90% Declare Interests
A significant majority of the candidatescontesting the General Elections tomorrow have submitted to theRegistrar of Interests, information on their financial interestsand campaign contributions, as required by law, Mrs. GeorgetteMyrie, Registrar of Interests has disclosed.
As at Monday, 6th November at 5 pm, 51 of the 57 candidates hadregistered their interests, in fulfillment of the Register ofInterests Law, 1996, which was passed by the Legislative Assemblyof 8th July of that year.
The law requires the holders of certain offices and occupation"to provide information of any pecuniary interest or othermaterial benefit which a Member receives which might reasonablybe thought by others to influence his or her actions, speechesor votes in the Legislative Assembly, or actions taken in hisor her capacity as a member."
This election marks the first time that candidates have had tomeet this requirement.
In addition to candidates nominated for election to the LegislativeAssembly, other persons required to make a declaration are theElected Members of the Legislative Assembly and the official members-- the Speaker of the House, the Chief Secretary, the AttorneyGeneral, the Financial Secretary and the Registrar of Interests.The list also includes persons appointed to assume the functionof these offices "in the absence or incapacity of the holderof the officer."
Journalists, or "any person having received permission toattend a meeting of the Legislative Assembly, or a meeting ofany of its committees for the purpose of reporting in any newspaperor periodical, or in any radio or television broadcast, the meetingor any matter related to the meeting," are also requiredto register their interests.
Declarations are to be made for interests held on the date onwhich the duty to make the declaration arose. In the case of journalists,declarations are to be made on the date of first attendance ofa meeting of the Legislative Assembly.
Upon election to office, candidates are expected to update theregister in relation to their election contributions, includingnames of donors, notes Mrs. Myrie, who is also Clerk of the LegislativeAssembly. All contributions in aggregates of up to $1,000, mustbe stated, she said. Candidates who lose in their election bidare not required to file a subsequent declaration.
This means that if a candidate recieves $1000 or more in donationsfrom multiple donors he or she is required to list each donor.
"I would have hoped that there would have been 100 percentregistration at this point," Mrs. Myrie commented. "But,I still feel that this may come about."
Failure to declare attracts a fine of $5,000 under the ElectionsLaw and submission of a false declaration is an offence, attractingupon conviction, a fine not exceeding a similar amount.
The following is a list of candidates who had registered theirinterests, up to press time.
Banks, Frank * West Bay
Berry, Arnold T * Bodden Town
Bodden, Heather D * Bodden Town
Bodden, Jefford Robert * George Town
Bodden, Osbourne V * Bodden Town
Bodden, Roy * Bodden Town
Bodden, Truman M * George Town
Bothwell, Ira Clarence * West Bay
Bush, Bernie Alfredo * West Bay
Bush, W McKeeva * West Bay
Connoly, Kenross * East End
Ebanks, Cadian Andhal * West Bay
Ebanks, Eugene * West Bay
Ebanks, Joseph (Joey) * Bodden Town
Ebanks, Leonard Norman * West Bay
Ebanks, Mario E * West Bay
Ebanks, Mitchell * West Bay
Ebanks, Sterling Dwayne * West Bay
Ebanks, William Percival (Billy) * West Bay
Eden, Anthony S * Bodden Town
Eldemire, George P * Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
Glidden, Cline Jr. * West Bay
Goring-Nozza, Florence, Nell George Town
Jefferson, Thomas C * West Bay
Jefferson, John D. Jr. * West Bay
Lawrence, Mary * Bodden Town
Martin, Lyndon Leathan * Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
Miller, Denison Ezzard * North Side
McCoy-Moore, Maxine Avon * Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
McField, A Steve * George Town
McField, Frank Swarres * George Town
McLaughlin Alden McNee * George Town
McLean, Gilbert Allan * Bodden Town
McLean, John Bonwell * East End
McLean, Vincent Arden * East End
McPartland, E R Bridget * George Town
Moyle, Edna M * North Side
Nixon, Melba * George Town
O'Connor Connolly, Julianna * Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
Orr, Ina Claire * West Bay
Parsons, Arden Barry * West Bay
Parsons, James Cyril * West Bay
Pierson, Linford A * George Town
Parchment, Waldo Hilton * West Bay
River, Tara * West Bay
Scott, Anthony (Tony) * Bodden Town
Scott, Audley U * Cayman Brac and Little Cayman
Seymour, Lucille Dell * George Town
Thompson-Cummins Berna L * George Town
Tibbetts, D Kurt * George Town
Watler, Charles W * Bodden Town