cayman compassWest Bay West George Town North George Town West George Town South George Town East George Town Central Red Bay Prospect Newlands Savannah Bodden Town West West Bay South West Bay North West Bay Central st yWest Ba West West Bay Electoral district West Bay North First Assembly of God Church Hall 100 Finch Drive, West Bay West Bay West Sir John A Cumber Primary School 36 Fountain Rd, West Bay West Bay Central The Church of God at West Bay - Church Hall 108 Capt. Reginald Parsons Drive, West Bay West Bay South John Gray Memorial United Church Hall 26 West Church Street, West Bay George Town North George Town Primary School, 179 School Rd, George Town George Town Central Constitution Hall (George Town - Town Hall) 43 Fort St, George Town George Town West Cayman Prep School, 242 Smith Road, George Town George Town South John Gray High School (Formerly GHHS) 73 Academy Way, George Town George Town East First Baptist Church Hall, 920A Crewe Rd, George Town Red Bay Red Bay Primary School, 271 Shamrock Rd, George Town illl iil The Church of God at West Bay - Church Hall ilill il iill(ll) l il(l) iill il 2 FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 2021 ELECTION SUPPLEMENTBodden Town East North Side East End Cayman Brac West & Little Cayman Cayman Brac East Prospect Prospect Primary School, 169 Poindexter Rd, George Town Savannah Joanna Clarke (Savannah) Primary School 1659 Shamrock Rd, Bodden Town Newlands International College of the Cayman Islands 595 Hirst Rd, Bodden Town Bodden Town West Agricultural Grounds Pavilion, 199 Lottery Rd, Bodden Town Bodden Town East Theoline McCoy (Bodden Town) Primary School 64 Condor Rd, Bodden Town North Side Craddock Ebanks Civic Centre, 923 North Side Rd East End William Allen McLaughlin Civic Centre 80 John McLean Drive Cayman Brac West & Little Cayman West End Primary School 10 Cotton Tree Bay Rd, Cayman Brac East Creek Primary School, 28 Student Drive, Cayman Brac West End Primary School polling places FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 2021 3 ELECTION SUPPLEMENTRESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky With the 14 April general election now mere days away, keen political observers like Livingston Smith are taking the public’s pulse on who may likely lead the next government. “I believe this is the most intriguing election and, like all elections, very consequential,” Smith told the Cayman Compass recently, as he discussed emerging trends in the run-up to the election. The question on the minds of many: Will the Progressives come out on top, or will there be a shift towards favouring independents? Smith believes the race, as it stands is tight, but the Roy McTaggart-led Progressives may have an edge over the competition. “The PPM is starting out with a bloc of eight candidates and four closely aligned [to the Progressives]. But there is obviously more to this alignment, given that MPs Captain Eugene [Ebanks] and Mr. McKeeva Bush were willing to work with the PPM,” he said, adding, other independent candidates have also signalled in their own way that they are willing to work with the largest bloc of winning candidates “within some conditions”. “From my estimation, the above scenario is the likely outcome,” Smith, professor of social sciences at the University College of the Cayman Islands, told the Compass via email. He said from the Progressives bloc of eight, “they are likely to pick up at least six, maybe even seven” seats. “From the four closely aligned, I would say at least two. This gives them nine already. Irrespective of the outcomes in West Bay, the PPM is likely to benefit,” he said. With the exception of North Side incumbent Ezzard Miller, who is running on his People’s Party ticket, Smith said all the other candidates are campaigning as independents. However, Smith said it is unclear to him who are the leadership contenders among those candidates. “I am not locating with any certainty who might emerge as the leader among them, if for example, they all won their seats. The key persons would be Mr. Arden McLean and Mr. Wayne Panton, depending on how the elections actually turn out. The ‘team’ of Mr. Panton, Mr. Osbourne Bodden and Ms. Heather Bodden, is interesting, and we will know the results soon,” he said. Outside of those candidates, he said, there remains the team of Chris Saunders, Bernie Bush, Arden McLean, Kenneth Bryan and Malcolm Eden as the other political force. “We could assume that Mr. Miller is likely to join this group. At the end of the process, irrespective of the outcome, it will be crucial not only to have a good government, but also an effective opposition,” he argued. After the 2017 elections, there was no clear majority to form a government. As a result, the Progressives teamed up with West ELECTION TRENDS: Progressives ‘may have an edge’ 4 West Bay West: Will be keenly watched to see the outcome of the ‘tussle’ between Mario Ebanks and veteran politician McKeeva Bush. “One should bear in mind that Mr. Bush won by 429 votes in the 2017 elections,” he said. 5 George Town North: The contest between incumbent Joey Hew and Johann Moxam “is interesting,” Smith said. Hew, deputy leader of the Progressives, received 402 votes in the 2017 election. The closest contestant then was Pearlina McGaw-Lumsden, with 268 votes, he said. 6 George Town South: In the last election, Barbara Conolly edged out Mike Adam by 68 votes – 375 to 307. “The other three candidates all received fewer than 100 votes each. With there being only two candidates this time around, it will be interesting to see how the figures turn out,” he said. 7 Prospect: To see if Austin Harris retains his seat against Michael Myles and Sabrina Turner. In 2017 Harris defeated Lucille Seymour by 137 votes. 8 Bodden Town West: In the 2017 election, incumbent Chris Saunders received 380 votes, followed by Maxine Bodden, who received 306, Stafford Berry with 217 and Gilbert McLean with 187. “Now with only two candidates, one representing the PPM, it should be interesting to see how the votes tally in the end,” he said. 9 Savannah: In the last election, incumbent Anthony Eden received 446 votes to Heather Bodden’s 357. “It will be interesting to see how Mr. Eden’s son [Malcolm] does in the constituency, if loyalty to Mr. Eden will be transferred over to him,” Smith said. 10 Newlands: In the last election, Alva Suckoo beat then incumbent Wayne Panton, by 15 votes. In this year’s race, Smith will be watching “to see the outcome this time, especially given Suckoo’s alignment with the PPM.” 11 North Side: In the last election, Ezzard Miller received 201 votes, followed by Johany ‘Jay’ Ebanks who got 179 votes. “Now Mr. Ebanks is back, along with two others including Justin Ebanks who also ran the last time and received 75 votes.” 12 East End: Arden McLean won this constituency by 26 votes in 2017. “Isaac Rankine is back [along with new candidate McCleary Frederick”], which makes this seat one to watch, Smith said. SMITH’S SEATS TO WATCH 1 West Bay Central: To see how Katherine Ebanks-Wilks does this time against Captain Eugene Ebanks. In the 2017 election, she lost by a vote count of 435 to 342. 2 West Bay North: To see if Rolston Anglin will be able to unseat Bernie Bush given the seemingly changing dynamics in West Bay. “We should bear in mind that in the 2017 election, Mr. Bernie Bush received 436 votes, followed by Mr. Mervyn Smith, who got 269,” he said. 3 West Bay South: It will be interesting to see which of the two candidates will win, he said. The incumbent Tara Rivers, who is not running for re- election this year, defeated John Jefferson by 118 votes in 2017. Political analyst Livingston Smith 4 FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 2021 ELECTION SUPPLEMENTMalcolm’s passion for his country and bettering the circumstances of his people are the key factors in his decision to run for office. Malcolm has worked in both the Public Sector (The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority) and in the Private Sector, as Founder and Managing Director of The Audiophile Group. He is an active member in the community, including Past President of The Clifton Hunter High School PTA, Past President of The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman and he has many years of dedicated service. Malcolm has a background in Management and Finance and has represented Cayman in various capacities for Financial Services, Rotary and Business Development over the past 25 years. Malcolm holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Manchester (UK) and a Bachelor of Science in Management and Accounting from The University of the West Indies (Jamaica). MALCOLM ANTHONY EDEN VOTE NO #2 CONTACT DETAILS Facebook & Instagram: @SavannahMP2021 Phone or WhatsApp: 923-5538 Discover why Malcolm is our best candidate. • TRUSTWORTHY • FAMILY ORIENTED • • SELF-MOTIVATED • RESULTS FOCUSED • • COMMUNITY MINDED • RELIABLE • Innovative Leadership THIS AD PAID FOR BY MALCOLM ANTHONY EDEN. FOR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE ELECTORAL DISTRICT OF SAVANNAH YOUR INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE Bay MPs McKeeva Bush, Eugene Ebanks, Bernie Bush and Tara Rivers, along with Bodden Town East’s Dwayne Seymour and Prospect’s Austin Harris. As part of post-election horse trading, McKeeva Bush also sought to strike a deal with the MPs who would later form the opposition bench led by Miller. In 2019, McLean replaced Miller as leader of the opposition. Smith also pointed to the small number of female candidates in this month’s race, saying it was an important issue that must be rectified and seen as important. “Only ten of the fifty candidates in the upcoming elections are women. This should be of concern, I believe,” he said. “ The low percentage of women in parliaments is a Caribbean and global issue. In the Caribbean, 22% of ministerial portfolios/cabinet positions in the Anglophone Caribbean are held by women and across the region women generally do not hold more than 30% of elected positions except for Guyana which has a legislated quota of one-third of the number of political party nominees must be women.” Political parties, or whatever the designation used, he said, must lead the way in changing this situation. “It is political parties that identify, train and support candidates for office. Political parties must support women who show the interest and determination to run for office, it’s crucial,” he said. Key election issues McKeeva Bush, who was named House Speaker in 2017, has featured heavily on the campaign trail after his trouble with the law, calls for his removal and Premier Alden McLaughlin’s eventual calling of early elections this year. However, Smith believes the knock-on effect of the West Bay West incumbent’s legal issues won’t be felt until after the election rather than on the hustings. “This has been voiced in different ways in various political meetings. I believe we will know after the elections how it has played out in terms of the effect on voting in West Bay, especially in West Bay West, West Bay Central and West Bay North,” he said. Bush has been arrested twice during his tenure. The first instance was in Miami when he was arrested for allegedly inappropriately touching a female casino worker; no charges were filed in that case. He was also arrested last year after an altercation at Coral Beach Bar. He was subsequently convicted on three assault charges and handed a suspended sentence. Apart from this matter, Smith said, other key issues on the campaign trail have been people-centred. “Not surprisingly, the key issues have to do with the economy and the cost of living, how Caymanians are faring generally, management of the COVID crisis and timetable for reopening the borders, educational levels, transportation, among others,” he said. Smith said there are many seats to keep an eye on in the upcoming polls, like West Bay South and Savannah, both of which do not have incumbents seeking reelection. However, he believes the close margins of victory in 2017 makes this election all the more interesting. The Progressives alliance on the campaign trail. FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 2021 5 ELECTION SUPPLEMENTMission head: “We are fully independent, fully impartial.” RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered many of our normal day-to-day behaviours, from travel to social interaction. Now, it has also changed how the democratic process will unfold on election day. This 14 April there will be no international observer mission on the ground, as has been the norm for general elections. Instead, a domestic team has been charged with the task of monitoring the conduct of local polls, a mandate which Head of Mission Hadleigh Roberts said the team is ready to execute. “We’re only concerned with results in terms of the fair, transparent and prompt announcement of the results. The domestic election observer team has had a rigorous process through which we were vetted,” Roberts said in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass. A recent article posted by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) pointed out that some observer missions have adopted “more innovative strategies in response to the pandemic and instead chose to operate virtually and to collaborate more with domestic observers”. The International IDEA also pointed out that between 21 Feb. 2020 to 28 March 2021 “at least 78 countries and territories across the globe have decided to postpone national and subnational elections due to COVID-19, out of which at least 41 countries and territories have decided to postpone national elections and referendums.” Cayman, which is an enviable position with its COVID-19 management, did not have to consider this as an option. Mixed team selected Typically, elections are observed by an international mission from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK. However, this time around, a domestic observer team was selected due to travel restrictions here and in the UK. Roberts said the public can be assured the electoral process will not be inhibited in any way and, although it is a domestic mission, there will be input from an international team of officials. “Well, no doubt it’s a little bit unusual given the global pandemic, but I think what it shows is a reasonable set of resilience and the determination to carry on with democracy as normal. So, when it comes to having a domestic observation team, don’t forget there will be international observers through the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association who will be working more virtually,” he said. The nine-member team was appointed on 29 March and consists of five members selected by Governor Martyn Roper, together with two nominees from Premier Alden McLaughlin and two from Opposition Leader Arden McLean. In the past, observer missions have given Cayman’s general elections high marks and Roberts said he does not expect any different. “Cayman, by all accounts, is a very mature and stable democracy. So that means that our observation team has quite a lot of leeway to set quite high expectations. It means that there are certain things we’re likely to look at in more detail and certain things we don’t need to worry about,” Roberts said. Specifically, Roberts says the team is examining the effectiveness and impartiality of the election administration, the political environment, the media landscape, how complaints and appeals are handled and many other election-related questions. Roberts, like Governor Roper, welcomed input from those within the community who came forward to volunteer to serve on the mission. “What it shows is that people in Cayman, residents and permanent residents and Caymanians themselves, are able to come together and we’re able to set out a programme to make sure we are just an extra level of scrutiny to the election process,” he said. Roberts, who has personally worked in at least 30 elections across 10 different countries, said the domestic observer team Domestic election observers begin mission “The team is 100% impartial. We are being given the resources that we need, in time. We are not subject to any interference from any body of government or any organisation in the islands.” Hadleigh Roberts , head of domestic observers mission REACH OUT TO THE TEAM DIRECTLY AT ELECTIONOBSERVATIONKY@ GMAIL.COM. Cayman's domestic observer mission with government officials and the selection committee. – 6 FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 2021brings together a good mix of professionals. “I do have probably the most experience from the team when it comes to election observation and the running of elections, but we’ve got a very talented team of lawyers, bankers, professions from all across the Island so I am very confident that we have an excellent team,” he said. Impartiality is key Roberts said the mission has already started its work and will be on the ground observing the campaigning. They are also liaising with the CPA as part of their training. The team, which was vetted by a committee headed by deputy governor Franz Manderson, also signed their terms of reference upon appointment. These terms outline the relative roles and responsibilities of the government and the observers. “What we are trying to do is a fairly ambitious programme, where we’re condensing and combining long-term observation, which is to say the campaign before Election Day and the administration after Election Day in tandem with the very important, crucial some might say, Election Day itself. We’re trying to do both to some extent so that we can have a bit of an overview,” Roberts said. Roberts acknowledged that there may be concerns in some quarters about a domestic observer team; he stated there is no need for worry. “The one message that I would like to get across is first of all, that the team is 100% impartial. We are being given the resources that we need, in time. We are not subject to any interference from any body of government or any organisation in the islands. And finally, I repeat this so often we’re all about process. It’s just process,” he said. The team has established an office at the Government Administration Building. • Hadleigh Roberts (head of mission) • Dr. Sidney Ebanks • Mark W. Hilton • Margott Lares-Alfonzo • Colford Scott • Ian Whan Tong • Olivaire Watler • Andrea Ruth Williams • Trecate Yong Domestic observer team: BOOTH 1BOOTH 2BOOTH 3BOOTH 4 VOTING BOOTH Candidates, agents, observers Presiding Officer Entrance to Polling Station Entrance to Polling Division Field officer Exit Polling Station BACK to Presiding Officer and Ballot Box Exit Exit Polling Clerks Return to Field Officer (if necessary) 2 3 4 5 1 6 7 8 9 10 ENTRANCE TO POLLING DIVISION Check voters list in advance to know where your assigned polling division is, because you will not be allowed to vote anywhere else. Polling divisions are assigned according to your home address. FIELD OFFICER Inside the polling division, stop at the field officer's table for directions to your polling station, which is assigned according to the first letter of your last name. If you are carrying a cellphone, camera or any electronic device, give it to the field officer because you MAY NOT have it inside the voting area. You will receive a claim check and may collect your item after voting. Better still, you may choose to leave such items at home. ENTRANCE TO POLLING STATION If there is a line of people waiting to vote at your station, please wait until a polling clerk calls you forward. POLLING CLERKS The polling clerks will ask your name, address and occupation. You will save time if you present your elector registration card. If you do not have one, carry your driver's licence, passport or some form of photo identification. PRESIDING OFFICER The presiding officer will give you your ballot after he has folded stamped and initialled it and explained that you may vote for one candidate of your choice. VOTING BOOTH Proceed to one of the voting booths and mark your ballot, Refold the ballot as it was given to you so that the way you voted is not visible. BACK TO PRESIDING OFFICER AND BALLOT BOX Return to the presiding officer to check that your ballot is the same one you were given. The officer will return it to you to drop in the ballot box. EXIT POLLING STATION Leave the polling station by following posted signs. You may see people sitting around, but they will be candidates or agents or observers authorised by the supervisor of elections to watch proceedings. RETURN TO FIELD OFFICER (IF NECESSARY) If you left a cellphone, camera or other electronic device with the field officer, collect it. EXIT POLLING DIVISION 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 31 2 7 ELECTION SUPPLEMENT FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 20218 ELECTION SUPPLEMENT FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 2021 X 1. BODDEN, Heather IND SAVANNAH 1. BODDEN, Osbourne ‘Ossie’ BODDEN TOWN EAST Community CreatesCountry EDUCATION Government has put so much money into education. Yet we are still failing to achieve satisfactory student attainment levels. We are failing our kids more than they are failing their exams. Education is the key to greater opportunity and success for Caymanians in the workforce and life in general. Therefore, we need to view education as a priority for ourselves, our children and the future generation and work together to increase the quality of learning that our public schools are providing. ✓ Provide more support overall for teachers but also performance-manage them, rewarding those who are achieving good results ✓ Establish an accredited trade school in Cayman so that we can start producing our own masons, carpenters, electricians and plumbers etc. once again instead of importing people to do these well-paying jobs ✓ Identify students as academically gifted or more vocationally inclined from the primary school level, and then steer them in the direction of success as defined by their recognised abilities and talents. Employ more guidance counsellors at both the primary and high school levels to facilitate this process ✓ Test vocationally gifted students differently from academically proficient students in order to reduce the number of so called “failures” in the education system and exam results, and the subsequent emotional and mental effects ✓ Offer more Technical, Vocational & Education Training (TVET) opportunities for students ✓ Meet with educators, students, parents and education department officials to better understand the challenges faced by each stakeholder ✓ Conduct a comprehensive investigation into how education funds are actually being allocated ✓ Provide more training for teachers in every school to enable them to recognise students with special education needs and put the necessary resources in place to assist those students with their additional learning needs. Students should not be able to advance until they are given the support they need to successfully navigate the next academic year EMPLOYMENT Cayman is growing and thriving. Yet Caymanians are being left behind. Too many of our young people are finding it difficult or impossible to get jobs even after gaining the required qualifications. However, every day we are importing more and more persons on work permits. There is something fundamentally wrong with this picture, especially since in most cases it is not specialist high-experience jobs being advertised, but graduate entry level positions that our young people are not being hired for. ✓ Reassess which jobs can be held by non-Caymanians and mandate that certain occupations are held by Caymanians only (e.g. real estate) ✓ Ensure that secondary and tertiary level students, both locally and overseas, are connected to WORC to increase their chances of securing a job once their studies are completed. The Scholarship Secretariat should provide WORC with information on returning students and WORC should be communicating with these students about available positions once they return home ✓ Employ stricter enforcement of the Immigration Law and deliver stiffer penalties for non-compliance ✓ Enforce the minimum wage requirement ✓ Encourage more engagement between public and private sector to ascertain what jobs are in demand and ensure that education and training opportunities follow the evolving trends ECONOMY Before the COVID-19 pandemic the Cayman Islands economy was doing well. The question is: WHO is benefitting from this economic development? Are you and your family barely surviving or are you thriving? Are you prospering? The economy needs to work for everyone, not a select few. The middle class continues to shrink as more Caymanians move closer to the working or lower class. This is not acceptable in a country that is arguably one of the most prosperous in the world. ✓ Improve efficiency of construction which will result in lower costs in building houses or renting properties ✓ Increase minimum wage from CI$6 to at least CI$ 9 ✓ Limit land ownership by mandating that owners must build on their land within a set timeframe or the land is returned to the market ✓ Establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund, a Government-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity fund or hedge funds and consider taking equity stakes in projects that are seeking Government concessions ✓ Overhaul the current pension scheme to make it fit for purpose ✓ Eliminate duties on certain products that are necessary (e.g. baby items, paper products, feminine hygiene products) ✓ Slow down the over development of the island. Properly evaluate the overall development and use data and public input to modernise our Development Plan so that it reflects the wishes of the people ✓ Implement a concessions policy which allows for a proper assessment of value for money ✓ Grant more concessions to smaller businesses Our Vision for Community and Country “Building a strong, united country through small but significant acts of 9 ELECTION SUPPLEMENT FRIDAY, 9 APRIL 2021 X IND X 3. PANTON, G. Wayne IND OWN EAST NEWLANDS untry – QUALITY OF LIFE Using GDP per capita as a measurement of prosperity does not accurately reflect what the majority of the Cayman population feels as it relates to satisfaction with our overall quality of life. It also conceals the persistent and worsening problem of income inequality. Issues such as health, education, employment, the environment, personal security, work-life balance and traffic all contribute to our perception of whether we are leading happy prosperous lives and enjoying a high standard of living. In addition, the ability for Caymanians to accumulate wealth through housing and land ownership should be a factor in calculating the success of the country. ✓ Use other methods, in addition to the usual metrics, to measure the perception of success. These methods would offer a better sense of the quality of life as perceived by residents like you and me. An example is the Shared Prosperity Index (SPI) which suggests that a prosperous society is one where everyone has the opportunity to take part and share in the generated wealth and benefits of a modern economy. The SPI scores the country based on eight dimensions: income and wealth, socio-economic wellbeing, health, education, employment, housing, safety and security and general equality. ✓ Develop policies and initiatives that are aimed at achieving desired outcomes including better income equality which contributes to a better quality of life for all citizens ✓ Revamp and restart the Government Guaranteed Home Assisted Mortgage Programme, which previously guaranteed up to 35% of the mortgage for Caymanians buying their first home up to a value of $200,000 ✓ Empower the National Housing Development Trust to increase the number of affordable homes throughout the island, and encourage private developers to work with Government to offer better options for Caymanians ✓ Revise the Government stamp duty waiver for first-time Caymanian land and/or homeowners to remove the current restrictions on qualifying property price ✓ Reduce the traffic problem (especially in the eastern districts) by mandating staggered work and school hours, establishing a fit-for-purpose, reliable public transport system and reducing the number of imported vehicles ✓ Consider prohibiting work permit holders from importing vehicles until they have been resident on the island at least three years ✓ Establish a commission to review the current geographic distribution of the Cayman Islands Government entity to make an informed determination on which departments can be relocated outside of George Town in a cost-effective manner (e.g. Public Works Department, National Roads Authority, Needs Assessment Unit) ✓ Reassess who can legally purchase vehicles (e.g. work permit holders) and introduce measures such as targeted bans, quotas, and escalating annual fees (with exemptions for special purpose vehicles) to disincentivise private vehicle ownership ✓ Regulate and enforce the auto industry ensuring that only licensed car dealerships are permitted to import and sell vehicles ✓ Develop more green spaces with recreational facilities throughout the island where families can gather ENVIRONMENT We have a system that still does not regard environmental issues as important to our success as a country and our wellbeing as citizens of this country. Some people believe that the environment is disposable. They do not understand that there is no real, sustainable tourism product without a protected environment. We cannot label Cayman as successful without an environment that supports an enjoyable quality of life. A balanced, holistic approach across all of Government is needed to achieve this. ✓ Full implementation of the National Conservation Law which gives the National Conservation Council the ability to make objective recommendations on the application of the Environmental Protection Fund ✓ Build a composting facility in each district ✓ Mandate that the National Conservation Council is properly appointed and active at all times to ensure balanced representation is given as it relates to the environmental impact on new proposed developments ✓ Develop and apply cross-ministry policies to address climate change resiliency ✓ Give more incentives and concessions to individuals and organisations that want to employ green technology, including electrification of our public transport system ✓ Prioritise the full implementation of the National Energy Policy and the relevant renewable energy targets in an environmentally sustainable way ✓ Expand garbage collection services to include recyclables and supply residents with the appropriate equipment to participate in the recycling programme ✓ Mandate that environmental studies is part of the school curriculum ✓ Implement an effective drainage system for developments in low lying areas around the island HEALTHCARE AND THE ELDERLY Over 20% of Cayman’s population is above the age of 55 and almost half of that number is over 65 years old. Many of these individuals lead active lives and continue to contribute to community and country. Sadly, many of these seniors cannot access or afford health insurance. This is another serious quality of life issue. They took care of us and now it is our obligation and honour to take care of them. ✓ Move to a system of national insurance so that the risk is spread among more people ✓ Revamp CINICO so that seniors are able to qualify for and afford insurance coverage ✓ Provide resources that ensure our elderly population have access to activities that engage their minds and bodies such as Adult Day Care Centres ✓ Introduce a bus service for the elderly in every community to take them to medical appointments and other locations such as grocery stores and pharmacies ✓ Ensure that insurance providers guarantee coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions ✓ Engage the elderly within the school system for activities such as storytelling and lessons in life skills cant acts of community spirit” •www.vote4community.ky VOTE 14 APRILNext >