CPR group meets with governor ahead of petition submission

June 7, 2019

(CMR) Despite the Premier, The Honourable Alden McLaughlin, indicating earlier this week that the proposed port project may not be a project of national importance the CPR Cayman group has met with H.E. Governor Roper this morning.

CPR Cayman appears to be focused on moving the process forward and has already met with other key stakeholders to ensure that their petition fully meets all of the legal criteria and the pending referendum is handled accordingly.

The announced earlier today that they anticipate making their formal submission of the petition for a people initiated referendum on the proposed cruise berthing facility, in accordance with Section 70 of the Cayman Islands Constitution some time next week.

Following the 24th May 2019 announcement that the community group had reached the constitutionally required 25% threshold on the petition, the group announced last week that they would meet with both Elections Supervisor Mr Wesley Howell and His Excellency the Governor, before presenting the petition to the Elections Supervisor, to seek guidance on the process and also seek reassurances on the verification process following widespread concerns from the public.

All parties have acknowledged that they are navigating unchartered waters together in what will be the first People Initiated Referendum in the Cayman Islands, and possibly the first in any Overseas Territory. This will also be the first time that a petition is verified by the Elections Office. In 2011 the Constitutional Commission recommended the development of a Referendum Law, however, no such law has been passed to date, and the Elections Law also does not speak at all to Referendums.

Following today’s meeting with His Excellency, the petition is currently being prepared to be delivered to Elections Office next week to begin the official verification process. The exact date and time are to be determined by the Elections Office and once confirmed we will invite the public and the media to share in this historic moment in the evolution of Cayman’s democracy.

CPR Cayman is a grassroots initiative of concerned citizens advocating for a democratic approach to the decision-making for the proposed cruise berthing facility. More information can be found on CPR Cayman's Facebook page. People can also contact [email protected].