Editorial
Party vs. ParliamentaryDiscipline
This year marks 170 years since the CaymanIslands has been subjected to the discipline of parliamentaryrule, beginning with the appointment of eight Caymanians fromthe first, Mr. William Cartwright in 1750 until the last appointee,Custos Edmund Parsons in 1888
Since then, the executive head of theseIslands have been strictly non- Caymanians, 22 non-Caymanians,as Commissioners, Administrators and Governors.
Despite this rich heritage of 170 yearsof uninterrupted parliamentary rule, it is saddening to acceptthat there is still a plethora of unfinished political developmentbusiness, in spite of the current Caymanian Leaders who have gonethe distance to secure support of their philosophy, attendantto a lifestyle and traditions that are dear to the hearts of thepeople.
Rarely has the Government championed legislationfrom one administration to another. In other words, in spite ofthe 170 years we have had of parliamentary rule, historicallythere has been the propensity to ignore and at times pull downthe efforts of - and in some cases the staff associated with previousgovernment administrations.
With the advent of party politics, thereneeds to be checks and balances enshrined in the constitutionto prevent such abuse.
In fact, in spite of the millions of dollarswhich have been spent on reports and other commissioned work,little or no follow-up of initiatives, projects and legislationwhich may give credit to a previous administration gets prioritized.
With this attitude, it should thereforebe of no surprise that the Cayman Islands is at its lowest ebbthese days in terms of its political maturity. Too many politicianshave taken liberty of their appointment to discontinue the workof previous legislators. Our economy would not have stutteredto its present stop, if the elected members of the 2000 poll,had carried out the pledges they made during their campaign.
We have stated it before, and reaffirm only a new election, doubtlessly sealed by the public's endorsement,will continue and further some new policies which will break thepolitical impasse which is continuing to erode confidence in oureconomy.
In the seven months since the United DemocraticParty has taken control of the Government, they have been quitebusy forging ahead trying to re-model a ship which was laden withan inadequate engine and no back up sails to catch the wind ofinvestors who are forsaking Cayman for other streams in the Caribbean.
Although some of the current Government'spolicies have been particularly noteworthy - like the concessionssecured for operators in the tourism industry - many may havebeen with significant moves to help set the tone for the returnof overall executive control of the country into Caymanians' hands.
Meanwhile, irrespective of who controlsthe Government for the present or distant future, priority mustbe given to restore the business climate that was taken away becauseof the heavy fees imposed on the local providers of financialindustry services and other tax measures which are negativelyimpacting the economy.
It also behooves the Government to developa policy of appointing members of the public to boards and committees,regardless of one's place of birth, as long as they have earneda place in the community by virtue of their length of residenceand qualifications.
By hewing to a defined strategy of makingmany residents and investors comfortable in terms of securityof tenure, all of Cayman's modern day lawmakers will be able toachieve goals that eluded the former administrations of yearsgone by which were wasted by not erecting a platform on whichthe country could have matured administratively.
The Cayman economy watchers are saying thatthe choices for recovery should be made less from ideology andshould depend more heavily on delegating authority and followingthe advice of experts.
They also cite pragmatism, which dictatesthat if something does not make sense or is unacceptable to amajority of the people, there should be the machinery in placeto simply reform it. Decisions should be made about things ofmerit. In that context, one can obviate the subjects of currentphilosophical and political debate.