Newly elected Members of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands attend CPA Virtual Post-Election Seminar

Newly elected Members of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands have completed the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Virtual Post-Election Seminar, designed to strengthen their understanding of parliamentary democracy and provide an insight into leading democratic practices from around the Commonwealth.

The seminar took place from 4 to 6 August 2021 and was attended by government and opposition Members of Parliament and a roster of experienced Parliamentarians from elsewhere in the Commonwealth. The opening ceremony, hosted in the Chamber, featured remarks by the Premier of the Cayman Islands, Hon. G. Wayne Panton JP MP, the Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Dr W. Mckeeva Bush OBE JP MP, and the CPA Secretary-General, Stephen Twigg, who joined the event via video link. This hybrid format was used throughout the programme, with Members sitting in the Parliament building whilst presenters from across the Commonwealth joined virtually.

Above: The Premier of the Cayman Islands, Hon. G. Wayne Panton JP MP, opens the CPA Virtual Post-Election Seminar

Across the three days, Members and Clerks from eleven Commonwealth Parliaments[1] joined sessions on topics including the legislative process, parliamentary ethics and the committee system.

One highlight was a presentation by Hon. Mohamed Nasheed GCSK MP, Speaker of the People’s Majlis of The Maldives, in which he recalled his years of imprisonment and the recent bomb attack which left him hospitalised, bringing the importance of parliamentary privilege and freedom of speech into sharp focus.

The Cayman Islands 2021 General Election took place on 14 April 2021. The results saw twelve incumbents and seven newcomers elected, including three new women MPs, raising the total number of women in Parliament to five. The new cohort of MPs is also the youngest in Cayman Islands' history. The election was monitored by a virtual Election Expert Mission organised by the CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region (BIMR). The final report of the Mission was reviewed at the Post-Election Seminar in a session led by the CPA United Kingdom Branch.

Above: Members of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands take part in a workshop activity during the seminar

The CPA Secretary-General said:

“The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was delighted to support the Parliament of the Cayman Islands once again through the delivery of the third successive Post-Election Seminar programme, following previous seminars in 2013 and 2017. I was pleased to see newly elected government and opposition Members come together to learn from their colleagues elsewhere in the Commonwealth and discuss how the institutions of democracy in the Cayman Islands can be continually strengthened.”

The Speaker of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands, Hon. Dr W. Mckeeva Bush added:

"As the Father of the House with over 36 years’ experience as a legislator and now a Parliamentarian, I see the merit of holding such a seminar. The seminar’s remit is to help Members hone their skills at becoming more effective parliamentarians, which is really a very invaluable service, particularly to new representatives. My sincere thanks go to the CPA Secretariat for bringing this resource to the direct benefit of our MPs.”

Above: The Speaker of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands, Hon. W. Mckeeva Bush JP MP, addresses Members.

The CPA Post-Election Seminar programme introduces Parliamentarians to differing legislative systems and methods of working. The programme also serves as a reminder of the possibilities that can come from sharing knowledge across the Parliaments and Legislatures of the Commonwealth to strengthen democratic governance.

[1] The Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Jersey, The Maldives, Bermuda, Canada, Anguilla, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom, Isle of Man.

UPDATE 05/10/2021:

Outcomes Report: CPA Post-Election Seminar for the Parliament of the Cayman Islands
The three-day CPA Post-Election Seminar for the Parliament of the Cayman Islands held between 4 and 6 August 2021 resulted in a number of key outcomes including:

• Participation from MPs including both new and returning Members, Government and Opposition Members, and the Speaker and the Premier.
• Contributions from eleven CPA Branches across the Commonwealth including Antigua and Barbuda, Jersey, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Kingdom.
• A keynote presentation from the Speaker of the People’s Majlis of The Maldives, Hon. Mohamed Nasheed GCSK MP who spoke of his years of imprisonment and the recent bomb attack which left him hospitalised.
• MPs also heard from specialist Election Analysts on the recent CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region’s Election Expert Mission following the elections in the Cayman Islands earlier in the year.

-ENDS-

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association connects, develops, promotes and supports Parliamentarians and their staff to identify benchmarks of good governance and the implementation of the enduring values of the Commonwealth. The CPA is an international community of around 180 Commonwealth Parliaments and Legislatures working together to deepen the Commonwealth’s commitment to the highest standards of democratic governance.

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