In the blue corner, a challenger intent on bobbing and weaving its way to the top, and in the red corner, a veteran battler determined to retake the crown.
The blue-green teal-clad Caymanian Community Party (TCCP) was first into the ring with its launch at the historic Pedro St James in Savannah on Saturday, but the red-shirted People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) wasn’t far behind.
Both promised to deliver knockout blows designed to tackle the cost of living crisis, the lack of affordable homes and immigration reform.
The two parties also pledged to protect Caymanian culture and heritage, help people into worthwhile employment and protect the country’s strong financial services sector.
Joey Hew, the leader of the PPM, walked to the podium to the sound of the Rocky III theme, “Eye of the Tiger”, to galvanise supporters for the 30 April general election.
The party, with the election slogan “Proven stable leadership”, emphasised continuity, where TCCP led with a claim of new blood, tempered by candidates with experience in government.
Hew told the crowd at Compass Green in George Town, where he will contest George Town North, that his party was rooted in “service, integrity and the power of the people of the Cayman Islands”.
He added, “Whether in government or opposition, we have remained steadfast.”
Hew said, “As a party, we deliver. We create opportunities. We understand our success as a nation did not come easily.
“It came through the hard work of generations before us, but we cannot rest on past achievements to secure our future. We must roll up our sleeves and work to ensure that Cayman continues to flourish in years to come.”
Hew said a PPM administration would “build an economy where business thrives, because a strong economy means jobs and a strong future for our children”.
He also promised his party would create “a modern and sustainable” Cayman through investment in infrastructure, build a proper public transport system and deliver affordable healthcare.
Hew said, “Cayman is more than an economy. We are a community … your representatives will ensure we live in a Cayman where everyone has a fair shot at success, where people are healthy and our culture is celebrated.”
TCCP used the great lawn of the historic home as the backdrop for their launch under the banner “Enough is enough”.
André Ebanks, leader of TCCP and a minister in the last government before resigning in protest, said he was pleased by the enthusiasm for the new party, particularly among young people.
He told the crowd, “I’m filled with joy and positive emotion to see the sea of teal that is covering Pedro St James tonight.
“To think of a party that’s three months old … and to garner this level of attendance and love means that we have touched a nerve in the country that means enough is enough.”
He said the party had picked the venue because it was “the birthplace of democracy in this country”.
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Ebanks said Cayman was “at a crossroads” and to get the country back on track needed “integrity, leadership, respect, teamwork and commitment”.
He added, “People are finding it harder and harder to afford to live in their own country. People are losing hope in the overall government.
“Young people feel it’s better to stay overseas rather than bring their talents home, because they can’t get on to the property ladder. Our culture is fading and our identity is being eroded.”
He accused “the red team” of having unity, but questioned whether they had united to “help all Caymanians in the country or benefit a special interest few”.
Ebanks said, “With our vision, every child must access a world-class education in their own neighbourhood, every family can afford a home in the community that we can help them build.
“Every small business, medium business entrepreneur can start a business in their own country with less red tape and we have to ensure that every senior can retire with dignity.”
He added that his ambition was for Cayman to have “a modern, balanced and shared prosperity” that bridged “development with environmental stewardship”, as well as new industries.
He said other parties were made up of Caymanians, too, and meant well, but that his team had “a balance of international and domestic experience … coupled with fresh ideas and youth and, on International Women’s Day, a beautiful gender balance – five for five”.
Highlighting that launch day was also International Women’s Day, both parties promoted their women’s rights credentials.
The PPM trumpeted that five of its 13 candidates were women.
TCCP’s Emily DeCou, at 31 the youngest member of Ebanks team, earlier said her party was keen to promote the young and women.
The George Town East candidate said, “I am confident. I think Cayman is ready for change.”
She said TCCP had “a clear vision and is justice driven with strong ethics, which really spoke to me as a young person”.
DeCou said she had changed direction to become a sustainability consultant after a decade in the financial services industry. She said she knows “how things work properly”.
Crystal Gomez Wilson, the PPM candidate in Prospect, told the crowd in George Town, “I believe in a Cayman where no one has to choose between paying bills and putting food on the table, and where the young can have a piece of the country.”
Kenneth Bryan, the PPM deputy leader and George Town Central candidate, said the party would release its manifesto at Compass Green on 5 April and the public would be able to see how “we’re going make Cayman the best country in the world”.
Bryan said he joined the last government, made up of people with “different political ideas”, in 2021 because he hoped it would work.
But he added, “While we tried our absolute best, the reality is our government was pulling in many different directions and we could not function appropriately.”
He told the gathering, “You deserve better and we are the best way forward for the Cayman Islands.”
The Cayman Islands National Party, founded by Dan Scott, a former partner at professional services firm EY, was launched in January.
The party, which has a confirmed slate of 12 candidates, has a series of district meetings planned ahead of its own party rally on March 22.
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