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Politics of the Cayman Islands takes
place in a framework of a
parliamentary representative
democratic overseas territory,
whereby the Leader of Government
Business is the head of government,
and of a pluriform multi-party
system. Executive power is exercised
by the government. Legislative power
is vested in both the government and
the Legislative Assembly. The
Judiciary is independent of the
executive and the legislature. The
Cayman Islands' physical isolation
under early British colonial rule
allowed the development of an
indigenous set of administrative and
legal traditions which were codified
into a constitution in 1959.
Although a British overseas
territory, the islands are
self-governed in nearly all
respects. The constitution, or
Cayman Islands Order, that now
governs the islands came into effect
in 1972 and was amended in 1984. The
Cayman Islands' political system is
very stable, bolstered by a
tradition of restrained civil
governance, sustained economic
prosperity, and its relative
isolation from foreign policy
concerns by virtue of its colonial
relationship with the United
Kingdom. Public discussion revolves
around public sector expenditure and
social services, the pace of
additional economic development, and
the status of the large foreign
national community on the islands.
Constitutional Modernization has
come to the forefront of politics
recently with the collapse of the
now defunct Euro Bank Corporation in
2003. The prosecution in the trial
was forced to reveal that the
British Government had planted moles
(and used wire taps) throughout the
banking industry using MI6, at the
consent of the governor. This caused
the trial's collapse, and subsequent
release of those charged with
wrongdoing. Along with this, the
only mole that was known at the time
was allowed to leave the country,
never to answer for what he (or the
United Kingdom) was doing. This
infuriated the elected members of
the legislative assembly as they
maintained that the governor and the
United Kingdom had put into question
Cayman's reputation as a tightly
regulated offshore jurisdiction.
Some saw this as the United Kingdom
meddling in the territory's affairs
to benefit itself (and the EU), at
the expense of the islands' economy.
Constitutional talks however went on hold following
Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Subsequently
in May of 2005 the ruling UDP was
ousted by the PPM, which have slowed
the constitutional modernization
process to a standstill. Among the
points of contention is whether or
not the new constitution should
include a bill-of-rights. The
Cabinet has three members appointed
by the governor and five members
elected by the Legislative Assembly,
including the Leader of Government
Business. The British Crown appoints
a Governor, who is recruited from
the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office
and serves as the British
representative, including his role
as the direct representative of
Queen Elizabeth II. Daily
administration of the islands is
conducted by the eight-member
Cabinet. The chief secretary,
financial secretary, and attorney
general are appointed by the
governor. Responsibility for defense
and foreign affairs resides with the
United Kingdom; however, the chief
secretary has the portfolio for
External Affairs, and the Cayman
Government may negotiate certain
bilateral matters directly with
foreign governments. The remaining
five members of the Executive
Council are elected by the Assembly
and divide the remaining
administrative portfolios. The
governor can exercise complete
executive authority if he wishes
through blanket powers reserved to
him in the constitution. He must
give royal assent to all
legislation, which allows him the
power to strike down any law the
legislature may see fit for the
country. In modern times, the
governor usually allows the country
to be run by the cabinet, and the
civil service to be run by the Chief
Secretary, who is the Acting
Governor when the Governor is not
able to discharge his usual duties
for one reason or another. The
current governor of the Cayman
Islands is Stuart Jack and the
current Chief Secretary is Hon.
George McCarthy, OBE, and JP.
Political parties have operated
infrequently in the past, and public
officeholders tend to be
independents. Since the 1970s,
groups of candidates have organized
themselves into ad hoc coalitions
called teams and run on platforms of
shared concerns. In November 2000
elections, voters ousted the leader
of the government and two other
ministers because of legislation
enacted to weaken bank secrecy.
Seven new members were elected to
the Legislative Assembly. In the run
up to the November 2004 elections
the elected politicians polarized
into two groups known as the United
Democratic Party (UDP) and the
People's Progressive Movement (PPM),
with a third group of former Members
of the Legislative Assembly also
active but without a common name to
identify them. Current issues being
debated include the islands'
recovery after Hurricane Ivan,
UK-Cayman relations (especially with
regards to the new Governor,) and
the recently implemented visa
requirements Cayman has imposed on
Jamaicans and vice versa. Another
issue is the drafting of a new
constitution and a bill of rights,
The UDP believes the bill of rights
should be a separate document while
the PPM wants it incorporated into a
new constitution.
Currently, some constituencies have
multiple elected representatives
depending on the number of
registered voters. The recent large
number of grants of status, or
citizenship, has sparked debate, and
the widespread destruction by
Hurricane Ivan and the subsequent
handling by government have also
been criticized.
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