East End ‘Yes’, West Bay ‘No’
(CNS): While voters in East End came out in support for one man, one vote, the OMOV campaigners will be bitterly disappointed with the West Bay result, where voters were almost equally split on the issue. In East End the preliminary result was 257 voters saying 'yes' but only 79 voting 'no'. However, in West Bay it was a very different story. Sealing the fate of the referendum, 1,053 West Bayers voted 'no' while 1,027 voted 'yes'. With only two more districts to count, the best the OMOV campaign can now hope for is a moral victory in Bodden Town and the capital of George Town.
According to the premier, a majority vote in favour of OMOV that falls short of the 50% plus one of the electorate will not sway government to introduce single memebr constituencies.
McKeeva Bush has said he will be making a statement from the UDP referendum headquarters once the count is complete.
Preliminary Results of OMOV referendum
CBLC: yes – 256, no – 203
East End: yes – 257, no – 79
North Side yes – 335, no – 56
West Bay: yes – 1027 no – 1053
Category: Politics
Has anyone estimated how much loss in business this referendum has cost the Island ? We really cannot afford to waste time and money on useless bigotry in the name of a referendum….now come on Cayman !!!!
Now why would the idiot west bayers vote no..they are getting solar panels instead of refrigerators, mortgages payed instead of washing machines….its a win win situation
Hellllleeer! I would say the West Bayers are slightly waking up my dear so don't under estimate them yet. Kudos to the YES voters. Y'll deserve a medal or two.
Looks like ju ju needs to go back to the drawing board. Instead of boasting that she will only be serving for one more term which she claims to her family will give her enough income, it seems that she will have to begin her ministry comes May 2013. There is still some pay and big perks in that as well too, but perhaps not as much as $14,000.
Congratulations Cayman, We can all take comfort from the fact that if half of West Bay can wake up then surely there is hope for the other half.
The referendum was a clear victory for OMOV just not a legally binding one.
WestBayers sell out again,they never seems to learn.Never let a politician grant you a favour,they will control you forever.
HALF of them voted against what Bush wanted. Not too shabby. Give them a break!
I have read the many comments posted re West Bayers – not being very intelligent, anchor around Cayman's neck, getting fridges, etc etc. That's OK – A great many who fit into any of these categories are not really West Bayers, but transplants either from other districts or other countries.
First of all let me say – I'm a West Bayer and I don't need a fridge (or a washer or anything else, Thank God.). Everything I have I paid for MYSELF, through the grace of God! And, I voted "Yes" yesterday! I would like to give my opinion on the low turnout of voters yesterday.
The people are tired of listening to nothing blame, criticism, degradation, humiliation – from both parties. We are bombarded from every side with the rhetoric and people ARE SICK OF IT!!! If one is interested in listing to a broadcast of the Legislative Assembly, one has to turn off the radio because of the absolute ridiculous and discourteous manner in which the members conduct themselves. And the Speaker just sits there!!
When the OMOV Committee allowed the PPM to jump on their (OMOV's) bandwagon that was a HUGE mistake. Once a political party got involved, it became political. Then the UDP picked it up and made it a political campaign. I was very disappointed in Mike Adam when he spoke in George Town on Tuesday night – after starting with what was an intelligent presentation of the facts – he had to fall in the sillyness, saying to the George Town people – and I paraphrase – George Town will not longer be the district as we know it; it is now the Capital of Cayman but if this goes through, where will the Capital be – GT north? GT Central? GT east? Shame on you Mike. I was very disappointed to hear you go down that road. Those George Towners who voted said something else.
If the OMOV committee (and I admire these young, intelligent people for stepping up to the plate) had made it clear that they did not wish to become aligned to ANY political party, and stuck to what was probably their intent – to educate the Caymanian voters on this issue – there may have been a different result. I'm not blaming these young people, but the PPM did them no favour by joining up with them. The political parties both have their own agendas – and will use whatever means – and I mean whatever means – to carry out those agendas. The Chamber of Commerce also had no place in this – their job is to represent COMMERCE!
God bless the Cayman Islands.
Thank you for your sensible contribution. It is good to know that we do have intelligent people that will not be bought in West Bay. God bless you and the other 1000 plus West Bayers and everyone else in Cayman that have chosen and are still chooosing to stand up for what is right for this country and our people.
Well the OMOV vote failed. Caught out by two things, being outmanouvred by the incumbent with date setting etc to ensure it was never going to make it past the threshold and by underestimating the number of sheep in West Baty and beyond that will vote whatever way Mac tells them. "Moral victory" is another way of saying "failure".
The OMOV vote most certainly did not fail.
west bay…an anchor around cayman's neck…..for so many reasons….
Finally something that won’t be blamed on the 2003 status grants. Way to go West Bayers! Your intelligence abounds yet again. Hope all those plates of turtle meat were good.
I'm very disappointed in the outcome but West Bay only had 60 more "NO" votes than GT.
But GT has twice the number of registered voters.
But if GT has twice the # of registered voters as WB then according to the final count, most of registered voters in GT didn't vote at all. That is if you are correct in saying that GT has twice the # of registered voters as WB.
Wrong party with the turtle meat…that the PPM
UDP must be shitting up…even their WB stronghold was split by barely 30 votes – even after their vote rigging, cheating, and no campaigning against SMCs
This is just one little instance of how things go in West Bay. A friend of mine (and we are both Caymanian) told me today that her cousin phone her to say that he called his momma and said "I'll just bet I know how you voted momma – I just know you voted "NO". She told him, well of course I voted "NO". "I gots to make sure that money keeps coming from McKeeva to fix up my house in Mt. Pleasant!! SAD BUT TRUE. Dart give McKeeva a few million in return for nearly a billion in value and West Bayers stick it to the rest of the Island. West Bay in reality is truly the "one man one vote" district where you vote for four but get only one – and that is the BOSS McKeeva.
It will serve West Bayers right when the West Bay Road closes and they get stuck in traffic for two hours trying to get to work or wherever. You guys in West Bay deserve whatever you get so please don't start crying to the rest of us when you lose your precious road. Same goes for you Bodden Towners too. Yo don't show up to vote "yes" then you get the dump in your district which is what you also deserve. I know there are some uncorruptible people in all the districts but, P L E A S E How long is the REST of the Island going to let WEST Bay RULE?!!
As for you Cayman Brac – you are just a like a tick – sucking off the rest of us without contributing anything. XXXX It would be interesting to see how much you contribute to the GDP of these three Islands and to see in return see how much receive in subsidies to keep you going. It's no wonder you didn't go out to vote today and even if you did you voted "no". You know that Juju will cover your ass. Sickening, self-serving (and in in the words of one Foolio) self-preservation. Hey, Cayman Brac, just keep riding that gravy train as long as you can – justice soon come and serve you right!
You got a bit TOO much attitude.
Yea, sorry about too much attitude. It was late last night after hearing that the referendum was unsuccessful. I was feeling so upset, disappointed and frustrated that I just kind of let loose but still I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t think it was true. Most of the time I am more understanding and polite.
Anonymous 22:50
TRUE DAT!!!
Moral victory? Did OMOV not pass by more votes in North Side and East End than it was defeated by in West Bay? OMOV also won in CB/LC. With that stated, it appears that OMOV is still over the needed 50% plus 1 as it sits now. We all await the numbers in BT and GT and hope that those numbers are 50% plus 1.
Suggest you familiarise yourself with the rules before you make comment . 50 percent plus 1 of those entitlfed to vote, not those who did vote. Why would no supporters make the effort to vote when sitting at home effectively is a no !
This is such a beautiful island with amazing people for the most part! I just wish that so many of the people here could see how behind and ill qualified the procedures and leaders are! Caymanian people you were failed again, please see the light that your trendin down a road that leads to being a TCI.
Its not 50% + 1 of the votes cast, its 50% + 1 of the registered electorate which means for a win there needs to be 7,583 “Yes” votes.
They need to clean up the decease folks first off the list to see the true position because that figure them. Time to step up office also please publish in advance when the next registration starts as I have many to register in BT.
Hurry the count so we can hear Caymanian strongman Mackeeva bush’s words of wisdom
Can't believe you actually typed his last name correctly. The literacy levels in West Bay appear to be improving quite significantly, Cayman.
You missed the capital B though.
You'll get it sooner or later.
Actually it was that clown above there that missed it.
The last time I heard the term "strongman" used it was in relation to Manuel Noriega.
This was no more than a mini election to see who was for and who was against the UPD…..By The way what happened to those 5000 or so people the supposedly signed Millers petition you'd think there would be at least that amount of yes votes…
They were on holiday as calculated by the UDP by setting a july referendum. POLITRICKS as usual!!
So far we know that every district in Cayman and Cayman Brac and Little Cayman and half of West Bay itself is against UDP…..By the way, people who sign petitions do not necessarily come out to vote.
The total yes votes is 5631
I signed the petition but I did not get to register in time…."Oh by the way, if you want to vote in the referendum you had to have registered by April….(the previous week)."
This question was set in such a way, with a requirement of 50.1% of the electorate to ensure that the end result was always going to be for NO. If the requirement had been for the NO vote to have 50.1%, it would have failed. YES could never win, as they always needed probably 30% more votes than NO, regardless.
It should have been 50.1% of the people that could be bothered to vote. A turn out of 55% – the referendum will always be a total waste of time. In the meantime, some pi%%&$ cruise ships today with bars shut.
So yes, always a foregone result, and waste of everyone's time and money! Otherwise, thanks for the day off. I was not eleigible to vote, so I got to do the jobs around the house uninterrupted. Sorry Cayman, but the UDP screwed you again
The OMOV made this about getting rid of McKeeva nad pssied of the West Bayers. What did they expect?
Your perception is off. I am an OMOV committee member and I can tell you with no worry of being proven wrong, that is NOT what the OMOV committee did. That was what the UDP did to distract from the core message of Equality and Accountability. Unfortunately people like you are too willing to see the drama in something regardless of the facts. The OMOV committee are non partisan and welcome all persons in our fight for better governance.
Mr McTaggart, I think you are off in your 'perception' of persons who are truly non-partisan, like me. I am indepenent all the way!
I was not directly involved with the OMOV committee but was in constant communication with a few members and tried to educate other West Bayers on the benefits/fairness of voting yes. But if you don't realise that there was a 'perception' that people were seeing it as PPM vs UDP, then I respectfully hope you're not advising politicians or intend to be one.
And yes I agree that OMOV commmitte and PPM members did maintain more neutrality in the public domain than UDP. It was disturbing to say the least to hear senior members of UDP spin the issue, for eg reference to what nationals would be able to run when s.61 of the constitution hasn't changed. I humbly submit that it did become a party issue and yes it was 'spun' to be a means to get rid of McKeeva/UDP. I was constantly sharing the fact that having SMC did not necessarily mean the UDP could not be elected, the referendum was about equality.
@8:50
Please do not mix up the facts as it pertains to the post I replied to. I was simply stating that the OMOV did not make this an anti UDP subject. I absolutely agree that there are some that saw the referendum as a tool to remove the present government. But that was not our doing.
As for your half hearted attack on my political influence or future, that is your right, however please look at the facts prior to passing judgment, even if that judgment is passive aggressive.
Kind Regards
Kent
Kent
Face it, from the time you made Ezzard the poster child for theOMOV it went political. Ezzard can't stand the ground McKeeva walks on and he used you and the entire OMOV committee to further his cause. I am no McKeeva supporter but that just turned me off from the whole process..All the bashing back and forth between you guys the UDP, the PPM and Ezzard was the biggest turn off to most people I talked to.
You should have kept this as the people's referendum. When you started pulling in all the political "wanna be's" who starting announcing their candidacy by aligning themselves with the OMOV committee, it made me sick to my stomach.
This was not supposed to be about PPM UDP Ezzard or any of the " Johnny come lately's," It was supposed to be about us deciding on a way forward. It was completely swept up in politics and that it why I believe most people like myself stayed home in protest.
By the way I am for OMOV but I am not for single member constituencies…and yes my friend you can have one with out the other. You have already divided my country with this nonsense and political agendas. There is no way I would allow you McKeeva, Ezzard, Alden or any of your political allies and enemies to destroy it further.
XXXXX
I voted no by staying home..Get off my back, that was my right, just like yours was to go out there and vote yes. We now have to find a way to live together..Give it a try!
The minute the OMOV committee appeared to being aligned to and working with the PPM, it became a political fight.
Sorry, Kent but the PPM and the independent member used your group for their own agendas.
so true @22:25…..As a West Bayer who voted Yes, I am convinced that there was too much emphasis on the 2 parties and Mckeeva used that to get support of his loyal base. Wayne and the PPM need tonote how Mr Bush can 'relate' to ordinary Caymanians and this has been a major factor in voters' loyalty to him.
Serious politicians need to educate young people, older voters now and come to the table with 'clean hands', we're all tired of opportunists and parties seeking to represent interests of others and no accountability….another reason the OMOV -SMC would have been beneficial.
Clearly, we can't depend on my fellow West Bayers for a change so looks like we'll have to work even harder in the other districts for change and educate people on benefits on electing people who can relate AND are educated!
Well if the West Bayers thought that and 49% voted yes I would be very worried if I were him!!
Breaking news!!!!!!Final count….. Democracy Wins…….
Yes vote-32% No vote-24% Spoiled vote-1% Stay Home Vote-43% (Priceless Democracy) it work for us for sure.
It would be pretty lame to claim a moral victory when the OMOV committee were the one’s who said that stay at home was a no vote. Those who did not go to poll exercised their democratic right to be counted as NO. Maybe Miller and Harris will now take a reality check and realise they are not the saviours that the Cayman people need. But who am I kidding .
Unfortunately our government set a bar that handicap the possibility of the truth being told from day one. With the bar set the way it was the OMOV movement was behind by 20% before the day even started. There are various motivations for promoting the fact that a stay home is a no vote, but the primary one was to show the handicap and the ease of its implimentation.
If you are honestly wanting to see what the people want you will make it as easy as possible to get the widest cross section of voter to the poles. That is not what happened here.
However that is not to say we at the OMOV are sour about the technical loss, as this "loss" was a win on so many levels that I an having a celebratory nip as we speak.
Kent McTaggart
OMOV committee member
Now that the horse is officially dead, let's not spend too much time flogging it.
Back to the economy and development. I say continue McKeeva. Lets get this cruise berthing facility started and the other projects! Let's create jobs!
Apparently you haven't heard so but McKeeva Bush has been STOPPED, hopefully permanently for the sake of all Cayman, from signing a contract with CHEC.
McKeeva is stopped because the UK has stopped him. When will they allow us to regain our financial independence. Thanks to PPM they will never do that. This is bad for the country. I support McKeeva's endeavors and hope for Cayman's best.
You very, very seriously need to get your head out, Chris. McKeeva was stopped because McKeeva needed to be stopped. Nothing whatsoever to do with the PPM who were not re-elected three YEARS ago, thanks to the UDP's lies, for God's sake . PLEASE leave that Kool aid aloneChris, it is causing you serious brain damage my friend, please.
The horse is very much alive and kicking, my friend.
The numbers that came from west bay say so much. And what it says makes me so happy.
The numbers from the rest of the islands said much more.
the numbers for West Bay said a lot for OMOV actually. It wasn't too much difference between those who actually went out to vote. But the difference was in those that stayed home. How easy was that. Give them $10 for their drugs and tell them stay home. Bingo!
This whole thing was a huge waste of Money and time…;
Please tell me why?
Tough to beat a man that buys votes, directly or indirectly.
No surprise from West Bay but Mac must be hot tonight. Wonder if anyone will have to give their fridge back?
I wouldn't be to hot tonight if I were him. With 50% of the people in WEST BAY NOT supporting him things are definitely improving.
Thank you once again for your unbelievable stupidity West Bay. If three police investigations don't rid us of McKeeva Bush only God Almighty can help us. And He will, Cayman. Believe in that. That is all we have left.
What is 3 investigations? Why having they closed the investigations yet? Why havn't they found him guilty of an offense after two years??? This is all about defamation of character and you know it!
Don't tell me what I know, please. What I know is that there are three ongoing police investigations against McKeeva Bush. I also know that you are now accusing the police of being the criminals. Perhaps they'll put you in jail for that. Is your dear Mac really worth that to you.
Moral victory? lol
Agreed! Moral victory? The movement was unsuccessful so no ‘ victory’, moral or otherwise.
Well, enjoyed a nice day off, so the only ones that feel victorious are us that were able to sleep in!
Yes, moral victory indeed, by the time the count is finished the entire world will know that at least two thirds of the voting public do not support the UDP.
And the other one third don't have a clue what they are doing.
Absolutely. In any other country such a majority would have passed the referendum. McKeeva only managed to barely hang on to his WB stronghold. I would be very worried about 2013 if I were him.