By Aleigha General
Three Members of Parliament and two candidates in April’s general election took part in a youth candidate forum on 19 Dec., offering young voters a chance to listen to and question them on issues they consider important.
Organised by members of the Alex Panton Foundation, Sustainable Cayman and other youth-driven entities, the event featured Deputy Premier Kenneth Bryan, MPs Sabrina Turner and André Ebanks, and new candidates Julie Hunter (West Bay West) and Jordan Rivers (West Bay North).
Hosted by Kristen Jackson and Soleil Parkinson, the forum featured six questions, starting with why each candidate was running and their qualifications for meeting their community’s needs.
Bryan referenced living a difficult life in his youth and wanting to alleviate those hardships for new generations. He, alongside Rivers, attributed his motivation to seeing the needs of Caymanians through community involvement and feeling responsible to be a voice for them.
The Caymanian people and the state of the family were a very common reason for pursuing politics, as candidates pointed to the brain drain due to limited succession planning for young people. This also touched on by Turner as well as Rivers, who also noted, along with Ebanks, that they were motivated by a sense of nostalgia and longing for social improvement. Both of the men discussed their experience of watching Cayman grow and being unsure if that change has been positive or negative.
The next five questions focused on environmentalism and balancing it with development; addressing traffic and public-transport concerns; addressing immediate mental health requirements for youth; prioritising Cayman’s culture and heritage; and addressing the cost-of-living crisis and income inequality.
Whilst each candidate had their own understanding of how these issues should be handled, one thing remained abundantly clear: The candidates were in favour of a balanced, research-based approach to making sure Cayman is growing in a way that sets future generations up for success.
Public-transport and traffic
Suggestions to make unlock Cayman’s full potential included developing a clear sustainable development plan, environmental impact assessments, regular revision and a unified plan of action. This issue went hand-in-hand with the discussion around public transport.
Ebanks and Turner viewed EIAs, public-private partnerships and adequate research as the key factors in a functioning public-transport system. Bryan felt the key to alleviating traffic was to decentralise the country’s activity and develop the eastern districts more to break up congestion whilst roads and bus systems are improved.
The concept of reducing the number of vehicles on the road via legislation was also presented by Hunter and Rivers which was reinforced by Turner’s position that all of these propositions require political drive and must move from the drawing board into reality.
Mental health
With regards to the mental health crisis young Caymanians are facing, all candidates recognised that the cause is the lack of economic and social stability that young people are contending with. In response to this, many suggested educational programmes, not just for young people but for their parents and loved ones as well, to facilitate a well-rounded support system for young Caymanians to fall back on.
Ebanks and Turner suggested more partnerships with organisations such as the Alex Panton Foundation and Inclusion Cayman to facilitate these learning sessions. Hunter also proposed partnering with local churches and youth groups to target the expertise of persons already working within the community at a grassroots level.
Bryan suggested implementing youth district councils to ensure their voices are heard. All five candidates agreed on the need to amend health insurance legislation to be more inclusive of mental health requirements, with Turner saying that would be a top priority should she return as health minister.
Cayman’s heritage
One of the most pertinent topics of the evening was how our potential legislators plan to protect, promote and raise awareness of Cayman’s heritage. There was a general sentiment that Cayman’s previous openness and eagerness to fuel the economy has diluted the identity of Caymanian heritage, with Rivers comparing Cayman to a ‘Little Miami’.
Ebanks, Turner and Hunter all spoke about their experiences seeing how other countries go to great lengths to display and respect their cultures, and expressed a longing for Cayman to adopt that same unabashed pride.
Bryan suggested implementing a mandatory course within both public and private schools with Rivers saying the best way to reaffirm the strength of Cayman’s heritage was to teach it to young Caymanian students. Turner said this shouldn’t stop at primary school (as it appears to now) but should be mandatory through the tertiary level, to maintain continuity and importance.
Cost of living and wage disparity
The final panel question focused on alleviating income inequality and reducing the cost of living. Rivers began the discussion by stating that governments are the reason for inflation and therefore the solution must also come from government. He expanded on this point, suggesting that Cayman must change its status as a consumer economy and find a way to strengthen its own people, reducing reliance on imports and outside influence.
Rivers also suggested implementing controls on supermarket prices. Turner and Ebanks built on this idea by suggesting Cayman needed to support local production as well as young Caymanians through improved employability.
Turner explained that this must be done whilst also holding retailers responsible to make space within the job market for these young people and to ensure fair market prices for goods.
She, along with Ebanks and Bryan, said they support accelerating renewable energy production and usage. Hunter suggested implementing a Better Business Bureau to monitor things such as minimum-wage implementation and planning, alongside public-private partnerships.
Bryan concluded by noting that managing the outputs of a country’s success is difficult when it is growing too rapidly. To combat this, the deputy premier suggested regulating housing costs balanced with more housing development outside of the central areas. He also discussed the importance of diversifying Cayman’s products and services so that the islands can experience prosperity in multiple industries.
In the question-and-answer session that followed, it became clear from what the audience asked that many young Caymanians are concerned about government spending, family and community ties, economic diversification, public consultation and employment opportunities for young creatives.
What came out of the candidates’ responses was that Cayman needs a more integrated approach to development and more transparency with everything government officials enact in legislation.
Young Caymanians made up the majority of those who attended the forum, illuminating that young people want to get involved with their local politics and often have questions before doing so.
This forum serves as a reminder to all candidates that young people are watching and listening but it is up to the candidates to engage them. All five candidates who attended expressed an interest in attending a second forum, saying that they were delighted to work with such dedicated and strong young Caymanians.
For more information on the forum, contact the Alex Panton Foundation Youth Ambassadors Programme on Instagram at youth.ambs.ky.
Aleigha General was the recipient of the Cayman Compass 2023 Journalism Scholarship.
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