Archive for April, 2013

Scott officially endorsed on C4C ticket

(CNS): Having already appeared on the campaign platform and being a founding member of the advocacy group, Jude Scott’s formal endorsement by the Coalition for Cayman came as no surprise. Scott, who appeared on the platform last year when the C4C formally launched their goal to endorse a selection of independent candidates, was also the original joint leader of the group. He stepped down from the team’s executive when he later announced his intention to run for a seat in the capital. Scott is often seen as the leader of the team, which still denies being a political party. C4C's formal endorsement came on 1 April, when the group said in a release that Scott was “the kind of respected statesman we need to unite the Cayman Islands”.  

C4C said it remained dedicated to electing independent mindedleaders that will be accountable and free of partisan political ties.

“For as long as we can remember, Jude Scott has been leading the way toward a better Cayman Islands,” said the group. “From his work as a successful business executive to the countless hours he has spent volunteering for various boards and non-profits, his intelligence and passion for country make Jude the kind of respected statesman we need to unite the Cayman Islands toward common goals.”

Although he is only the fourth candidate to be formally endorsed, following the endorsement of his fellow George Town running mates Jacqueline Hayes, Roy McTaggart and Winston Connolly, the C4C is expected to endorse Sharon Roulstone in the capital as well.

Mervin Smith and Tara Rivers, who are running in West Bay, are also anticipating being endorsed shortly. Charles Clifford, who was understood to be in talks with the advocacy group last week over his endorsement and association with the team, is speculated to be the 8th and final candidate that the group is going to support.

C4C continues to court a certain amount of controversy as it refuses to be acknowledged as a party, despite the joint platform that the candidates are appearing to be running on. In addition, the group’s collective position that it is the party system rather than the individuals on the political scene that are responsible for what they see as poor governance in recent years has brought considerable criticism from both the main political parties and the wider community.

However, the group and its candidates have also received wide support from those who have become frustrated with the political landscape.

“We are committed to bringing new and accountable leadership to unite the people of the country and restore the Cayman Islands’ reputation while maintaining social balance and sustainable growth,” the group said in its latest release.

One problem facing the group, however, is that unless things change in the coming weeks, it is not likely to have more than eight candidates running on its ticket, and with the increase in the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly from 15 to 18, any group that wishes to form a government will require a majority of ten.

Hoping for a coalition, none of the C4C candidates have yet committed themselves publicly to a party that they would work with to help themselves or another group form an administration if a single group fails to gain a majority. Nor have any of them yet stated which independents outside the coalition they would be willing to work with or which potential premier they would be willing to rally around.

The split in the United Democratic Party following the arrest of its leader, former premier McKeeva Bush, on 11 counts of theft and corruption related offences, has left the minority government now running as the People’s National Alliance under the leadership of Juliana O’Connor-Connolly with a team of just six and they have dropped heavy hints about aligning with the coalition or independent candidates to form the next government. However, they have yet to name names.

Meanwhile, the UDP still has Bush at the helm and twelve candidates, including four incumbents, in the race.

The PPM, led by Alden McLaughlin, the current opposition leader, has fifteen candidates, including four incumbents, with their eye on the LA. These two parties remain the only groups that are in a position to form a government in the wake of an election without the need for horse trading or negotiations.

Continue Reading

Eligibility questions remain

(CNS): The Elections Office is expected to release information later today over the qualification of a number of candidates whose eligibility remains in question. Despite their best efforts to ensure that the names on the final ballot sheet would not be subject to challenge, question marks remain about some candidates over dual nationality and residency issues. Although most candidates signed a voluntary survey that clarified the qualification question and placed responsibility on the candidates for their own compliance with the law, a few elected not to do so. Those candidates who would not sign were questioned further and the qualification of some who may continue in the race remains in dispute.

Following a number of election challenges throughout the region that have disrupted the political landscape in several countries, the local elections office was keen to reduce the risk of challenges to avoid the costly and disruptive possibility of by-elections after the event. However, it may be that some candidates for the Cayman Islands General Elections are staying in the race despite possible questions.

In the Turks and Caicos Islands’ election last year the failure of a candidate to qualify disrupted the result and triggered a by-election, even though he had failed to poll enough votes to win. The difference in the number of votes between the top two candidates in the constituency was so low that the votes given to the candidate discovered not to qualify were significant enough to trigger a successful challenge.

Here in Cayman, questions remain over the dual nationality of Richard Christian and Cline Glidden, who are both running on the new People’s National Alliance ticket and who both declined to sign the voluntary questionnaire. Glidden, an incumbent MLA and cabinet minister, is pressing on in the race, as he says he no longer has a valid United States passport. However, Christian, who was planning to contest one of the four seats in Bodden Town, is believed to still have a valid US passport, implying an allegiance to another country.

Meanwhile, Tara Rivers, who is running on the C4C campaign ticket and who, it is understood, also refused to sign the questionnaire on Nomination Day, has been questioned over her residency period. However, Rivers may still press ahead as her right to run remains up in the air. Although she was out of the country until 2009 and fails to meet the seven year requirement to be resident prior to an election, her status as a student during her time of absence may be sufficient to meet on of the exemptions, even though she was employed by a London-based firm as a lawyer at the same time.

Although Dr Frank McField is understood to have also refused to sign the questionnaire, his qualification is not thought to be in question.

Officials from the Elections Office stated that most candidates completed and signed the voluntary questionnaire, which they said was designed to focus the attention of those wanting to run on their qualification and essentially asking them to take responsibility for their compliance. Speaking to CNS Friday, they said that they would be revealing the identities of those candidates who were continuing to run even though their qualifications remained in question and those who refused to sign the questionnaire.

Although 58 candidates were nominated last Wednesday, the list may be reduced depending on the decisions of those who could face election challenges, either before polling day or after, when the results are in, depending on the impact they may have on the result.

Last election both UDP candidates in Bodden Town, Mark Scotland and Dwayne Seymour, failed to meet the constitutional requirement regarding their business interests with government before the deadline. Although both men had private businesses that had government contracts, neither candidaterevealed the details in time. However, once this was published in the press, both claimed it was merely an oversight and rushed to supply the information and gazette publicly their government business interests and continued on in the race.

No formal challenges were made by local officials, and when the opposition declined to challenge their qualification once the two candidates were elected and after the failure of the attorney general to pursue the action, a group of voters took to the courts. However, their difficulties in raising the necessary finances required meant they missed the official three week deadline under the elections law to mount a challenge and submitted an originating summons instead.

The chief justice threw out the suit as he found it was not the lawful route to make the challenge, and so the question of qualification was never addressed.

Continue Reading

‘Indies’ back ‘treating’ ban

(CNS): Several independent candidates have welcomed the clampdown on catering at public meetings during the official campaign period for the 2013 elections and agree that it could be interpreted as treating. Given that those running on their own platform usually have less to spend on campaigns than the major parties, teams or alliances, candidates going into the election battle alone say the enforcement should help level a playing field that can be unfair to them. Although politicians have traditionally offered refreshments at their meetings, which can last for three hours or more, the Elections Office is now keen to stamp out increasingly lavish events, which they say constitutes inducement.

Ezzard Miller, who has already fought several campaigns under his own steam, said he welcomed the move by the Elections Office because the emphasis on the refreshments in many of the ads and flyers during election campaigns made it obvious that it was used as an attraction.

“If it was not intended to attract a bigger audience, why advertise and promote it so boldly?” Miller asked. “It seems a direct attempt to attract a larger audience to provide a greater opportunity to influence more people to vote for the candidates. The purpose of the meetings is to influence people to vote for a particular individual or group to enhance their chances to form the next government. I believe it is against our existing law and that the law should be enforced across the board on all candidates, especially now that we have all been warned by the election officials," he added.

On nomination night Stefan Baraud, an independent candidate running in George Town, returned his food when he heard that officials would be interpreting the traditional catering as treating. But down the road at the C4C launch refreshments were still served, leaving a question mark over how far the Elections Office is prepared to go.

On Friday Elections Supervisor Kearney Gomez said that, going forward, the office would be keeping a close eye on this issue as they believed that anything more than water would be considered ‘treating’ and the office would be monitoring meetings. In the past candidates have hosted lavish parties, where even alcohol has been served, but the Elections Office said that it would not permit that kind of flagrant abuse of the law and, as a result, it is drawing a strict line.

Dr Frank McField, who has fought elections as part of the party machinery and on his own, said treating has an historical meaning in Cayman that relates directly to inducement and the office is right to put a stop to it. However, he warned that it could be difficult to prove that a person was guilty of treating in a political context and therefore hard to enforce.

The former cabinet minister explained that it goes back to the days when merchants running for office provided cows for butchering, with the beef to be divided among the community only if they were successful at the polls. 

“Enforcement of this section of our election law is well overdue and will, in addition to the cap on spending by candidates, assist in levelling the political landscape for all, a condition needed for many election seasons,” McField noted.

Dwene Ebanks said the letter of the law may be unclear but the spirit was about free and fair elections, which he said means free from any undue influence or persuasions. "Arguably, food, drinks and entertainment may present a case whereby the variables are open for individual interpretations," he said, but added that  in the interest of good democratic principles he supported the efforts of the elections office.

Bo Miller, who is also fighting for one of the capital’s six seats, said he supported the clampdown too, saying it was time voters focused on the issues and the candidates’ solutions instead of rewards.

“The political process in recent past has been to condition some people into believing that they should expect something personal for their support and ultimately their vote. While this may be attractive to some, it certainly has not resulted in a free and fair process,” he observed. "It is past due that we free ourselves from this nonsense."

Vincent Frederick, who has thrown his hat into the Bodden Town fight, said he felt the law was reasonable. “Corruption has been on going in these islands for years, especially during the last election, and I throw my support behind the Election Office, the observers and the police in their efforts to stamp out the many different forms of corruption,” he added.

Joey Ebanks, who has so far been running his campaign for a seat in North Side on the pages of Facebook, told CNS that he also believed it would level the playing field. The free entertainment provided by parties has grown into a major undertaking, he said.

“It falsely implies that the parties are better organized and able to better govern than independents,” said Ebanks, who was recently arrested over financial irregularities at the ERA, where he was managing director until his resignation last week. If the law was enforced, people would attend meetings, not for refreshments, but to hear the candidates' positions on the issues, he noted.

“Finally, no more smoke and mirrors. Candidates cannot hide their inabilities behind the entertainment; they must have a clear understanding of why they want to be elected,” Ebanks added, pointing out that he planned to hold a Q&A after his meeting, where he has promised to expose corruption in high office.

Meanwhile, Andrea Christian, who is campaigning for a seat in West Bay, said she supported the decision, despite the sudden change now faced by the electors and candidates.

“One of my concerns has always been the need to continually educate and inform the electorate so that the most ethical, qualified, concerned citizens are elected to manage the affairs of these islands. We need to accept the responsibility as candidates to communicate our messages without gift or favours,” she added.

However, Matthew Leslie, another independent candidate running in George Town, pointed to the cultural role food plays in Cayman’s community. Leslie said he had every intention of respecting the law but when people were going out of their way from work or home without eating to come and sit for two to four hours to listen to candidates, it wasn’t unreasonable for some refreshments to be on offer.

“I doubt a vote will be gained by serving juice or water or some little food. Voters are smarter than that,” Leslie observed.

Candidates running in teams, however, were more circumspect about how influential catering at a public meeting can really be.

Mervin Smith, who was on the C4C platform last Wednesday evening where catering was provided for all who attended, said it was an exaggeration to suggest a vote could be bought with a plate of food or a can of soda. However, ifelection officials were saying that it is illegal to offer food and beverages, then he would ensure it didn’t happen at his meetings.

“I ask those election officials to ensure that it is enforced across the board, thereby eliminating any advantage,” he said, calling for a review of this section of the Elections Law because he found it hard to believe that a person would be persuaded to vote for an individual or party based on the refreshments.

Former Cabinet minister in the last PPM government, Charles Clifford, who is running for a seat in Bodden Town and also rumoured to be running on the C4C ticket, pointed out that there were many scenarios that could constitute 'treating' under the Elections Law. Although he welcomed the news of greater enforcement, he questioned whether the provision of refreshments was treating as he believed it was stretching the definition far beyond what legislators intended. 

“This is a traditional and cultural norm in Cayman and it could only be considered 'treating' if it can be proven that it was being done to 'corruptly' influence voters,” Clifford said.

This was also the position taken by Opposition Leader Alden McLaughlin, who said a plate of curried chicken or a soda couldn’t be considered a direct inducement to vote in a particular way. He pointed out that political meetings and rallies could be long, with people stopping to listen on their way home from work, and that was why food was generally offered. McLaughlin said voters wanted to hear what the candidates have to say but should not have to sacrifice their supper to listen to the views of those running for office.

“We will be following the law,” the leader of the PPM said of his party, but he raised concerns that the issue could become a side show, detracting from the importance of the election and the genuine problems of corruption in office. McLaughlin said the law was quite clear that ‘treating’ was a direct inducement by a politician to a voter and not the open provision of some refreshments during a four hour rally to all who passed by.

CNS Online Poll: Should the provision of food for potential voters at campaign rallies be allowed?

Continue Reading