Bryan pressing ahead with referendum bill

(CNS): Now that the date for the 2025 General Election has been set for 30 April, the UPM minority government has just over three months before parliament is prorogued and the official election campaign begins, leaving them very little time to steer through the catalogue of legislation and policies the beleaguered coalition has promised voters, including the proposed referendum.

Speaking at the Chamber of Commerce Legislative Luncheon on Thursday, Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said he still plans to bring the necessary legislation for the referendum on Election Day, hoping the opposition will support it.

However, following the minister’s address, Opposition Leader Joey Hew said the Progressives had not yet made a decision about the referendum.

Speaking to CNS, Hew said it would depend on the draft bill, which must be published soon for the government to meet the public consultation period and steer the legislation through when parliament meets next month. Hew said that while the PPM members had supported the government motion, the vote could be considered contentious, and the opposition was still discussing their position.

The four MPs who recently resigned from the UPM are unlikely to support the referendum bill, given their concerns about the unsatisfactory question on the cruise port. This means that Bryan needs the PPM’s support to get it passed.

André Ebanks told CNS that they would not dismiss the draft bill out of hand until they had a chance to look at it. However, they remain concerned about the cruise question and would be more inclined to support a referendum on the other two questions — a position shared by Hew — as the questions on the decriminalization of ganja and the rollout of a national lottery are both far less contentious and believed to have public support.

There are deep concerns that the proposed question on cruise berthing, a simplistic ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on whether or not a dock should be built, will not resolve the issue because the location, size and scale, cost, ownership and type of project are far more important questions.

There are also concerns about how campaign financing would be managed for that question — a point that has already been raised by advocacy groups. The government is supporting a ‘yes’ vote, and even as a minority administration, the UPM will have access to the public purse to promote its position.

Bryan has previously indicated that he had no plans to give Cruise Port Referendum Cayman (CPR), the leading advocacy group opposing the development of cruise berthing facilities, access to public finances.

However, despite the potential trouble ahead for Bryan over the full referendum, it could galvanise eligible individuals who have not registered to vote and give them a reason to engage in the democratic process, boosting the electoral roll for the general election as well as the referendum. There are around 2,000 people who turned 18 over the last five years, as well as several hundred new status holders and thousands more who have just never registered.

The Elections Office announced this week that the deadline, which would have been 1 January 2025, has been extended until 15 January to give eligible but unregistered Caymanians ample opportunity to exercise their democratic right.

“We believe in the importance of every eligible citizen having the opportunity to vote and make their voice heard in this critical democratic process,” said Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell.

Anyone unsure of their current registration status or who needs to update their personal information can visit the Elections Office website.

The form to register to vote can be found here.

For more information, email office@elections.ky or call 949-8047.