Date: Monday, 24 March 2025
Candidates
- Haymond Rankin (Cayman Islands National Party)
- Chris Saunders * (Independent)
- Osbourne Bodden (The Caymanian Community Party)
*incumbent
The three-way contest for Bodden Town West turned into a contrast between the old and the new, with incumbent Chris Saunders pushing his experience in uncertain times and challenger Haymond Rankin stressing his fresh approach to politics. Meanwhile, former MP and minister Osbourne Bodden positioned himself as a “bridge” between the old Cayman and the modern financial services centre it is today.
Key issues
What national priorities would top your list in government?
The CINP’s Rankin highlighted his new broom credentials and singled out accountable leadership, education reform and the cost-of-living crisis as his three top priorities.
He said it was “unacceptable” that so many ministers landed in hot water over “conduct-related issues”, adding that “the laws of this country are not suggestions — they’re standards”.
Saunders, an independent who is defending the Bodden Town West seat in the three-way tussle, said quality of life was a major issue, including the cost of living, immigration reform and enforcement as well as healthcare and education. He added economic diversity was crucial as the number of financial services jobs had declined.
Bodden of TCCP said cost of living topped the bill for Caymanians and that traffic problems and education were also major concerns.
He added that working people were forced to balance paying the rent with “putting food on the table for the family” and that he backed an increase in the minimum wage, as well as tougher consumer protection legislation, the breaking up of monopolies in the power sector and increased use of renewable energy.
What could be done to cut the cost of living?
Saunders said that housing costs were a burden on the public and that variable rates on mortages were not sustainable.
He added he had brought a motion to Parliament, which was backed unanimously, to create a mechanism to deliver fixed-rate mortgages and “reverse mortgages” to assist seniors.
He added the cost of fuel was also a problem and that more work should be done to increase food security.
He also took a swipe at rival Bodden, who he said had complained about the cost of living, but made money out of selling Rubis fuel.
Saunders said, “Fuel is another issue we wanted to deal with. We set up a few committees to deal with it and the the irony about it is, when I sit down, I hear my good friend there … talk about fuel prices, but yet you make your money from selling fuel.”
He claimed that was “exactly what is wrong with Caymanian politics”.
He added a government discount store had been considered but had never got off the ground because of “special interests”.
Bodden hit back that his family had been in the fuel business for at least 60 years and he was entitled to make a living.
He added, “I don’t think I’m getting rich from selling fuel. You’ve got the wrong person there.
“The people that are making a lot of money from that are the people who sell fuel to us.”
Bodden added that about 90% of Caymanian imports came from the US.
He said, “We see what’s going on in the US right now with the tariffs and the chaos that’s going on in the US economy.”
Rankin added that Saunders was in government when negotiations with power provider CUC could have taken place if he had “said something, done something”, but that nothing had been done.
He highlighted there was a CUC monopoly on the distribution of energy, but that there was none on power generation.
He added, “One of the things that could have been done was fast-tracking the ability for individuals to put solar panels on their homes.
“But instead we’re bogged down with bureaucracy, red tape in order to simply put two panels on our roof to generate electricity to get our bills down.”
Transport solutions
The three candidates were also quizzed on what could be done to improve public transport in Cayman.
The Chamber of Commerce moderators said that public transport was a huge expense to the public purse elsewhere, but in Cayman the service was entirely in private hands.
Bodden said, “We need an efficient system of operation that is on time and we need to make sure we cover the Cayman Islands because I know for a fact a lot of these buses don’t go in some areas.”
He said that increased the number of cars on the roads and traffic problems.
Rankin said the government had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on transport reports that had only gathered dust.
He added, “We know what to do, so why not do it?
“Instead of investing in a master ground transportation plan, government in the past and in the present want to waste our money.”
Rankin said that the number of cars on the road had led to traffic jams and called for increased vehicle licence fees for work permit holders to discourage car ownership.
He insisted, “I would propose, in the short term, that we increase the vehicle licensing fees, for starters, to work permit holders to discourage the importation of vehicles.
“We need to start getting cars off the roads. I would also advocate for one car per household and they need to be purchased locally.”
He added a mandatory national school bus system for the private and public system should be set up in the medium term.
Rankin said that government offices should be relocated from George Town to cut traffic and boost areas such as Bodden Town.
But Saunders said police, prisons, education and hospitals were also major expenses for government.
He added, “These are things that the government needs to get into.”
Saunders said public transport troubles could only be tackled through a public-private partnership.
He added, “The government also need to be looking at moving some of their government services out of the George Town and into the eastern districts.
“The government need to start looking at public servants actually working from home, to some extent, and also encourage the private sector to do the same too in some situations where people can work from home.”
Resort development
The candidates were also asked where they stood on controversial plans to develop an upmarket Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Beach Bay.
Rankin said that he was in favour of sustainable development, but feared that “a large commercial building” would overwhelm the area and the beachfront.
He said, “From an environmental standpoint, I cannot agree with the project.”
Saunders said the project was approved before he was elected and that planning legislation had been changed to restrict the number of people who could object to a project, which had upset residents, “myself included”.
Bodden said the development had been “off and on, off and on” and that there was an environmental price to pay, even during the construction process.
He said there were benefits and that there would “be a certain amount of beautification” of the area.
Bodden added, “I would like to know, if there’s some arrangement for a certain degree of access for the people of Bodden Town West.
“I am hoping. I know right now that residents are not happy with the volume of traffic, but I’m hoping that as things go on that it will prove to me more of a benefit than a hindrance.”
Watch debate online
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