Mac rallies against OMOV
Posted on Wed, 07/11/2012 - 08:34 in Politics
(CNS): A public gathering held in West Bay on Monday night, advertised as an educational meeting on the forthcoming referendum, seemed more like a UDP rally as the premier spoke about the political issues rather than the process and criticised his opponents. He equated the idea of voting for the democratic principle of one man, one vote with voting for the opposition and told his constituents that if they stuck by him, he would stick by them. McKeeva Bush also used the opportunity during the public funded meeting to recite some poetry about those he expects will stand against him at the next election.
Bush railed against his opponents as well as the concept of one man, one vote and single member constituencies and accused the supporters of the change of seeking power. The “reckless and sudden” introduction of the international standard of voting, common across the democratic world, would be the cause of “torrents of community division”, the premier told the crowd as he toted the expected message of division over single member constituencies.
The premier said that he was spending less than $100,000 from public funds on promotions against the referendum question but the national poll would cost money, which he said he was forced to spend because the opposition would not wait until the general election. “It’s going to cost us,” he said. “But we as a government took a position to try and calm things down and have it earlier.”
Bush and the other members of the UDP made it clear that they did not support the change and wished to maintain the multi-member constituencies. However, he did not offer a clear position on what his government would do if the referendum does not carry on adding the extra three seats at the next general election.
Although the meeting was billed as an educational session about voting systems and the advantages of multi-member constituencies and multiple voting rather than single member voting, Bush mainly criticised his opponents rather than defend the status quo.
He did say, however, that in a multi-member constituency, if he got sick, voters could go to another representative for help, and that it was more united -- as opposed to what he believed was the decisive system. He pointed to Singapore and Prince Edward Island as illustration of places which still have multiple-voting systems and accused the OMOV campaigners of misleading people about how common that type of voting is, although it is, in fact, used in general elections across the democratic world.
The West Bay gathering was the first in a series of what the premier is calling public education meetings, one week ahead of the much anticipated referendum for one man, one vote. Despite having stacked the deck against the ‘Yes’ vote, it was clear Bush was concerned that moving to single member constituencies could even break his own hold on his West Bay constituency as he pleaded with his people to go to the polls and vote ‘No’.
The public meetings will be continuing this weekend and through next, however the premier’s office has not supplied CNS with details of those meetings. Generation Now will be holding a debate covering both sides of the issue at the Harquail Theatre on Thursday evening.
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I am going to vote yes but
I am going to vote yes but only for equality!!! What our government needs to figure out is how we can continue to live here in our own islands for the extremely high cost of living!!!
Poor people fed up!!! Sick of this crap now, how the hell am I gonna pay a $1000.00 electricity bill??? That's some people rent money.
I am so sick of all this politics. Fix the economy and drive down the high cost it takes to live here.
If you own a home large
If you own a home large enough to have used $1000 worth of electricity this month, you are not one of the "poor people"!
Turn your AC to a more
Turn your AC to a more reasonable temperature?
OK so I exaggerated a little.
OK so I exaggerated a little. So what? Isn't $500 a month far enough up the UDP's a-hole for you guys?
Leadership is not blaming
Leadership is not blaming everything and everyone for everything that go wrong
and taking no responsibility for the ills we now face.
You have been elected for 26 years,
****** 22 of which you were part of the governing party, but yet you insist,
that all our problems are others fault because they did not listen to or
follow your (MY) advice.
Man you need to be on Wall Street.
You are all about self and there goes the people money, $$$, and our Islands.
As the CEO you are responsible for all the good and bad,
so get on the job, stay on the job and work for these Islands long term
best interest and remember one cannot manage things they know nothing
about, thinking country and being humble might help.
I have never told this Country a lie, could be the biggest lie of all lies!!!
I am very afraid of him. I
I am very afraid of him. I feel that there is no real freedom of speech in Cayman, because if you do have a differing opinion you will be attacked personally or professionally.
Very sad.
"if they stuck by him, he
"if they stuck by him, he would stick by them"
Bush listening to too many garrison-style politicos. If we keep following Bush we will end up like our neighbour
This type of statement by
This type of statement by Bush is what is dividing the country, "if they stuck by him, he would stick by them" (this implies that together they would get even with the others.) It is not Single Member Constituencies we need to fear because Single Member Constituencies will help to put and end to this type or divisive leadership.
Vote yes on 18 July to heal the division of our country.
Only John Anonymous nearly
Only John Anonymous nearly sign his name , John...( hum) Listen folks I have read so many educative and smart comments here that I can't believe that NO ONE has signed his or her name so that undecided individuals could at least know where these comments are coming from or from whom. What are we all afraid of. We need to have more Faith in US the people. All this venting, frustration and driving us crazy right now is like blowing in the wind. Yet our leader has his educative meeting on OMOV / Politicalitically motivated at our expenses and is against us and OMOV. Why ? If you want Our Cayman Islands to change you better start standing up because I assure your children will one day and look down on us for not doing OUR part. God Bless, Michel Lemay
Really? You cannot figure
Really? You cannot figure out what people are afraid of? They are afraid of losing their jobs in most cases. The reach of this administration extends beyond government into the private sector and it has been shown more than once that this administration is more than willing to act against those who would stand up for law and order. McKeeva runs the Cayman Islands like gangster Al Capone ran Chicago in the olden days of prohibition. Only, in McKeeva's case, he is not waging war on rival gangs but on the people of the Cayman Islands themselves.
A would…like ta… exten'..muh
A would…like ta… exten'..muh great-est..coNASSITY…to you and yur peePUL!
I am …here toDAY.. represenTINNN… da lowleh…republik..a weess. BAY!
To …addresss…ann issue. Dat iz in fact… wereh importANT… but I …willl read poems… and shout at you…. To distrack you…from…da…. Real…matta at hand…
I iz…jez a lil…suga head BOY from wes BAY!... Raize… ya hand if you beliewe … in CHRISse…da heawenleh fadda …*cue music* All tingz bright and buuutiful…all creachaz great an small..all tingz wise and wonduhfull.. Da LORD has made them all.. *cut music*
WOTE NO!... To ONE MAN ONE WOTE and I will… hawe a load a grawel delivad… to ya on tursday…
TANK… u..and GOD BLEZZ.
*crowd goes wild, no real issues were discussed*
Here are four good reasons to
Here are four good reasons to vote yes for One Person One Vote on 18th July.
1. Ellio can't get elected in George Town; 2. Cline Glidden Jr can't get elected in West Bay; 3. Capt. Eugene Ebanks can't get elected in West Bay; and 4. John John "Sacred Vessel" can't get elected in Bodden Town !!!
The coat tail is reduced to a vest and not many can ride on a vest !!!!!!!
Chuckster please run for Bodden Town again.......we need you my brother !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Note: Under the OMOV with
Note: Under the OMOV with more electoral districts established, the minority will get MORE representation. I hear some saying the representation will be the same. That is false.
"He pointed to Singapore and
"He pointed to Singapore and Prince Edward Island as illustration of places which still have multiple-voting systems and accused the OMOV campaigners of misleading people about how common that type of voting is".
Poor Mac. Since 1996 PEI has had 27 single-member districts and is NOT an example of a multiple voting system. And he has to the nerve to talk about OMOV campaigners misleading others?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legislative_Assembly_of_Prince_Edward_Island
This idiot just wasted
This idiot just wasted 170,000.00$ in the last two months. Let's put him on a plane and ship him out!
Here is a funny thought
Here is a funny thought about the OMOV. I currently have the choice to vote for just one man...and in past elections I have made the choice to vote only for one candidate although I had the opportunity to vote for 3. In other elections I've even voted for candidates from opposing parties. ..did I waste my vote ...I don't think so. I just decided that of the choices I had 2 of the candidates were worth it...the other guy not so much.
It's a small island and of course I know the candidates in the other districts and i often felt that if i had a vote to cast or not cast that I would love to have an affect on that candidate success or failure....but I don't ...and instead hope that what I see the residents of that district see..but that is almost never the case....so many good people have been overlooked ,and some not so good people...they never seem to be able to get enough votes.
If you limit my choices even more and tell me that I only have to choose one candidate and I don't like or know that candidate I may choose to not vote at all....and maybe if i lived in one of those single member districts I would be one of those staying home on election day...cause I did not like the candidate....but what do I know ...I know that my point of view is just my own, and my span of influence limited.
The current system gives me more choices and the party system attempts to get me to see a side of the candidate in the other district that I might not have known and an opportunity to support that team....but I still won't vote for anyone I don't believe is right. (don't care who say's i should.)
I know that they are alot of good people running and serving in public office but I get very disappointed when they don't work together. So although I admitted mixing apples with oranges on election day and think some of the independents are smart people the real issue is unless they work together it just makes it harder to get the job done.
To tell you the truth I would love to cast a vote for each of the ministers....but then that would just be one individual opinion of 15 candidates....I'm telling you now ....I'm sure I would choose to not cast a few of those as well. Some willingly and other because I just don't know the candidate. ...Naw leave it the way it is.. I would hate to have to listen to 15 independent ministers debate...(no offense to any of the independents.)..just don't want the "tower of babel"... !
The only way we are going to get this right is by working together.
You have the CHOICE to vote
You have the CHOICE to vote for more than one but some do not have that choice....how could that be fair??? And all just because you rented a house down the road.
Unfortunately your own argument is highly flawed. Either give all Caymanians the right to vote 4 times or as OMOV is doing, give us all the right to only vote once.
My position is not flawed as
My position is not flawed as it accurately describes my (our) reality. To argue is it fair requires that we establish what is fair. To frame the argument as "you have more than one vote because you rented a house down the road" is incomplete.
The reality is that Districts that only have one vote for one candidate is suffiently represented. They should have no more representation because they are only a small portion of the entire population. In fact the problem with the current system is that small special interest groups want to have the same say as larger groups. (that's flawed)
Dividing up the entire country into "special interest" groups is stacking the deck for endless debate.
The reason for elected members is to serve the interest of the community, and we have 7 communities/districts the members of every district is represent sufficently. If a district grows then it is reasonable to have another member in the district. It is also reasonable for those members to have a say, beacause they live in that district.
It is fair that you have a say in your district, it is fair that if you belong to a larger district you have more representation. Why in the world would you not want to consolidate your interest into functional areas that represent reality..i.e. larger communities require more representation.
We are one people. Why would you decide to make it so we can all start fighting and debating over which 1/18 of the country get's what . ... At least now there is clear reason for it...."the greater good."
Under the current system I can influence my entire district and have a proportional impact on the country. That's fair.
OMOV is a step backward....but maybe that is the point.
Having OMOV does NOT mean a
Having OMOV does NOT mean a political party will not win elections. All it means is that all Caymanians have an EQUAL vote. A solid party will still win the elections. Just as happens worldwide
However it cannot be correct that some Caymanians have 4 votes and their across the street only have one. What is the difference? Would you feel the same way if you were living on the other side?
In all elections you will find some folks that you support and some that you will not vote for. OMOV does not impact that. All happens is that we all become equal in electing our legislative assembly. That's all.
If on the 18th some folks could vote 4 times for the referendum but you only once would you think that is correct??
Vote YES for a fairer system....one that will bring us all equal.
OMOV does NOT change the
OMOV does NOT change the representation of a district.
West Bay and George Town still will have 4 representatives. Bodden Town will still have 3 reps and Cayman Brac & Little Cayman will still have 2.
You are not getting less representation. In fact in the next elections GT & BT will actually increase their reps. These MLA's when they arrive at the LA represent ALL Caymanians not just their area.
Nothing changes with OMOV except the weak candidates cannot rely on a strong candidate to get them in--Our reps will improve in quality and capability and as a result will become more accountable to us.
OMOV Simply Put...... It
OMOV Simply Put......
It simply cannot be fair for one Caymanian on one side of the street to be able to vote 4 or 6 times but his neighbor literally across the road, 50 feet away, to only be able to vote 3 or four times, or even worst only 1 time. This happens now.
It should not be the case that where you decide to live in these islands is the reason that decides how many votes you have. This is not fair and certainly not equality. No one can counter that argument.
Next week we only have ONE VOTE in the referendum....why not give all folks in George Town & West Bay 4 votes and those in BT 3 votes?? Why not?? Because It simply is not democracy...forget all the other arguments and scare tactics you are hearing.
Vote YES for equality....vote YES to make all Caymanians the same.
Lets take a positve stance by
Lets take a positve stance by voting OMOV and remove such "grim reapers" from our LA and restore the value, respect and pride, both for the LA and for our future geneartions.
If you dont vote 'YES" for OMOV, its just as good as saying we accept being placed back into slavery, and being denied our rights to democracy / equality.
After-all, wasnt slavery abolished on the premises of liberty and equality (The French Revolution) !
Further, isnt a democratic society built on the premises of equal rights for ALL!
In addition, have we considered the impact of voting "NO" in relation to your Human Rights liberties?
Consequences are:- We certainly wont have the opportunity to write a blog without the fear of being imprisoned! We can certainly forget about having a fair trial in court if we ever needed one. We can certainly forget about freedom of speech in fear of being sued. We can certainly forget about marching down George Town or anywhere else as a matter of fact. We can certainly forget about Ezzard ever letting us know what's going on behind closed doors!!
Please take a few minutes to refresh your memory or learn for the first time!
http://www.constitution.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1961,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Women, not so long ago, you were NOT allowed to vote for many years. Do you want this Right taken back from you?
ALL the signs (not wonders) of being stripped of our Rights are right in front of our faces. The "grim reaper" doest give two sh*ts about anyone else besides himself, first & foremost, and then a few others that sanction his wrongs.
He's the civil servant and WE, the Electorate, are HIS master!!
Lets make him do what WE say AND what WE want by voting YES on Thurs July 18, 2012!
Can the WB people who vote
Can the WB people who vote for this man and his posse because they benefit personally please put the good of the nation ahead of their greed. Consider trusting that a fairly elected government and a well-run country would benefit everyone, including West Bayers, in even more and in bigger ways. They are running amok with everyone's money, and even if you are getting a little "piece" in your pocket, it's not worth the damage to our tiny country.
Well I tell unna wha rite, I
Well I tell unna wha rite, I gine out on 18 July, but I voting NO!!! We don't need "a split, we need unity!!
If unna wha ask me why...call me on VOTE NO!!
You call what we have now
You call what we have now unity? You mussi mad.
The UDP line on dividing
The UDP line on dividing cayman is really funny.....we should take that to it's natural conclusion and get rid of the district divisions also. When we do that then what?...would it be fair for the folks of the united cayman islands to have varying votes just because you live on one end or the other?
Yep...that " don't split us up" argument makes no sense does it?
McKeeva's house of cards is
McKeeva's house of cards is about to come crashing down. He has gambled our future on red and its come up black.
Ouch! Time to pay up.
I have to say that Mr. Bush
I have to say that Mr. Bush has done more for the poor, elderly and the average Caymanian than most. It seems to me that every time this country gets a political leader that looks out for the common person he comes under attack. The leaders who are extremely pro business are never accused of corruption or attacked in such a manner. Not that Mr. Bush is not pro corporate cayman, just that where he has come from seems to be the reason he is attacked rather than a reason to acknowledge just how much this great man has achieved. Caymanians are truly great at attacking their own, put better, as I once saw in a FB post, "Caymanians Eat Their Own."
So Mr. Bush, if you read this or one of your reporters sees this, please know their are some of us out here who appreciates your hard work and committment to this country and it's people.
Gob Bless You Sir.
OMOV has nothing to do with
OMOV has nothing to do with McKeeva. Nor Ezzard or UDP or PPM. it's about us the people getting together for equality. That is all. Please vote YES.
Very crucial and significant
Very crucial and significant that the one person one vote passes. Why? Because it will be a loud statement to the government that the people have the power to cause decisions to be made. It would champion the cause of democracy, and that representatives (MLA) are accountable to the people. For this sole reason is why I am voting for it. IF OMOV DON'T PASS THEN IT JUST REINFORCES GOVERNMENT THAT THEY CAN REPRESENT THE SPECIAL INTEREST WITHOUT WORRY OF THE PEOPLE OVERTURNING THEIR AGENDAS
Countries that have One man
Countries that have One man One Vote (OMOV) in Single Member Constituencies also have 2 houses of partliament. The Lower House is made up of elected representatives. The Upper House or Senate is made up of appointed members that are nominated by the Government and the opposition. The Cabinet Ministers can be taken from members of any/both Houses.
members of Both Houses are paid and often the Senate is almost the same size. This means that you will have a suignificant increase in cost.
There is good reason why you will not find a OMOV system in the Commonwealth Caribbean without the Bicam legislature or @ Houses of parliament. Anyone want to take a stab at answering that question?
One thing is for sure a vote for OMOV is also a vote for significant increase in costs of running government.
Every provincial legislative
Every provincial legislative assembly in Canada is unicameral and elected by one man one vote in single member constituencies.
In the Caribbean St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Vincent and Guyana have unicameral legislatures which are elected by one man one vote in single member constituencies.
Try again.
Not that is not for sure. That is simply an unsupported claim of the government.
BUT, they still have
BUT, they still have nominated members of their legislature who are NOT elected. I have no problem with OMOV and SMC, what i can tell you is that once we go that route, non-elected members of the Legislature or even a separate nominated Senate is the next change that will come.
Government costs will go up.
So what ? They are not a
So what ? They are not a second chamber which was the point being argued. In any event what does having non-elected members add that is necessary or desirable? Do you prefer less democracy? We used to have non-elected voting members in our legislature as well. Thankfully we moved on from that.
A bicameral system like the
A bicameral system like the two legislative houses under the U.S. federal system (House of Representatives and Senate), were instituted by the Founding Fathers as a check against majority rule. As to cost, I think most Caymanians already know that they are paying dearly for not having enough "representation." Either you want to pay the cost of having more representation or you want to pay the cost of having less representation. The crux of the matter is, the minority must have a voice in the legislature just like the majority for there to be more representation, and that is why the country must divided into more constituencies. If the one person one vote is implemented, it would at least break the power of the majority into 18 times and this would allow the minority of each constituency to have more representation. So in a way the 18 electoral constituencies consisting of the range of 900 to 1000 persons, solves the urgent need for having a bicameral system in place. Because that too, serves as a check against sole majority rule (at least for now until the population increases where you will need more representation). It all boils down to what "cost" at this time in our history, you are willing to pay for. I think we will pay dearly if we continue with this system. Change is always a good thing. Most people don’t like change, but without change how are we going to improve ourselves? Ellio Solomon's idea of having a national vote for all candidates would be a regression in our representation, it would entail a complete rule by the majority, cutting off the Sister Islands and people in the outer districts who would be in the minority. If we get a new change of the system, one person one vote, we have done well… if we get this change and adopt a bicameral legislature as well, we have done even better. Our democratic representation is more important than cost, and besides, there are other ways government can reduce cost. Yes, they know too well what they ought to do with their expenditures. Regards
D E S P E R A T I O N!
D E S P E R A T I O N!
Lib, that dart went right
Lib, that dart went right into the bulls eye! wait up im comin with ya
He said. “But we as a
He said. “But we as a government took a position to try and calm things down and have it earlier.
So early you could not even allow people time to register to vote? Vote YES and send these dishonest XXXX a clear message on 18 July.
It only a week or so before
It only a week or so before the vote and I had to work very hard to be able to vote about this issue. I know the reasons to leave the system as it is but not to change it.
I will vote no because there is no reason for me to vote yes. The OMOV issue has not been explained ( i mean it has, it just does not make sense.) and while the present system still results with me not agreeing with every thing it does allow me to participate in the process.
The change to OMOV does not make a fundamental difference. What are the benefits ? How exactly will it work ?
I've only been told how it may work (laws have to made, areas defined) and frankly I don't like it. It is hard enough to get the ministers to work together on campaigned issues..issues that the party promised to work on . It's only reasonable to assume that it will be harder with the "tower of Babel" method.
There is nothing wrong with Party polictics, any other method just gives the politican more of an opportunity to discuss and debate...AND WHILE THEY DO THAT NOTHING GETS DONE.
When a party wins it should be allowed to take the course of action it campaigned upon. It's been madness watching how the opposition refuses to participate. (for the last 20 + years ....before that I never cared)
We have a leader, let's follow him and when it not working let's vote him out the same way we have done from the time these islands were founded.
OPOV
The simple explanation why
The simple explanation why the OMOV is better for the people of Cayman is as follows. Under the present system Mr. Bush who is supported by a number of people in West Bay has over the years secured his seat along with three others. All who vote for Bush, vote for his fries or extension cords.
With OMOV he may still get his seat, but the other three will have to win without his votes. In addition when a candidate get's a seat in the LA, he will not owe Bush for any of his Votes.
Benifit for Cayman, Bush will not be able to dictate to that Member how to vote in the LA.
When last did Capt do any thing for Cayman other than support Bush? What has Cline done for Cayman other than support Bush.
Last but not least some people only vote for one or two Candidates on the ballot, and by doing so they affect the count and create a unfair situation. That can't happen with OMOV.
OMOV is not the silver bullet but it will get us better repersentattives, who will be HONEST and that will get us a more honest caring Government, and that will get the all the police investigations behind us.
To "One point of view"
To "One point of view" Wed,07/11/2012 15:32 You state that "when a party wins it should be allowed to take the course of action it campaigned upon".Are you then saying that UDP are following up on campaign promises when they are doing secret deals, and apparently firing Civil servants for doing their duty;and what about threatening to use Dart money to get Arden removed as the Mla for East End.I wonder if you would take this same approach with someone you hired to build a house:leave him to do the job he promised when the contract was signed ,even though it is quite obvious that he is not doing a good job and is not even following the plans you gave him .It is exactly this way of thinking that has helped put us in this mess.You also say that the opposition refuses to participate,but the truthis that the premier has refused to accept suggestions from any Mla outside his party ,(Remember when he referred to the opposition as the" bunch a dem"). One plus for the SMCs will be that we will now have 18 Advisory District councils instead of the present 6. That means that we will have 216 individuals advising our MLAs rather than 72;and remember these councils will be made up of people from within each constituency.Also these councillors are supposed to be chosen by the voters and not by the Parties as Mr Bush prefers.Another plus will be that long established communities like Savannah or Prospect will no longer have their MLA indentified as " the member from Bodden Town", or "the member from George Town" but rather they will be "the member from Savannah" and "the member from Prospect " respectively.This system could also be applied in West Bay where we already have established communities such as Boatswains Bay,Northwest Point,Mount Pleasant etc. I sincerely hope that you will reconsider your position and vote yes on 18th July.
I am not saying anything
I am not saying anything about the UDP tactics..you just did. I am saying that once we vote in candidates and they choose a leader, by majority or by default the others should support them. For the last couple of years it seems the campaigning has never stopped.
I know it's wrong to withhold my vote and I do it to hopefully effect the outcome of a election, but it definately wrong for a minister to withhold his support once he has been put in office.
He has higher calling an obligation to us and his position.
All the other slandering is just that, I have heard it about everyone. I want a higher standard for my mininsters.
Say what you will about any of them. The truth is the majority got their vote the right way, someone thought they would be good leader.
Someone believed in them and the fact that they got control is that we gave it them. So although my candidate is not the Primer he is still a leader.
Leaders Lead. I am not impressed when candidates I have supported and voted for just debate issues and moan because they can't have their way.
Now is the time for leadership, we beat up the primer for campaigning when he should be finding solutions. but I feel that way about the opposition all the time.
To cite your example :
If my house contractor had to deal with staff and partners that were tearing down every board and decision he made or put up I would fire him, and my house being the biggest investment of my lfe I would not feel kindly to his destructive helpers either....I might even try to change things as you suggested.
But a house is not a country, and governement officals not private contractors. I should have full say how my house is constructed but I hardly expect to to be able to "stop the work" on the country because I don't like the governement policy on sunday trading.
For Governements to work mininister not only have to make decisions but implement them....
I am tired of the
"tower of babel"
As for the multiple district councel..more TOB .
OMOV SIMPLY PUT.......... It
OMOV SIMPLY PUT..........
It cannot be fair for one Caymanian on one side of the street to be able to vote 4 or 6 times but his neighbour literally across the road, 50 feet away, to only be able to vote 3 or four times, or even worst only 1 time.
It should not be the case that where you decide to live in these islands is the reason that decides how many votes you have. This is not fair and certainly not equality. No one can counter that argument.
Vote YES for equality....vote YES to make all Caymanians the same.
IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
I wish I could thumbs up 1000
I wish I could thumbs up 1000 times. Well said.
Please reconsider your vote.
Please reconsider your vote. Please call one of the OMOV team and they will come by and discuss it with you personally, that is how committed they are. They are using their own time and money to get us OMOV.
How about the thinking that the current system is not democratic because some people get more votes than others?
Thank you.
The 4th graders I teach are
The 4th graders I teach are more mature than this.
The evidence suggests that
The evidence suggests that they may be more literate and numerate as well.
Well that's because the 4th
Well that's because the 4th graders have had more schooling, you see.
After deep thought on the
After deep thought on the matter, some of the areas that concern me the most about OMOV are as follows:
Under SMC I feel we will get less representation. For example, if one constituent has 1,000 voters, let’s say Candidate No. 1 receives 300 votes, Candidate No. 2 receives 250 votes, Candidate No. 3 receives 225 votes and Candidate No. 4 receives 225 also. Candidate No. 1 would win by obtaining more votes individually. However, the 700 voters (70 per cent) that did not vote for Candidate No. 1 are somewhat un-represented. The other concern is 100-200 of those voters that Candidate No. 1 got could potentially be family and close friends. Remember, a representative is supposed to represent the majority; however, how can you truly represent the majority if only a handful of people elected you? MMD promotes a more diverse roster of candidates; you will more than likely have someone within the bunch that can relate to your needs and concerns and therefore represent you. There is a good deal of evidence to suggest that women are less likely to be elected under a SMC regime. Why would we want a system that puts women at a disadvantage of being elected? Especially knowing that a group of women in Cayman stood for their right in the 40s and 50s and demanded that they be allowed to vote and stand for election in Cayman.
I have said several times before, the party system is not the problem, nor is MMD the problem with our politics. The solution is we must elect better persons, individuals with strong character, persons who really understand what it is to serve, representatives who understand what accountability is and have high moral and ethical standards, persons who are great role models both publicly and privately, giving our citizens role models to look up to and aspire to follow. Cayman does have such candidates, but many of those persons shy away from politics.
I truly feel there are genuine supporters of OMOV lobbying for its implementation; however, what concerns me and should also concern the people of the Cayman Islands the most, are those out there that are trying to push it through purely for political gain and their dislike for the current government and its leader, not taking into account the effects OMOV will have on the Cayman Islands financially and socially for years to come.
YUDP / President
Mr. Christian the example you
Mr. Christian the example you give under the SMC is no different from the reality of the 2009 election result in George Town, where Elio Solomon got less than 31% of the votes and he is elected as an MLA. Under the democratic system of elections, the person with the majority of votes wins an election and he represents all, even those 70% that did not vote for him, in your example. No democratic voting system will change that. Following your same example a woman could get elected with 300 votes, that seems to help women not hurt them. However your are inventing poor excuses, that I do not believe even you consider sensible. You need to stay away from Mac he has decided in his ever so smart mind, long ago, that SMC would stop him from getting elected. I think it is fair to say your concerns are not even valid. The promoters of the OMOV initiative are very professional and have conducted themselves much better than any other political group I have seen in Cayman. If they have a desire to seek public office, then you can rest assured they will be a lot better representatives, should they be elected, than many of those who are now representing us. Please vote YES as this will create equality FOR ELECTORS and Yes more accoutability for elected officials. Remeber your example above in a SMC, it will only take 300 people to get rid of a poor representative, unlike now, when it will take about 1000 or so, that means more accountability in itself.
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