Lettersto the Editor
Turnout atUnited Demotratic Party Convention
Dear Sir:
Despite all the problems we face today,the major talking point around town recently has been the poorturn out at the UDP convention and the pitiful excuses by themembers to try and explain why they have so little support.
All we could hear in the days leading upto their convention was the promotions by the UDP for this "firstof a kind in Cayman's history" convention and this "historicoccasion", as they put it. What a slap in the face it wastherefore and what an embarrassment to the UDP it turned out tobe, after all that hype!
One claim or excuse by a senior member wasthat they had not done a major membership drive and that is why,not many turned up. If that is the case, then why did they doall the promoting and advertising to invite members and even thepublic to the open session?
They also said that they had to wait forpeople to turn up from the airport who had been delayed. Again,if that was so, how come those people never did show up? If theydid show up, then it must have been just a few people that weredelayed at the airport.
Another suggestion was that they were waitingfor a Minister who had also been delayed. I have heard from severalpeople there that the proceedings were delayed by over one hourand all sessions had been pushed back by that hour (at a majorconvention?), but in truth, it was really because there were sofew people to begin with they were delaying in the hope that morewould turn up.
For all their pitiful excuses and believeme, they are very poor, it is plain to all that despite the UDP'senthusiasm and all the hype leading up to this "historicevent", they still do not have the support of the Caymanpeople.
The UDP members and supporters, fully wellknow within themselves that when they took over the Governmenton November 8, 2001 they did so against the wishes of the vastmajority of the people as seen by the demonstration on the morningof the "Coup". Also, they now know without a shadowof a doubt, because of the very embarrassing lack of support attheir inaugural convention, that they still do not have the supportof the majority of the people.
What makes this more obvious, even for thosewho do not want to accept it, is that on the front page of thenewspapers, the report covering the convention said that therewere well over 100 persons present (even though by reports I receivedthis figure is inflated with most being observers). There wasalso a center page report of a meeting held by the oppositionmembers with a speech by the guest speaker, the Hon. David Thompsonof Barbados and it mentions that there were over 450 people inattendance and I can confirm this because I was there.
If that is not enough evidence, if we neededany, that the UDP do not have the support of the people, thenI do not know what is!
Can the UDP Government therefore tell theCayman people what more we can do to show them that we do notwant them running the country. Surely by now even they must haverealised this fact, because it does not take an educated man orwoman to understand this.
Chris Wight