Editorial
A Vote for Voting at Large- will Solve Many Problems
There are proven studies that there is atendency towards a kind of parochialism in which elected membersof Government attend to the interests of their constituents atthe expense of the whole national interest of a nation.
Voting "at large," also described as "territorialvoting," refers to a mechanism in which the entire electorate- in this case - the six districts of the Cayman Islands is treatedas a single constituency for electoral purposes. For instance,in Cayman's 15 member legislature of elected officials, each registeredvoter would have 15 votes.
Examples of how this could work, have been proven successfullyelsewhere. Voting "at large" was introduced in the BritishVirgin Islands in 1993 as a means of addressing the problem, suchas, for instance the practicality of susidising Cayman Airwaysto the tune of $2 million dollars. To justify this, at a net returnon tickets and freight sales, the airline would have to sell atleast $20 million in services or 200,000 in passenger tickets.Then, there is the balancing of development to avoid the densitynow taking place in George Town. And how does a local farmer whowants a level playing field, get the help required to be ableto compete with imported produce?
Constitutional commissioners appointed by the British Governmentto assess electoral reforms in other territories have recommendedthat the single member, multi-constituency, first past-the-post(FPP) electoral system be replaced by a single-constituency systemunder a modified FPP arrangement.
After all, most of the issues facing a modern Cayman Islands todaytend to be territory-wide, not restricted to one district: andin the new dispensation suggested, if adopted - prospective legislatorswould be obliged to campaign on a nation-wide basis. This willalso quickly identify (and solidify) candidates, even if theydo not openly belong to "teams" vying for control ofthe government.
Voting "at large" would also mean greater accountabilityand more equitable administration. It can be argued that votingat large robs the electorate of their traditional avuncular relationshipwith a constituency representative. However, in a small populationas ours it empowers the voter by giving them legitimate access- not to one - but several Members of the Legislative Assembly,to address their concerns.
This innovation will greatly advance the Cayman Islands politicalprocess, by forcing the merger and identification of a "group"or "team" who will address issues openly, not the systemthat now exists, whereby the elector does not know how a majorityof the elected officials will deal with pressing issues affectingthe nation.
In the Election of year 2004, there will be an even larger amountof younger electors who will command a healthy percentage of thevotes to be cast. Sadly, there is not sufficient attention beingpaid to ensure that there is a comprehensive civic studies curriculumin our schools, so that the voters of tomorrow are better preparedand can understand the issues affecting our territory - than thoseof today.
It is fait accompli that a constitutional review commission forthe Cayman Islands will be - rather, must be appointed by theBritish Government -- very shortly, after the General Electionwhich is now less than 90 days away.
Hopefully, one of the major areas to address will be electoralreform, in order to meet the demands of the people ... for thepeople ... by the people.