Bryan unaware referendum law will tackle finance rules
(CNS): Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan has said he was unaware whether or not the legislation being drafted in preparation for the three-question referendum on General Election Day will tackle the issue of campaign financing or even if it needs to. Yet the Cayman Islands Government, using public cash, will coordinate the education and awareness campaign on the three issues the people will be asked to vote on.
While it has been less vocal on its position over the lottery and ganja, the CIG is clearly in support of a ‘yes’ vote on the cruise question.
If the CIG does not regulate the referendum campaign financing, it can use the full resources of the state to promote whatever position it chooses. Those campaigning for a ‘no’ on any one of the three subjects, including building cruise piers, will need to finance it themselves.
At a press conference on the issue on Wednesday, Bryan said he hadn’t “been advised from legal in respect to what’s in the bill”, as the bill was still in draft form until after the motion was debated and passed in parliament. He said he was “not aware that campaign financing has to be addressed in the bill” and that he did not want to address the subject until then.
“I am well aware of persons’ perceptions that the government could be using the public’s purse to persuade persons what to vote for. I think the government has been very diligent in trying to ensure we are approaching this in a balanced way, promoting pros and cons, and respecting the people’s will,” the minister said. “The government is of the view that we should build a pier for the sustainability of the cruise industry, but if the people choose not to, we will not move forward.”
He said the government had not said that it would not present the negatives of building a pier and would present both sides, so it should not be perceived as unfair to use the government Department of Communications for the promotion.
However, he said the government should have the right to promote its own referendum because it was different from a people-initiated referendum, where the argument for controlling financing might be stronger. But he said he didn’t wish to say more and wanted to wait on legal advice.
A government-initiated referendum is non-binding, and the prevailing answer is the one that garners 50% plus one of the actual turnout. In contrast, in a people-initiated referendum, the prevailing answer, which is binding on the government, must be voted on by 50% of the entire electorate plus one, creating a much higher bar.
The government has made it very clear that it supports building a cruise port but has said it will respect the result. However, there is no indication that the members of the UPM intend to campaign as a single group in 2025, given the clear policy differences among them, which means that none of them can speak for whatever new line-up emerges from the post-election horse-trading.
Meanwhile, the Cruise Port Referendum Cayman (CPR) campaigners, who are supporting a ‘no’ vote about building cruise piers, have already raised their concerns about the inequity of a campaign financing where the government has access to the public purse to promote its position while they do not.
Given the CPR’s role in ensuring that the cruise port issue became a public debate and that voters became involved in this momentous decision, it is unfair that they will not have the same resources to present the ‘cons’ of building cruise berthing facilities as the government will have to promote the ‘pros’.
CPR recently stated that without a supporting general referendum law, the legislation being drafted for this specific vote will not be fair if it does not address issues like campaign financing and how public education and awareness is conducted.
Hours after the press briefing, concerns were being raised on CPR’s social media platforms that the first report published by the government to support its position on cruise tourism is biased.
The report, published by the Economics and Statistics Office, is billed as a statistical analysis of current trends, but it was compiled using data from the Port Authority, the Department of Tourism and the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association.
- Fascinated
- Happy
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- Bored
- Afraid
He knows what is in the Bill. He just does not want to say that there is no need to deal with expenses. What should such a law provide? That government cannot spend money on promoting the referendum? That the government will donate money to people to oppose the referendum? If people want to oppose let them do it at their own cost.
Add on this question whilst your at it,
Should Cayman change the one man one vote system?
And this individual will be Premier one day in the not too distant future. Wur doomed! Doomed ah tell ye!
Would this be a workable strategy.
Mobilize and start a people-initiated referendum (that would be binding) and displace the gov’t version at election time?
More important:
Add a Question to fix the poor Minimum Wages!!
$7/hour next year is a criminal shame!!
It would be a better use of money to focus on the tourism product instead of huge ships bringing low budget tourism to a little island that is already overcrowded.
What! Bryan doesn’t know everything? I am shocked that a former newsman and model doesn’t know everything.
Cayman we can do better.
We need professional competent representation.
He had a 3rd career.
There are three kinds of people in the world.
Those who choose evil, those who choose good and those that have a price.
Drug dealer. End of.
Just go away and close thy mouth along with your compatriot in crime Bushy.
What a confused looking man
He looks constipated to me.
I’d say he was having a brain fart but that would require the presence of a brain.
He looks like he’s been hanging around Sir Seymour for too long.
The first two words of your headline suffice.
The current situation of using tenders costs the people of the cayman islands nothing. Building piers will costs the country hundreds of millions.
Dumb move Minister really dumb move!
Unfortunately, you’re demonstrating a serious lack of understanding of the economics around this subject.
Thank you CPR for your efforts.
More citizens need to unite and stand up against the ignorance of bad decisions from politicians and special interests that controls them
Cayman cannot trust Kenneth or the ppm to lead us that much is certain
Or any of the current bunch of Cabinet clowns for that matter.
But his GTC supporters who rely on handouts are the ones who keep him in his overpaid trough. The rest of Cayman pays the price for the power of Jamaican voters in GTC, WBW, BTE and BTW.
Get used to it Cayman, the Jamaicans have bought enough politicians with voting power, to turn us into the place they ruined and ran from.
There’s a whole catalog waiting to be created of ‘Bryan Unaware’ 📚📚📚
If I understand this crecktly, a current Govt that that nobody particularly elected especially after the ousting and all the horse trading can use our money to promote and influence an outcome that we may not want… this isn’t democracy, this is one party dictatorship, – F*** YOU UPM !!
The cruise pier is coming whatever the vote is. The CIG is just up to its normal ‘fool the people’ routine. The evidence is clear, ‘non-binding’. The minister is also scaremongering with loss of jobs etc, but fails to state how many of those jobs are permit holders. Ships will stop coming altogether etc. it is a well known fact that in order to make things more desirable you limit access. Cayman is a precious gem destination. Families used to love to visit because it was safe, peaceful and quiet with no beach higglers. Sadly it has fallen, and the new solution is to crowd the streets with cheap tourists and hustle for their money.
No it’s not. Stop surrendering before the fight. Apathetic losers are resigning to fates that have many possible outcomes and intervention possibilities, with lead time to do something about it, ie. file an appeal, injunction, initiate ACC/stateside FCPA violation investigations, etc.
Just ask yourself why would the referendum be non binding. Also ask yourself would you trust a convicted drug dealers words?
would you trust a politicians word?
What about an honorable drug dealing politician?
😂😂
Slightly off topic but related….
The BBC is reporting that in Singapore, which actually takes corruption seriously, a Minister of Government has been sent to prison for what in Cayman would be called ‘any given Tuesday’.
What are the odds that corruption will ever be taken seriously here????
The fabled Nolan Principles were tellingly replaced with criminal immunity waivers by Juju.
The last 6 words in the title are unnecessary
Will the referendumb include a question on illegal billboard use?