MPs intend to look at ways of supporting Caymanian ex-wives of seafarers and veterans who might miss out on financial support due to divorce.
The issue was highlighted in the 25 Sept. Finance Meeting when an extra $3.3 million in payments to seafarers and veterans was approved.
The Cayman Islands Government provides an ex-gratia benefit to retired Caymanian seafarers or their surviving spouse, in recognition of their contribution to the nation. The surviving spouse status refers to who was married to the seafarer at the time of death.
Divorcees are not eligible and if a surviving spouse, widow or eligible former spouse remarries, they will lose eligibility for the benefit which is currently worth a maximum of $1,500 a month.
Social Development Minister Isaac Rankine told the committee that the issue was “an age-old problem and it’s something that we’ll be taking a look at in the Ministry.”
Caymanian ex-wives
Independent MP Chris Saunders asked the committee, “What happens to the original Caymanian wives when basically the veteran or the seaman go take a new wife? What happened to the old Caymanian wife that has basically been with them? How are they treated?”
During the debate, Finance Minister Rolston Anglin said, “Is the committee minded to perhaps pass a resolution that new wives who were not wives when seamen were seamen do not get benefits? Is that where we’re heading?”
In response, former premier Juliana O’Connor Connolly said, “Perhaps it would be much more equitable from a female perspective if we made a resolution to ensure that the Caymanian women who stayed here, fanned mosquitoes, took care of the children and did everything else, that they don’t have to go hand in cap to social services but they have a more of an ex-gratia benefit?”
She said she was not prohibiting people going “wherever their heart may deem to take them” but also said it was “’grossly unfair” that Caymanian wives who built the home and raised the children and sometimes waited two years to see their husbands, were now going through real hardship because their husbands had remarried.
Dignity gap
“So perhaps it’s time that…we can look at those Caymanian women and see how we can best bridge the dignity gap.” She said, drawing support from the chamber.
Anglin cautioned that “any policy position we are to take is going to have a budgetary implication and I can say that we cannot have our cake and eat it too and nor can seamen.”
He added: “This committee, on behalf of its people, needs to decide which wife gets the benefit. Perhaps that needs to be something you all think about and pray about very hard and in future we come back in a formal setting as a Parliament and make a decision.”
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