Editorial
The Time To Act Responsibly
The right to vote is a fundamental rightin all modern democracies. History demonstrates that in most,it has been a hard-won right.
It is not to be taken lightly.
It is only in recent memory, with the demise of the communistsystem of government across a wide swath of Eastern Europe - withsome experimentaion in some Carriben Islands in the 70s - thatmillions have had the chance to elect their leaders from amongcandidates of various political persuasions, rather than solelyfrom the ruling, one party slate.
In neighboring Cuba, elections still come down to Hobson's choice- the party line up, or the party line up.
Elsewhere, women and minority groups are still struggling forequal treatment as candidates for office, as their male counterpartsand ethnic majorities.
Here in the Cayman Islands, any elector over 18 years old hasthe inalienable right, every four years, to cast a vote, in anelection process that determines who governs the country. Inasmuchas it is true that those so elected to govern on the people'sbehalf owe the people a tremendous level of accountability andresponsibility in return for their trust, it is equally true thatthe people owe it to themselves to elect persons worthy of theirrepresentation.
As we head to General Elections in a matter of hours, there aredisquieting signals that there are too many persons who are intenton disengaging themselves from the political process by refusingto vote. It is a particularly noticeable and worrying trend inthe Christian community, where there is, some believe, a defensiblerationale for divorcing themselves from earthly governments --to better focus on a heavenly kingdom, they reason. Not only isthis a theological fallacy, but this kind of apathetic behaviorreflects a lack of regard for their fellow citizens and couldbe regarded as unchristian.
There are those who are determined to withdraw from the electionprocess, because they may have been disappointed and who willattempt to justify their action as an excuse to shoulder theirresponsibility.
There are also others who base their refusal to participate ondissatisfaction with the quality of candidates and with politicalrepresentation in general. This is nothing more than an excuse- those who do nothing can't take responsibility for anything.
The fact is that the people who offer themselves as candidatesare representative of the society and are products of the samesocialization, education, religious and cultural norms that shapethe rest of us in the society. They are drawn from among friends,neighbours, professional and social peers and church members.
As in any other human endeavour, there may be among them the self-seekers.Still there are those whose experience, qualification and sinceritymark them as fitting leaders for Cayman's future. While none ofthem will be perfect, they are what Cayman has to offer at thispoint.
We have argued here before for the establishment of District Councils- a local government system - to administer affairs at the districtlevel. It is a process that would serve as a training ground forthose who seek representation at the national level and wouldengender the participation of a wider cross section of politicalrepresentatives.
Apathy aside, there is yet another reality that the new governmentshould seek to address. It should no longer be ignored that avast number of persons are disenfranchised on the basis that theyare not "born Caymanians".
There are persons of Caymanian descent and others who have immersedthemselves into and have contributed in every way to the society,who find themselves deprived of this most basic democratic right,on the basis of their heritage. It is no wonder - though perhapsa shame -- that out of a population that could well number 60,000,less than 20 percent have the right to vote.
Perhaps this also makes a case for voting at large or territorialvoting - a mechanism whereby the entire electorate is treatedas a single constituency for electoral purposes. For the CaymanIslands this would mean that the six districts are treated asone constituency and for its 15-member legislature, each registeredvoter would have one vote for the highest office, with the possibilityof other voters being cast for other positions.
The efficacy of voting at large is defended on the basis of anargument that most of the issues facing Cayman tend to be on anational, as opposed to district level. Prospective candidateswould then be expected to campaign on a nation-wide basis. Votingat large, it is argued, is conducive to greater accountabilityand more equitable administration, and gives voter access to severalmembers of the Legislative Assembly, to address their concern.
Whatever the system in place, the role of the elector remainsconstant, and serious. People get the government they deserveand every citizen must understand that not voting is, by default,a vote for the status quo.
Everyone who has the right, and the privilege to choose a governmentfor the country must exercise a concomitant responsibility toexercise that franchise.
Staying home on election day is not only a dereliction of duty- to country - it sets a bad example for the young - the futureleaders of this country.