More MLAs for smaller districts, commission told
(CNS): At a meeting with the Electoral Boundary Commission on Little Cayman a former candidate for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman says the three new MLAs called for in the new Constitution should be allocated to the three smaller districts. On Cayman Brac a current MLA, a former MLA and a past candidate all said that the vast majority of voters on the island wanted the voting system, whereby each voter gets two votes for two candidates, to remain the same. They were also adamant that Brackers did not want to see thedistrict divided into two.
On Little Cayman, Maxine McCoy Moore (above), one of three people who showed up to meet with the commission and its entourage last Friday (30 March), said she believes that the population of Little Cayman would surpass that of Cayman Brac in another 5 to 10 years. “That island is definitely growing and growing fast,” she said. She further believes that the Bluff on Cayman Brac will be the most populated area in the whole Cayman Islands in another 10 to 15 years.
She proposed that the new MLAs be allocated to East End, North Side and the Sister Islands, bringing the total of two each for East end and North Side and a total of three for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. “The additional MLA for the Sister Islands should make Little Cayman his or her priority with the other two MLA’s concentrating mainly on Cayman Brac, but still as a team,” she said.
At the meeting on the Brac with commissioners – chair Carl Dundas, Norman Bodden and Adriannie Webb – Sister Islands representative Moses Kirkconnell, former MLA Lyndon Martin and former candidate Percy Whorms were in agreement that the status quo of the voting system on the two islands should remain. While only District Commissioner Ernie Scott and CNS were also at the poorly attended meeting, Kirkconnell pointed out that at the constitutional meetings before the elections the message from the people on Cayman Brac was clear. He also said it was important for the two MLAs from the district to work together. His job, he said, was to gather the views of his constituents and to take them to the Legislative Assembly for the debate on the matter.
Martin said that dividing constituencies into equal voting blocks created equity in the system. Noting that the current constitution stipulates that the district of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman must have at at least two representatives, he said this already deviated from that principle and the question was whether there should be a further “bastardisation” of the system if single member constituencies were created on Grand Cayman but not on the Sister Islands.
The one-time MLA, who stood and lost in the last election, said the current system was increasingly abused as candidates manipulated it by urging their supporters to only use one of their two votes. He said that in the last election particularly it became a campaign ploy and was stated directly from the platform. However, despite this and his thoughts on equity, Martin believed in retaining the status quo for the district and better educating voters to use both their votes.
Kirkconnell said that challenges the islands faced were unique to the district, not unique to either the east or the west of Cayman Brac and that if it were divided and only one district on the Sister Islands was held by the party in power it would create problems on the island and be very divisive.
Commissioner Webb pointed out that all elected members have to work together for the good of the islands as a whole. It should not make a difference how they get elected, she said.
Category: Politics
Caymanians are one people, whether you are from Little Cayman, Cayman Brac or Grand Cayman. This kind of unreasonable abuse that I have read against CAYMANIANS living in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman is uncalled for. I say we stop the nonsense and make it right. I stand firm for all the Caymanian people, regardless of any special perference, duty-breaks or place of birth.
When you speak badly about our own CAYMANIANS, you speak bad about yourself. This is why we have to unite on a whole as countrymen, Caymanians and embrace each other goals and ideals.
I do accept the fact that we will always have haters out there that will be against such harmony. I suggest that they look into the right direction for the help that they so need.
May God bless the Caymanian people living in Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.
Election was almost a year ago, and it has already seemed as if you the people of the Cayman Islands totally forgot what YOU voted for!!! If you knew NOTHING about the Constitution you SHOULD HAVE not voted for it, or tick NO. Instead, you people got giddy or whatever you want to call it and voted for something you knew absolutely nothing about, and now that it’s starting to come in to play you don’t want it!!!! Check the results. They speak for themselves.
http://www.electionsoffice.ky/downloads/ge2009/2009_referendum_result.pdf
People, THINK before you do things! Does it really have to take something so drastic for you all to see that you can’t do that?!
When I was a child, I was told to think about what I was saying before I spoke or did something, obviously you people didn’t hear that at all or enough!!!
I’m a young Caymanian, and I am already starting to lose my hope in the future, because there is not one single bright bulb out of the lot. So thanks!!
Why are vehicle licence fees cheaper for the Brac? Why do they get so much special treatment and perks? Why are we subsidising the Lesser Caymans as much as we do?
What special treatment… a little discount on Vehicle licence fees???
We pay more for everything else. Have you been to our supermarkets to see what we pay for groceries? Our phone bills are the same as on Grand Cayman, but we don’t get "edge" service from LIME…
We pay $55 dollars a month for a pathetic excuse called cable from weststar..
We’ve been driving on the same mash up roads for years, and whenever we want to travel anywhere we have to pay an extra $100, so we can connect through Grand Cayman.
Please… go pipple pottle somewhere else…
I can’t stand people who make judgement statements, when not knowing all the facts….
Here we go again. Another clown with some beef for Cayman Brac & Little Cayman. Honestly, it’s becoming sickening to read some of your silly comments whenever a topic on these islands pop up. If you can’t think of something sensible to write, go give your time to some other worthy cause on Grand Cayman.
Why is asking about discriminatory taxation between GC and the other islands so wrong? Why should my annual licence cost $30 less than yours? Why do you always want more for less? Why are you so special? Why are we subsidizing your dinner table, your building costs, your vehicle costs, etc?
Well, maybe you should take off your Halloween mask so you can read the comments on Mon, 5/10/10, at 09:46 clearly. It would appear there’s alot many of you don’t know about what’s taking place on the sister islands and obviously you don’t take the time to get your facts straight before you come on here and whine about us being spoiled. I think you have bigger issues to worry about in Grand Cayman. But yet some of you have the audacity to say that you’re sick of hearing about the sister islanders not considering themselves a "Grand Caymanian" when YOU are the ones that are making the whole world see exactly who’s separating themselves by your evidence of displeasure. For crying out loud, be happy for the betterment of all three islands and stop this sh*t about us being subsidized. Apparently, it’s either you haven’t spent time in the sister islands or gotten to know someone from there before you opened your XXXX mouth!!
Look at your roads and look or feel i should say and youll see why.
you do realize that its our new constitution that says we should have more MLA’s. The same one pushed for by the people and endorsed by England.
The Sister islands cannot find a good candidate to replace the 2nd elected member who has more than served her usefulness, muchless to increase the total amount to be elected. The 2nd elected member from the Sister islands (that must have brought her down a peg or two) is nothing more than an extension cord for the premier & serves no purpose for her people, & until the Brackers can find a good replacement for her they should not even think of increasing their representation.
Well miss maxine might just get lucky soon, remember Miss Mary. Go girl every meow and bow vow is in the race these days . God help us all.
what is an MLA? please identify acronyms at least once in every usage . Thanks
An MLA is a Member of the Legislative Assembly. They weigh important matters based on the needs of the community, enact laws, and being accountable to the community, ensure public funds are spent properly. Well….the first part was right.
All British citizens have a right to vote in the legislature guaranteed by the ECHR. So if the MLA’s sit in the legislature why are rights being blatantly infringed?
UK legislature? EU parliament? Does this have something to do with Cayman?
All British citizens, provided they are resident in the UK, have a right to vote to the UK House of Commons. That is what is guaranteed by the ECHR. It has nothing to do with MLAs and the Cayman L.A.
The 15,000 or so voters in the Cayman Islands need three more MLAs like a hole in the head.
Here is one obvious place to cut government expenses. Not counting life time benefits, the cost of each MLA can be estimated to be $160,000.00 per year, or $11,000.00 per voter.
Counting the ensuing life time benefits, the cost of each MLA is perhaps 10 times higher that his direct cost.
The silly requirement for three more MLAs need to be dropped immediately. If this requires a Constitutional amendment, which I think it does not, then amend the Constitution immediately.
If anything, Cayman needs far fewer MLAs, perhaps only one for each 15,000 residents.
If every existing District takes the stance that they are different and should be left the way they are then the system will never make any sense.
We are faced with the Constitution stating that the Sister Islands shall have a minimum of two representatives, but it is silent on whether or not it should be single member constituencies or not. With 18 seats it is only fair that there be 18 constituencies and we sould all be governed by the majority. That is democracy. Not one faction demanding to remain unchanged because they are "different".
18 single member constituencies is the way to go!!! One man, one vote!!!
Well my two bits is this, I believe that work should be found for those that are in there now before we talk about getting more. Those who have the will, check out all of your district reprentatives and talk what each one of them is doing to enhance their district and recognizing the outstanding necessities. Yes, I said the word check what "EACH ONE " is doing.
I can bet my last dollat that no one can respond and give a Positive answer on each MLA. If not then, that would mean some are sitting flat collecting a salary without saying a word or lifting a finger? Cant join in debate, cant raise a question, Dont have the slightest idea what is going on, an is just plugged into one of the Party sockets as an extension. We the voting communties, need more services rendered for the monies being paid.
Absalute disgrace. And what are they going to do may I add??? There are enough MLA’s here on Cayman.
The Brac and Little Cayman should come under one of them, It’s about time they earned what they are being paid for. The Governement should be using the resourses they have instead of generating ridiculously highly paid salries.
How about making the current back benchers and a few front benchers do actual work? That way we can save the money that we are going to spend on new un-needed MLAs. One think I can tell you, we sure know how to waste money on this rock.
Were we not said to be broke? Yet, we will be having additional members of the LA at huge expense. Disgraceful. By the way, this stupid "them and us" attitude about Caymanians in Little Cayman and Cayman Brac has got to go. Brackers also have to move past the "We are Brackers and they are Caymanians". We are all Caymanians!
See comment at Fri, 05/07/2010 – 13:22
Cayman Brac should have one elected member, or representative, what ever you wish to call it. Little Cayman one, East Endone, North Side one, Bodden Town one, George Town one and West Bay one. THe Premier and Ministers should be elected collectively as a team by all of the voting populace in all three islands, as it is they who control the purse strings for the three islands. The representatives should all put forth the projects deemed necessary for their districts and manage the allotments of funds for their districts to get the most pressing projects done, while the Ministers should take care of national infrastructure. Politicians only look at how they can make the system easy for them to manipulate to get themselves elected, not what is really in the best interest of the country and they try their best to fool the population into seeing it their way. The only bigger messthan our political process is the UKs, at least in the developed world.
Since equality is the best policy, at this time of fiscal stress the duty reductions on the Lesser Caymans should be removed.
Why is it that you all think that the Brac don’t count, will i am a Caymanian but a 100% Bracker so please get real we are all one weather you like it not XXXXXXXXXX
Jeez….. With that spelling plz dont tell anyone youre a braca!
Sometimes the weather is different in GC than on the Brac. So I don’t understand how we are all one weather.
Now THAT is funny!
I’m off to polish my giant shoes for the weekend.
We already have too many MLAs. The island is tiny and doesn’t need to be split up at all. Just hav one set of candidates and vote for the party you like.
Brac and little don’t even count. We already support them financially so why do we need to give them their own MLAs? We owe them nothing and it’s not like having them there adds any value.
It’s because of Little and the Brac that this family returns to Cayman 2-3 times a year. We might make Grand once a year, but why? We have plenty of crime, noise, traffic and social discourse here. So yes, the Brac and Little do count. Some people need to think before they post.
i agree
Wha ya say?? Boy, unna can come up with some sh*t when unna ready to give the sister islands hell. Bout we don’t count! You been eating too much turtle meat lately or you strung out on weed or something? Why don’t you be bold enough to come up one Friday evening and join us by Edd’s for a lil discussion on what you just posted here? In the main time, let me get back to counting. 1, 2, 3……..