I understand that our sister territory of Cayman is voting in their general elections today. In addition to parliamentary elections I understand that they are also voting on a new constitution in a referendum vote.
Cayman seems to have a two-party system similar to our own, with a social-democratic People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) and a conservative United Democratic Party (UDP). These two parties are relatively new, really being formed in the aftermath of the Hurricane Ivan reconstruction (2004) and the 2005 General Election. I also understand that there is actually little difference between the two ideologically.
I’ve been to Cayman I think twice, once when I was rather young, and then in 2004 with the Bermuda Regiment’s post-hurricane reconstruction operation (Operation Cayman Comeback I think they called it?). I have some mixed feelings towards Cayman as a result to be honest. I was struck by the very clear segregation of class and immigrant workers there – my group operated mostly in poor Jamaican immigrant neighbourhoods. And I doubt I’ll ever be able to unconnect the stench of sewage/rotten food from the name of Cayman. Seriously, I can recall it vividly even now, as much as I wish I couldn’t. I was also very much struck by the Americanisation of the island, so much so that at times one could easily think you were in south Florida. Also, I didn’t get much of a chance to meet any actual Caymanians, they seemed to have disappeared during the reconstruction and I really only interacted with Hondurans, Jamaicans and a handful of Canadians, which was really quite surreal.
As a result, I really don’t have much of an impression of the political landscape there, although it seemed clear to me that there were some serious racial, immigrant and class contradictions there which made for a potential tinderbox. I would expect the PPM to win this General Election though, but I reckon they will lose a seat to the UDM and we’ll see the PPM with 8 seats, the UDM with 6 and the independent to return with 1 seat.
I believe there are many other Bermudians who would have a better grasp of the political situation in Cayman, so I’ld appreciate learning more from them, as well as the whole issue about the Constitutional vote.
There is also the Cayman News Service site which has a lot of information on the issues of the election, and I’ll be reading over it now too.
"catch a fire" 
What you saw was a reflection of your heritage and Bermuda. As you stated, all you saw was Jamaicans, Hatians et al. All we see in Bermuda is likewise. And treated the same.
So much for progress or manipulation.
Welcome to 2009 and no diploma required.
Have a great day.
The whole caribbean has been riped off by elite black politicans and the CIA is to blame. Corrupt useless leaders need to be stripped naked in at red square. Noreaga was arrested so should Brown.
Surprised at your comments as I found the people to be fantastic when I worked there some time ago. The Jamacican’s are probably treated no worse than some of the ethnic groups in Bermuda and TCI unfortantly life is not always fair.
I really admire anyone that relocates for a better life and I am sure the Jamacicans in Cayman are glad that there not in Kingston!!
Hey Rick, well, my experiences were no doubt under a high-stress situation for the Caymans. The one Caymanian that I met I really got along quite well with, and it irritates me tha tI lost her email. But from what I saw there certainly seemed to be a greater rate of ghettoisation in Cayman than in Bermuda, complicated further by virtually all the blue-collar/lower class workers being immigrants.
As to the Cayman elections, it looks like I was way off, which is not surprising in that I don’t really have a good feeling of the situation on the ground there. It appears that the conservative UDM has won the election with about an 80% voter turn-out. Not sure of the exact stats yet. And no idea about the referendum on Caymanian constitutional change.
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Hey Jonny
Just to let you know the UDP won (you are right that the parties are similar, we don’t really have the racial segregation of parties as Bermuda have)
The parties were formed around 2001, with the UDP losing power after mainly what was seen as a poor performance post Hurricane Ivan.
The main thing about politics on the island is there are around 60000 people and around 15000 voters (I beleive around 50% of the population is expat, me included)
Constitution was passed by a simple majority.
Your experience of the island would have been scewed a bit due to the cat 5 storm that really trashed everything. Alot of the affluent left for a while and those you stayed lived for close to 2 months with no power, or running water and a curfew, hence the smell.
A lot of us lost everything, and I mean everything, home, all posessions, etc, Ivan was quite a leveling force. If anything the class system is worse since Ivan, mainly due the high cost of living and awful wages for the immigrant unskilled workers.
But you should come back, I still will find it hard to leave when my term limit is up.
Cayman still is beautiful, mainly due to the friendly Caymanians, although is does lack the physical beauty of Jamaca or Cuba
I should add that the remittancies back to Jamaca are higher from Cayman than Canada, as the pay is so much higher than Ja.
But this also makes things worse as many of the “lowclass” workers can’t bring their famillies over and send most of their money home, making their own living conditions worse still.
This whole Independence of the Carribbean is a political joke. They all immigrate to America sell drugs or join the Uncle Sam for a 4 year U.S. passport in the armed forces and watch their islands sink into poverty corruption and crime.
Onetime at a 1998 blackpower rally in New Orleans, Brooklyn was named as the largest carribbean city in the world with 5million blacks.
The rivalry between carribean folks and Bill Cosby’s Americans is fierce a jamaican was attacked for running in a City councilman election for being a foreigner.
The best solution in hindsight was to become a U.S. state for the whole carribean.
This is what Bermuda needs. But weak leadership with no vision appear shortsided.
“Weak Leadership” ? Just look around. Not a sould in town, all off doing the Washinton/Carribean two step.
Blame the Governor my ass. Blame the BBC. Johnny, start a thread about reality, about Bermuda. This shit is for the birds.
Rummy.
Weak, what are you talking about? An all-encompassing Caribbean state within the United States? The hell?