Cayman Leader Readies Constitutional Referendum

by Amanda Banks, Tax-News.com, London

02 November 2005

Cayman Islands leader Kurt Tibbetts, who won power last May after promising a referendum on the issue of greater autonomy from the UK, said in London last week that he is preparing to reopen discussions with the UK Government on constitutional modernisation.

Mr Tibbetts was in the UK for the two-day annual Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) meeting which brings together 12 mostly Caribbean British Overseas Territories, including Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Last May, Mr Tibbetts' People's Progressive Movement swept away the government of McKeeva Bush in a Cayman Islands election, winning nine out of the fifteen seats in the jurisidction's legislature. Whilst both candidates were promising changes in the Cayman Islands' constitutional relationship the the UK, Tibbetts offered to hold a referendum on the issue, whilst Bush favoured new legislation giving more power to elected officials and less to the British governor general.

Mr. Tibbetts told the OTCC meeting that previous talks had gone a long way, but that any new modern constitution required the approval of the people of the Cayman Islands.

Other subjects that were discussed at the meeting included the European Union Savings Tax Directive, changes to aviation regulations that would adversely affect the Cayman Islands, and the position of students who are required to pay overseas or foreign rates at UK universities,

The Cayman delegation to London also had discussions with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cayman Islands to strengthen ties between the Cayman Government and the two British Houses of Parliament.

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