(CNS): The new opposition leader, Joey Hew, has said that the proposed government referendum on whether or not Cayman should build cruise berthing facilities will not really settle the issue. Hew said the proposed vote was a smokescreen to deflect from the current government’s failure to take any action to support Cayman’s tourism industry and those who depend upon it. He said this government will be found wanting at the general election next year when held to account for their performance.
He said cruise visitor numbers were at an all time low and there was “no defined plan or path to recovery” as he suggested the referendum was cover up for the government’s failings. During his response to the motion on behalf of the Progressives, Hew said the minister had failed to present a concrete plan but a referendum that would not resolve the matter.
Hew criticised the government for holding a vote in the absence of any facts or defined infrastructure proposal. Echoing comments by those campaigning for a ‘no’ vote, Hew said the referendum does not address where the pier would be, the costs, any long-term benefits or the environmental impact.
“We are being asked to support a question that is at best vague and at worst incomplete,” he said. With no project for voters to properly consider, they don’t have the information needed to weigh the pros and cons and cannot make an informed decision on the proposed question.
Hew also warned that if there is a ‘yes’ vote and a future government goes ahead with a project, it may well still encounter fierce opposition, especially as the minister has downplayed the possible size of any cruise pier that might be proposed.
Those who may have voted ‘yes’ may still not support a specific future project because of the location, scale, costs, ownership, environmental damage or other factors that could emerge in the future, especially given the evolution of cruise tourism away from ports of call to the onboard experience and private islands.
Hew said Bryan’s public statements about a future cruise project, likely to be in George Town, with one pier and no upland development, financed through a Caymanian-only investment fund could have already constrained what might be possible in future.
“This referendum will not resolve the issue, and a referendum that fails to settle matters is largely pointless,” he said. “A lack of clarity undermines the referendum process, creating confusion and uncertainty rather than providing real solutions to the challenges facing Cayman’s tourism sector.”
He accused the government of shirking its responsibility by shifting the burden of such a major decision onto the people instead of developing a comprehensive plan to address the cruise industry decline without doing the necessary groundwork. He said the government should lead with a clear plan, indicating that if the PPM is reelected, they will probably pursue a project regardless of the outcome of the referendum, which is non-binding and merely advisory.
Despite criticising the government’s decision to hold a vote without a project plan, he said the opposition would nevertheless support the motion.
The only other member to speak during the debate was McKeeva Bush MP (WBW), who made it clear he did not think there should be a referendum at all, even though he supported the motion. “I’m not a hypocrite,” he said, adding that while he supported the minister, there was a long way to go, and he was concerned about a referendum.
“Suppose the people say no… what will the government do?” he asked, given that, according to the tourism minister, the situation is dire. “If we are saying that things are so bad and we go to the vote and the CPR… gets the upper hand and the people say no… what happens to all those businesses that are hurting?” Bush asked and repeatedly queried what the government should do “if the naysayers win”.
Bush said the government was elected to lead. He suggested that the Cayman Islands should press ahead with a cruise berthing project regardless of what the people think, as he said being elected to lead was about making decisions even if the people are against them.
