EDITORIAL

Young politicians lead the way in enhancing democracy

Tuesday,  March 14, 2006

The youngsters who have spent the last two days taking their political seats instead of the country’s usual elected representatives, in the Legislative Assembly, are extremely encouraging.

The Youth Parliament is part of the Commonwealth day celebrations and we have much to be proud of here in the Cayman Islands, that the young men and women involved in this initiative chose to sit for two days and not just on Commonwealth Day as is common in other countries and in the past.

Not only that, they chose to debate six different motions covering topics as diverse as the spread of HIV in the region, Sunday Trading in the Cayman Islands, the Traffic Law, Freedom of Information, technical and vocational education and the pressing issue of gang related crime.

The youngsters have shown enthusiasm and commitment to the spirit of the exercise, which is about encouraging more people from an earlier age to access democracy.

It would therefore be beneficial to the community as a whole to encourage youth participation in the democratic process all year-round.

The idea of a young parliamentary committee that could work with existing committees to learn more about Cayman’s political process may foster more future politicians and a wider interest in democracy throughout the community.

Schools should be encouraged to take a more pro-active approach, taking students to visit the Legislative Assembly when it is sitting and finding ways of bringing civil and political studies into the classroom and academic curriculum.

In addition, outside the education system, the concept of district councils could give more lay people and certainly youngsters the opportunity to serve their local communities in a political capacity and nurture future political leaders.

Democracy is something that requires commitment and participation and with the current Administration keen on openness, transparency and good governance, this is probably one of the best opportunities Cayman has ever had to lobby for and then establish things like local councils and mayors, to encourage more grass roots political activity.

With a small electorate in comparison to the population as a whole, it is essential that the country maintains its high level of voter turn out in elections.

However, elections occur only once every four years, in the interim we need to see more people involved in the country’s democratic process. Getting the people’s voices heard as well as their needs and concerns addressed in between election campaigns is an important element of the democratic process.

Politics and democracy has to be about the people and even though elected members are returned to the Legislative Assembly, in theory to represent the needs and interests of their constituents, the day to day administrative issue of policy and law making can sometimes distract the Government of the day from that essential fundamental purpose.

Local government in the form of district councils would serve too to remind the Administration of its constant duty to the voters as well as providing the training ground for the politicians of tomorrow and dealing with immediate local needs.

Commonwealth Day too serves to remind us that not all countries around the world enjoy a democratic right and reminds us how precious and valuable it is.

With that in mind, the people of the Cayman Islands need to ensure that they do not waste the rights they have to a political voice and use it. 

Moreover, we should all be more pro-active in encouraging the country’s young people to learn as much as they can about the process of democracy and get involved.

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