Governor calls for campaign finance reform
(CNS): Governor Jane Owen added her voice to the calls for election campaign finance reform as she delivered the Throne Speech at the annual opening of parliament on Wednesday. Her address provided few details about what the government has planned for the next two years, and the NCFC administration has delayed the delivery of the Strategic Policy Statement until later in the year. However, the UK’s representative said the rules governing how elections are paid for need to be changed.
Echoing comments made by both the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Observer Mission and Cayman’s local observers, which have since been repeated by the opposition, she confirmed the need to update campaign financing rules early in this new term and to address the imbalance between constituencies, even as she acknowledged that this is not her area of responsibility but of the elected arm of government.
“I believe this is a gap worthy of consideration at an early stage of this parliament to reflect evolving international standards and to give our voting public more clarity on political funding. Decisions on this aspect, along with any future consideration of election boundaries, are clearly devolved within the Constitution to our elected representatives and to this House,” she said.
Though her advice was short on details, the governor offered her support for the coalition government’s decision to amend the Public Management and Finance Act to delay the delivery of the Strategic Policy Statement until later in the year to give the new administration more time to define its policy goals and how to achieve them.
Nevertheless, Owen did confirm that immigration reform was a government priority as well as goals to improve education, training, skills development and job opportunities for Caymanians.
“It is the intention of this government that all Caymanian school leavers have a route to further education either at vocational or degree level, or indeed opportunities to take up internships and apprenticeships in the private sector and civil service, so that we can ensure in future that all our young people are employed at a level that fits their skills and abilities,” she said.
The governor said the government would be focused on the mental health and overall well-being of the community. “We know the modern world can put untold pressure on us all, and that includes our young people,” she said, adding that while there were existing “excellent interventions”, more could be done to join up their work with government initiatives. She also noted that the administration plans to focus on improving the nation’s health as a whole.
The governor gave a passing mention to the environment, but indicated that this administration, like all those before it, will be welcoming development. While The Cayman Community Party had campaigned on a greener agenda and its goals for a truly sustainable economy, Owen said that “development is a necessity to improve housing, transport, energy and entrepreneurship” and that it could “deliver improvements to our premium tourism product”.
She continued, “We need to balance development with steps to protect the environment and retain the natural beauty that has been the hallmark of Cayman for centuries.
“It is through working together and making decisions based on facts and on science that we can secure the broadest possible consensus for future sustainable growth,” she said in an indirect reference to the recent controversies surrounding the National Conservation Council and the former environment minister’s attempts to remove the scientists from that important technical authority.
The governor also noted that King Charles III remains a strong supporter of the current bid to make Little Cayman’s coastal waters a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Focusing on her own responsibility for the security of these islands, she pointed to the threat to society posed by the availability of guns, by knife crime, by increasingly engineered drugs and by gangs and groups in organised crime. However, she commended Police Commissioner Kurt Walton and the RCIPS for the work they are doing, particularly for the recently revealed high detection rates in solving serious crimes.
“We are also working hard to tackle Cayman’s abysmal record for road deaths and injuries through the government’s plans to introduce a penalty points system on driving licences, as well as by improving public transport,” she said.
Following the relatively short address, Owen left parliament to head for the airport, as she was travelling to the UK for the annual conference of ambassadors and other heads of delegations, where she said the UK’s overseas representatives will discuss world affairs including security, the global economy, development, environment and societal issues, and probably AI as well.
“I shall be proud to represent Cayman and the contribution we make through our regional and international links,” she told parliament.
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Category: Politics
Campaign finance reform? This is something which has effect every 4 years.
Her Excellency should focus on the annual budgetary and spending processes within the Civil Service! That is where the gross waste and abuse of public funds occurs.
Budget X this year; let’s spend it all. Budget X + y next year, just because. Let’s spend it all!
We have a governor. Who knew.
She’s finally awake!!
She living free to retirement, as previous, UK tax payers for them! Get rid of them! There is Overseas MP, get rid of Governor who they still riding off the back
Bring back Helen.
yawn- the people who have money to spend on politics will find a way to get around any system implemented.
$25,000 is a very small fine to pay when you are allowed to spend $200,000 over the limit.
All bluster, all talk, smoke and mirrors.
Governor needs to look at the plank in her eye (the Motherland
election expense rules) before trying to remove the splinter from us.
And I call for reform to the Public Service Law. PoCS should be able to let go under performers go without so much red tape! Can’t you see that inefficiency costs money?!
Brava. Let’s get the Standard in Public Life reality to sync up properly with the Nolan Principles. We need to enhance disclosure obligations, funding of the oversight supervisory agencies, and give law enforcement agencies regulatory teeth to make arrests when necessary. We could also use some updates to the Elections Law to remove the party affiliation language, and the grandparent goalpost that confers no honor, diligence, attendance, recourse, or special care. The PLA, PACI, CIAA, SAGC Boards need to be purged of all the crony dead wood. Whistleblower protections and rewards need to be re-constituted. All of the self-serving waivers of responsibility put in place by JOC, repealed back to FFR and FATF governance standards.
Yes please, wish people knew what I know!
How about election reform in general? Revisit the previous electoral framework as this pig trough feeding frenzy we have now is no longer fit for purpose.
Regarding education, it is the foundation on which a progressive society is built on, whether it be being taught how to treat your fellow neighbour or how to exist in harmony with your environment. The standard of state sponsored education here is far below what is offered in some third world countries. Until this critical part of infrastructure is brought up to scratch society will not evolve progressively. And any further education programs will not yield quality graduates. Money is still being squandered in all the wrong places.
Some of our most notable Caymanian leaders, not the ones in politics, went to schools with no air conditioning, no flat screen TVs and no mobile phones. Instead of building monumental houses for education, the money needs to be spent on education reform and investment in hiring top notch teaching professionals, work permits for these personnel need to be prioritised and protected to maintain continuity.
Please take off your blinders madam gov. as our police force are failing miserably to solve serious crime. What do you call it when cases of missing persons and alleged murder of high profile individuals go unsolved? This is not what I’d call a commendable record of crime solving. And the attitude towards the police isn’t what it should be, we have the RCIPS’ lenient response to one particular cabinet minister’s traffic accidents to thank for that. When the RCIPS lead by example, maybe we will see a change? It’s very hard to see where the police are working hard.
How ironic it is that you bugged out swiftly back to UK to give your fellow conference reps a rosey report on the state of affairs here in Cayman.
Finally, I’d rather you stay there and arrange to send us a more effective replacement governor.
She retiring, that why they send these ‘Governors’ here, ole Colonial nonsense.
Instead of commending the RCIPS, why didn’t she ask them produce real statistics on traffic accidents? Changes are being made without the prerequisite data to identify real issues and solve the problem.
Let’s try to focus on the important issues if we can Jane.
#makeshandygreatagain