CAYMAN CAMPAIGN: A WAITING GAME?

By Staff Writer

As the build-up to the April 30th election gradually gains momentum, the campaign to date appears to have been beset by an almost state of inertia with its slow sedentary pace and low-level campaign intensity.

However, the April 30th poll is already showing signs of being one of the more consequential for Cayman in recent memory following the political upheavals since the 2021 elections.

It’s all but certain that Cayman will have a new Premier after this year’s election with the incumbent Juliana O’Connor-Connolly announcing in formal settings both in Cayman and London that she will be stepping down.

At the same time several other political stalwarts, mainly from the main Opposition People’s Progressive Movement(PPM/Progressives) have announced that they are stepping back from active politics.

But despite a few instances of new candidate presentations and a few high-profile billboards by serving legislators, so far the campaign seems better known for who’s out than who’s in.

The last - and final meeting in this period - of Parliament was replete with jibes referring to ‘inexperienced candidates’ seen as directed as both current one-term parliamentarians and those now entering the political arena.

All of that appears to have resulted in an atmosphere of cautiousness despite what had initially appeared to be Cayman entering a new phase of politics with the emergence of new political ‘parties’ suggesting that the influence of independent candidates was being diminished.

But is that perception also changing as the clock ticks towards the March 1st Nomination Day ahead of the April 30th voting?

The matter was discussed on the Radio Cayman programme Business Buzz with host Kathy Miller featuring guest Ralph Lewis, publisher of Caymanian Times newspaper.

“It’s important that we get the right candidates to form the government,” Lewis stated. “We are hearing that a number of parliamentarians are not going to run so that opens up the door to a lot of new people. We need to get the right folks in there. Right now I can’t say who is likely to win. It’s up in the air.”

Prompted by Business Buzz host Kathy Millet to expand on that, Lewis responded: “There were times when you could sense an individual that the district really appreciates. They were the stalwarts. But now I can’t say with comfort that those same people who used to have the swing are having it as they used to. We are not hearing as much from them.”

He is concerned that this could possibly even lead to a low voter turnout - with its implications for the election outcome.

“I’ve had people tell me, ‘Ralph, I might not vote this year because I don’t know who’s running, I don’t know which party is together and if I don’t know I can’t (not likely to) vote.”

Suggesting that the slow pace of the campaign might be a sign of complacency by some politicians and political aspirants, he advised that “we need to hear from them to come out talking and convince us because times have changed. Voters have changed. That balance is changing.”

While there is some political advertising and a planned series of political debates on Radio Cayman and the Chamber of Commerce, both Lewis and Miller agreed that the campaign to date lacked momentum and a focus on issues currently affecting Cayman. It was felt that candidates were also adopting more of a wait-and-see strategy to form eventual alliances.

“How are you not prepared to discuss the issues going on in the country that you live in, and for something that you’re running in, for people to vote for you? How are you not prepared to talk to people? That blows me away,” remarked Kathy Miller.

In what amounted to free strategy advice from her marketing background, the Business Buzz host suggested: “I think that’s so important in being able to just get out there and communicate with the public. If silence means that you can’t be misinterpreted, well the person talking will be the one who’s going to be remembered.”

“I’m concerned,” added Caymanian Times editor and publisher Ralph Lewis. “I’ve been speaking about this and writing about this for years, that if you want to run for elections, you should have your act together two years before. Now it’s just about two months, and we need to know what’s happening.”

The entire conversation is available on Radio Cayman’s Business Buzz Youtube channel February 18 edition