Was it the free food and drink, was it just being curious at what it was all about, or was it the Cayman public’s genuine very anxiousness to find a real alternative to the present two party system dominating the islands political arena?

Whatever the reason, there was a large crowd of at least a thousand I would guess and it is a guess, that attended the inaugural public meeting of the Coalition4Cayman (C4C).

Notable persons from Cayman’s political scene were there including North Side MLA, Ezzard Miller and ex MLAs Frank McField and Charles Clifford. The Cayman Islands Premier’s Press Secretary, Charles Glidden, was also present but he told me he was there not in any official capacity and it was of his own volition as a curious member of the public.

The mood of the people there was upbeat and there was no real need of the band of C4C ‘cheer leaders’ who were more often than not behind the cheers of the crowd who applauded all the speakers when they repeated the need for a change and put country first. They did add some loud whistles, though.

The meeting took place in the parking lot of A.L. Thompson and even though I arrived at 7pm the car park allocated to actually the parking of vehicles was already full and overflowing. I had to park in an adjacent road and walk!

The Master of Ceremonies was Roosters’ Cayman Crosstalk show host, Austin Harris, who gave a very spirited welcome and address. In fact he was by far the best speaker, in my opinion, and I was disappointed when he stopped when he noticed Jude Scott motioning to him to stop. Mr. Harris knows the art of how to “whip” the public up.

As the event was continually advertised over Rooster and was broadcast live by Rooster it doesn’t take much detective work to realise that the Merren brothers, Randy and Bryce (owners of Hurley’s Entertainment that broadcasts Rooster), are supporters of C4C. Local attorney, James Bergstrom is also believed to be actively involved, too.

The meeting started with a prayer from Alson Ebanks and followed by the Cayman National Song “Beautiful Isle Cayman” from Rudy Myles.

Then it was time for the platform speakers to perform and these were Jude Scott, Tara Rivers, Johann Moxam, Jacqueline Haynes and Mervin Smith.

There was very little any of the speakers said that Mr Harris and the C4C website and printed material given out hadn’t already conveyed. But it didn’t matter. The words ‘Independent candidate’ were thrust home time after time as was reference to the good times when there were no political parties.

C4C said it will not be directly fielding candidates but will endorse those they believe are independent thinkers. Their website states, “put country first ahead of party or reasons of self-interest when implementing policy.”

The Coalition addressed corruption, government overspending, government debt, integrity and transparency. However, the main focus was on condemning party politics as the root cause of Cayman’s economic and social ills.

Harris announced that this was only the beginning and this was a platform to build on and grow. Other speakers encouraged everyone who is eligible to register to vote and join the coalition.

C4C said they are looking for people to volunteer to lead issue-led sub-committees. These committees will analyse the various problems the country has and seek solutions, which they hope elected leaders will follow once in office. The type of independent candidate running in next year’s election the Coalition would endorse would be one who would not cut backroom door deals but would unify, while being an independent leader.

Whilst not endorsing current independent MLAs, Ezzard Miller and Arden Mclean, the Coalition said they saw no need to endorse any one else to fight against them. The group will be focusing on the districts of George Town, Bodden Town and West Bay. Nobody in the Sister Islands will be endorsed even if running as an independent.

Jude Scott said, “We will be selecting the right leaders to be independent thinkers and develop solutions for Cayman as a whole. For now we are focusing on bringing people together and attracting them to the Coalition vision. We may find independent leaders who have the vision but who may never have considered politics before. We will eventually interview the possible candidates and figure out who can best represent the position of the Coalition.”