Governor backs full petition ‘do-over’
(CNS): As concern mounts that the decision to verify every signature and effectively redo the entire petition for a people-initiated referendum on the port, Governor Martyn Roper has given his backing to the process. But campaigners behind the initiative, who say there is no legal basis for this ‘do-over’, are worried that it is an attempt by government to intimidate those who have signed into changing their mind.
However, the governor said the process to check all 5,289 names would “provide clear and unambiguous proof that the signatures on the petition are valid”.
The petitioners wrote to the governor on Wednesday asking him to confirm the basis on which Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell had been directed by Cabinet to get each and every person who has signed the petition to sign another form to verify their support of the petition face-to-face with an election official.
They also raised concerns about the possibility that the elections supervisor will be cutting off the collection of more signatures, among other issues. The concern that Cabinet has directed the need for 100% face-to-face verification with a re-sign, rather than a random sampling supported by a cross-check with the existing voters register, has called the integrity of the process into question, the petitioners said.
Even though the supervisor of elections has said clearly that he had been told by Cabinet he must verify every single name in person, the governor denied that the political arm of government was directly involved.
“I can assure everyone that Cabinet has no role whatsoever in the verification process, which remains the sole responsibility of Mr Howell, who reports to me and in whom I have full confidence,” Roper said in a statement Thursday in response to the mounting concerns.
“This is the first time in Cayman’s history that we have been on the verge of a people-initiated referendum. We need to ensure that we get the process right. There can be no shortcuts to democracy. To provide clear and unambiguous proof that the signatures on the petition are valid will provide a solid base for what will follow and help to protect the process from any potential legal challenge in the future.”
Roper said the process would be carried out as quickly as possible and the Elections Office would try to make it as easy for everyone to verify their signatures as possible. He said Howell would take independent decisions based on appropriate legal advice and would also have access to advice from the UK’s Electoral Commission going forward.
“My office and I will help to oversee the process and ensure there is no interference in the important task that Mr Howell is undertaking. We now need to let him get on with the task and respect his independence,” the governor added.
But the campaigners are very worried that finding everyone will be extremely difficult and having a government official make them re-sign will undermine the democratic process rather than support it, as the governor has suggested. They point out that the introduction of a form for signatories to re-sign was not raised before the campaigners handed over the petition and it is not set out as a requirement in the constitution.
The main concern is that while the activists, themselves, have tried throughout the process to verify that everyone who signed was a qualified voter, given the time of year and the fact that people move, the Elections Office will not be able to track every single person down. If so, they are worried about the basis that those names could be rejected, especially if they can be cross-checked against the Elections Office’s own records.
In the absence of guiding legislation, campaigners are concerned that government will do whatever it can to derail the effort, and despite being presented with some 5,300 legitimate signatures of voters, the referendum could be stopped because government has been able to make up the verification rules.
The involvement of government saw the opposition also cry foul yesterday as they issued a press release asking why the verification directions for the Elections Office could come from Cabinet when Howell said at a recent public meeting that the elected government would not be involved until it was time to set the question and the date.
Alva Suckoo (NEW), the deputy opposition leader, questioned the motives of the PPM-led government. He asked how Premier Alden McLaughlin, who not so long ago fought side by side with him and others campaigning for a referendum on ‘one man, one vote’, could take the position he had. At the time, Suckoo said, McLaughlin had accused McKeeva Bush, the then premier, of manipulating that process.
“Now it is quite sad to see McLaughlin desperately using the same tactics he so vehemently protested a few short years ago,” Suckoo added.
However, Chris Saunders (BTW) said he was not surprised and the premier’s recent refusal to say that the CI$210 million cruise port project was a matter of national importance, an important definition for a people’s vote, should have prepared Caymanians for what to expect.
“I wish this PPM-led government would invest more time in trying to reduce the cost of living and improving the quality of life for the Caymanian people as opposed to continuing to pander to the special interest groups,” he said.
Category: Local News
Secret bureaucracy, it’s just a lie
The devil’s henchmen, in suit and tie
A sacred brotherhood, an ancient rite
Politicians and the double lives they hide
Violate your rights, no more equality
Surrender freedom, your Social Security
We the people face unconstitutional lies
In greed we trust, in revolution we die
roper the joker…
good observation
There is nothing on the elections.ky website in regards to this…where and when can we go to affirm our signature? What is the official deadline date for verification? Can additional family members and friends continue to add their signatures until that date? Can we scan our Electors Cards to both elections office and CPR emails, so there is a digital receipt?
CNS: Some of your questions are answered in the latest article. Elections Office urges petitioners to come on in
I don’t trust either side as far as I can throw them, you see their sizes. Nuff said. When an election is over it means voting stops. Why is the CPR still collecting signatures? That in itself casts doubt on the process in my opinion. It’s like trying to continue in the hopes that what was not already achieved, will be achiever per adventure. If you can’t play by a single set of rules, why then must you expect the other side should? Lets agree on one set of rules and get this thing over and done with all the bickering. We all want what’s best for where we call home. We are just not going about it in the correct way as we all believe our way is the right way.
Why shouldn’t they keep collecting signatures? Now that people are seeing the true behavior of the leading party and there cronies, they want to sign up because they realize that this port is for the special interest’s and our elected representatives are trying to shove it down our throats.
On behalf of CPR, we thank Governor Roper for his statement re: the verification process and his assurances that there will be no political interference from the Cabinet.
We understand there must be a verification process. Our concerns about the proposed process are well documented as there is no relevant referendum law to regulate this historic moment in Cayman. CPR has offered solutions to assist the verification process to Governor Roper to help speed up that process.
CPR believes in a fair and objective verification process that will guarantee Registered Voters the opportunity to have their voices heard on this matter of national importance. We will not be deterred despite the arrogance displayed and efforts made to deny voters their chance to engage in participatory democracy.
We strongly believe in and have the support of over 25% of Registered Voters that signed the petition who also believe in the principles of participatory democracy, accountability, transparency and good governance.
Naming a preferred bidder is only part of the process as negotiations with CIG must commence and there are several steps in that process confirmed by the National Procurement Office on 26/9/19
Those next steps include the following:
1. Updated EIA,
2. EIA goes out to Public Consultation,
3. Updated Business Case (including cost of Environmental mitigation)
4. Back to Cabinet for a final decision
Before any final contract is signed as per the comments of the Minister of Tourism and National Procurement Office.
All well and good, except it’s not up to a handful of activists to decide on what the process will be.
Sharing information or options that are used in other jurisdictions that will help to satisfy a thorough verification process when there are no established local laws seems reasonable
No just a handful of corrupt politicians right?
You elected them
@6.22am Just the Cabinet made up of local elected members
Thanks for the clarification Mr. Moxam
Johann, you are breezing-over some critical fundamental questions:
How can an EIA get updated without first publicly establishing what the proposed layout is? If anyone read the initial Baird report in 2015, it cautioned that (much shallower water) pilings may not hold in the cavernous limestone rock, so we would hope a geological survey would be ordered as part of a comprehensive EIA. They won’t be drilling/blasting into solid granite bedrock here, and we’re proposing pilings way deeper than any modern human endeavour, exposed to all-season blue water forces – within the heart of the tropical Caribbean hurricane belt, at the junction of tectonic plates and mere miles from an associated abyssal submarine trench. Will we trust this Cabinet to put any structural competency or standard into the grade of rebar and concrete to be poured (ie. will zinc-plate and/or type V sulfate resistance be a criteria), or are they just going to sign up to the cheapest stink bid not appreciating the difference? At the end of the day, forgetting the long list of pragmatic non-environmental “appropriateness” and “engineering” concerns, we still need to acknowledge that the promised ships don’t even exist and aren’t on the order book. Home ports for ships destined for Eastern Caribbean haven’t yet been completed in Texas and Florida. What then are the reasons to restrict our fairweather 7-8 ships a day down to just 4, without a transition plan, and how does that add passenger head count or revenue (esp when any port developer will get to clawback passenger fees for a quarter century or more)? We have a lot more than 4 questions, and depending on the answers, probably begetting another round of further queries – and only once there is some semblance of public transparency, consultation, and full enactment of SIPL Law.
I agree but those questions and points you raised need to addressed by the elected government who seem reluctant to answer basic questions on the CBF much less share detailed information on the project or points you raised.
The question has always been why?
Referendum or no referendum, the information you seek will remain privileged. Get that through your thick skull.
But why is it privileged? If a similar type of port project was to take place in U.K., Canada or U.S. one can be certain that by now all of this so called “privileged information” would be public by now.
If everything is above board, there is no reason all the information should still be kept secret.
That’s why something smells very bad.
What are you worried about 1:15? Are you afraid of the Caymanian public getting the basic facts on the largest capital project in the history of the Cayman Islands?
I suspect you have your own conflict of interest with this project.
Sad!!! And we call this ‘Democracy’!!!
I believe in a true democratic society, the voters should have a vote on not only WHO is elected but also on major national issues/expenditures are proposed.
Just my view
First of all, we need to get it out of our heads that Governors are protectors of the people and that they will step in when the people we elect start doing things that we disapprove of. The individuals we are getting nowadays as Governors are simply British civil servants who have never been in the role of challenging politicians. Duncan Taylor was an exception in that he had been High Commissioner to the Eastern Caribbean and had had the authority to deal with political heads in those islands with some authority. He was willing and able to challenge McKeeva on his China Harbour shenanigan and stop him. Not Stuart Jack, Helen Useless or Martin Watchinmyownass. So we’re on our own. Roper is NOT going to jeopardise his almost $300,000 per year income, all expenses paid while living on 7-mile Beach and being driven around in a Jaguar for our well-being, okay!
Unless our elected officials start to threaten the UK’s interests, we just have to suck it up and take it. The worst-case scenario for us on this project is that we will end up paying for years for a white elephant at the expense of other things that we should be doing. Guess what – the UK couldn’t care less. The weaker we make ourselves is the easier it will be for them to impose whatever requirements they want to impose.
The moral of this situation is that we have to stop electing morons who don’t have our interest at heart. McKeeva and Alden have had 10 years to put a referendum law in place. Have they done so? No, because they realise that they would be empowering us to put a check on them. Alden has had 5 years to bring the Standards for Public Life law into effect. Has he done so? No, because the people who he truly serves don’t want it.
So suck it up folks and resolve to get invested. If you want to change these islands, you have to do all you can to rid us of the likes of McKeeva, Alden, Moses, Julianna, Roy, Tara, Dwayne, Joey, Austin, Barbara and David. None of them should ever be elected again! The one thing this experience has taught us is that there are people – young ones at that – who have a genuine interest in the well-being of Cayman! They’ve worked their tails off, and they’re not getting paid or standing to benefit financially. Cayman needs more of those and less of the big salary politicians like McKeeva who sucks in a salary and pension as well.
The UK, and the G7, would love to see us take on a massive default risk that ultimately imposes direct taxation here, and underscores that our tax-neutral system of governance was corrupt and failed. “Go ahead guys, knock yourselves out” is the prevailing attitude from FCO on almost everything to do with CIG’s order of business.
BINGO!
No, Mother in London does not want to have to handle the default. With BREXIT they have enough problems financially already and don’t need to add to them with a massive default here.
easy solution…
pick 50 names on the petition randomnly and see if there are issues with verification….
Thats what they do in developed countries but god forbid Cayman follows any worldwide practices. The only following our govt does is jumping into deals with world reknown criminals and copying development to look super rich and attract wealth!!!
6.28am that’s what they do for opinion polls. Not sure that’s the way verify signatures
Or simply verify signatures against their digital database of signature samples and validate it that way, just like a bank clears a signed cheque. They should only need to query those few signatures that may not perfectly match their digital record.
To 9.37am Not sure what database of signatures you are talking about. The only database that the electons office would have is for voters who have obtained a voters card. Infortunately quite a large number of voters do not have a voters card.
What a gawping, hapless, useless governor we have. There is no picture he won’t smile for no matter how important the subject matter, where he is or who he is with. Give us Duncan, hell give us Jack. Even Dinwiddy had a more robust form of uselessness. This one is irredeemably weak and clearly here as a long-term, all-expenses paid tourist. He won’t even stand up straight. As the UK has declined so have its standards for itself and us, clearly. A decade ago, none of this would be tolerated. Where did good governance and the recognition that the UK had to make sure we had it go?
They can find u for dury duty easily but this is a prblem.oh please.
I went down to the Elections office and filled out the form to say that I signed the petition.It took all of five minutes of my lunch hour. I encourage everyone to do this especially if you are going on vacation this summer. If they come to your house and knock and you are not there, you officially cannot be verified..and this is what the Governor and Cabinet is hoping will happen…
Unless your office is in the same building, I call bullshit on 5 minutes. You’re usually doing well to find a parking space in that time
It is one of the top 5 slowest elevators on the island.
And if a voter is off island???
So what happens when we have the general election..Will they need to verify every signature again??
7.05pm No signature required if you show up in person with your voters card or passport.
The way things are going now, there ain’t going to be any vote!
7:05pm, not the same thing numbnut.
General Elections are not run by the same set of characters that run CPR!
The difference is there is an Elections law for General Elections to guide that process.
There is no Referendum law to direct the People’s Initiated Referendum process. One must conclude that this is a deliberate action by the Cabinet whom failed to draft the bills and regulation to aid the Elections Office in preparation for Cayman’s fir PIR.
The Cabinet had over nine months to consider the issues as they knew there was a real possibility that volunteers would reach the 25% threshold outlined by s.70 of the Constitution 2009. It is clear based on their collective actions the elected government do not support the people having a voice and participatory democracy rights enshrined in the Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009.
7.35am You can conclude anything you want it is still your opinion and nothing else.An opinion by the way not based on fact.You also failed to point out that in those same 9 mths CPR with all its brilliant young minds, including lawyers in its leadership, failed to make any preparations or suggestions for the way forward. One could conclude that they did this intentionally to later use it as a propoganda tool against the Cabinet.
@at 5:13 am Your mother didn’t love you and called you numbnut? Why do you keep calling names?
He calls names because he is a Trump supporter and follows the ways of his hero. When you don’t have solutions just call people names.
The Governor stated that the verification process to check all 5,289 names would “provide clear and unambiguous proof that the signatures on the petition are valid”.. What is the Cruise Port Referendum leadership afraid of? Well they say they are afraid that some signers of the petition might not be found. Why wouldn’t they be found ? If they can’t be found for verification purposes how will they be found for voting purposes if/when the referendum takes place? What is amusing about this whole matter is that while CPR is constantly telling us that they don’t trust Government they are now suggesting that we trust CPR . Really? What makes the leadership of CPR believe that they would be trusted absolutely. While I may believe in the need for a referendum,I don’t trust the CPR leaders anymore than I do Government…everyone has his/her own agenda. I say let the verification proceed and the quicker the better. once 5289 (or more) signatures are confirmed then the referendum will be triggered.
The government isn’t starting an extensive search where persons will be left notes or called if you aren’t there
They will stop by one time, knock once, cross your name off the list and move on
There is no precedence in the law for discounting signatures simply because you stopped by their address one time in the middle of the day and they weren’t there
This is clear and purposeful subversion of the democratic process
Uh they’re afraid that all the Elections Office has to do is be unable to find maybe 200 people in the middle of summer. I myself have moved from the address I registered from. Now after already finding somewhere to sign the petition, I have to fill out a form so they can bother me at my actual home, AND sign another form! This is political, democratic theft. The current government is quite literally taking our votes and voices away from us. They won’t let the LA sit, they won’t take 5,500 signatures for an answer, they don’t hold briefings unless it’s to announce their latest mafia scheme. I supported the last government and I was happy to see Alden, someone with basic statecraft abilities, heading up this government. At the next election, no matter how much I like the candidate in my district, I will not vote for this party. They have been corrupted absolutely by power in no time at all. Time to start over with the next lot, and I don’t mean the opposition.
8.47pm Did you bother to advise the elections office. If you don’t then thats your fault. Not only could you miss a chance to have your signature verified for this referendum but it could cause you problems when turning up to vote in future referendums or elections. To avoid that here is what you do.. go to the elections office and sign the form and at the same time give them your change of address.
8.47pm You stated “they won’t take 5,500 signatures for an answer, ” which is misleading. What Cabinet is asking is for the Constitution to be followed ie give us 5289 (25%) signatures of registered voters.It would be really stupid and reckless for Cabinet to accept a petition with 5500 or even 10,000 signatures without knowing if any of them are of registered Caymanian voters. I would hope that even you would be against such madness.
If you dont register a change of address within 6 months, you can be struck off. Best not to wait until a referendum to do so.
Talking time is over – now is time for ACTION Cayman.
March demonstration tomorrow.
Meet at GT TOWN HALL BUILDING.
11 AM FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2019
Bring your own Delorean.
not if it is raining or sunny….or above 85….
and you must provide refreshments…
Will gays be welcome?
Yes.
5:12 how I know you will be there what’s your name?
You will see me.
Join us.
Stopped by, didn’t see you.
What does England have against an honest vote? The lack of interest in an honest vote for the referendum is very hard to understand. Is this what England really wants? Why would they let our “leaders” override the wishes of the people? Do they receive some sort of compensation for letting the Cayman leadership ignore the wishes of the people? Perhaps it would be better to sever ties with England and then get rid of the illegal activities ourselves!
@Stanley: I wonder about that too. Can they not see that the politicians in government of the Cayman Islands are stopping the people from voting?….. and their selected Governor is letting it happen? Whatever happened to “Good Government” that is spoken of so frequently?
Roper is like a Kid in a Candy Store. He is so happy to be here staying on SMB all expense paid 3 year vacation. That is the job of governors that come here. Worthless the lot of them.
Just remember that the Governor takes his orders from London. His level of independence is limited. Mother will move when the financial irregularities related to port funding are revealed and CHEC is officially involved.
CHEC involvement in the port project will certainly result in action by London as London has voted at the World Bank, in the past, against CHEC for reasons related to corruption.
And so we got a cruise dock.
Next
Better yet we get a communist government controlled company (CHEC) to set up shop here in Cayman. Thanks leaders!
I find the objection to verification of names on the list to be bizarre. The whole issue of the port development and the potential for a referendum is a strong emotional issue for many different groups – for and against. It’s actually in the interest of those seeking a referendum for it to be seen as it being legitimate and verification does that. If the elections office doesn’t go through with verification and we then find out later that a large number of signatures were not from electors it would completely delegitimize the referendum initiative. This is new territory for Cayman and I am happy that the elections office is taking its time and being thorough to make sure that the list presented is accurate. We are lucky to live in a place where we can do that and understand whether the threshold for a referendum has been achieved.
To poster at 3.59 Maybe all the agitation by certain leaders of CPR is not really to initiate a referendum. Maybe some of them want to stir up voters against the present Govt and then present themselves as an alternative.
Everyone talks about transparency and fairness this is what it’s all about, these books were all over the island any John Doe could have signed, fraud can be committed on many levels, get it right and erase all doubts if they are so confident in the signatures they should not have any worries
This Governor is a joke! In early May when the Governor invited members of the public to discuss the work permit issue with him, I wrote a letter to him on the subject. Up to now I’ve received no response. Just yesterday I called to follow-up and his PA told me that he is “willing to meet with people”. When I asked about a response to my letter her response was ” Yes, I seem to recall your letter….” Nothing further.
Don’t expect him to improve anything!!! He will clearly side with the corrupt and broken status quo!!
And now the cpr group and opposition can stop spreading misinformation. This is straight from the horses mouth.
Buuuut, they won’t be satisfied, they’ll twist this somehow to say that he’s not telling the truth and just listening to Alden as his puppet. Some people you just can’t please.
So what is next?
Someone had posted earlier:
“The government is acting outside its lawful authority and is therefore in violation of Sections 19 and 24 of the Constitution, and can be taken to court under Section 26.”
Who is going to do that?
WTF? You guys asking for Judicial Review and/or protests on the street?
Disappointing from the Governor….most courts base their decisions around the principle of what a reasonable person would do. In no case can any reasonable person say that checking all 5000+ signatures is rational in any way shape or form. If they insist on doing this then either a court challenge must be mounted, or as the government is paying the election people to check this, they must also pay for a petition organiser to escort the checkers to ensure no coercion. I regret the governments antics on this todate are nothing short of a disgrace and they cannot be trusted at all.
@3.40pm You are stating that Goernment is not to be trusted because they have an agenda I guess. Well guess what CPR leaders also have an agenda and I certainly don’t trust them. So just verify the signatures already.Perhaps CPR should have better informed petitioners about what to expect. Or maybe they planned it this way. Now those in the group who have revenge in mind or who have political ambitions can use the verification process to try to show Cabinet in a negative way. My suggdstion.. don’t follow anyone blindly, Government or CPR. Check things out for yourself. Ask yourself this question..if all the signatures are genuine then why is CPR afraid of verification? According to the Constitution all the signatures on there should be of 25 % of registered Caymanian voters. If not then the petition is null and void.
Yes, the CPR sure has an agenda!! To ensure my democratic rights, thank you very much!! They are fighting for US because the majority of the citizens are too complacent or lazy to fight for themselves since its just easier to bitch and whine all the time. You are either all missing the point here or are just a lot of ungrateful people.
Mafia.
What do you expect from this hand picked joker?
The rich will get away with this if you poor f###ers don’t get in the street and stop it. It is plain that signatures don’t mean doodlysquat.
roper…just another spineless governor…too afraid to rock the boat…
That’s why he got the job. If Anwar was still here he’d be kicking ass!
On his first day on the job he was told by Mac that a cockroach has no place in a rooster fight or some similar nonsense. Whatever was said, he understands the hidden meaning – i.e sit down and shut up.
He cannot rock the boat until London makes the decision. We are a colony and the Governor has limited powers of action without London authorisation.
Of course he does… He saw what happened to Anwar!
Yep, and he was jumping for joy when England told him he could stay for three 3years..no different then the res…cocktail parties and enjoying our beautiful seven Mile Beach…..at our expense!!!
This article like several others on the topic contain an interesting mixture of opinions and facts. What’s wrong with trust but verify?
Stating that there is no legal basis for 100% verification is itself without a legal basis.
Did you engage your brain before typing? How do you prove that something doesn’t exist? If I say there is no legal basis for requiring something, and you disagree, you can point to the law that proves I am wrong. How do you expect me to prove that the law doesn’t exist – when it doesn’t exist! So go on then – point to the legal basis for 100% verification. You cant – because guess what genius, it doesn’t exist, and they are making stuff up as they go along.
You may think its common sense to do a 100% vouch, I might think its unnecessary when any actual referendum would have to go through the ballot box process anyway, Others may say that asking for the verification is a tactic designed to either delay the outcome or intimidate. But whatever any of us may say is an opinion, because there is no law or regulations on it. You may find that an uncomfortable fact, but a fact it is – unless you cam point to the law or regulation that says I am wrong. Waiting……
People of Cayman, its is a waste of time . The only way to stop this now is through the courts, and that will not happen because that takes MONEY. There are just too many big pockets involved here and the same with the under the table deals and promises made and not to the people of Cayman I might add, but to the politicians and special interest few. The port is as good as done. I am being real no amount of signatures will stop it . What needs to be done is like what just happened in Hong Kong protest but Caymanians are to passive. Just saying
Yep, usually defeatest attitude that the govt has come to rely on for doing whatever they want. If youre not part of the solution, youre part of the problem!!
Bring a 5000 person protest to downtown on the largest Cruise day of the week and Roper can verify that. #blockupfrontstreet
Or bring those 5000 people to the election office to verify their signatures, simple.
2:00pm that should be easy for CPR to do.
Go for it won’t you.
Nice idea, but foot protests don’t work in the Cayman Islands, especially in the summer, and not because there is necessarily apathy or disinterest, but because it’s 108’F outside. Sadly, without the free booze and water, Batabano and Caymas wouldn’t happen either.
He would…geez