Get out and vote rally

(CNS): The “Be Proud. Be Loud” voters’ registration campaign will be holding a rally on Saturday, 31 January, on the steps of the Legislative Assembly Building at 3:45pm in order to encourage, inspire and challenge the people of Cayman, particularly the young people, to come together and show the importance of being a registered voter.

“Come out and see how powerful your presence can be. Only imagine how powerful your voice is by simply registering to vote,” said organiser Luigi Moxam, Executive Designer of the fashion line One 345 Ltd, who is campaigning to get more young people to register to vote in the 2009 general election.

“Thiswill hopefully be a successful testimony and opportunity for us to be an example of how a united voice that undeniably says that we, in particular the youth of our beloved Cayman Islands, are ready to be recognized as the faces and voice of positive change in Cayman,” he said.

Moxam said the youth of Cayman has a unique opportunity to be a part of changing the way politics is viewed, and reminded young potential voters of the value of their contribution to decide who will be elected to make the important decisions on the issues that affect everyone, such as the constitution, economics, education, tourism, health, real estate and immigration.

“We may all agree that change is inevitable. Many will also agree that there has been a certain level of discouragement regarding the fact that the average age of registered voters is 45years. This means we have no voice at the moment. We act surprised andask why?” said Moxam. “Simple answer is no communication or education on how we can contribute in a positive way together. No emphasis on the development of sports, culture and creative art programs, which is undeniably the only true outlet for the youth to express themselves. Yet we are quick to gather and complain, even when we haven’t tried to do anything about it, until now.”

Moxam believes there has been little effort to get the opinions and outlooks of the younger generation in the past on the issues that affect them. “We can’t just hope they will listen to us one day. Today, we can be the change we need for tomorrow by insisting that our collective voice is heard.” Simply registering to vote is the first step, he said.

Moxam encourages young people who are already registered to vote to come out and bring friends to the rally. “We will ensure that not only will we be heard, they will listen to us, by holding them accountable now that they have our attention. We will ensure our voice will be utilized to improve athletic, creative and cultural outlets and opportunities for the many talent within Cayman. We need to stop acting like we don’t care and that we can’t do anything about it when we can.”

There will be an open mic session for the public to express their concerns or to encourage young people to get registered. The elections office will be providing sodas and refreshments. And Moxam said there will be “a very special treat” from a couple of Cayman’s talented young artist.