Beginning, Mr Tibbetts explained that:

"Today we are launching the much anticipated PPM Government's Summary of Proposals entitled The Cayman Islands Constitution: A Reflection of Who We Are."

"The publication of this booklet marks the beginning of perhaps the most important phase of the Constitutional Modernisation Initiative; which is Phase 2: The public consultation period."

"With this we are entering an extraordinary time of national conversation on one of the most important areas of our life - the formulation of a national identity for the Cayman Islands through our Constitution."

"In our 2005 campaign manifesto the PPM Government committed itself to modernising and improving our democracy as well as improving the terms and conditions of our constitutional relationship with the United Kingdom."

He continued: "We were voted in to lead the Government of this country based on our promises and today we seek to fulfill our obligation to you by creating an opportunity for all of us to engage in national discussion about constitutional reforms."

And went on to add that:

"I want to make it clear to you today that the only purpose of the Summary of Proposals is to provide a starting point for public discussion on the issues. Yes, the information presented in the document are the views of the PPM Government, but we are only one part of this national picture - the views of you the people are paramount, therefore we expect to hear from you very soon so that we can move forward in this constitutional process."

"There have been many major constitutional issues that had to be considered and the process is not simply one of writing down suggestions, but actually assessing each proposal for its feasibility, viability and prospects for success," the Cayman leader explained, adding:

"It makes no sense for Government to make baseless, random suggestions that have little or no chance of succeeding. Instead we have put much thought into these proposals and hope that it will stir meaningful public debate."

"Some of the constitutional proposals that we have made include the constitutional relationship between the elected representatives and the Governor, the need to have oversight bodies to ensure good governance in our islands, a provision for people initiated referendums so that issues of national importance may be addressed through direct input from the people and a statement of our national identity and national aspirations," he added.

Tibbetts concluded by reiterating just how significant the publication was for the future of the Cayman Islands, stating that:

"It is not often that citizens get the opportunity to directly chart the future of their country. Today is the start of one of those rare instances. For many of us, this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a contributing author to our country's Constitution and I hope each and every one of you will grasp this with both hands."