Cops silent on polling enquiry
(CNS): Updated 6:30pm — Despite media requests for updates on the investigations regarding election irregularities on polling day, the police had remained silent for several months about the enquiry until this afternoon.Almost six months after theallegations were made that United Democratic Party supporters were handing out campaign material to voters on the morning of the election, contravening the Elections Law, the public has not been told who was responsible for giving out the small cards to voters or whether the distribution was sanctioned by the party hierarchy. Folllowing the CNS post this morning about the lack of informaiton, police confirmed the enquiry was still ongoing but gave no details.
Complaints regarding possible issues of undue influence were made by several voters as well as other election candidates on polling day, 20 May, to election office officials, who in turn alerted the police. Witnesses said that small cards with each of the four UDP George Town candidates’ names and their corresponding ballot paper numbers were being handed to voters at polling stations by UDP party volunteers in George Town, Prospect and West Bay. Although the cards were seen by numerous witnesses, including the media, party representatives denied that they had been handed to voters on the day of the poll but that they had been in circulation from one of the party’s last elections rallies.
However, a number of witnesses said they had seen a candidate bring the cards to the tent where party volunteers were situated on the edge of the polling station boundary, and were then reportedly seen handing out the cards to people who stopped to make enquiries about the election procedure.
Alden McLaughlin, who was one of the candidates that observed UDP party associates with the cards, brought one to the Legislative Assembly soon after the election and raised his concerns then. “I sat in my car and asked a supporter of ours to attend the UDP tent, where she was handed (this) card with the four UDP candidates and their numbers, and she was encouraged to vote for these four,” he said at the time. “This is a pre-printed card, a clear indication of an organised effort to influence voters.”
He told CNS this week that it was wrong to leave issues like this unresolved. “I know what I saw with my own eyes,” he said. “We have to stamp this sort of thing out as it truly undermines democracy and the election process. It should not be let go without some explanation to the public. If the police cannot find any evidence to conclude the investigations then so be it, but they need to say so.”
In June an RCIPS spokesperson said that George Town Criminal Investigation Department was investigating three separate election related matters, two incidents that occurred in George Town and one in West Bay. At that point, the police said the investigations were in their infancy but the RCIPS would endeavour to the keep the media and the public informed of progress. At the end of July CNS asked for an update and was told that the investigations were nearing completion. Since then, however, there has been no further comment from the RCIPS and despite several requests over the last few weeks, no information has been forthcoming.
McLaughlin said that although he witnessed the cards being handed out, he has never been interviewed. Deputy Supervisor of Elections Colford Scott confirmed on Wednesday that six months on, the Elections Office, which had referred the matter to law enforcementofficials, had heard nothing from the RCIPS snce the report was made. In the short statement from the RCIPS today, police asked for anyone who ahd witnessed irregularities on polling day to come forward.
Under 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.
Category: Headline News
The simple facts are…
UDP can bend and break the law at will and the Police does nothing.
If PPM sneezed the Police would be there to wipe their nose.
Actually that goes for any other candidate other than UDP.
I believe I have said this before. We need a new team. My wish and I pray it is granted is for Rolli and Ezzard to team up and create a new team for Cayman.
I have a lot of respect for Rolli even though he is allowing Big Mac to slap him around. I respect his knowledge and thought process. Ezzard I repect the fact he doesn’t hide his feelings on matters and he thinks things out.
There are a lot of good young Caymanians
Ezzard and Rolli would get my vote – get Mose and Arden and Mike to join them – A dream team for all the Islands and all their people (and Travers and Ridley et al could still advise).
Here here. I like those also.
For West Bay I would like to see Rolli team up with Sterling, Tara and Bernie for the West Bay Dream Team. The next generation!
I really would like to see REAL UNADULTERATED CHANGE in Cayman. Not more of the old underhanded stuff.
We need new visions, new ideas about how we are going to go forward with this country. The old model will one day outserve it’s usefulness.
Look we have real issues on the horizon. Just take a look around at all that is happening around us. Tax Haven’s, Shelters, Depots whatever you want to class us are under serious attack from all sides. There will be a day not too far from now when these attackers will make some headway and our financial industries will take a serious blow.
From a tourism standpoint we are already in serious decline whether we admit it or not. We are simply not putting forward the same product we did in the past. Not to mention that product is now far more expensive.
Then we have Cuba. People there will be a day and it’s not too far off now. Soon people like Raul and Castro will grow a brain and realise they are sitting on a gold mine waiting to be harvested.
Think about Cuba for a short second. A country sitting on the edge of the USA, a place that could offer some of the lowest complete vacation packages in the Caribbean, a place rich in culture and scenery. A place that has some of the best doctors in the western hemisphere.
Cuba is a Tourism timebomb waiting to go off. People will go to Cuba 3 or 4 times before coming here once they are open up. You know that tabu affect. When you’ve been denied something for so long how people get when they can get it. This will happen with Cuba. It will be like a vacuum when the doors open. They will have to limit the amount of tourist coming in.
We will be religated to watchers because 1) We overpriced our view of Paradise 2) We destroyed most of it to provide for it by building condos every other foot along our beaches 3) We have no culture to show, no mystique about us at all. What little culture we had is dying with our elders.
We need to start thinking about rebranding ourselves. Reinventing our country so that we can survive all of these potential hazzards.
We might need to look at things such as Solar Farming, Salt Water conversion systems as new industries. At the same time we can move to trim government and move some of these people into these new industries.
Work a deal with them for FREE Energy for Cayman for special fees and duties and land pricing. Not saying FREE to them just negotiated fees that would encourage this to move forward.
Solar Farming is something to me I think needs to be looked at seriously. Sun is something we have almost all year round. I also think the salt water conversion is good for Cayman because we are who we are a country in the Caribbean and we have one of the world’s deepest waters just off our shores.
I really like those two industries for Cayman and to me they could really do Cayman good. Solar I know would present little to no harm to Cayman’s environment. I don’t see the Salt Water doing us any serious harm either.
We need others to think about other avenues we could go in also. We need to know what our strengths are and then think about how we can leverage them to our advantage.
PPM Lost, but with a clean campaign
UDP Won, but with a dirty campaign
I guess that you’ve forgotten part of the reason that the PPM got into power the first place, namely the dirty politics by past minister Clifford for which he was "found guilty" (of illegally removing documents and leaking confidential information to the press) as a result of the subsequent investigation. Say whatever you want, that’s exactly what it was – dirty politics by him. Would it have affected the balance of power if Clifford had lost back in 2005, probably not, but it was still dirty politics by a member of the PPM. Please don’t forget that when you claim that the PPM is clean and that the UDP is dirty.
What in the world are you talking about…do you possess a brain??
The reason PPM got in is because UDP gave away 3,000 status grants some to people who were here only a short period of time. I have friends who told me their helper sister got hers and she wasn’t even here any longer. She had been in Jamaica for a few months well. She didn’t even apply. Her previous boss probably asked about it for her.
Look I don’t care much for either party now but please do not be either so naive or stupid.
PPM and UDP are terrible but what I can say about PPM is they played fair maybe TOO fair. Their downfall is the fact that they DON’T ACT!!!
I can say this and rest my head on a chopping block for it.
If the BT debacle had happened to Big Mac where his candidate lost by 39 votes or thereabouts and not one but BOTH PPM candidates did something that SHOULD disqualify them he would not have hesitated to get them in court. He would NOT have cared whether it would seem like a political issue. At 12:00 and 5 seconds the papers would have been filed.
PPM has Kurt living in BT (presumably voting there also), Kevin Duckworth, their lawyer and a leading PPM supporter board chairman I believe also living their, 3 candidates living their and NONE HAD THE CAHONES to do what they were suppose to do. Saying that THEY ALL LOST MY VOTE. Love you Mr Anthony but this hurt me not because your guys lost but because you allowed the law to be broken on your watch.
I do not support spineless people.
Now UDP I do not support you either because I see what you will do to get into power and it scares the hell out of me what you are doing NOW THAT YOU HAVE IT.
Big Mac has no place in church. If movies were reality he would probably catch on fire by even driving across one. Let’s just say he’s not in any line for sainthood.
You know I laugh as I read Big Mac saying Cayman’s broke. You know what he is doing. He wants to beat the drums as loud as he can to get OKAY from us to make big sweaping changes so he can do something underminded again. Thank God for Ezzard. I feel like moving to Northside just to give you my vote because I don’t have many good candidates in BT anymore.
Speaking of which I agree Civil Service is half the problem. Sorry to all you Civil Service workers but some of you not all of you but some of you are dead weight on our economy. BUT saying that where was the LA members saying how about us rolling back our 20-30% wage increases? I mean which department or section other than MLAs got 20% to 30% increases cause that’s where we start.
I can’t stop saying this. We need another party. Smart young Caymanians who only have the best interest for this country at heart.
My personal desire is to see Rolston leave UDP before he completely ruins his decent name. Rolston this goes out to you. You are young still and smart. Do not be a puppet on a string to no man. Take a good long look at Ezzard and see how he operates now. You are a natural born leader. I would love nothing more than to support a party headed by you and Ezzard and a bunch of young Caymanians like Sterling Ebanks from West Bay and Tara. Come on for 2012 give us a better choice.
Look Independents can not win an election because of the division factor but another party can. I feel strongly that there are many many Caymanians looking for something else. We are only voting UDP or PPM because of lack of true choice. Another party is not only possible but I feel if they have decent people they stand a real strong chance of some serious upsets.
Mike Adams I know you also. UDP is not where you want to be. You are a good guy don’t tarnish your good name. I know you are good at heart and it’s why you did so good in GT. I would love it if you would join forces with Rolston and head up the GT section.
A West Bay team of Rolston, Sterling, Tara and Bernie would be a formidable team to beat. Mike could head up a GT team. All they would have to do is to find 3 strong candidates from BT, someone from East End and the Sister Islands.
Come on guys give us something, someone else to vote for because UDP or PPM is both failed teams.
How can u call Minister Clifford exposing the UDP’s corruption dirty politics…….typical UDP mentality. You all are turning this country into another corruption riddled island in the Caribbean, just like Jamaica & Haiti.
One of these days when unna children are subject to political executions and other crimes unna ga wish unna had listened to Clifford. Idiots !!!!!!!!!!!
The penalized the whistle-blower and did not investigate the corruption exposed! Take the wool from your eyes!
I could not AGREE with you more – PPM can hold its head high with Dignity!
Really, how stupid can one get (11/12/2009 – 13.32). Before the Police were able to get to the polling stations to investigate these corrupt activities, a UDP CANDIDATE (NOT a supporter or Member, BUT a CANDIDATE) reached to the polling station and wisked the culprit handing out the slips ALONG with the bag of slips, away, so when the Police arrived The culprit, the slips and The UDP Candidate had dissappeared. Does this sound like a UDP Cadidate giving a lift to a PPM supporter – Get Real and please stop making us KNOW you have no sense!
The long and short…
PPM – Passive
UDP – Aggressive
In most places, the opposition goes and gets restraining orders when this kind of stuff happens (and it happens everywhere). If the PPM doesn’t care, why should anyone else. It’s also not at all evident that the stated provision of the Election Law was violated by the alleged acts.
Are we sure that this was a "UDP supporter" or someone purporting to be one? That is the first question that should be answered.
Nothing will come of this – as per the Bodden Town election results – sore losers pick up the pieces and move on will you!!
There’s a lot of work to be done and the UDP party which is now the majority of the government is doing this …WHICH IS A BETTER WAY FORWARD!!
Are you being serious 13:32? You cannot be serious! Do you honestly believe that anyone other than a udp candidate, udp member or udp supporter would hand out pieces of paper with the 4 udp candidates names on it telling people to vote for them? How stupid can you get? No one who does not support the udp would ever pretend to be a supporter & hand out udp promotional material, even in an attempt to give them a bad name, because that would be counter productive. Try think before you post stupidness. Those clowns were a mixture of udp candidates, members & supporters & many of us witnessed it as it happened. Your suggestion just goes to show how low the udp will sink!
We have quite a few Old and Unsolved murder cases, but I say GET OVER IT! There are so many present pressing issues that our already over burdened RCIPS has to deal with so LET IT GO! Now this is a real intelligent way of dealing with criminal activities, but coming from a UDP sympathiser I don’t expect anything else!
Trampling on the rule of law is not a ‘better way forward’. Clearly the issue will not affect which party is in govt., however, it is a serious matter and should be taken seriously.
Talk about sore losers.
If the Police don’t have a comment, its because there is nothing to comment on.
Why do you think the police do not wish to go any further with their "investigations" into these allegations? Just think of one NAME! Many of us, PPM & independents saw what was happening, & reported it, but it does not come as a shock that nothing will come of it! I can think of many, MANY issues (against the UDP) that should have been looked into but have gone ignored! It is no surprise, & we do not expect any thing else! It is generally known as the "FEAR FACTOR"! get it?
But it also does not come as a shock that you seem to be ok with the possibility that election fraud was committed by the udp candidates, & it seems that you also support nothing being done about it. That does not surprise me either! "birds of a feather flock together"
It doesn’t matter who they elected. All of the candidates were incompetent fools not capable of running a bath, let alone an island.
What’s the big deal about some slips of paper being passed around on election day. Anybody stupid enough to look at a bit of paper outside the polling office and change their mind to vote instead for somebody whose name is on the paper rather than their preferred candidate, well to be fair they shouldn’t be allowed to vote. They are obviously not of sound and capable mind.
Get over the election already. The island is in the brown stuff because of years of government waste and corruption and too much biting of the hands that feed the economy (i.e. foreign investors and businesses).
Are you satified with a washing machine or a fan every 4 years? Well it just shows your integrity which I was suspecting anyway while reading your posts!
Hey – we all keep hearing about this – Governor, Police, Tempura, Cealt, you want to investigate? Seems much more serious than allegedly letting off someone for drunk driving. Wouldn’t funding this be money laundering etc?
This is unfair!! I think it’s against the law. And it’s a human rights abuse. Why can’t ex-pats get washing machines and fans?
The point is, it is illegal to do any sort of campaigning on Election Day- "illegal" as in against the law. The police need to tell us what they are doing about it, they have numerous witnesses that this was in fact done…there is no respect for the law in this country, and this is one of the reasons why. People feel it should just be left alone because Elections is over, just like UDP supporters didn’t want to challenge Scotland and Seymour for the breach of Consitution, "because BT voters would just vote them back in again"….completely beside the point- the law is the law and it should be upheld…..
Forget the election, that’s long gone and won’t be overturned. Can you imagine Kurt and the PPM trying to get us out of the mess we have as a result of their reign? Get serious! Thank God they’re not in charge because we’d be long gone down the tubes. McKeeva and the UDP are doing exactly what needs to be done, finding solutions, and are not wasting any time. For goodness sakes, Kurt can’t figure out what to have for breakfast until supper time. Give the UDP a chance to clean up this mess and get us back on track.
The fact that anyone could display the ignorance that you have by your comments here is indicative of why these Islands are in the mess that we are currently in. This is not about the personalities of either of the so called leaders these two failed political parties but instead about illegal actions, in contravention of the very law that enables either of them to be in office. It is not something to be forgotten as you stupidly suggest but indeed MUST be properly investigated and the results reported to the people of this country.
Oh yes, the pressing need to find out who handed out some silly little cards on election day, some six months ago, warrants the time of our already overburdened police service. And, I’m sure that all the people who were wrongfully persuaded to change their votes at the last minute are anxiously awaiting the findings. LET IT GO!!! How about we let the police use their resources to try and solve some of the many unsolved murders instead? Wouldn’t that be a better use of their time? Politics is what is driving this renewed need to find out who had a hand in these cards, not the need for justice. At this point it’s so damn petty that I can’t believe we’re even discussing it.
Those lacking in intellect or, yes, fail to understand the need for justice to be upheld in this country will no doubt share your view. There are, however, fundamental legal rights and wrongs and there is the reputation of this country to protect in that our elections should not be marred by allegations of undue influence and or fraud. I can assure you that I am not at all interested in the politics of this, nor am I in anyway affliated with either of the so called political parties now at play, my concern is that the election process of this country must be protected and that no questions of wrong doing alluding to interference in our elections should remain unanswered. I am glad that the RCIPS have responded to say that the investigation continues and if indeed any actions in contravention of the Election Law comes to light I pray that the culprits will be dealt with by the full extent of the law and shamed with disclosure of their identity.
This isn’t about overturning the election its about determining if something wrong was done. If you can’t see that you’ve been blinded by politics.
It’s no wonder UDP governance of this Country is what it is…..even the supporters don’t understand what lawlessness is…..God help us!
this is not about the election, it is about the incompetence and unprofessionalism of the rcips…. who are a prime example of an over -staffed, underperfroming civil service
The only person who can get us out of this mess is The Hon. Premier Mckeeva Bush! So what if he and his associates had to try and educate the ignorant in how to vote…the result justified the means!
I thank god that I was given the right to vote for the UDP!!
God Bless our Premier and keep hom safe from all you hateful people
Wow!! All I can say is wow! This is the quality of voters we have here in Cayman….we’re in a sad state alright!
Oh yea, you want us to "forget the election" because it’s long gone just like how you want us to forget the 3000 status grants give aways because it is in the past (OH REALLY?); like how you want us to forget the XXXXX overspending with the turtle farm "because it is in the past;" & like how you will want us to forget the 9000 Permanent Residencies that the udp are in the process of giving away "because it will one day be in the past;" like how you will want us to forget about the destruction caused by the port "because one day it will be in the past;" like how you will want us to forget the destruction to the North Sound caused by the udp approved dredging of a channel "because one day it will be in the past;" ETC ETC. When will it all end? Well you know what buddie, it ain’t gonna happen, because we ain’t gonna forget about none of it, & WE NOT GONNA LET YOU & YOUR UDP FORGET ABOUT IT EITHER!
In 2005 the PPM won a landslide election victory & inherited a MASSIVE MESS from the udp. In 2005 the udp left this country on the brink of extinction & that was without the help of a worldwide recession. The PPM inherited a MASSIVE mess left behind by the udp because of the XXX & overspending on the redevelopment of the turtle farm (& I won’t go into where all those millions ended up) which the PPM had to find millions every year just to keep it operational. The PPM inherited a MASSIVE mess left behind by the udp because of all the XXX & overspending in such projects as the Royal Watler port, the low cost housing, the overpayments to family & friends for land purchases & consulting, just to give a few examples of the many issues that the udp were involved in, that left this country in a MASSIVE MESS & "bankrupt," & caused the people to KICK them out!
What did the PPM do after being elected? They got down to hard work & got us out of the mess that the udp put us into, & that was without using the udp’s famous ploy of blaming the opposition. Imagine, the udp did not even have a worldwide recession to deal with in 2004/05 but still managed to leave this country in such a MASSIVE MESS that we were on the brink of extinction, yet the PPM got us out of it. The entire world is now suffering from a worldwide recession, why would we expect Cayman not to suffer also? If America sneezes we catch a cold, therefore when they, & the rest of the world is suffering from a recession SO WILL WE! Yes, things are tough now, but it’s that way througout the world, everyone is feeling it.
I would like to suggest to the whining wimps in the udp, do what the PPM did after being elected in 2005: they got us out of the awful MASSIVE MESS that the XXX udp put us into because of questionable deals & overspending. The udp should try do the same, & stop blaming others. Just get on with it, shut up & stop whining & BLAMING!
Hmmm…. let’s see….. who’s ultimately in charge of the police? Oh, yes, the governor.
Who goes on and on about good governance? Hmmmm?
We’ve spent millions on tribunals and enquiries to promote "good governance" but here’s something that our very own police can handle as part of their everyday duties…and not a word.
What’s wrong Mr. Jack? Good governance only applies to Chuckie?
Hypocrite!
We are dealing with McChavez – NO INVESTIGATION!
With all the corruption at the polls, money passed to voters, 3000 status grants just to name a few, isn’t it no wonder that UDP were elected!
And with all the people in the legal department who …
Get a life and get over the status grants – I got status (by applying to the immigration board) and no one I voted for got elected.
Cayman is not ready for true leadership.
"Cayman is not ready for true leadership"
What does that mean? That the new govt. isn’t providing true leadership, or that Cayman disapproves of the new govt.?
I am sorry you had to apply. That must have been a real inconvenience. I am pleased you got it though – because if the Board bestowed it on you, you almost certainly deserved it. You are not the proble. Realise that and everyone will get on better.
You have the audacity to tell us to get over the status grants? You would feel like that because you are not a TRUE Caymanian! We are being diluted as a people, & it is continuing again under this udp government, & you tell us to get over it? You should get a life! Yes, I am VERY VERY angry, I cannot explain to you how angry I am about those 3000 status grants because MANY went to UNDESERVING persons. If 3000 status grants was given to 3000 DESERVING people who had been living in Cayman for many years, it would not have been an issue. But to give away 3000 status grants of which MANY went to undeserving people (some people were not even living here, or even visited Cayman) is beyond belief! And you have the audacity to tell us to get over it? We will NEVER get over it, & if that is how you feel, & if that is how little regard you have for Cayman, I would like to TELL you to go back where you come from. The less we have like you the better. Man, Cayman, we are in for a rough ride, WE ARE IN TROUBLE!
NO, I WILL NOT GET OVER IT, OK?
Please do not expect anything to come from this, it has been 6 months now & all we hear is ……NOTHING! There has been quite a few reports of wrong doing by the udp, yet nothing comes of it, afterall they were not completely clean or correct in the BT elections yet nothing comes of it. It helps to have friends in the right places! There was wrong doing by the udp on election day, many of us witnessed it & many of us reported it (I gave a statement & evidence) but nothing happens! Are we surprised? NO!
The irony of the situation is that Chuckie was only trying to ensure good governance by exposing the corruption in government. Isn’t life unfair…….
Life sure is unfair. No two ways about that.
Election Fraud
We all know it has been going on for years.
Favours, money(cash), appliances, paving of driveways, influence, gifts and promises. Why has the RCIP and the Governors’ never acted on any of this in the past. Wake up Cayman, and have the will, ethics and the principles to finally do something about election fraud.
Why? I suspect because (a) no one has ever reported it and (b) its not "election fraud" under the narrow definitions. Now, the ‘vote cards’ were reported and appear to the layman to meet the definition of "something you’re not supposed to do on election day". This is a diferent story all together.
What a pile of HOG WASH.
What was done was ILLEGAL under the law. Call it what you will and they had sufficient evidence however like everything else that will happen to UDP nothing will come of it because they are either scared or in someones pocket.
And with THEY I mean everyone and noone. It’s just how Cayman works. You know the Gov and UK is partially right but they are just targetting the wrong people. There is corruption here. But in truth it’s everywhere you go because it would be silly and ultimately stupid of us to think that the UK doesn’t have this kind of mess also. It’s called Politics.
When ever something like this happens it just dies a silent death. It get’s swepped under the rug or is "being investigated" until no one ask any longer.
Before the UK does – a la TCI.
Before anything happens I will make this prediction…nothing will come of this. Rule of law in Cayman is selective and sporadic at best.