UPM divided over additional referendum questions
(CNS): Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan still supports adding more topics to the referendum that the UPM government has said it is going to hold before the end of the year on the question of cruise berthing facilities. Speaking on Radio Cayman, Bryan, who acknowledged that he is known in some circles as “Referendum Man”, said he would like to add questions about legalising gambling and ganja to the ballot but the UPM caucus does not support expanding the vote.
The UPM has proposed holding a referendum in October or November on whether or not Cayman should develop a cruise berthing pier. Bryan said he still wanted to include the other questions but he had not been able to sway all his colleagues. He blamed former premier Wayne Panton for not setting a referendum on the issue of a national lottery or numbers game for Cayman or a vote on decriminalising ganja.
Answering questions from Elvis McKeever, who ran for the Cayman Brac East seat in 2021, running against Juliana O’Connor-Connolly on a platform of legalising cannabis, Bryan said it was Panton who had failed to bring a referendum on that and the lottery issue before he was ousted from office. However, the minister did not explain why the UPM had also failed to do so in the nine and a half months since the coup to remove him.
McKeever pointed out that Bryan and his colleagues “had thrown the man away”, so he couldn’t follow through. He said O’Connor-Connolly was premier now and she had promised the people of Cayman Brac East a vote on decriminalising ganja when she had stolen his main platform agenda in the last weeks of the campaign.
McKeever eventually lost 107 to 266 votes, but before O’Connor-Connolly changed her position on ganja, it had looked as though it would be a much tighter race.
Bryan said that he had continued to agitate for the vote because he believes people should be involved in making important decisions, but until there was a majority in the caucus, it was not going to happen. He said the majority of government MPs had agreed only to the cruise question.
“I still think the country needs to make the call on the decriminalisation of marijuana — not legalisation. Let me make sure that is clear because some people want it to be legalised. I do not agree with that. I agree that it should be decriminalised as it should not be something that ruins young people’s lives or old people’s lives,” he said.
The minister also said he wanted to see a national lottery to stop criminalising people for buying a number if they want to, which was a hindrance to people even though it is commonly accepted. But his colleagues do not agree.
“Until you have a majority of people in government agreeing to it, it can’t come. My position hasn’t changed now. I haven’t gotten enough support from my colleagues to do that so it is not on the referendum ticket,” he said refusing to name who was or was not supporting it.
McKeever said that, given the support across the Cayman Islands for legalisation, the government needs to do that vote. If it doesn’t, those MPs will not get re-elected because they have failed to fulfil the promise and people won’t believe them the next time.
Bryan said that McKeever, a well-known local proponent of legalizing weed, was free to make his demands. However, he noted that McKeever had been consistent with his position and he understood his frustration.
The minister said that he believed people fully understand the difference between decriminalisation and legalisation, which is very different: with decriminalisation, people who are found in possession can be fined but do not get a criminal record, but would not allow people to sell, grow or even possess small amounts. The present law in Cayman criminalises possession and consumption unless it has been prescribed by a medical professional.
Any referendum that takes place under the UPM relating to ganja will be about wiping out existing criminal records and ensuring no one goes to prison for consumption and possession. However, they will still incur fines and people could still go to jail for growing their own plants.
- Fascinated
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- Afraid
What Kenneth and the Government should have a referendum on his our Immigration policy specifically in regards to when and how one gets PR and status..it is a free for all right now and that needs to change.
wbat the people of the Cayman Islands should have learned by now is that One Man One Vote and Independent MPS is a pile of unadulterated garbage and serves no useful purpose to and for the people of the Cayman Islands.
“Referendum man”?
A referendum is really just a plebiscite.
We should adopt this term, as it allows us to refer to young Kenny more accurately – a pleb (of the first order).
The worst cabinet minister in the worst government administration in the history of the Cayman Islands brags that he is known as “Referendum Man” in some circles because of his lamebrain idea to force a referendum on cruise tourism (without a specific project in mind) that will cost the taxpayers over a million dollars when it could be held basically for free six months later. Cayman is doomed if we continue to elect people like Kenny and then put them in positions of leadership.
Should the Cayman Islands Government furnish transparent passing grade accounting and correctly represent full liability position on the Balance Sheet, or should it continue to steal, lie, and cheat? Yes or no?
Is Kenneth Bryan an idiot?
Thumbs up = Yes
Thumbs down = Yes
“Shit, wait, I clicked the wrong one. I can try dat again awa?”
~Kenneth Bryan, probably
Should the owners of illegal billboards which violate the planning laws of the Cayman Islands be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law? Yes or No?
Should convicted drug dealers be eligible to serve as lawmakers in the Cayman Islands? Yes or No?
Here’s one. Do you support kicking every MP out. Yes or. No.
We are so under achieving with the slate of useless politicians that get recycled every 4 years.
Cruise berthing should have been dead in the water (pun intended). We cannot allow any CIG to spaff hundreds of millions of dollars on a project like this. Look at the waste and expense of Clifton Hunter and JG high schools. CIG cannot be trusted with the responsibility. And ultimately, we don’t NEED cruise berthing anyway.
I live in Switzerland the country known as a true democracy, we have four Referendums yearly, the people vote on the 51/49 voting rule. Personally I’m not a big fan of Kenneth, yet I believe that Legalizing of Ganga, National Lottery and Abortion should be brought to the table either in November or in May flr National Election. There’s a strong link between drug smuggling, murderers, gangs, money laundering, human smuggling, extortion, racketeering, and the “numbers game” in Cayman. The amount mondy that leavea Cayman due to illegal gambling is estimated to be in the region of $5-10 million a month, factor in prostitution, which is linked to the drug rings and numbers, then it’s even more.
The members of UPM are divided because of votes, family, religous, big businesses, and The Lodge ties. There’sn underbelly of organizations that control Cayman and until we the people start taking action, then crime will continue. The revenue raised from the sale of ganja and the lotfery could be used for housing, mental health, sports, further education for the lower class, the environment, and culture. However keep your eye on not being sidetracked and Vote NO to the Cruise Ship Terminal,we don’t need it, a new cargo port/luxury yacht and small cruise ship Marina would be beneficial. Stay strong Cayman and Vote No to the Cruise Ship Terminal.
Where exactly is the gambling bill?
Do you remember that episode of Parliament. MPs don’t want amendments because gambling big bosses are big political funders.
Do you mean Premier Conolly-O’Connor.
That is how she appeared on the Ballot in the last elections.
One word to sum up her leadership style and no doubt personal values – Hypocrisy!
Neither iteration is truthful. The family name is Connor.
Way to throw you colleages under the bus and then reverse over them Kenneth. This is why nobody with sense wants to work with you!
Other votes on the referendum schedule;
# Get rid of single member constituencies and the first past the post Westminster electoral system – Y/N?
# Replace with multi-seat constituencies, proportional repesentation with 5 local/district constuencies of 15 seats in total (comprising 3, 4 & 5 seats dependent upon area size) and 3 seats on a islands wide (“National”) basis – Y/N?
# Should CUC’s Power Generation monopoly be broken up – Y/N?
# Should CUC’s Power Distribution monopoly be broken up – Y/N?
# Should net metering be required for all residents of the islands – Y/N?
# The Office of the OAG shall not be appointed by Cayman Islands politicans nor OAG and its office finacing over seen by them.
# The findings of OAG reports shall have constitutional weight and legal and criminal consequences for individuals/roles/posts found to have acted inapproprtaitely/below reasonable standards – Y/N ?
I could go on – but as Kenny B says – gotta keep it simple.
Can we include ousting these imbeciles from office on the referendum?
abortion.
Probably will cost over 2$mil with staff and consultants and Security etc.
All just to ask a YES or NO question, Over 30mil$$already spent on this cruise issue in recent memory.
Yet no action on rent controls or Minimum Wages as people suffer!!
Where is the referendum on making it harder to get PR and Cayman Status?
If Kenneth, Julie, JonJon, Jay, Heather, Isaac, Bernie, Sabrina, Kathryn, Andre and the whole rest of them cared about us, they would
Make it two or three times harder to get PR and Status.
Put a moratorium on foreigners buying land on Grand Cayman and Little Cayman.
Make sure all people over 65 have access to affodable health insurance.
RECKLESS GOVERNMENT – ALL OF THEM – WASTING ANOTHER $1.2M
A referendum 4 months before the General Election.
The Minister of Tourism and Ports, the Hon Kenneth Bryan announced that the Government will hold a government-initiated referendum on the matter of cruise berthing before the end of 2024.
If we ever needed proof that Kenneth’s priority is taking care of his donors, this is it. Worse, this is fully endorsed by Judasanna, Andre Ebanks, Kathy-Ann Wilks, Sabrinata Turner and Heather Bodden. They have all agreed to this stupidity.
First, let’s consider what a referendum is and when its used, then let’s decide what else might have been a better question for referendum and lastly, let’s decide if we needed to spend the money now.
What is a referendum?
• The process or principle of referring an important political question, e.g. proposed constitutional change, to be decided by a general vote of the electorate – Oxford English Dictionary
• A general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.
• A referendum is where voters are asked to make a “Yes” or “No” decision on a proposal, issue, or idea. – Electionbuddy.com
• The principle or practice of submitting to popular vote a measure passed on or proposed by a legislative body or by popular initiative – Merriam Webster
• A vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question – Cambridge Dictionary
Based on these definitions, it seems that a referendum is an important tool in the democratic process and gives the electorate direct say in pivotal decisions. A referendum requires the same set up and logistics as an election, t is an expensive and complex undertaking, and one that is typically reserved for matters of national importance
However, of all the issues and opportunities facing us as a people – from housing to immigration to the CUC monopoly to restricting foreigners from buying land and property – how the hell did cruise berthing become THE topic of a referendum? What exactly are we being asked to decide? Why now?
On Thursday, August 8th the Cayman Compass reported Minister Bryan as saying “There’s no project; there’s no driving force. This is just simply, we need to know where the people stand with the cruise industry to know what direction to take,” Bryan told the Cayman Compass on Tuesday {August 6th} y as reported by the Compass on August 8th.
Using the Minister’s own words, this is clearly NOT an urgent or pressing issue that warrants spending another $1.2 Million dollars on a referendum. FFS Kennef, who are you working for? Not the Caymanian people! You are a political prostitute – doing the bidding of whoever gave you or promised you your next big ‘donation’.
It is irresponsible to spend $1.2M on a referendum some 20 weeks before the next general election.
But, if you, your Premier and the rest of your Caucus are determined to waste our money by holding a referendum, then here is the question to ask:
“Caymanian voters, do you want to reverse the system of one man one vote and replace it with a system of national elections ?”
Or
“Caymanian voters, do you support requiring full transparency of all donations to MPs for 12 months before an election and for the entire time they hold office?”
Or
“Caymanian Voter, do you believe that Government should invest in utility scale solar electricity generation and lower the cost of electricity for all?”
Or
“Caymanian voters, do you think Government should continue to pump $10Million dollars a year into the Cayman Turtle Farm, which continues to lose money and is unable to repay its debt?”
Minister Kenneth: your handlers are showing
Pemier Julianna: your greedy, power-hungry stay- in- power at all costs true colours are showing.
Caymanians use your power. Vote them out.
Well said. I agree completely!
The UPM is easily the worst government in the history of the Cayman Islands. But with the stupidly small single-member constituencies, we can look forward to future governments being even worse. The fact that the PPM pushed for SMCs means this mess started with them.
Single member constituencies were irrefutably better than multi-member constituencies based on the simple fact that the multimember constituencies allowed the propping up of the UDP and PPM by pooling votes in WB and GT respectively. The multimember constituencies also encouraged politicians paying particular attention to certain segments of Cayman and favouring them over others – now in theory much more of Cayman needs to be considered when making politican decisions because of the spread of seats needed to form a government.
The UDP basically immediately dissolved as a party once they could no longer benefit from having all of their voters in WB vote down the party line and be dragged across the line en masse by a subset of voters.
The PPM have fared slightly better, but they have been unable to gain new ground and have basically just been treading water with the MPs they have in George Town and the Sister Islands.
The issue in Cayman has always been that our politics are not driven by policy substance, honest debate and differing ideologies – our politics is driven by egos, petty personal grievances, connections, backslapping and who is willing to deal out favours and serve those who are already well off.
We have an elected class that basically exists to preserve the status quo even when there are clear areas that require massive reform.
The parties even when we had multimember constituencies were not driven by a positive vision for Cayman, it was whether you backed Mckeeva or Kurt and Alden.
Our problem has always been the quality of candidates and people running just to get their turn with a fancy title in a cushy job, that was true with MMCs and its still true with SMCs.
The SMCs are better for Cayman, we just have not also changed our political culture. Been saying it for years, we have devised a national Parliament but operate it on the level of a town council.
Thats the problem.
I would argue that SMCs are fine, but first past the post remains a problem. If we did ranked-choice voting, while there would be no change in electoral districts with only two candidates, for all other districts we would see better representation than persons elected on plurality, rather than reflective majority.
He is known as a lot of things. “Referendum Man” is not one of them.
Caymanians, do not be fooled by incompetent and deceitful leaders.
As is often the case, Kenneth is lying.
As is ALWAYS the case, he doesn’t understand the economy.
He, Julianna, Jonjon and their band of self serving MPs are only looking out for themselves and the rich people who fund them. Andre, Sabrina, Kathy – how do you allow this to happen? You are all culpable in this waste of money.
Insisting on spending a million dollars on a referendum to ask about cruise berthing is absurd. We do not have an economic development plan.
Starting in some random point in the middle is a sure way to get the answer wrong. Start at the beginning.
The country. What is our vision for this country?
And then, what is our vision for the economy, the people, the environment?
Now, let’s look at the Economy. What do we need from our economy?
-Revenue for Government?
-Jobs for Caymanians?
-Opportunities for Caymanian business owners to expand?
-Opportunities for new Caymanian businesses?
Which industries can give us those benefits and at what costs? Can we get those benefits elsewhere and at a lower financial cost that investing in cruise berthing?
What choices do we have? Do the work of analysing other options.
Because it is wrong and deceitful to suggest that if we don’t have cruise berthing those jobs and that revenue will disappear and there is no alternative.
We CAN have a cruise industry without cruise berthing.
Maybe the Hamaty children and the children of other cruise merchants won’t make as many millions as they had hoped to make, but they will still be alright and their children will still be alright. They are already millionaires and better off than most Caymanians.
Caymanians, don’t be fooled. The question is not whether we want cruise berthing or not.
The question is how do we shape this economy to best serve our people? Which industries can generate the greatest benefits for Caymanians, today and in the future, without saddling the Government with debt or destroying our quality of life.
Asking about cruise berthing is _ssbackwards and upside down Kenneth.
It’s not about cruise berthing, so don’t waste our money and our time with this referendum.
how depressing …when anyone with a brain can decide on these issue in 5 mins(and has been done elsewhere)
but here in cayman,,,we spend years talking about a possible referendum…which may lead to possible law changes in many years time…
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
ever wonder why the national symbol is a turtle?
Turtles?? No, no!! Quick to scrap the National Conversation Law tho… they’re deceitful pieces of snakes!
cayman….as usual, decades behind other modern jurisdictions.
yawn,,,,just another day in wonderland
Elected to government and eventually becoming Premier on the back of 266 votes is absolute insanity.
A Cayman vote is worth at least 1.20 votes in other countries.