What is a politician?

Cayman News | 25/01/2021

Caymanite writes: The definition is the activities associated with the governance of a country, or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals, or parties, having, or hoping, to achieve power. This is the question we should be all asking ourselves when someone decides to be your representative.

Based on the data and information available, we can pretty much understand those people who made a difference within our political system after one term, however, it is very rare that first timers get anything much done. Of course, this is largely dependent on their alignment with the party which wins the majority and who forms the government. The reason it is absolutely important that we comprehend this phenomenon is because our livelihoods and future depend on the decisions made by those we elect.

Now, the political landscape in the Cayman Islands is that of where most people historically vote based on friendship, family connections, or both. In some cases, there is the handout mentality — “turkey” politics for lack of a better term. In any event, we haven’t gotten value for our vote. The current situation we face today is a direct result of this dysfunctional process, so we must educate ourselves as to what a politician really is, what their collective responsibilities are, and hold them accountable accordingly.

History only repeats itself when we get it wrong, so we must use what history has taught us. Surely we don’t expect anything to change by electing those who are at present supporting the issues that fundamentally affect our ability to survive. You can’t be a part of the solution when you are currently assisting the problem.

Einstein once said, “The more we change the way we look at things, the more things change the way they look,” which means we can’t keep expecting the things that got us in a bad situation to be the same thing to get us out of it. We are starting to see more people wanting to get involved by taking the political baptism plunge to change the old guards.

For the record, I am personally pleased and encouraged to see we still have people wanting to make a change and a difference within our islands. However, I am also mindful that not all who are taking this leap of faith are going to be the warrior pedigree we so desperately need. I say this based on some people I’ve seen over the last few months who have declared their intention to participate in the upcoming general elections on May 26th, 2021.

Some of them are positive contributors in various areas of our society and I think this is where the idea of vying for a seat was born. The people with whom they have had direct or indirect contact, helping them in some way, have suggested that they run for office, and there is nothing wrong with this scenario, except that just because you are actively working in your community does not mean that you will make a great politician.

In fact, I believe it’s quite the opposite, meaning these individuals are an absolute asset to the communities which they are a part of, and running for politics will surely handicap and limit their ability to continue their great work in those respective areas. We’ve seen too many times where a person gets into politics with a platform for which they may never see any traction simply because one of two things: 1. they are not a part of the sitting government, or 2. they have to fall in line with the political list of lobbyists’ priorities.

We need policy makers and movers to drive and enforce legislation that is crafted with solid mechanism for an inclusive and sustainable objective. So let’s leave the community work for the community driven people and nourish them along.

Let’s focus on electing people who are not willing to lead us blindly on the lobbyists’ narrative, which has created this divide amongst the electorate and marginalized opportunities for the Caymanian people.

This upcoming election is going be the most important process we’ve had in our lifetime. There’s much at stake and a lot of people are depending on good, honest leadership to champion the battle for us all. Please get out and vote. Have your say, do your part, and make your mark, which could be the difference we need moving forward.