Will People Vote the Party or the Economy?
With the 2004 General Election for the Cayman Islands now just 18 months away, political parties are already claiming that membership in their respective groups are on the rise.
However, will this alleged rise in membership be the determining factor in who comes out victorious in the next election? Historically, it has been proven time and again, that Caymanians have resisted party politics.
Many prefer to look instead at the personalities in the race.
Too many times in the Caribbean region, we see governments being elected based on either party affiliations or factors as ludicrous as race.
In Jamaica we continually see ugly battles between party supporters of the ruling P. J. Patterson administration and opposition leader Edward Seaga.
In Guyana and Trinidad, we see the morass that citizens there are plunged into every time an election comes around and the race cards are played.
The Democratic and Republican parties in the United States, and the Labour and Conservative parties in the UK are constantly at each other's throats as each side clings to party politics.
Still, there have been exceptions, such as that seen during the mayoral campaign in New York City in 2000. The people, fed up with the ugly politics played by Democratic candidate Mark Green against fellow challenger Fernando Ferrer, voted on the Independent line and elected Republican Michael Bloomberg to the post.
Mr. Bloomberg was considered at the time the candidate with the least chance to win, but he did so anyway because people looked beyond party politics. They looked at the issues, especially Mr. Bloomberg's experience as a CEO, and his economic agenda for change.
Similar to that election in the United States, it may very well be that economics, not politics, will be the deciding factor in Cayman's 2004 election.
The subject of the economy will be especially pertinent in the coming months, as the effects of the war in Iraq filter across the globe.
Caymanians will no doubt be looking to their leaders for an action plan that can take advantage of the "spoils of war" that will no doubt spill over into the Caribbean.
We are referring to the investment opportunities that may soon open up in Cayman and in the Caribbean as a whole as American investors look for places that are geographically close to the United States and, most importantly, safe.
The Cayman Islands, with its investor-friendly laws, stable government, and long-standing relationship with the US, will still be the obvious choice.
As we move towards selecting a Governing
slate for 2004 and beyond, it is inevitable that the people will
begin looking closely at the candidates as they declare for the
newly proposed 17 single member constituencies.
The road ahead for these Islands is long and fraught with difficult
global and local issues. The long-term effects of this post-war
era are yet to be determined. The populace will no doubt feel
the economic effects and look to its leaders for guidance and
solutions.
Political leaders and party candidates need
then to remember that despite the rise in party membership, the
people are not to be taken for granted. In the end, they will
ask: "Should I vote for party over economy?"
The answer will be determined 18 months from now, but let's not
forget that history has a way of repeating itself.