Meetings cancelled, vote prep halted

| 04/12/2019 | 32 Comments
Cayman News Service
Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell hands the petition to CPR members Mario Rankin and Shirley Roulstone

(CNS): The Elections Office has paused its preparations for the people-initiated referendum on the port project in the wake of the court’s decision Tuesday to delay the vote until after judicial review proceedings are completed. Officials said the postal ballot requests received to date that have not yet been issued will be held securely and all ballots already received or on their way to the office will also be kept securely until further developments from the court.

All other activities relating to the referendum, such as mobile voting, are also suspended, and the Elections Office said it would issue more information to the public based on the court proceedings.

Government has cancelled the planned public meetings for this week with the proposed developers until further notice. The Cayman Islands Tourism Association had arranged a meeting with its members on Wednesday at the Marriott with the cruise lines and their engineering partners but it is not clear if that is still going ahead.

With the referendum now delayed until next year, depending on the outcome of the judicial review, it could pave the way for more registered voters to take part.

Anyone who registers to vote before the end of this year will make the 1 April new voter list. While the judicial review is expected to take place in late January, if the applicants succeed on any of their points the Referendum Law may have to be re-written. This would mean it is unlikely that the vote could take place before April, paving the way for a whole new group of voters to join the roll.


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Category: Politics

Comments (32)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The problem has nothing to do with the “yes” or “no” votes or voters. It is about the law giving a public holiday for general elections (I have no problem with that), but extending it to a referendum which should take each eligible voter, at a stretch, an hour or two (including travel time) to cast their ballot. And forget not that ” eligible voters” comprise a smallish proportion of the adult population. Everybody is inconvenienced and still will be even as the referendum has been postponed. So Government, please re-think the need for a public holiday on whatever date the referendum is held in the future: amend the law so that referenda are not included. Here’s an idea: have the referendum on Heroes Day: it is already a public holiday!

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Mario!!! Thank you and Miss Shirley!! You are great for us Cayman people. Thank you for looking out for us. We cannot do it without you! Without you two looking out for us, who else we got? Only you two can make this happen by the grace of god…

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  3. Anonymous says:

    I can feel that this is the beginning of the end of Alden’s destruction over these islands! You should’ve stood with your people and not become Dart’s and the cruise line’s little toy!

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  4. Sunrise says:

    Please remember Mr. Premier, Mr. Speaker of the House, Mr. Minister of Tourism, all of you elected members; WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT and you all are our employees. That was your pledge to us, to work for us, however, it seems sometimes we have to remind you of this!!! Thanks CPR for working hard for us so that we may have a fair vote on the referendum!!

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  5. Kurt Christian says:

    Register To Vote

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  6. Anonymous says:

    “Miracle” granted Mr. Premier. Your arrogance will be your political undoing.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Actually, I think the delay was a blessing in disguise for the Premier. If the vote had gone through on Dec 19, that was the best chance for a “no” outcome. With delays and diminishing energies, the Premier may still get his port in January or beyond.

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      • Anonymous says:

        That depends on how the court case goes. If the judge finds that CPR’s case was arguable enough to delay the vote but ultimately everything the government did was lawful, then you will have an ARMY turn out to vote no. Back the people into a corner and we will fight!

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Anyone eligible for Caymanian Status, should apply now. If you are Caymanian and 17, apply now for Continuation at 18, and Pre-Register to Vote in Referendum. It takes time for the official list to be Gazetted, but you can do it at 17, if the next vote is when you might be 18.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You really think a bunch of 17yr olds are going to stop the Port? Let’s build it already and quit the whining!

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      • Anonymous says:

        they are voters and citizens, they have just as much say as anyone else. an 18 year old has just as much voting power as a 50 year old.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Maybe we should listen to that “bunch of 17 yr olds” because they seems to have a better plan for their future and yours than you do at least for now they are not for sale

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      • Anonymous says:

        Your ignorance over the willfulness of teenagers is about as ignorant as your support of the port.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Don’t you be bad mouthing us teenagers! We know right from wrong! And please don’t go away mad…… just go away!

      • Anonymous says:

        @ anon 12:46 pm: Let’s not build the stupid port and you can continue to whine.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Advance ballots for the Dec 19 poll cannot be deemed to be interchangeable with any other future advanced polling date, terms, or question. Rather than trusting and relying that the Election office will safety warehouse these ballots and count them at all, they should clear the air and state that they will be destroyed until new question(s), battle finance terms/rules, disclosure period, and date are eventually set – then opening another advanced polling window. prob for a date in Q2 or Q3 next year at earliest.

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    • Anonymous says:

      A judge must decide that, not the Elections office

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      • Anonymous says:

        A judge has already said the vote will not be held on Dec 19. What purpose is there for retaining ballots for something that’s not happening on that date? Why would their retention be lawful?

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        • Anonymous says:

          It probably wouldn’t, but if they are destroyed it would become impossible for certain people be able to determine how certain other people voted, wouldn’t it?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, probably two days before Good Friday when they know many people are already taking vacations around that time (I do almost every year) or will take one vacation day on the Thursday to get a six-day holiday. If you think Alden is done with his manipulative shenanigans, you’d don’t understand who he is. He’ll do ANYTHING he can now to get his precious port.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Our Fearless Leader is finished. He has seen the light……. we are going to vote the un-necessary port down, and if he is still around at election time it is going to be GOODBYE for him.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Ding dong Aldart is finished. Let the destruction end.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You got that right destruction of the country, because of some that want to gain political power and are using you all as pawns, look deeper, you all are protecting a tendering company that employs a few and enriches two men, to the magnitude of roughly 8 million a year, when those tender fees could be used to cover the port cost and help pay for the roads and schools that it is been claimed are neglected when the cruise ships leave the island and stop visiting, it will be interesting times,I hope all these crowing to bring it’s downfall will start employing all the cruise industry people out of jobs and firing all those work permit holders that are so anti port, to hire the affected cruise industry workers because feel no way, someone has got to go in the end.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Enriching two men is merely by-product of demanding more reliable information on a significant and controversial project supported by a government we no longer trust. In reality it’s the government that’s supporting the Tender2 by being evasive and deceptive in all facets of process including evaluation of necessity, feasibility, procurement, and impact.

      • F. Hurlstone says:

        10:53 pm, you should use your real name so all or us uneducated readers would know who you are and reflect on why you want an expensive and unnecessary multimillion dollar dock. Do you stand to gain some big bucks if the port goes in? That is the only reason I can think of for anyone to want our government to spend that kind of money. And that’s the people of the Cayman Islands money, not yours!

        On second thought, maybe it would be best if you remained nameless.

  10. OneCaymanianVoice says:

    The People have spoken. Politician must realize they work for the people, not the other way around. They may have their perks, which are paid for by the people, they must also be mindful of the fact that they too are civil-servants. I am please with the court’s ruling, if Government had conducted themselves in a more transparent and professional manner this could have been avoided. Will done CPR, National Trust, and all those that fought a good fight.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Enacting SIPL would pull back the curtain on what appears to be reversals of long-standing policies and other abnormal motivations to railroad this port through. The Port is a symptom of the lack of governance that prevails. The FCO required Cayman to include Standards in Public Life language and council in our Constitution. They might not be fully aware it was never enacted properly to ensure some semblance of good governance. Let’s get a petition to Lord Ahmed to remind them to add this to the growing Orders in Council 2 do list for the Cayman Islands. If the LA won’t do it voluntarily….

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    • Anonymous says:

      Kenny, please add that issue as a question on your survey. You now have time to expand it to cover a wider number of important issues.

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