CPR turns to governor to secure fair port vote

| 17/08/2020 | 38 Comments
Cayman News Service
CPR members Mario Rankin, Johann Moxam, Jonathan Edie Katrina Jurn and Shirley Roulstone with Governor Martyn Roper (file photo)

(CNS): Activists who collected enough signatures for a people’s referendum on the cruise port project have turned to the governor to help secure a general referendum law and ensure that a vote will still go ahead, especially if a new project emerges. In a letter to Governor Martyn Roper, a lawyer representing the Cruise Port Referendum (CPR) group requested assurances that a future referendum would be conducted under framework legislation so that the campaigners would not have to take the battle to the Privy Council in London.

The letter, seen by CNS, was written by Kate McClymont of Broadhurst LLC, who represented Shirley Roulstone and the campaigners during their legal challenge against government. It is asking for a meeting with the governor to discuss the situation regarding the still live request for a national ballot on the issue of cruise berthing facilities in George Town.

The activists’ successful legal action last year derailed the vote, which had been planned for last December, and resulted in the court declaring the law unconstitutional, before the appeal court overturned that decision. But in any event, the project was stayed by government as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, the members of the CPR group want the referendum to go ahead. While government has now said that the project is off the agenda during this administration, Premier Alden McLaughlin has not ruled out the possibility of a new PPM administration picking up the project, and there are no guarantees that a different government would not go ahead with a similar project.

Therefore, CPR wants to make sure that government sticks to the commitment it made during the court proceedings that it will be presenting a general law to the Legislative Assembly that will provide the legal basis for any future people-initiated referendums. McClymont said in the letter that this would ensure that the current situation would still lead to a relevant and fair vote, “the requirement to do so having been triggered by our client’s petition”.

She noted that a lot of time, energy and costs could be saved by avoiding an appeal to the Privy Council if the Governor’s Office and the Attorney General’s Chambers agreed on the issues surrounding the current petition and referendum request and the legislation needed to provide for it.


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Comments (38)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    I don’t see older Caymanians getting retrained like they are some kind of monkey. That would be telling Caymanians to stop eating fish and fritters or mangoes. People pick the job they like unless they are young. The military gives you a test when you join and tries to place you where they need you and train you.
    Think of how many men who had no choice in old Cayman. They had to cut bush, logwood, plant, fish, and gather rocks from the beaches and build roads.
    When new people came and they were building schooners. This was after slavery days when people had no choice again. Remember all these new opportunities made more money not less. So the younger people are going to do more construction jobs? Their Mama told them they were Caymanaians and when they finish school they will get a job in an office and wear a tie.
    Where are the vocational schools to teach construction skills, low hotel training jobs?
    We need tech jobs, coding, manufacturing, and a higher minimum wage. But alas I don’t see any these solutions and when the government revenues dry up. Drugs will prevail as the easy jobs to fill with mucho dinero. The new job will be planting seeds into the ground and growing weed and coca.
    You all need to think faster and demonopolize this country overprice country out. Break up non-competing entities to get price structures that make sense. There is absolutely no reason for such high prices except for corruption.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    We need to nominate Shirley and Chantelle next National Heroes Day. No one deserve it more than these two outstanding women of Cayman soil.

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    • Anonymous says:

      That is probably the best comment I have read on this website.

      They are the very definition of heroes / heroines. Both women have had to fight incredibly hard, through abuse and financial adversity to ensure their legitimate and legal rights are acknowledged and protected. Their bravery and conduct has delivered change to Cayman that will ensure those that follow In their footsteps will be protected. Their conduct is very much akin to Emily Pankhurst and therefore, both should be honoured in some way.

      I would recommend Ms Roulstone should be made a National Hero for fighting to preserve the Cayman Islands environment and key principles of democracy. I would recommend that Chantelle should receive a higher recognition from the U.K. in the form of an OBE or MBE for her role in promoting equality and human rights.

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      • Anonymous says:

        What garbage is this? So now your sexuality is a qualification to be honored? The country is riddled with so many other unaddressed problems and this is the best society can come up with?

        CNS: Your interpretation of the comments is mischievous. The commenters were saying that the two women should be honoured for having the courage to stand up to right seemingly insurmountable wrongs and make huge changes in this community.

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Shirley Roulstone and her team at CPR Cayman should be viewed as National Heroes. They proved each person has a voice that matters in our community. We must all continue to work together and hold our elected government accountable.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    No mask wearing and social distancing going on there … interesting

    CNS: As it clearly states in the caption, that is a file photo. It was taken last year sometime. It also clearly states in the article that the CPR members have asked for a meeting with the governor, which they have not yet had.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Go Shirley. et al. We appreciate what you all are doing more than words can say. Thanks

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  6. Anonymous says:

    Why waste any more time and money on this because it’s dead. The cruise industry is down-sizing and frantically trying to figure out how to survive in this, they won’t put any money into this now and you’re never going to find anyone else daft enough to step in.

    And don’t get your hopes up after the news of MSC Grandiosa’s re-launch in the Med – it’s a trial run, nothing more. Look what happened when they tried that in Norway. We’re a very long way off any return to regular cruise trips anywhere in the world.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Well done cpr cayman you guys are real heroes!

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Time to vote out every MLA in the unity team in 2021

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  9. Anonymous says:

    This is a government that the majority of Caymanians CANNOT TRUST

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Thank you CPR for keeping us all informed and this government on their toes. This government cannot be trusted.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Did Mario take the opportunity to apologize in person?

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  12. Anonymous says:

    The point of this is useless. The port will be built because Cayman needs it badly.

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    • Anonymous says:

      There is no date set for permission for cruise ships to return to Cayman – CIG has only said 2021 and even that is tentative. In the interim, cruise ship business is slowing so why build an entire port to accommodate a service that may no longer exist in its current state in the near future?

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    • JTB says:

      We probably need to upgrade the cargo port.

      Nothing I have seen suggests we need to build a cruise berth.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Ummm, look outside. We need a cruise port in exactly the same way a fish needs a bicycle.

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    • Anonymous says:

      No we don’t! It’s greedy people like you that needs a r e a l I t y check. Ok

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    • Anonymous says:

      No port! Re-train tourism workers with free scholarships and block all low-wage work permits. We need LESS people and more ECO friendly visitors. I hope the cruise industry never comes back. No traffic, no trash, no more greed. Decades ago we had 1 hotel and everyone was happy, we all went to the holiday inn. Now, we have 5000+ civil servants all relying on a bunch of politicians pushing their own greedy agenda? Focus on education, vocational jobs, and stop the madness of cheap imported labor and uncontrolled growth.

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  13. Logan born Caymanian says:

    Never ever seen a more corrupt government than this one, more under the table deals than Quakers has Oats from Submarine cables to land swaps for favors to turning a blind eye to blatant criminal activity by those in their favor or funding their corrupt little political regime. Wow Cayman we cant even send their foreign criminal supporters home after convicting them because of embolden judiciary obstructionist in the courts and on the immigration boards. We can’t even get rid of their free loading supporters who are bilking the welfare system and fleecing our economy.They touting 3500 as if it’s some major accomplishment . We are in a real, mess Cayman Now they come with TAX for Caymanians only to pay for the high life of the political elite and their PR recipients they have sold our rights out to.

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    • Anonymous says:

      another example:

      Biobuttons (BioSticker™️)that are NOT approved by FDA to monitor healthy and active people, but only PATIENTS in home or healthcare settings who are at rest or immobile.

      Why are they spending money on something that is clearly doesn’t fit the purpose (monitoring visitors)?

      This reminds me the Ebola tent scheme.

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      • D. Sage says:

        If there is a way to take from the public, the politicians will find it! Hey, man….. that’s what they do!!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      8:26am. Thank you! I could not have said it better. Bunch of greedy, useless and corrupted idiots. Jellyfishes!!!! Their time soooon come! 🙏

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    • Anonymous says:

      Logan – have you contemplated running – you sound like the person for the job! I know you got my vote.
      We need people with honesty and integrity (people that cannot be bought). You would be a fantastic Premier.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Where were you in the UDP’s golden years.

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  14. lock it in says:

    Cheers for CPR. They are right to NOT trust government for even one second. The right to a referendum must be locked in.

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