CPR questions whether vote is needed in absence of cruise project: Cayman News Service

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(CNS): Members of the Cruise Port Referendum Campaign question whether a national poll on cruise terminal facilities is necessary if there are no actual projects for people to consider. CPR Campaign Successfully obtained 25% of voters supported a vote on the PPM government’s cruising project, citing limited campaign time, lack of proper legislation and costs as reasons why the government was in no hurry to go to the vote.

In a news release issued Tuesday, Michelle Lockwood, the group’s media contact, said members of the Pacific Coast Conference of Canada have requested a meeting with Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan and are waiting for a date to be confirmed. Once a date is confirmed, they hope to discuss with Bryan their concerns about plans for a public opinion poll on the broad question of whether to build the pier, which is likely to take place in the next 10 to 12 weeks if plans go ahead.

Bryan suggests that the question is whether the country continues to cater to cruise tourism and therefore needs A simple question (Do you want a cruise ship dock?) to determine what the support for the basic concept is.

But the CPR said a government-initiated referendum was not binding on the current or future government. Therefore, there was no reason to hold a referendum this year if there was no urgent need because there was “no project or agenda”.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated the risks and volatility inherent in the cruise industry and the careful balance that the Cayman Islands needs to strike in developing a sustainable cruise tourism industry that attracts high-quality, high-spending visitors, while not harming the environment on which tourism depends,” Lockwood said on behalf of CPR.

The Cabinet has allocated funds CI$1.2 million The referendum will be held months before the next general election, although combining the two votes could cut the cost in half, according to past comments by election office officials.

“At a time when so many Caymanians are struggling with soaring living costs, housing and transportation issues, devoting precious government and community resources to a referendum that is not currently a national priority seems an ill-timed and irresponsible use of the people’s money,” Lockwood said. “If the government decides to put this referendum question forward, holding it in conjunction with the 2025 general election would be a better use of the people’s resources.”

The CPR believes that holding the referendum at the same time as the general election will allow more people to participate; it will give more people the opportunity to have their say on important issues and time to register to vote. Some people are not registered because they have no confidence in politics and politicians, but they may want to register to vote in the referendum.

Given the long time it takes for people in the Cayman Islands to register to vote and appear on the electoral roll, the list to be published on October 1 will be the one for this referendum. It is unlikely to be any better than the current list. 23,464 voters.

“As we approach the end of August, we are concerned about why there is such a rush to hold the referendum, and are particularly concerned that due to the lack of notification, all eligible voters who have not yet registered will be excluded, as the deadline to become an eligible voter for the 2024 referendum has passed on June 30,” Lockwood said.

The CPR also pointed out that the early referendum gave people little time to consider the pros and cons of voting.

The government would need to pass formal referendum legislation. But given the timeline adopted by UPM, CPR said CIG would need to pass some kind of binding regulation to ensure a fair campaign and provide equal government funding to the appropriate organizations representing both sides of the issue. This would ensure the public has equal resources and opportunities to understand the pros and cons.

“As a non-profit organisation we will continue to advocate for and challenge the referendum process. It is vital that all referendums adhere to international best practices, the highest standards of fairness and equality which are so vital in the democratic process,” added Lockwood.

After the PPM government began aggressively pursuing the multi-million dollar cruise port project in partnership with various cruise lines, the CPR successfully ran a campaign in 2019 to collect the number of signatures needed to trigger the constitutional right to a referendum and was able to slow down the project’s progress.

Although the vote never took place due to the success of the Canadian Pacific Railway Legal challenges As the government tried to manipulate the issue and timing, the project Finally died The pandemic has allowed the public to take stock and see exactly what kind of crisis the country would have faced if the PPM had succeeded and launched the project before the border closure in March 2020.

With seven political cabinet members announcing their choice late last month to ratify the government’s referendum, the Public Relations Council of Canada has returned to action and is seeking volunteers to help with the new campaign.