How many MLA’s will Cayman have to choose?
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind.
Once again the Cayman Islands Government leaves everyone wondering, pondering and uncertain. This is the norm for this government who cannot make a decision until the very last minute and even that passes by.
This time it is over the question of how many members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA’s) the Cayman Islands will choose in the May 2013 elections.
At a media briefing on Thursday (11) Supervisor of Elections, Kearney Gomez and Deputy Supervisor, 
Colford Scott, explained the preparations the Elections Office is making for the Elections together with the problems.
And what a problem. They don’t know if there will be 15 or 18 MLA’s.
“At the moment, the number of seats to be filled is 15,” Mr. Scott said. “The Constitution says 18 seats.” Specifically, the Constitution does say that the assembly shall have 18 elected members, but this provision does not go into effect until the current assembly is dissolved. We are in a peculiar position. We have no authority to proceed along the basis of the 2009 Constitution.”
The Elections office has not been given any indication as to what option they should adopt and if there are 18 seats where the extra three will be accommodated.
Mr. Scott said the governor had confirmed that the election writ, which defines how many candidates are returned and where, will be issued on 12 December so the Elections Office needs to know by then the shape of the 2013 election landscape.
“It would be very difficult to accommodate any changes after that point,” he said.
The Electoral Boundaries Commission Report of 2010, which contains three options for the placement of 18 MLA seats, has not yet been dealt with by the Legislative Assembly (LA). This came after the failed referendum for One Man, One Vote.
The three options are :
1. To have 18 single member constituencies along the boundaries defined in its report.
2. The creation of a seventh new electoral district between Bodden Town and George Town, which would have three representatives.
3. To add two seats to the existing George Town constituency and one to Bodden Town.
Premier McKeeva Bush came up with a fourth option of creating nine double-member constituencies following the current single member boundaries and then merging them into pairs. Mr. Bush said a committee would be appointed to consider it.
Not surprisingly nothing has been heard further about that.
There is also a fifth option of leaving things as they are now.
Scott said if government decided to retain the fifteen members of parliament, it would have to apply to the UK to change the Cayman Islands Constitution 2009 as it currently requires an increase in the size of the country’s legislature at the 2013 General Election.
“When we get the writs of election, we follow the writs,” Mr. Gomez said.
The 12th December is the date set as the official launch of the May 2013 general elections for members of the LA. Cayman Islands Governor, Duncan Taylor, will issue writs to returning officers that will require them to hold nominations and, if necessary, an election for their electoral district.
The 2nd January is the last day for eligible people to register if they want to vote in the general elections on Wednesday, 22nd May. The Elections Office has a big campaign to encourage everyone who qualifies to get registered if they have not already done so.
On 26th March the LA will be dissolved followed by a proclamation on the 27th March declaring general elections. This is Nomination day and is the only day candidates may be officially nominated.
The LA is scheduled to re-convene on 5 November. The business it has to deal with is overflowing to the rafters.
Also announced at the meeting was a ‘candidate kit’.
The kit is designed for anyone who plans to run in next year’s national election. So as to ensure that every candidate is fully aware of the laws and rules, the Elections Office has collated the constitution, elections law, important forms and paperwork, maps and details of polling and counting stations, the timetable of the process, information on election officials and a video all about running for office in one package.
Mr. Gomez said it has been done to wider initiative to offer training for all candidates and to ensure that there are no excuses from any one running for office for not following the laws and rules governing elections.
There were problems at the last election in Bodden Town when it seemed UDP candidates, Mark Scotland and Dwayne Seymour had failed to meet the constitutional requirement to publish in a gazette all their interests in government contracts before a specific election deadline. Much controversy resulted but both men were able to serve with Scotland becoming Minister for Health, Environment, Youth, Sports and Culture.
The kit should avoid a repeat of this.
