After years of asking, pleading, negotiating and threatening, the Cayman Musicians and Entertainers Association finally got what it wanted: an agreement from all of the local radio stations to play locally produced music.
The last holdout on an agreement, dms Broadcasting, has now agreed to sign the Memorandum of Understanding that details a minimum level of local radio play.
Some might be surprised that dms agreed to sign the MOU, especially since its owner Don Seymour said he would take the matter all the way to the Privy Council if the government tried to force him to play local music at a specified frequency.
Based on the rhetoric coming from both sides of the argument, it was hard to imaging dms wilfully agreeing to sign the MOU.
So why the drastic change of heart?
Mr. Seymour said it came down to the approach Minister of Communications Arden McLean took in the matter.
While the heated war of words raged over the MOU and on the issue of suitable radio content, Mr. McLean remained measured in his response, even though some of his government colleagues chose to emotionally enter the fray.
Mr. McLean remained circumspect in his remarks and said he wanted to meet with Mr. Seymour to discuss the matter.
Two weeks ago, Mr. McLean did in fact meet with Mr. Seymour, and instead of simply threatening to force dms Broadcasting to accept what he wanted them to accept, he took another approach: he asked Mr. Seymour nicely to do it for the country.
This approach is something Mr. McLean uses in many of his government dealings. Some may recall last year when the National Roads Authority tried to widen a road in Savannah which would result in the loss of part of a homeowner’s front yard. The subsequent uproar caused the NRA to abandon the project temporarily.
Yet this year, the NRA was able to complete the project with no problems. Why? Because Mr. McLean went and asked the homeowner nicely to agree, explaining why it was for the good of the country.
This type of governance recalls the ways of a bygone era, when politicians did their job with humility and in partnership with their constituents, instead of trying to just force their decisions down their throats. As Mary Poppins might say, a spoonful of sugar does indeed help the medicine go down.
We commend Mr. McLean for his human approach in resolving an issue that has been stewing for years, and suggest he might serve as a good example for all of his government colleagues.
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