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(CNS): The Cayman Islands government has approved an increase of CAD$1.2 million to the Elections Office budget to cover the cost of holding a referendum later this year on whether to develop cruise ship berthing facilities. Cabinet approved the use of the extra cash at its regular weekly meeting on July 30.
If the CIG waits a few months until the 2025 general election (expected in April), the additional costs will be much less. This also gives the government an opportunity to raise further issues Marijuana and gambling.
A date has not yet been set for the national election, but Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, who is in charge of organizing it, has repeatedly said it could be held in October or November, less than six months before the general election.
Holding the vote in the fall also means that people who are registered to vote now will not be able to participate in the referendum because of the long administrative cycle between signing up for the Cayman Islands electoral roll and appearing on the register.
However, if the CIG held a referendum at the same time as the general election, more people, especially younger Caymanians who have only recently become eligible to vote, would be able to vote. Opponents of the decision to hold an independence vote believe the government should wait, given that younger voters would be more affected by a project that is costly, environmentally unsustainable and has wide-ranging socioeconomic impacts for future generations.
The concept of a vote has been widely welcomed and the opposition has also expressed support. Before the pandemic, the PPM government had planned to develop a wharf at Georgetown Port but did not put the idea to a vote until after it was proposed. With a petition A referendum initiated by the people is called for, which, according to the constitution, forces the government to hold elections.
But the PPM then tried to manipulate the issue and timing and was forced Entering the court Started by cruise port referendum campaigners.
Although the Tourism Minister claimed that the current government had no clear position on the cruise berthing issue, critics are now accusing him of trying to manipulate the vote. Bryan said the poll on the cruise issue was for the CIG to consult voters to find out whether people want a pier, but the UPM government has not yet considered a specific project.
While there is no indication whether the issue involves the development of a terminal at Georgetown Harbour or elsewhere, speculation is growing that a cruise facility could be developed in parallel with the government’s latest controversial project, the Breakers Cargo Port.
The decision to hold a referendum on the cruise terminal could also provide an opportunity to vote on other matters, such as legalising the smoking of marijuana and amending gambling laws to legalise lotteries. However, the government does not appear to be putting these issues to the referendum, despite signs that it will do so early in its term.
Government backbencher McKeeva Bush recently told CNS he felt holding an election and a referendum together or raising other issues at the same time could be “too confusing” for voters.
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