EE, NS members want some changes
Both the citizens group that originally backed “one man, one vote” in the Cayman Islands and the territory’s largest business representative organization expressed cautious optimism Thursday for government’s proposal to implement a new voting system.
Independent MLAs Ezzard Miller and Arden McLean, who are the sole elected representatives in their respective districts, said they would support the proposal, if the government agreed to a few tweaks. First, Mr. McLean, the East End MLA, said he and Mr. Miller wished for a government motion seeking to implement single member voting districts to state specifically that there would be 18 members of the legislature, no more and no fewer. Second, the two members want government to set a deadline for the implementation of the new voting system as June 30, 2015.
“In the interest of fairness, if the government accepts the changes proposed, I will withdraw my [private members motion] on single-member districts and we can get on with putting this chapter of our history behind us,” Mr. McLean said.
Premier Alden McLaughlin announced Wednesday that his administration would seek to implement one man, one vote in the form of single-member constituencies by mid-2015, well ahead of the May 2017 general elections.
Mr. McLaughlin also said that all voting districts under the new system would send one representative each to the Legislative Assembly. There would be no “at large” constituencies and no special carve-outs for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which would be split into two voting districts, he confirmed.
He indicated Thursday that he was not initially inclined to accept the proposed changes to the government motion made by Mr. McLean and Mr. Miller.
“If they want to vote against the motion to introduce one elector, one vote and single member electoral districts, I guess that’s their constitutional right,” Mr. McLaughlin said.
Community response
“The government ought to be congratulated for finally addressing this matter,” said Chamber of Commerce President Johann Moxam, a member of the original one man, one vote committee that first pushed for a referendum on the subject in 2012. “From our perspective, half of the job is done.”
Former chairman of the one man, one vote committee Bo Miller was more blunt: “What the hell took so long?”
“The people spoke on this thing two years ago now,” Bo Miller said. “I’m thankful for [Mr. McLaughlin’s] decision, but I want there to be action. When it’s done I’ll celebrate.”
There are still a number of questions concerning what the eventual voting map in 2017 will look like. According to Mr. McLaughlin, one issue to be considered is whether Cayman will keep its current number of 18 representatives in the assembly, or seek to create an odd number of representatives to avoid a “hung parliament” following a future election.
This subject was a sore point for MLAs McLean and Miller.
“We do not believe that the country is in the financial position to support additional members of the Legislative Assembly,” Mr. McLean said. “Nor is it necessary at this time.”
Also unknown until the Electoral Boundary Commission completes its report is how equally each of the single-member districts on Grand Cayman might be drawn. If historical district lines are to be preserved, the smaller districts of East End and North Side would have roughly half as many voters as the largest districts in George Town. However, if all the districts are to contain roughly the same number of voters, the two smaller districts will probably have to be combined.
Cayman Brac has two constitutionally guaranteed representative seats in the legislature, regardless of how many voters actually reside there.
Ezzard Miller and Mr. McLean said they believed changing any of the historical district boundaries could be considered unconstitutional.
Mr. Moxam said the Chamber had not taken a position on all the technical issues, but noted that if government chooses to decrease the number of elected representatives from the current 18 to 17, the business advocacy group is likely to support that.
“The most important thing is that everyone is playing by the same rules and that the process is transparent and equal to all,” he said.
Bo Miller said the “devil would be in the detail” of the Electoral Boundary Commission’s map, which Mr. McLaughlin expects to be completed within three to four months of the commission’s being called by Governor Helen Kilpatrick. “But I’ll give [Mr. McLaughlin] kudos for following the wishes of the people,” he said.
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Sounds to me like Ezzard and Arden are worried about the security of their long standing positions. I wonder how well they would get along if they had to run against each other for the same seat if the two districts were combined.
One man, one vote is only of benefit, if it ensures that no political party is ever able to gain majority control of the house. All parties should be abolished under the new system. Representatives’ allegiances should be to the district they represent and the country as a whole. Party allegiance has contributed in large part to many of the country’s adverse situations, and I cannot understand why we still stubbornly cling to it.