Equating the dilution of culture to a watered-down swanky, Youth Parliamentarians on the government side argued that the Cayman Islands needs to implement stricter immigration rules — one of two motions debated at the 17th Youth Parliament sitting on Monday.
The young representatives sat in the House of Parliament on the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Commonwealth.
Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, who is also the chair of the Youth Parliament organising committee, noted that it is custom for the Youth Parliament to meet on Commonwealth Day.
“The Commonwealth Day theme is a fitting challenge for our future leaders as they consider what it means for their country to remain both resilient and united for the future generations to come,” she said.
The 24 delegates, ages 14 to 19, sat on either the government or opposition’s side to debate and vote on the two motions. Ebanks-Wilks commended all the members for their dedication to learning parliamentary procedure, developing their arguments, and building their leadership skills over the past five months.
Security vs diversity
Cayman Brac East Representative Sirichandana Batta first introduced a private members’ motion aiming to implement stricter immigration policies, particularly regarding those seeking permanent residency.
The 24 members of the Youth Parliament that met this week held a debate on immigration reform and national development. Those members include:
- Speaker Raldayne Thomas
Ministers of Cabinet
- Premier Jhenelle Colquhoon, Newlands, Minister of Finance & Economic Development, Education and District Administration & Lands
- Deputy Premier Jordan Mcdonald, George Town North, Minister of Financial Services & Commerce and Investment, Innovation & Social Development
- Angelo Reales, Red Bay, Minister of Tourism & Ports
- Johanah O’Connor, Bodden Town East, Minister of Health & Wellness, and Home Affairs
- Chloe Reid, Bodden Town West, Minister of Planning, Agriculture, Housing, Infrastructure, Transport & Development
- Chad Powell Jr., North Side, Minister of Border Control & Labour and Culture
- Jerrin Reynolds-Velasquez, West Bay North, Minister of Youth, Sports & Heritage
- Luana Slevin, George Town West, Minister of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency
Ex-Officio Members of Cabinet
- Deputy Governor Abygale Elliott, Ex-Officio Member Responsible for the Portfolio of the Civil Service
- Attorney General Lorlie Bryan, Ex-Officio Member Responsible for the Portfolio of Legal Affairs
Government Backbench
- Sirichandana Batta, Cayman Brac East
- Aylani Morris- Seymour, West Bay Central
- Dimitri Hurlston, Cayman Brac West & Little Cayman
Opposition
- Leader of the Opposition Keira Bodden, Prospect
- Deputy Leader of the Opposition Rosie Dijkhuizen, West Bay South
- Amaya Ebanks, George Town Central
- Terrisha Walker, George Town East
- Brianna Greene, East End
- Garson Gardiner, Savannah
- Alison Owens, West Bay West
- Anabella Hayden, George Town South
Parliamentary Officers
- Clerk Tyler Woolaver
- Serjeant-at-Arms Isaiah Whittaker
Youth Parliament members, including Premier Jhenelle Colquhoon, argued that more rigid regulation would increase the quality of people coming to live and work in the Cayman Islands and help ensure Cayman Islands culture remains strong.
They proposed new measures, such as requiring those who apply for residency to score higher on mandatory tests of their knowledge of Caymanian history.
Colquhoon and others also touched on the issue of national security, advocating for biometric screening of people moving to the islands.
“This motion is not about being anti-expatriate,” she said. “It is pro-Caymanian. It is our responsibility as a government, as an opposition and as a parliament that we cater to the people of our islands and maintain a safe and sustainable Cayman Islands.”
Opposition members did not support the motion for a multitude of reasons, particularly that overly strict regulations could mean losing good-quality members of the workforce. They shared their concern that this move would only increase division in the community, rather than celebrating diversity.
The majority voted in favour of the motion, despite many no votes from the opposition.
‘Shockingly outdated’ plan
Next up, Opposition Leader Keira Bodden — participating for her fourth and final year — moved a motion to update the “shockingly outdated” National Development Plan created in 1997. The plan is supposed to be reviewed every five years but has not successfully been updated since then.
“What does the government have planned for our future?” Bodden asked while gesturing to her peers. “What are the plans for the next 10 to 15 years?”
As a representative from Cayman Brac, she also shared her disappointment with the Sister Islands’ “extremely limited representation” in current plans.
She said the Cayman Islands needs a plan to support a strong business sector in the long term, and account for the recent population boom, a 70% increase since the last plan passed.
Deputy Opposition Leader Rosie Dijkhuizen particularly advocated for the revitalisation of a growing George Town, envisioning a more walkable, mixed-use zone that builds up rather than out and includes more housing to reduce traffic congestion.
Hand in hand with infrastructure development is the development of businesses.
West Bay West representative Alison Owens, member of the opposition, said, “All of us, in one way or another, rely heavily on business, and if we do not plan to preserve it, we would allow our economy to become vulnerable and insufficient, and our island stagnant and exploited.”
Rival plan
The Youth Parliament premier agreed a new plan is needed, but disagreed that the government wasn’t doing enough, presenting a draft plan to be tabled that afternoon, which was based on community surveys. She said they recognised the need to address the rising cost of living, limited affordable housing, upgraded public transportation, zoning requirements and other issues.
“This plan has been curated based on the voices of our people, and not our own conscience,” YP Minister of Planning Chloe Reid said, criticising the opposition’s plan for focusing more on the economy than social needs.
The government also highlighted the need for development balanced by strong land protections, with Minister of Youth, Sports and Heritage Jerrin Reynolds-Velazquez saying, “As the value of our land skyrockets, we’ve seen our traditional homes bulldozed, erased from the landscape.”
Members also criticised the opposition for not sufficiently highlighting environmental protection among development plans, which Owens and other opposition members refuted.
Overall, the government said its aim is “not just development, but a nurturing and enriching evolution that honours our island’s identity and empowers its inhabitants,” government backbencher Dimitri Hurlston said.
In her wrap-up, the opposition leader stated her side’s willingness to work with the government on a cohesive, viable plan. However, the majority voted the motion down 10-8. Every government member, apart from North Side representative Chad Powell, Jr. voted no; every opposition member voted in favour, except the absent George Town Central representative Amaya Ebanks.
Having a voice
Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly said at the opening of the Youth Parliament that she was proud of the young participants’ contributions to national discourse, and she applauded them for seeking adequate, relevant, accessible, affordable solutions to the nation’s issues by participating.
“It provides an opportunity for you to embrace belief in yourself, no one else, that your voice may rise in this honourable chamber and beyond these granite walls,” she said.
She said members were listening to the arguments keenly to help inform their own debates.
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