JOCC reveals plan to review campaign financing
(CNS): Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly has revealed her intention to look at campaign financing, which she said was a “very big concern”. Although this is a “very delicate subject” that most politicians do not want to discuss, it is something that the people do want to discuss, she said when she appeared on Radio Cayman’s talk show on Friday. She said she would “try to find a balance with it” to bring forward reforms before the next election.
The opaque nature of political financing has long been a cause for concern, with rich donors holding sway over politicians who do their bidding rather than act in the interests of the broader community.
According to the Elections Act, only donations given in the eight weeks before a general election takes place must be revealed by those who run for office. While the law restricts the amount a person or a party can raise and spend during the 45-day official campaign period, it is far from transparent when it comes to the source of donations.
There is no obligation for the money given to parties or candidates during the official campaign period to be revealed before election day. There are no requirements at all for funds given to any incumbent, potential candidate, or political party during the three years and 44 weeks between elections to be reported.
During the 2021 elections, candidates spent over CI$1.2 million, and while many claimed that the bulk of their spending was from their own pockets, it is difficult to know how the money came to be in their pockets in the first place. MPs are supposed to list gifts or favours they receive in the Register of Interests. However, that document is not supervised, and except around election time, when MPS are pitted against each other, a lack of full disclosure is rarely challenged.
Who gives what to whom is a critical factor in the political landscape, but voters are largely left in the dark, leading to the long-held suspicions that the secret donations given to politicians have a significant influence on government policy. Vote buying by politicians through gifts to the electorate and paybacks to donors through certain specific acts or policies have been evident in the Cayman Islands for decades.
Even O’Connor-Connolly, who announced on Radio Cayman Friday morning that she intends to review the law in relation to campaign financing, has herself been challenged over the use of public funds for what some saw as either vote buying or payback for political donations.
In 2012, O’Connor-Connolly was accused of misusing public funds to pave private sector roads and the driveways of her supporters; and in 2015, she directed the purchase of land in her constituency for low-cost housing, but the land was never vested with the Sister Islands Affordable Housing programme and its acquisition was never explained.
While politicians have often argued that they should be allowed to spend more during campaigns than the current limits, they rarely advocate for more transparency. One notable exception has been the former MP for North Side, Ezzard Miller, who was a lone voice in parliament calling for reform.
O’Connor-Connolly revealed on For the Record that her decision to tackle the touchy subject was raised during a government retreat on the Brac last weekend, where Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell also attended in order to speak to the caucus about the review.
She said that a number of other issues were discussed, including the potential referendum on gambling and ganja as well as the latest Electoral Boundary Commission Report, which was completed and presented to the deputy governor in August. The commissioners recommended new boundaries within most of the existing districts to make the constituencies as close in size to each other within the traditional districts as possible.
O’Connor-Connolly said that as premier, she is responsible for dealing with that report and ensuring that whatever the government decides on will be implemented before the next general election, which is expected in April 2025.
See the premier on Radio Cayman below:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
She “plans to look at it”! That’ll end up much like the minimum wage review that was looked into recently.
An interesting feature of the discussion items on the agenda for Caucus held in Cayman Brac was, amongst other things, where Premier Juliana O’Connor Connolly specifically:
“said that a number of other issues were discussed, including the potential referendum on gambling and ganja”.
Why is a referendum on cannabis necessary, when campaigning for re-election in 2021, it was promised by Premier O’Connor Connolly that decriminalization of cultivation of cannabis on private premises would be a priority for her to enact legislation in this parliamentary term?
A referendum is always a good idea, because it allows the Caymanian electorate to have they say in a form of direct democracy. However, if Premier O’Connor Connolly’s mandate, which was given by her constituents, included decriminalization of cultivation of cannabis on private premises, why not get on with enacting that legislation? And, if necessary, put the rest of cannabis issues to the Caymanian electorate via referendum, if necessary to deal with these, and other issues, in totality.
Politics in Cayman is for our entertainment only and should be at the politicians expense and to the voters and publics humor. Cayman doesn’t need any Politics. Politics here is a joke. For entertainment purposes only… We should cancel Politics all together and let the Governor run everything by advice from the various boards, Judicial and established government Commissions, as a centralized political stance. Politics needs to be antiquated. Solved..
And you arrived at this conclusion how? Do you really want TO ENTRUST ONE PERSON, THE Governor who is not a Caymanian and has a declared loyalty to the UKs interests over ours to be in charge? Can we stop talking like conquered subdued subjects and show some intelligence? If you want to improve things, please elect people who are up to the standard and can do the job. Its stupid to elect a bunch of buffoons and then sit around complaining about them.
“Conquered” by whom, you muppet?
The Cayman Islands IS part of the UK and the British Empire! We are England outside of England in the Caribbean. Who do you think conquered all the Caribbean? A secret that’s not really a secret is that it’s us, the Cayman Islands and Caymanians that conquered Jamaica, Central America, and other territories using Cayman as the staging point, then expelled the Spanish from Jamaica, and other enslaving kingdoms and nations and pirates from this realm, and then installed our UK Governors in Jamaica, then eventually settled in Cayman. Jamaica believes they administered to us, but it us that brought the administration to them. So their ‘independence’ is actually independence from us. You really believe Cayman was “just to small” to be independent back in the 1960s? Please… We did not want to be alinged with independent Jamaica or their political views and are all Sworn and alleged to the UK. Now we are somewhat commander and chief of the British Caribbean BWI and remain unified and united under our Crown and the British Government. And they enforce the laws we set out and enforce the constitution we created under a Governor they provide who has non-political ties locally or that can be ‘bought’ by local corruption. The Governors YES, have a Sworn alliance to the UK, (I would most certainly hope so!) to us as well, to our God, the Crown and Country and are willing to die along side us to protect our people and sovereignty. Which our politicians I could nare see doing so… The UK has in our 324 year history since the first born Caymanian, has never done us wrong. Only what’s in the best interest of our country and our Caymanian People. Politics does us wrong everyday at every turn. The Crown unites countries. Politics divides them all.
At least she couldn’t put her spectacles on top of her head because of the earphones!
What a circus!!!
She is only coming up with that now because she probably have more personal wealth than any of the other elected officials. I agree with a level playing field where election spending is concerned but I do not trust her to sort it out. She is just being facetious or perhaps it is true that this is her last term. She hasn’t seen a penny on the street that she hasn’t pick up!
Don’t our banks, real estate agents, lawyers, and the handful of investment entities already have a legal duty to identify Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and file copies of statements to SIPLC in real time? If not, why not? PEP disclosure and filings obligation should extend to include any UBO account interest, transfer agent record, and custodial holdings, anywhere in the world, including fintech and crypto assets/wallets.
If Standards in Public Life Law is to have any whiff of credibility, all MPs, senior CIG civil servants, judiciary, police/fire/coast guard/regiment services, SAGC members, even the Governor’s office, should have their household registers of interests, income sources, and holdings, available in the public domain, online 24/7 for anyone, without registration to scrutinise – and should be updated in real time with certification by a full-time compliance officer. The SIPL Committee needs to be dismissed entirely. We shouldn’t be rewarding convicted criminals with further opacity. We need to do the opposite: go to extraordinary lengths to demonstrate and prove legitimacy via public scrutiny. The that bar is too high, then voters need to petition to change the Elections Law to broaden the field of Caymanian that can run for office. Current lot continue to remind us they cannot be trusted.
Isn’t campaign finance reform a euphemism for “how do we prevent someone else from buying the election the way we did”?
I never thought I would be saying this, but if given the choices on the table at this current governments ability to administer the territory, I would select Alden Mc’Laughlin over the remnant band of PACT players, to act as Premier.
Exactly the same bankrupt mindset, just different body and mouth. Cayman needs new standards and a deeper field of people that will actually serve the public’s needs instead of the ego and wallet of themselves and their friends.
As long as Mac has anything to do with government, nothing you say or do bears and type of credibility with me. I think the politics on this island are disgusting. A real disappointment for the people and a real isight to the education problem of this place. Stop voting these clowns.
Perfectly said.
And there she sits – poor little Kathy, now a reformer who played every side of the election while being completely funded by DS. You will recall from the media reports ( and her own admission) that she was taking funds for NAU to pay her medical coverage. #NewElectionsNow #UPM=MacUDP
Omg. Are you serious
How many sitting Cabinet Ministers received fundng from former Premier Panton and/or Don Seymour ? Can someone answer that?
transparency doesn’t really matter when they all deal with cash. too hard to track
Wayne should be disbarred and his JP taken away
We all see where it got Wayne. More money than brain cellls is a bad combination!
Wayne’s problem was that as a decent man himself, he believed others would also be decent in service to their community.
He was wrong and got stabbed in the back.
The Anti-Corruption Act was gutted a few months ago to ensure that no politician will ever get prosecuted. That was no coincidence.
Politicians who take home huge government salaries and several times their government salaries in thick brown envelopes will never vote to limit their own corruption.
“Gutted” how? Please explain.
I’ll take it from your silence that you and your 43 thumbs-up(their asses) supporters can’t answer my question. Unsurprising since you’re spouting drivel.
15years post-Stan Thomas faxes, $250k/month gambling habits, CHEC $1mln forfeited honorary doctorates and private jet treating, various OECD and FATF failing report cards on corruption – even a Standards In Private Life Law later with mandatory personal interest filings, it’s clear nothing has changed. No arrests.
And he’s still a main speaker at funerals along with Kurt ( same funeral) who is supposedly his opponent. But they are all friends for development because they benefit from it and to hell with us ordinary people.
Planning Consultants for certain wealthy folks.
Is she going to say a word about Kenny and his illegal billboard?
She’ll look at the issue but nothing will be done. Her spending orgy is sick. The proverbial fox is in charge of the henhouse or to be blunt the biggest wasteful spender who is known as an astute political animal is dropping serious money on her developer patrons.
Smoke and mirrors. So many more critical issues but JOCC determines this is the one on which to focus.
Pirates of the Caribbean, for real, every day.
I will put that with the decriminalization of weed.
In the round filing cabinet.
Does it count if its government money?
That never bothered Mac…why should this UDP be any different..?
…but he claims he has to set up a payment plan to pay his CUC bill LMAO
Jim Bodden owed C&W $74,000…
Same dog puppy…too important to pay bills and condo strata fees.
This is very laughable. JOCC speaking about implementing a measure of good governance?? HA!!!
I got my popcorn and timer clock, watching the congo line of excuses that will come between now and April 2025 of why it was nigh impossible to get started with anything.
They will be too busy bending forward over the barrel for the developer lobbyists, keeping our asses in the air.
Salud
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least that her stated intentions are a ruse. Moreover judging by her recent track record she will seek to relax laws governing political contributions and the definition of what are considered various forms of contributions. Make no mistake the vote buying quid pro quo will never be curtailed with her as premier or likewise sanctioned by any of her regressive cohorts.
Look, a squirrel!
There’s far more pressing issues than this.
She is hell bent on squandering 50,000.000.00 of our money for a school for less than two hundred and she has the nerve to talk about finances. She is not smart just slick!
Gifting, treating, and all sources of income absolutely have to be reported in real time per the Standards in Public Life Law. If the thinking continues to be that the Registers of Interest filed and reviewed by SiPLC as part of the Standard in Public Life Law aren’t legal requirements, then there are a whole sets of people, both recipients and payees, that need to be prosecuted under the law. They then go to jail, not run for office. Kurt Walton has a duty to arrest these people on both sides.
“…three years, eleven months and 44 weeks between elections to be reported.” C’mon CNS, need a little proof reading here…
CNS: Oops! You’re right. Corrected now.
Just Another Day in Absurdistan
5.20 ..I think repeating “another day….” has really had its day. Can you please find another banal expression to repeat over and over again.
just call an election…no one voted these clowns in as a government.
Voters should petition for changes to elections law to ban anyone with a criminal record or serious felony charges pending. Unless this crookedness fairly represents the prevailing values and interests of today’s Caymanian voters, get them out, flipping burgers where they belong. They should be nowhere near the cheque book or policy making.
Scary Picture of Juju with her yes-woman, and two men who would love to see Cayman head for independence.
You are so right about the “two men” @8:58. OC can sometimes barely contain his hatred of what he sees as the oppressive colonial British beneath his superficially affable exterior.
13 @ 4.02pm – OC should hang his head in shame!! He’s been Commissioner of Scouting here for decades. In the same timeframe he’s held the posts of Chief Immigration Officer, Cabinet Secretary and talk show host. Has anyone noticed hiw Scouting has “prospered” (not!!) during that time? Especially now that Winston Hale has retired?
OC has single-handedly decimated Scouting by NOT BEING THERE!!
Never will any election happen as that would shorten the time that they have to do the work of the people.
To be honest, not the government we wanted, but they were voted in by someone. THE TRUTH THAT HAS TO BE ACCEPTED!… because it is the same lot of independent candidates elected just reshuffled without Panton.
I say allow the people to vote for our leaders into the positions they we will hold.
Vote for Premier and deputy premier.
And if the government fails? We’d immediately have to go to election again since you clearly can’t keep the premier and deputy premier of a failed government in those roles.
Does this include payments from Lobbyists?
Don’t worry, they will figure a way so contributions can be made all the time and in any amount. After all it is all being used for nation building!
Do appointed boards next
Especially the unregulated self serving Port authority board.
SAGC Boards and members should absolutely be subject to SIPL scrutiny, as well as senior police/fire/coast guard/regiment, Gov’s office, senior CIG civil servants, CIMA, judicial officers, judges, and DPP office. Anyone on a senior public or SAGC payroll grade in the 6 figures.
Good on you Premier ! I for one would like to see the records of disbursements from the former Premier’s pocket as he funded the campaigns of several candidates on the condition that if they won, they would support him in forming a government.
You are assuming the reforms she is proposing would make funding harder or more transparent- she may be planning to make it even easier lol.
Well you know she said / negatives can sometimes make a positive!
If you are correct, at least it was his money and not someone donating for political favour.
And this is different from the Ptogressives how?