Future politicians to tackle debate on Sunday trading
(CNS): While the current government has already decided not to introduce Sunday trading in the Cayman Islands as a result of opposition from significant sectors of the community, the next generation of potential leaders will be taking the subject on in the annual Youth Parliament next week. Part of the Commonwealth Day celebrations, the debates are organized by the Cayman Islands branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and give high school students the opportunity to act as members of the Legislative Assembly for a day.
As well as the Sunday Trading motion, the young would-be MLAs will debate a motion regarding mentoring programmes in the public high schools.
The Cayman Islands Branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society is also preparing a number of other activities to celebrate the day on Monday 9 March. Schools have been invited to participate in an Essay Competition with the this year’s theme, “A Young Commonwealth”, and the results will be announced in September 2015.
On Commonwealth Day, schools will host morning assemblies where they will view schools’ exhibitions, flag parades, or story telling with students dressing up as their counterparts from other countries of the Commonwealth.
A Commonwealth Day service will be held at the Saint George’s Anglican Church, at 4pm on Sunday, 8 March with uniformed groups and schools attending to participate in a display of the flags of the Commonwealth. The sermon will be delivered by the Rev. Tara Tyme-Campbell, Minister of the John Gray United Church, West Bay. The Choir of the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI), the UCCI ensemble and the violin ensemble from the primary schools will also perform.
There will also be a Garden Reception, during which the UCCI Steel Band will entertain guests. All are invited to attend the service, particularly nationals of Commonwealth member countries who are resident in or visiting the Cayman Islands.
Category: Local News
Yes, most churches opposed Sunday trading, but surprisingly so did a majority of the retail stores. The major players like Hurleys, Kirk Supermarket, Kirk Home Center, AL Thompson’s and others also opposed it, which is why government inevitably decided not to pass it.
I guess it’s not always about the “bottom line.”
We debated a motion for Sunday trading at the Second Youth Parliament that allowed workers to refuse to work Sundays. I recall being told by the opposition (in the shape of a young, then-UDP-affiliated person) that our motion had been “carefully worded” as if to give the appearance of making everybody happy, when in reality that would not be the outcome of introducing Sunday trading. Now I know, as a result of the Government’s refusal to implement what remains a popular, progressive proposal in many parts of society, that my friend opposite must have been speaking not just about the churches, but primarily the business community which is quite happy with the status quo, where there is no pressure on them to compete for business on Sunday, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of their success on Cayman’s traditional day of rest. I am sure they all went to Rum Point to celebrate the announcement.
However, the Government, Cayman’s merchant class, and its religious communities, should take heed of the fact that the new group of Youth Parliamentarians, representing as they do the tail end of my generation, surely well aware of the Government’s position, have chosen to turn the country’s attention to the issue again, and so soon after we were disappointed. Clearly, it is something that many people, including most young people, want, and it is only a matter of time before we are in a position to implement it.
In the meantime, we can all continue with stressful Saturdays and lunch hours rushing around to complete errands when this is supposed to be a Caribbean island, regular inconveniences on Sundays especially to the increasing number of stay-over tourists, lost business opportunities, lower GDP, fewer jobs, and numerous other considerations affecting thousands and the country/economy as a whole that have been deemed less important than the preferences of a few hundred (many of whom would be surprised to learn what some of the people who want Sunday trading earn, ie. more than their businesses, and how hard they work during the week, and how much they would like to be able to patronise those businesses, if only they would make themselves a little more approachable and agree to at least have the OPTION of opening on a Sunday).
Why is it only shopkeepers that are punished on a Sunday – every other type of business can choose whether to open or close. Give supermarkets the same options, some will choose to – and some will choose not to – like every other business in Cayman.
The interesting fact is that the they did not want the ability. Seems they think it will cost them more. Not sure why since they could take one or 1.5 hours off each regular day and put those hours into Sunday. This equals the same total opening hours. Staff could be given the choice of a day off (Saturday or Sunday). Or even a rota if too many persons opt to work.
Interesting fact, for our vehicles we can by gas, oil, tyres & get body work done, BUT we cannot by a vehicle from a dealer. Weird huh?
Were those “significant sectors of the community” the church by any chance? If so I am SMH as its already truly disgusting how Cayman’s political affairs are constantly interfered with by the church.