Will candidate affiliation affect your vote?

| 08/02/2017

(CNS Elections): So far, two parties have said that they will be fielding candidates in the May elections: the ruling Progressives (a.k.a. the PPM) and the Cayman Democratic Party (CDP), which was formerly the United Democratic Party (UDP). Two of the declared candidates have said that they are running as a group with other, as yet unnamed, candidates, while the rest are running as individuals and are not affiliated with any candidates in other districts.

On 8 November 2001, McKeeva Bush, a backbench MLA at the time, led a political coup to oust Kurt Tibbetts from the position of leader of government business. On the same day Bush formed the UDP, which, although politicians had grouped together in ‘teams’ before this, was the Cayman Islands’ first political party.

The People’s Progressive Movement, now also known as the Progressives, was founded in 2002. Since the formation of these two parties, there has been hot debate about whether political parties are good for the Cayman Islands or not.

The main arguments in favour of the country being run by a particular party is that this provides stability, especially immediately after an election because the leader of the party becomes the premier and selects his Cabinet, thus avoiding the ‘horse trading’ of the past, when newly elected MLAs jockeyed for positions in government, and deals that had nothing to do with the voters were struck behind closed doors.

In addition, party supporters say, the electorate can have more confidence that the person they are voting for will, if their party wins a majority in the Legislative Assembly, be better able to deliver on their promises. In contrast, independent candidates will have to work harder — and perhaps be unable — to find support in the House for their ideas.

However, some people think that MLAs who are members of a party are hamstrung by the collective goals and manifesto of that party, forced to support ideas that they do not necessarily believe in, which may be a hindrance rather than a boon to democracy.

So, what do you think? Are we now on an unstoppable path of party politics, or should the Cayman Islands return to the old way of selecting a Cabinet? Or does it ultimately make little difference?

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Comments (19)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Candidates who have a family. Candidates that don’t pretend they don’t have outside children. Candidates that actually take care of those outside children and are responsible for their mistakes. No matter how many of them out there.

    Candidates that actually raise their children to be responsible adults. Candidates that aren’t in the closet. Just come out already.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Despite a party affiliation we haven’t cared for, my wife and I might consider voting for Marco Archer or Wayne Panton if they ran in our district, simply because they have demonstrated professional competency and bravely voiced reasonable conscientious objection which broke from dino-party line. We look forward to seeing many more future-oriented declared independents in the weeks ahead. Good luck to anyone who dares to leap into the crab bucket!

  3. Anonymous says:

    1) UDP was not Cayman’s first political party. First in ‘recent politics’ maybe, but there was a party politics era predating the ream politics era.

    2) Your survey needs a choice of ‘party affiliation is but one thing I will take in to account’. Obviously it can’t be completely irrelevant (‘have no effect on my vote) because their affiliation (past, present, expected) tells me something about them. But that doesn’t mean its the most important thing to, or even a thing that preferentially influences, my vote.

    • Anonymous says:

      True. Wasn’t Ormond Panton the leader of the National Democratic Party….the first “official” political party in Cayman?

  4. Anonymous says:

    independents offer nothing but small minded, small town, backward thinking……

  5. Anonymous says:

    can we vote for uk direct rule?

  6. Anonymous says:

    Competency, accountability, and moral compass will mean more to our household than any party affiliation, by a long shot. We would spoil our ballot rather than voting for an imbecile, and would encourage others to do the same.

  7. Caymanian says:

    Any candidate affiliation to CDP for me is dead….with PPM I am skeptical and any other new party open…at least to hear what they have to say….

    My interest as many should have….

    1. Cost of living – What measures are you going to inject to lower the cost of living.

    2. Alternative Energy – Where do you stand and what measures are you driving? Incentives for electric vehicles. Incentives for recharge stations

    3. Entrepreneurial incentives – We need more Caymanians as business owners how do you propose making this happen?

    4. Business hire local talent – How do you encourage local businesses to hire local talent?

    5. Full Trade School – Not just trades as in construction but cooking, hospitality, Customer Service, etc – We need reestablish Caymanians as a viable hire.

    • Concerned Voter says:

      Good things to consider and I agree.

    • Anonymous says:

      6. Stating the obvious – Encourage those who mistake the obvious for insight to get the help they so badly need.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Independent for me, otherwise they are just puppets being controlled by the leaders of the party who might not even be in power.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Generally, I put not having convictions for serious offences quite highly on my list of things I look for in a candidate. Prior drug offences, particularly involving supply, for example, are a No, No.

    • Anonymous says:

      What about degenerate gambling and Protocol VIPing on the CIG credit card that we settle up every month? Or setting up a personal $10mln slush fund of public cash to be self-directed without scrutiny and to never have to account or answer for? How does that sit?

  10. Anonymous says:

    If they are in anyway past or presently associated with Mac they lost my vote regardless.

  11. Anonymous says:

    My main criteria is a successful individual. Both in their personal and business life. Talk show hosts don’t cut it for me