Non-binding referendum result still matters, says CIG
(CNS): Government officials have said that although the results of the government-hosted referendum will not bind the next administration to any specific action, voting in the nationwide ballot still counts because whoever takes the reins of power next week will have a clearer idea of where Cayman stands on these three policy issues.
How the votes will go is not clear, as there is no independent, scientific polling in Cayman, but private polls conducted by political parties have largely found that the three subjects are very low on the public’s agenda of major concerns.
Across the Cayman Islands, voters are still mostly concerned about the cost of living, immigration, excessive over-development, and problems families have with accessing affordable healthcare and affordable homes.
The three referendum questions were championed by Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, who believes the government needed to poll the country on the idea of cruise berthing before his ministry took any decisions about a pier.
And if the country was going to participate in a referendum, it seemed an appropriate time to add questions about gambling and ganja — topics of discussion for many years. Holding the referendum alongside the General Election cut the cost by around half a million dollars.
In a press release Thursday, government officials said the goal is to provide the public with as much information as possible and ensure that voters have an opportunity to be heard on these matters of national interest. The government said it remains neutral on the referendum questions and is not campaigning for either a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote.
However, this is misleading as the tourism minister has campaigned vigorously for a ‘yes’ to the cruise vote.
Officials also claimed that the result would be an important guide for the CIG, even though it would not be legally binding. However, it is impossible to know how any future government might react to the results, given that Cayman is almost certainly going to have a coalition government of MPs from different parties and independents, who may all have conflicting policy positions on all three issues.
Nevertheless, the current UPM minority administration has said the results will shape future policy decisions.
“Even without immediate legal effect, this referendum is a crucial step in the policy-making process,” the CIG said in the release. “When thousands of Caymanian voters come forward to express their views on Wednesday, 30 April, the Government will gain valuable insight into public sentiment. This insight helps the Government understand which issues matter most to the people and that understanding can influence how, when, or even if legislation is developed in the future.”
Voting will help shape the direction of future decisions, even if it does not directly determine an immediate outcome on voting day. Officials said that voting is one of the most direct and powerful ways citizens can participate in public life.
“Even when a referendum is non-binding, each vote contributes to a broader picture of how Caymanians feel about key national issues. Referendums promote transparency and accountability by inviting public input — a key aspect of a participatory democracy,” the government said. “Whether you vote yes, no, or choose to abstain from a particular question, your participation in the process itself helps shape the Islands’ future.”
Voters are encouraged to review official information on each referendum topic. Resources, educational materials, and FAQs are available at gov.ky/referendum, and updates will continue to be shared through public outreach and media channels.
Radio Cayman is also holding a panel discussion and open mic show on Thursday evening with Elections Supervisor Wesley Howell and Minister Bryan. Members of the public are invited to submit questions via email publicconsultation@gov.ky or call in to the show on 949-8037.
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Category: 2025 General Elections, Elections, Politics
Please Vote Yes Yes and Yes,
or we will all
Come Dead LAST!!
“We” meaning who’s in your pocket.
Wowww
LOL
I’ve just seen a cruise berthing video on Facebook.
Oh my. It’s a quasi-reggae song imploring people to vote yes. Ot looks like a video for simpletons, by simpletons.
If you vote for this, you’d be one of the pro-monorailers due to a catchy song.
the song is AI. pathetic lol.
Cayman can be good again, if the rot is thrown out, if not then Cayman is done!
What is Cayman Government doing to remember 80 years of VE Day? Caymanians fought too and have real hero medals. Public Holiday in UK to celebrate. Appears too involved as usual in their self absorbed selves . How soon you forget. Not one of you could ever be a hero!
They better not show their faces on VE Day!
The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally, and all people appointed to work in the Civil Service.
1 Selflessness. Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
2. Integrity. Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
3. Objectivity. Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
4. Accountability. Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
5. Openness. Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
6. Honesty. Holders of public office should be truthful.
7. Leadership. Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.
Weed – No
Lottery – Yes
Pier – No
This government cannot be trusted with any of these things, least of all a lottery. The PPM members and their family members would be winning every week. NO to all, until Cayman cleans house.
“Whether you vote yes, no, or choose to abstain” – Wait! What? If I abstain what does that mean? How is it going to be interpreted? They’ve now added another unknown to the referendums.
If you abstain..
Kenneth will say “that is not a No”
If it’s not a No… then it must be a yes.
So CHEC here we come..!!
If polling the mindset on prohibitions concerning hobbies and desires is so important, what about feedback on political-religious de-coupling (or at least a proportionate recalibration to actual participant levels), Sunday shopping, dancing, kissing in public, holding hands, sex toys, birth control, sex education, access to life-saving procedures? Why not propose an inter-election mechanism to allow the electorate to provide more regular feedback and steer policy? We know why. For the same reason convicted felons can still run for office, despite the so-called adoption of Nolan Principles.
Majority would not understand all that!
That’s the plan.
#4moreyearsforjuju
Dumber n dumber.
Will Bryan and the other ignorant clowns who put a pro cruise ship new dock banner on my property take it down immediately. If not I will take it down. You are on notice. Red Spot Bay, will NEVER be part of any crass port.
If it is on your property, surely it belongs to you, right? Take it down and shred it.
Isn’t Kenneth part of the now present government that has us in debt???why vote the same people in again??
Also why vote the same people in who walked away. If they didn’t have the backbone to stand up to what they thought was right why bring them back? Why bring Wayne Sabrina Heather Chris to name a few back???
Same crap just different day
The “people who walked away” did the right thing, try wake ya brain up please.
I have done precisely that even though I am in Miami at a fraud conference Mac and Kenny should be attending. 😇😇
As exhibits.
Let’s remember 80th anniversary of VE Day, true heroes, not one of these ignoramous deserves a breath from my body! Stand tall Mr Johnson and thanks for letting us know!
80th annuversary of VE Day, end of World War II, that was when blood was shed and lives of thousands all over the world.
They gave us all our freedom.
There are no words to attach to the shame and disgust to these ’empty vessels’in Cayman Islands.
Thankfulness for the Communist Red Army for defeating the Nazis!
Medals of Bushy, Bryany, Ju Ju who et al, drugs, assault, women abuse, threats ….
Cayman stand proud of nothing!
More trespass…just shows the empty heads are empty heads!
Unfortunately, the “other ignorant clowns” now includes your pal Joey.
I took down the one someone left on my property, and I put the trash right where it belonged. Any trash on my property gets disposed of, I am a big supporter of the “no littering” policy and if I didn’t put it on my property it is littering. No one has put up another since.
Cayman voting system is a joke.It is just a popularity contest now and attracts all kinds of uneducated disillusioned individuals with no integrity.
We should just make it a pageant and give them a sash and crown when their constituents vote them in.
Mind you,half of the current crop would love that idea.
While I agree with you, I really don’t need to see Mac in a g-string.
Vomit!
Speak for yourself…..
I only share thoughts: A national lottery would require a significant investment, yet people will not stop buying illegal “numbers”, which is what is causing millions of dollars annually to leave Cayman’s economy.
Decriminalizing small amounts of cannabis means that smoking it will still be illegal, but if caught, it will not appear in someone’s policy record even if they serve time in jail for it.
I would prefer we negotiate higher margins for our tourism industry with smaller, boutique cruise companies. Introduce locally made souvenirs and train our people to offer exceptional customer service every time.
The inert low minimum wage has expelled Caymanians from the Tourism sector and even many of the Jamaicans that initially replaced them. It’s all struggling Filipino, Nicaraguan and West African now. Soon, probably robots.
Working robots will never reach Cayman. They will be leased for work, not sold. The company leasing them will not be Caymanian and it will be blocked, like Starlink. Besides, it’s much cheaper to exploit the poorest of the world treating them like slaves
Politicians will spin things however they want to fit their agenda if a referendum is non-binding and without a clear action plan.
For example:
Did the people vote no to a pier?
They voted no because they didn’t actually know the plan they were voting for. Of course they’d vote no.
Look, I wanted to give Caymanians opportunities but I can’t go against the will of the people.
Did the people vote yes to a pier?
The people liked the idea of a pier but they didn’t know how much it would actually cost or have any details. Unfortunately the idea of a pier sounds better than the plan itself.
Did the people vote yes to a pier, then the government implement a plan that didn’t work out in terms of cost/benefit? The people wanted a pier and we gave them what we wanted with the best tools we had at the time. It’s not our fault it didn’t work out.
The truth is simply whatever serves them at that particular time.
@Anonymous 24/04/2025 at 9:57 pm – I agree with you wholeheartedly. Kenneth will spin the results of this poll in whatever manner that will suit his greedy little agenda. Remember when Alden said that his being elected to office meant that they people have given him the mandate to action the projects in his manifesto, however he saw fit? Clearly, Kenneth is pushing for a “Yes” vote so he will have carte blanche to enter into any deal with any developer or cruise line that will give him the most kickbacks! Don’t be fooled voters! Don’t say “Yes” to something without knowing what the ultimate cost will be!
ps it also goes that way against the port.
@Anonymous 24/04/2025 at 9:57 pm totally agree with you. Even if I wanted to vote yes on the lottery or decriminalisation of ganga, I just don’t trust a single word of their mouths – they will spin it anyway that puts money in their pockets. And can we trust this government to run a lottery?! Never mind a port?!
Kenny’s cruise port will bankrupt the Caymans. It is dumb move by a greedy man drunk on power
Turning SMB to milk would be irretrievably dumb even if the cruise liners paid for it (as they should, and have done elsewhere). Political permission, Payment, Maintenance, and End of Life Remediation Costs are all separate operational life chapter headers, not the same things – have a look at any DART park to see how well this government handles it’s routine duties and responsibilities even with Billions in revenue. No.
VOTE NO to the PPM, Keneth Bryant and all the referendum questions.
Cayman has more pressing issues to deal with as a priority.
Kenny Bryan is delusional, ignorant and will say and do anything for votes, popularity and money. He is the new McKeever Bush of George Town
The Nolan Principles should ban convicted criminals from public life. They should not be allowed to run for office, handle money, influence policy, award contracts, legislate legal frameworks, or inhibit the right to natural justice. Voters need to understand the depth of rot beyond the latest Cabinet’s outward headline expressions. Cayman Finance’s must-pass CFATF inspection is 1 year out….will this be the year we finally look in the mirror honestly, and fix everything that is broken? The stakes are high.
Nor should government consultancies be awarded to convicted criminals, but in Cayman, it’s who you know.