayman News Service is launching the next stage in the development of the CNS website to further service the online community of the Cayman Islands. The CNS free Classifieds section is designed to be user friendly, offering the quickest and easiest method to buy, sell, rent and give away unwanted stuff on all three islands. CNS now also provides an online location to advertise jobs, look for employment and place resumes, as well as announce births and birthdays, marriages, engagements, graduations, and remember loved ones with obituaries.
With a number of local scholarships left unused each year, CNS has also added a category for public and private entities to post scholarships available for tertiary education. CNS Sales Manager Doreen Trickett said, “These days Caymanians must obtain academic qualifications to compete in the workplace and we want to do everything we can to ensure that they are aware of all possible tools to help them achieve this. So we hope that all local entities that offer college grants will use this space to make sure that young people know about the opportunities available. This, coupled with the job search and resume categories, will hopefully assist graduates to find either employment or college funding.”
With each personal ad or announcement there is space for up to six pictures that automatically format to the right size. Place the curser over a picture and it pops up to a larger size, so users can share the landmarks in their lives with friends and family, however far away.
The “Classifieds” section on the main menu bar on the news pages now links to the Classifieds pages, while navigating back to the news pages is through a “Back to news” link on the Classifieds menu bar. All the Classifieds house ads also have quick links directly to the new section.
Placing a free Classified ad is fast and easy. Just click on the “Place an ad” box, no sign-up, log in or registration is required, and you will be emailed a link to alter your own ad at any time. The ad will remain on the site for two weeks, but if the item has still not been sold, rented or found, the ad can be resubmitted. Finding what you want is easy too. Categories are listed alphabetically in the drop-down menu on the menu bar when you use the search function, while the list on the left hand side has the most popular categories (those that get the most clicks) at the top.
“Categories and sub-categories will be added to as we find out what users want. We will be continually adapting the site to suit our readers and users,” Trickett said. “The Classifieds section also provides businesses with the right medium to reach their target market. Right now we are accepting ads for each individual category in the Classifieds, but as interest builds advertisers can buy target ads in each sub-category, which start as low as $25 per month.”
She added, “People from all walks of life and all age-groups in the Cayman Islands are now computer literate, and the internet, here as elsewhere, has become a place to read the news, do business, chat, exchange ideas and, especially for the young people, to play. With the up-to-date news and comments from the people, CNS has become part of the Cayman community. The new Classifieds section will add a new dimension to our site that we hope people will find useful and informative.”
CNS welcomes feedback on the Classifieds, either as a comment here or you can email classifieds@caymannewsservice.com. For sales enquiries, email doreen.trickett@caymannewsservice.com or call 916-5579.
To go to the CNS Classifieds, click here.
Cayman queues to cast votes
(CNS): As the polling stations opened across the Cayman Islands this morning voters were already waiting to cast their votes in both the General Election and the country’s historic constitutional referendum. Election Day is a public holiday and voters were keen to get to the polls early so they could enjoy the day. According to the Elections Office the secure and empty ballot boxes and papers were dispatched to all the polling stations this morning without a hitch and it has confirmed that all 78 stations across the six districts are open.
This morning, from the command centre Colford Scott reminded voters to bring some form of ID to the polling stations with a name matching that which appears on the register of voters. “Electors should have a valid photo ID that states there name as it is on the voters list,” he said. “Any name changes need to be supported by some type of evidence.” He also warned voters not to go to polling stations wearing campaign t-shirts and that only small rosettes and buttons would be allowed.
Scott said that by 9:00 am the elections command centre should have the first update of how many people have already cast their vote in both the election and the referendum. Scott noted that traditionally Cayman voters do tend to visit the stations early in the day.
Emphaissing that any disabled voters would be assisted and given priority at the station Scott said he hoped all registered voters would come out to the stations.
“I want to encourage all registered voters to come and cast their vote in both elections and the referendum,” he said noting that Cayman had a solid tradition of higher voter turn out and hoped that would continue.
Keep logging on to CNS throughout the day for regular updates and coverage as Election and Referendum 2009 unfold. CNS will also be posting the election results tonight/tomorrow morning in real time.
UK conducted secret report
(CNS): During the proceedings of Justice Priya Levers’ tribunal it was revealed that another behind the scenes enquiry of the local judiciary had taken place that had not been revealed to the public. Although the full details were not disclosed, it became apparent that Dale Simon (left), head of the Office for Judicial Complaints (OJC) in the UK, had visited the Cayman Islands in June 2008 to conduct a report.
According to Stanley Brodie QC, who was representing Levers, the report, which he described as fairly lengthy along with an addendum, was contained in the evidence before the tribunal and was sent to Governor Stuart Jack on 5 June 2008. No details of the main report, why the report was instigated or how long Simons had been in Cayman making her investigations were revealed. Nor was any light thrown on whether the enquiry was initiated as a result of the Justice Levers case (although her case was mentioned in the addendum), or as a result of the Special Police Investigation Team, which had also been looking into the judiciary as revealed during the Justice Alex Henderson Judicial Review.
According to the OJC website, the office was set up on the 3 April 2006 to handle complaints about the personal conduct of all judicial office holders in England and Wales and some who sit on tribunals in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It provides advice and assistance to the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice in the performance of their joint role, but the website does not indicate if the office has jurisdiction in Overseas Territories.
Although the site holds various reports and statements regarding enquiries made in the UK, the report that Simons allegedly conducted in Cayman does not appear. Brodie, however, did read part of the addendum to Simon’s main report during the proceedings and included some of her findings in his final submissions. He noted that she had found an absence of alternative public accountability for the judiciary in Cayman other than removal.
“The constitution of the Cayman Islands provides for one disciplinary sanction arising from the misbehaviour of a judge, and that is removal," Brodie read from her report on Monday, 18 May. "Consideration of removal will necessarily only arise in the most extreme cases of prolonged misbehaviour. Therefore judges cannot currently be held to account for misbehaviour that does not raise the question of removal but nonetheless adversely impacts on public confidence in the judiciary in the Cayman Islands.”
She noted in the addendum that the chief justice has responsibility for the judiciary but he has no power to ensure that judges act appropriately, though judges normally respect the view of the chief justice. Continuing to read from her report, Brodie revealed that Simons had reported that in most cases a word from the chief justice will be sufficient to address any areas of concern and prevent further misbehaviour.
He said she had recommend that, in view of the size of the judiciary in the Cayman Islands, there was no need for a wholesale adoption of discipline procedures currently in force in England and Wales, but that there was an urgent need for the introduction of disciplinary rules and provision for the imposition of disciplinary sanctions below the level of removal.
“In my opinion this step is necessary to address inappropriate behaviour at an early stage and thereby ensure that the judiciary commands the continued respect of the public,” Simon reported. “The formal disciplinary sanctions short of removal that are available to the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice in England and Wales can advise, formal warning or reprimand. Advice is usually issued where a judicial office holder engaged in ill advised behaviour, but the impact on his or her judicial office is minimal.” The report explained that formal warnings are issued for more serious incidents of misbehaviour and reprimands are issued either as a consequence of repeated minormisconduct or a single incident of serious personal misconduct.
"Repeated instances of serious personal misconduct or a single incident of gross misconduct would place a judicial office holder in jeopardy of being removed. If a system of this nature were introduced in the Cayman Islands, I believe the Governor would be greatly assisted in any future decisions as to the appropriateness of initiating the removal procedures, as he would be able to clearly identify the scale of the judge’s offending behaviour and whether or not the behaviour was aggravated by the imposition of lesser disciplinary sanctions," Simon had found.
Brodie used her report to highlight the fact that under the current Constitution, the only sanction that can face a judge in Cayman is removal. The Constitution states that if the governor considers that the question of removing a judge of the Grand Court from office for misbehaviour ought to be investigated then he shall appoint a tribunal, which shall consist of a chairman and not less than two other members selected by the governor from among persons who hold or have held high judicial office; the tribunal shall inquire into the matter and report on the facts thereof to the governor and advise the governor whether he should request that the question of the removal of that judge should be referred by Her Majesty to the Judicial Committee; and if the tribunal so advises, the governor shall request that the question should be referred accordingly.
Manifestos same but different
(CNS): As Cayman goes to the polls tomorrow (20 May) the side shows — of accusations and counter accusations, qualifications and even disqualifications — of this election campaign should prove less important than what is contained in the political manifestos. However, a comparative read of both of the political parties’ manifestoes does not reveal any massive political differences between the two, with both parties promising similar policies in the key areas.
Although both of the political parties produced manifestos late into the campaign, the contents are meant to be the most effective way for them to sell themselves to the voter and reveal their intentions if either the United Democratic Party or the People’s Progressive Movement returns enough candidates to form the next government. With the economy, employment, education and environment taking centre stage in this election, the PPM and the UDP are both making broad promises on all of these issues but there are as many similarities when it comes to policy and intent as there differences, making it a difficult decision for the voter genuinely interested in politics as oppose to personalities.
According to the PPM manifesto, if re-elected it promises to lead a “national effort” to shore up the twin pillars of the local economy: financial services and tourism. The party says it will not raise taxes but take measures to cushion people and businesses from the global crisis, encourage Caymanian entrepreneurship through the Cayman Islands Investment Bureau, and give Caymanians a greater stake in the economy. It will also press on with its government capital projects to help stimulate the domestic construction market and spin off industries.
The UDP has also promised to shore up financial services and tourism but has also said it will simulate the local economy through more private sector development and inward investment. The UDP manifesto says that if the Caymanian people return a UDP government it will conduct an impact assessment of the medium-to-long term implications of the global crisis on the financial services industry to find out what the sector needs. It says it will also review spending to ensure that the tourism dollars are spent primarily to generate business, improve the guest experience and maintain or elevate service standards. The UDP also says it will develop an aggressive plan to identify and attract new industry to diversify the economy. It states, “We will take action to support small businesses and encourage entrepreneurship among Caymanians.”
The PPM also promises to do similar things, saying it will also introduce new labour regulations as well. Although it failed to implement the Labour Law, which was passed during the UDP’s previous administration, it says this term if it is returned it will establish a national minimum wage across all industries, to ensure that mandatory severance pay of one week’s pay for each completed year of service shall be without a maximum, and establish a single tier, independent Labour Tribunal. The PPM says it will also seek to improve the balance of work permits and unemployed with the promised changes to the Immigration Law, which were announced earlier this year. The PPM has also promised, in conjunction with the business community, a review of the “rollover policy” to ensure that it is operating effectively and achieving its objective, but it will not overturn rollover.
Having invested a significant amount of time and resources in completely restructuring Cayman’s education system, from the way it is governed to the National Curriculum, the PPM’s manifesto has a significant chapter on its continued ambitions for overhauling education from top to bottom. The party is promising to follow through with that work should the electorate return them to office tomorrow.
“Educators have indicated that improvements in standards, conditions and the learning environment in which they teach students are as important as increases in remuneration,” the manifesto reads, and goes on to state it will continue the plan that has seen 94% of education professionals engaged in professional development, intensify efforts to increase the recruitment of Caymanian teachers, address overcrowding as the new schools come on line, introduce the post sixteen education and early education plans, convert George Hicks into a vocational college and focus on results now that the Education Law has been passed and policies put in place and implemented. The party also promises to focus on improving literacy standards and special or additional needs education, as well as promoting a culture of life-long learning for all.
Meanwhile, the UDP is also promising to establish an accredited Technical and Vocational Training Institute and a review of teachers’ salaries and working conditions. Although national standards have been introduce already under the new Education Law, the UDP’s manifesto states that it will establish National Standards for primary school leavers and high school graduation, but it does not say how this will differ from the policies already in place. It promises a review of the existing curriculum (which its MLAs just voted for along with the government in March of this year) and the party promises a restructure of the education scholarship programme to ensure that all deserving students benefit from tertiary education here and abroad, it says. It does not say, however, if it plans to increase or reduce the current spending on scholarships, which is currently at $8.3 million annually, or make reductions back to the figure of $2.9 million, which was spent annually under the last UDP government.
TheUDP also promises a National Training Initiative (NTI), which it says would be a tool to centralize all efforts towards long-term humancapital development. “A highly collaborative approach with all stakeholders and economic sectors in the Islands,” the manifesto reads. The UDP is also promising to create a Centre of Excellence for the Treatment and Support for people with Autism.
When it comes to the environment the two parties are making various promises but there is no commitment to the National Conservation Bill in the UDP manifesto, and while the PPM claims it as its first objective if re-elected, it is worth noting that this law has been promised by the minister in question for more than two years.
The PPM goes on to promise cross-ministry collaboration to implement a National Recycling Programme, the development of a National Energy Policy, changes to Planning Laws and Regulations, and facilitate the Climate Change Adaptation strategies, while simultaneously continuing to reduce our carbon footprint. The PPM also says it will approve a new National Development Plan and the National Sustainable Development Policy. If returned to office the party also promises to implement the Darwin Initiative funded action plans for species and habitats and significantly expand the Blue Iguana conservation programme utilizing the Crown property in East End that was recently vested, as well as a commitment to public education of environmental issues.
The UDP says it will also launch an aggressive campaign to encourage consumers to conserve energy and adopt measures to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels. The manifesto promises the development of low carbon technologies. The party also promises a long-term strategy to handle Municipal Solid Waste as a priority. “This landfill must be addressed in a manner that will yield the maximum benefit,” the manifesto states. “The UDP will seek to deploy sustainable technology that will allow for the waste to the disposed in a manner that will result in minimum environmental damage. The strategy will also include a Waste to Energy component to allow for the generation of electricity.”
The PPM manifesto also says that a tremendous amount of effort and thought has already gone into developing a Waste Management Strategy for the Cayman Islands. “Additional elements of this strategy will be implemented over the next term,” it reads adding that the reorganization of the George Town land fill will include the Waste to Energy Facility and recycling initiatives.
In the end however, despite their promises and similarities, whether it‘s to be a “better way forward” or “don’t stop the progress” or a rejection of both is down to the 15,000 plus people who have the right to cast their vote tomorrow in the country’s General Election.