The
Transition from Legislative Assembly to the Parliament.

By
Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin, MBE, JP, MLA

2
November, 2020

Legislative
Assembly

Thank
you Mr. Speaker, as Father of this House I think it was only fit and
proper that you should regale us in that way with not only some
humorous stories but some very poignant ones about those days long
gone by, and indeed some individuals who have been called before us.
And Mr. Speaker I’m a full sixteen years behind you in seniority in
this House but I have been here long enough myself to have a few
tales that on the appropriate occasion I hope to be able to share. I
hope I have the opportunity before I’m too old and infirmed to do
so.

Mr.
Speaker, during the past two Administrations that I have had the
honour and privilege to lead, several milestones have been achieved
in these Hallowed Halls.

Today,
sir, as you have noted we mark another most significant milestone.
When the gavel sounds at the end of this First Meeting of the
2020/2021 Session of the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly it will
mark the end of a storied era as we say adieu to the institution
known as the Legislative Assembly.

When
next we meet in these hallowed halls, this place shall be known as
the House of Parliament.

Growth
and maturity bring with them change. This august institution that is
the Legislative Assembly first began in its current form some sixty
years ago during a period of much change globally, regionally and
indeed change here at home.

Change
that brought in our Coat of Arms on 14 May, 1958 - our first symbol
of national unity and pride, the design of which was debated and
agreed by the Assembly of Justices and Vestry on 5 February, 1958.

Change
that also brought our first written constitution that came into
effect on 4 July, 1959; the document that has played a pivotal role
in helping guide our further development and prosperity.

And
change that remade and renamed the Assembly of Justices & Vestry
that began life in 1831 at Pedro St. James they call it now, Pedro
Castle we used to call it, to the Legislative Assembly that has
existed these past 60 years. Change that not only modernised the role
of this House but did away with the bi-cameral system of Justices and
Vestry, and installed a uni-cameral system comprising Members of the
Legislative Assembly.

And
Mr. Speaker we are about to change again and with that change we in
this House will also transition from being Members of the Legislative
Assembly to being Members of Parliament. This I am sure is a matter
of pride for every one of us here and indeed for every Caymanian. A
pride that is not about us as individuals but instead is one of
national pride in the advances we are making as a Legislature and as
a country.

Mr.
Speaker, as we are all aware, the renaming of this institution to
Parliament was agreed between a delegation of all Members of this
House, Government and Opposition and the United Kingdom Government in
a package of important enhancements to our Constitution that are
expected to come into effect next month. Those enhancements, Mr.
Speaker, acknowledge the growth and maturity of our Islands and
provide an important added level of control over our own affairs.
These amendments combined with the 2009 Constitution, will not only
guide our maturing relationship with the United Kingdom but will also
be the foundation for our continued prosperity.

Mr.
Speaker before we close this chapter, I would like to delve into a
bit of history as to how we evolved from that first meeting of
democratically elected representatives on the 31st December, 1831;
some 189 years ago to this Legislative Assembly.

In
the foreword to her booklet, “1832-1982: 150 Years of Parliamentary
Government in the Cayman Islands”, National Hero, and the first
Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, The Hon. Sybil McLaughlin wrote,
and I quote: “Self-government is a state of affairs that has never
come easily to nations. Even today there are tens of millions of
people in the world whose every move is governed by alien forces far
from their own borders.

“By
this measure, then, the Cayman Islands must surely be counted among
the blessed lands on this planet since our roots of self-government
can clearly be traced back 150 years to the first meeting of
democratically elected representatives of the people on the 31st of
December, 1831.”

At
the time this was written by Ms Sybil as we called her in 1982 we
were celebrating 150 years of Constitutional Democracy, and our early
and important moves towards self-government; early moves that began
with a meeting as recorded in documents found in the Public Records
Office in London that note, “At a meeting held in Saint James’s
on the 5th of December, 1831, it was resolved that Representatives
should be appointed for the different districts throughout the Island
for the purpose of forming local laws for its better Government. The
Representatives were accordingly elected on the tenth of the same
month, and assembled at George Town, pursuant to Advertisement on the
31st December, 1831, and the 2nd January, 1832.”

And
so Mr. Speaker the first elections in these Islands were held on 10
December, 1831, and then on 31 December the first Assembly of
Justices and Vestry met in George Town. This first meeting was
ceremonial with the official business meeting being held in January
the following year.

That
first group of elected representatives were George W. Wood and James
Hunter Wood of Bodden Town; James Coe Sr. and William Eden Sr. of
Prospect; John Hew of South Sound; James Parsons Sr., William I.
Bodden and Thomas L. Thompson of George Town and Samuel Parsons and
William Bodden of West Bay.

The
first Magistrates were John Drayton, senior magistrate; Robert S.
Watler; Waide W. Bodden; John S. Jackson; James Coe Jr.; Abraham O.
Fuertado; Edwin John Parsons; and Nathaniel Glover who resigned and
was replaced by William Eden Sr.

At
a meeting on 2 January, 1832, legislation titled “An Act to
Regulate the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands” was passed
formalising the rules and regulations governing the operation of the
Assembly of Justices and Vestry. That first sitting of the Assembly
was bi-cameral; in other words it was divided into two houses, one
senior to the other.

The
first, or lower house, was comprised of elected “Vestrymen”, also
called “Representatives” who held their deliberations in a
different room from the appointed “Magistrates”,
which comprised the second or upper house. Laws passed in the
Assembly were required to be sent to Jamaica for assent by the
Governor of Jamaica.

In
many instances years would pass before the Governor of Jamaica would
get around to placing his signature on the Cayman Islands
legislation; in fact the first Act of the Cayman Islands Legislature
passed in 1832 was not assented to by the Governor of Jamaica until
1865.

I
would note for completeness that prior to these events in 1831 and
1832 local public affairs were administered via Justices of the Peace
appointed by the British Governor in Jamaica. One of their number was
then named as the local Governor. And so with the advent of elected
representational government in 1831, Caymanians put an end to the
administering power directly appointing those who would not only
create the laws, but who also sat as judges, and who administered the
affairs of these Islands.

After
1832, the role of the local Governor was changed to that of Custos
who was appointed by the Governor of Jamaica, and who served as the
head of both the elected and administrative functions.

By
1898 the role of a Custos was changed to Commissioner who, as did a
Custos, combined administrative duties with that of a judge of the
Grand Court. The Commissioner also presided over the Assembly and as
such prepared Legal Reports to the Bills passed in the Assembly. A
powerful position indeed on three small Islands with a small
population.

Despite
the longstanding role of the Governor of Jamaica in the
administration of the affairs in the Cayman Islands, it was not until
the passage of ‘The Cayman Islands Act’ on 22 June, 1863, by the
United Kingdom Parliament that the Cayman Islands was declared, and
administered as, a dependency of Jamaica. With that the Governor of
Jamaica had the same powers and authority in respect of the Cayman
Islands, as if these Islands had been part of the Island of Jamaica.

The
Legislature of Jamaica also had authority to consent to laws passed
in the Cayman Islands as well as to make laws for the peace, order
and good government of the Cayman Islands. All acts or laws that were
valid in Jamaica would be applied to the Cayman Islands. With the
direct imposition of the Jamaican Legislature in the affairs of our
Islands, the 1863 Act of the UK Parliament could be viewed as a
‘stumble’ on our journey toward increased self-government.
None-the-less, the Caribbean Sea and the distance that separates us
from Jamaica, along with our small size allowed us a useful measure
of autonomy.

Ms
Sybil noted in her booklet on 150 years of government that during the
whole of the 19th Century, governors of Jamaica visited the Cayman
Islands on only four occasions and representations were made that the
Islands were suffering from neglect. But Caymanian lawmakers did not
let that neglect stand in their way and they continued to exercise
legislative powers without any interference from Jamaica. Over time
the majority of assemblymen came to believe that the local autonomy
they enjoyed was a right rather than a privilege conceded by Jamaica.

And
so, over the next 90 years we continued our slow march toward nation
building; building an economy and building our capacity and our
confidence as a people and as a country.

For
most of that time our Islands were a fairly quiet place and it was
not until events of the 1950s that the national pride of Caymanians
was stirred sufficiently to pay attention to the politics of the
region and the potential changing future of these Islands.

The
West Indies Federation that was promoted by the United Kingdom after
the Second World War was eventually formed in 1958, but dissolved in
1962 as Jamaica and Trinidad opted for independence and
self-determination rather than Federation. The years leading up to
the formation of the Federation, through its demise, were pivotal
years for Caymanians as our future hung in the balance.

Despite
the post-war trend that saw a number of UK colonies opt for
Federation and then later for independence, the Cayman Islands was
determined to not just be swept along in the wake of our larger
neighbours. It was hugely important to Caymanians then, as it is
today, to maintain as much of our independence as we could and to
protect our way of life and our livelihood.

And
so on 7 April, 1955, six Caymanian assemblymen sent a petition to the
Colonial Secretary through the Governor of Jamaica. They stated that
“we wish to restate as clearly and strongly as we can, three main
aims. First, we wish to retain the right to control entry to our
Islands. Secondly, we wish to retain our rights to decide what taxes
should be imposed upon us. Thirdly, we wish to retain our right to
maintain our established channels of trade and employment overseas”.

These
matters were not settled immediately, but continued to be debated
locally as well as in Jamaica and in London for several years.

Mr.
Frank Hill wrote in the Daily
Gleaner
of Jamaica on 19 November, 1956, that “these are real fears that
the ordinary man on Cayman’s dusty roads can easily understand and
get angry about; and during the past months he has been led into
flaming anger that has brought these three Islands a new and dramatic
political vitality”.

And
so the road that both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands traversed during
discussion on the formation of the West Indies Federation was
difficult and rocky. But in the end, the matter was resolved in 1962
when, after a heated Assembly meeting, the following resolution was
passed by the Legislative Assembly: “To
continue Cayman’s
association with Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and
to negotiate with Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom
for internal self-government, taking into account the wishes of the
people of the Cayman Islands as to timing”.

And
so we chose to cut our link to Jamaica and the Federation and take
greater control of our destiny by becoming a British Crown Colony in
our own right.

Mr.
Hill, the same Mr. Frank Hill, in his report in the Daily
Gleaner,
commented that “it is easy to admire and respect the Caymanians.
They may be rough and ready, many of their leaders unlettered and
inexperienced in political niceties, and their vision may be limited
by the debit and credit columns of their trading accounts. But they
are a steady, thrifty, diligent people with unbending pride and
natural dignity that counts no material costs when they are aroused.
We in Jamaica have much to learn from them in the things that concern
the spirit of many and the consistent toil and sacrifice that are
necessary to keep that spirit free”.

Mr.
Speaker, as I have indicated our slow march to increased democracy
and autonomy took a giant leap forward with the grant of our first
written constitution on 4 July, 1959. The changes brought in under it
specifically exempted the Assembly from the control of the Jamaican
Legislature and placed it directly under the authority of the
Governor of Jamaica. The Commissioner was retitled Administrator and
retained almost all the executive, legislative, and judicial powers
held by the Commissioner. The Administrator was to be guided by the
British Governor of Jamaica and to keep him informed, corresponding
directly with the Colonial Office in London only with the Governor’s
authorisation.

The
changes to the Legislature in the 1959 constitution were much more
radical. After 129 years, the unique body of Vestrymen and Justices
was replaced by the Legislative Assembly and membership was reduced
from 35 to 18; 12 elected, three nominated and three official.

The
elected members of the first Legislative Assembly in 1959 were Dr.
Roy E. McTaggart, E. Ducan Merren and A. Colin Panton of George Town;
Arthur H. Ebanks, J. Cadian Ebanks and T. William Farrington of West
Bay; Noland B. Foster and Keith P. Tibbetts of the Sister Islands;
Malcom Eden and A. James Miller of Bodden Town; William Allen
McLaughlin (my grandfather) of East End; and Craddock Ebanks of North
Side.

The
Official Members were James Rufus Astwood (Stipendiary Magistrate),
Ernest O. Panton (Assistant Administrator), and Desmond V. Watler
(Treasurer). I should point out Mr. Speaker that Desmond V. Watler
is now a National Hero as is Mr. Willie Farrington and Dr. Roy
McTaggart. Nominated Members were William Warren Conolly (another
National Hero) and Theophilus R. Bodden, who later resigned and was
replaced by Ormond L. Panton (another National Hero) in March 1960.
The Administrator was Major A.H. Donald, OBE, who functioned as both
Chairman and Speaker, or presiding officer as they called the
position.

In
addition, Mr. Speaker the 1959 Constitution introduced an Executive
Council (ExCo), which consisted of the Administrator, two official
members, one nominated member appointed by the Governor, the Governor
of Jamaica, and two elected Members who were nominated and elected by
the Members of the Assembly. Whilst in the minds of many Caymanians
the Executive Council was a decision making body, in fact it was not.
The 1959 Constitution merely required the Governor and the
Administrator to consult with the Executive Council in the exercise
of all powers conferred upon them by the Constitution. However, the
Governor (that is the Governor of Jamaica) and the Administrator were
not required to act upon any advice given following this
consultation. None-the-less the ExCo arrangement was an advance on
what previously existed, as it acknowledged that elected members of
the Assembly should have a role in the administration of the affairs
of the Islands.

Mr.
Speaker It is important to note that removing the Assembly from
control by the Jamaican Legislature was significant as local
legislators now had autonomy over passing its own laws, albeit these
had to be consented to by the Governor of Jamaica.

It
was the decision by the Cayman Islands to forge our own way as a
British Crown Colony that allowed our own people to begin to make
what were, clearly in retrospect, fundamental policy decisions and to
pass the early laws on which we have built our Tourism and Financial
Services industries.

The
next significant changes to the Legislative Assembly happened with
the 1972 constitution, which did away with the system of nominated
members. However, three official members – the Chief Secretary, the
Financial Secretary and the Attorney General – together with 12
elected members comprised the Legislative Assembly, over which the
Administrator, laterally termed Governor, presided.

The
1972 Constitution did provide for the Governor, as president of the
Assembly, to be replaced by a Speaker appointed by the Assembly once
this change was voted by a majority of members. But Mr. Speaker as
you have spoken about this evening, as late as May 1989, when a
private Member made a motion to appoint a Speaker and the vote was
tied, the Governor, in his role as presiding officer, used his
tie-breaking vote to maintain the status quo. The following year, on
the 5th
September, 1990, the Assembly voted on Private Member’s Motion
20/90 to replace the Governor as presiding officer and appoint a
Speaker of the House. Indeed Mr. Speaker, as you have indicated it
was you who brought that motion and on that occasion the vote for the
motion was successful.

Veteran
civil servant and the first clerk of the Legislative Assembly and now
National Hero the Honorable Sybil McLaughlin became our
very
first Speaker. In later years the Hon. Sybil McLaughlin was named a
National Hero for her significant contribution to the development of
the work of this Assembly and to democracy in our Islands. And Mr.
Speaker I dare say she was the first female clerk in the entire
Commonwealth, a fact that is not well known.

Time
moved on and membership to the House increased to 15 elected members
from 12 when the Constitution was amended in 1992. Amendments in 1994
caused members of the Executive Council to became known as Ministers,
with a fifth Minister added to ExCo; and in 2003 the ExCo itself was
renamed the Cabinet.

The
2009 Constitution introduced further modernisation of the Legislative
Assembly, including the appointment and role of a Premier and the
Leader of the Opposition, and an increase in membership of the House.
It also allowed for the creation of single-member constituencies.

Under
the 2009 document the Cabinet evolved from a mere advisory body to
the Governor to become the body with the exclusive responsibility for
all aspects of government except those that remain the special
responsibilities of the Governor - defence, internal and external
affairs, and the public service.

Mr.
Speaker, the last administration that I led introduced single member
constituencies with one person one vote rather than a system of
multi-member and multi-votes that had gone before. Mr. Speaker, this
Government has worked with the United Kingdom Government to make
additional constitutional reforms, which provide unique protections
as well as allowing more control of our own affairs, and of course
the renaming of the Legislative Assembly to Parliament. Mr. Speaker
I wish to pay tribute to all members of this House generally but in
particular to those who worked with me and the team including
visiting the UK and attending the various meetings with the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office to ensure that we have achieved these
critically important constitutional reforms. I pay a special tribute
Mr. Speaker to the member from North Side Mr. Ezzard Miller and to
Mr. Alva Suckoo who formed the Opposition’s part of the delegation
and indeed Mr. Speaker to my own team on the Government side
including Minister Tara Rivers and Minister Joseph Hew as well as the
learned Attorney General and the Cabinet Secretary, my political
adviser and essentially Chief of Staff Mr. Roy Tatum, as well as Mr.
Jason Webster from the Cabinet Office and my Personal Assistant Ms
Jana Pouchie-Bush for the role that they played in those very intense
and at times difficult negotiations.

Mr.
Speaker there was a tense period this morning when the Governor spoke
to me and said there may be a problem because of the COVID-19 four
week lockdown in London with this matter proceeding. But subsequently
we were advised that the Foreign Affairs committee has actually sent
the draft constitutional amendment order to the Privy Council and the
Privy Council will proceed to meet on the 11th of November. So we
pray Mr. Speaker that nothing interferes with the process and that in
due course and soon, but very soon, the order will be made.

Mr.
Speaker, as I stated when I began the renaming of the Legislative
Assembly to the House of Parliament is yet another significant
milestone in the history of these islands.

The
members of this House also effected another milestone change on
Friday last when we approved the passage of The Legislative Assembly
(Management) Bill 2020 that provides
for the administrative independence of the Legislature. Mr. Speaker
for those of us that have been here a while this has been talked
about for more years than we can remember and finally Mr. Speaker,
finally we have moved this forward. I am incredibly grateful to all
members of this House for their contribution in this regard, and Mr.
Speaker without them and their cooperation this would not have
occurred. Mr. Speaker I ought not to have forgotten the involvement
and advice of Professor Jeffrey Jowell, QC, who was – as he has
been for many, many years - the Chief Constitutional Advisor to the
Cayman Islands Government for the role that he played in ensuring
that we did achieve that significant milestone.

Mr.
Speaker all of the changes, from 1831 to today, have been made by
Caymanians who were looking to the future; who were looking to
improve these three jewels in the Caribbean Sea and to improve the
lives of our people. That was true in 1831, it was true in 1959, it
was true in 1972, it was true in 2009 and Mr. Speaker it is true
today.

That
sense of purpose, improving the lives of our people, was made clear
at the final session of the Legislative Assembly of Justices and
Vestry on 3 July, 1959. It is fitting that I draw from the words
spoken there as I begin my closing.

Vestryman
Edgar Ducan Merren reminisced about the important work of the
Assembly, of those serving in it, and the positive impact that work
can have on the lives of our people.

He
said, and I quote, “Since 1952 we really started moving ahead, and
this progress is gaining momentum each year... we undertook to build
an airport at a cost of over 105,000 pounds. As a result of having
air transportation we were able to invite tourists to the Island,
which meant the erection of hotels to accommodate them, a great move
to improve the economic condition of these Islands.

“To
add to the improvement of our little Island, we undertook the
rebuilding of our roads where people can now travel comfortably.

“I
should also make mention of Cayman Brac, which is sharing with us in
this wave of prosperity.

“Both
Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac are proud of the elaborate homes built
on their Islands by foreigners, but more proud to see the elaborate
homes built by Caymanians themselves.

“The
Cayman Islands are on the map and are being known throughout the
world. There are greater things to come, which will mean the spending
of millions of dollars and it will not be long before these
developments become a reality.”

Mr.
Speaker, those were indeed prophetic words and I can feel the pride
in Vestryman Merren’s words as he contemplated the progress and
promising future of our Islands and our people.

Legislators
back then understood well from whence we have come; they understood
hardship and they also understood the importance of moving our
Islands continually forward. They understood instinctively that while
development benefited the developer it also brought real and lasting
benefits to Caymanians so that no longer would we be the Islands that
time forgot.

Also
speaking at that last meeting was Mr. Ernest O. Panton, clerk of the
Vestry, a gentleman that I knew well in his latter years, who sagely
noted:

“At
the end of today’s session of the Assembly the President could
announce ‘Here endeth the chapter of the book according to the
Legislative Assembly of Justices and Vestry of the Cayman Islands’.

“In
these words there will be recorded, were the President to say them, a
closed chapter, which has been of greatest importance to the Cayman
Islands – an honourable body of men will cease to function as
Legislators under the Act of 1832.

“…this
Assembly should pay tribute to members of this Assembly who are no
longer with us, but who served their time and generation in this
Assembly faithfully and well… These men… handed down to us a
torch that must never be extinguished. They have left us a great
heritage.”

Mr.
Panton concluded with “I feel that I can end these few words by
saying ‘Hitherto has the Lord led us,’ and under His guidance may
the future to us be a glorious expectation.”

Mr.
Speaker I pause to interject, I should realise as I get older that my
memory is now more fallible than once it was and when I try to
remember the names of people who contribute off the top of my head I
inevitably leave someone out and get in trouble. I do not know Mr.
Speaker how I could have omitted from my little vote of thanks, Mr.
Eric Bush who was Head of the Cayman Islands Government Office in
London and without whose organisational skills, ability and great
advice we would have struggled much more than we did in those
negotiations. It is even worse Mr. Speaker as he is now one of my
Chief Officers but I beg his forgiveness, a slip of the tongue no
fault of the brain.

Mr.
Speaker I know that we are facing many challenges with the onset of
the global COVID-19 Pandemic but I know that each of us here believes
that with hard work, perseverance and the help of almighty God, our
best days are still ahead of us.

There
are indeed greater things to come; and much of that will be guided by
the work that we do in the halls of this Legislative Assembly and in
the offices of Government. I urge all members here to never lose
sight that the reason we are here is not only to serve those who
elected us, but to also leave a strong foundation for those who
follow us to build upon.

So
my fellow Members of the Legislative Assembly, the next time we meet
here we shall be meeting in the House of Parliament and I shall greet
you as fellow Members of Parliament.

I
sincerely trust that you are as proud as I am that we are here
together at this historic moment at the closing of one chapter and
preparing to begin another. All of the United Kingdom’s Overseas
Territories share a long and storied history of parliamentary
democracy. Our paths over the centuries have been different, but in
many respects we are more similar than we are different. We all have
similar forms of government and constitutions though some are more
advanced than others. As I stand here today there are only two of our
Sister Territories’ legislatures that are Parliaments, but when we
next meet in this House there shall be three, as we join with Bermuda
and Gibraltar.

Mr.
Speaker I look forward very much to this next chapter. As you know I
have devoted much of my working life and much of my time here to
advancing the affairs of our Islands, including advancing our
constitutional and political affairs. I have held almost every role
that is possible in this House save that of Speaker and I am
grateful, more grateful than they will ever know, to the people of
George Town who first elected me almost twenty years ago and who have
supported me over all these years. It is because of their trust and
support that I have proudly been allowed to contribute to the
development of these Islands and our people by the work that we do
within these honourable walls and outside them.

Mr.
Speaker, this final meeting of the Legislative Assembly is not only
historic; it has been incredibly productive and successful, all to
the benefit of the people of these Islands. As I have indicated, not
only have we passed legislation to make this Honourable House
independent of the Executive, but we have also passed legislation
that undergirds the newly formed Cayman Islands Regiment, an
institution that I know will over the years come to be one of
significance in these Islands. These are achievements of which we can
all be truly proud.

I
wish to put on record, Mr. Speaker, my thanks to my colleagues on the
Government bench for their hard work and support and I also wish to
thank members of the Opposition for their cooperation and support
over the course of this Meeting.

Thank
you too, Mr. Speaker, for all that you do to keep order in this
Honourable House and I look forward to when we next meet to welcome
you as the first Speaker of the Parliament.

Mr.
Speaker, I also want to thank the clerk and all our staff for the
tremendous work they do not just on this occasion but all the time to
help make this place function and to make members comfortable. Mr.
Speaker as this Honourable House prepares to close this Legislative
Assembly and turn the page to welcome with pride a new era as the
House of Parliament, I reflect on the challenges and hurdles we faced
to reach this point. Over the past few years there have been
obstacles, missteps and missed opportunities. But finally here we
are. As most people know I am fond of poetry and prose and have
derived much inspiration from them over the years. One of my
favourite poems is Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”, which I find
apropos to this occasion.

Tell
me not, in mournful numbers,

    Life
is but an empty dream!

For
the soul is dead that slumbers,

    And
things are not what they seem.

Life
is real! Life is earnest!

    And
the grave is not its goal;

Dust
thou art, to dust returnest,

    Was
not spoken of the soul.

Not
enjoyment, and not sorrow,

    Is
our destined end of way;

But
to act, that each to-morrow

    Find
us farther than to-day.

Art
is long, and Time is fleeting,

    And
our hearts, though stout and brave,

Still,
like muffled drums, are beating

    Funeral
marches to the grave.

In
the world’s broad field of battle,

    In
the bivouac of Life,

Be
not like dumb, driven cattle!

    Be
a hero in the strife!

Trust
no Future, howe’er pleasant!

    Let
the dead Past bury its dead!

Act,
— act in the living Present!

    Heart
within, and God o’erhead!

Lives
of great men all remind us

    We
can make our lives sublime,

And,
departing, leave behind us

    Footprints
on the sands of time;

Footprints,
that perhaps another,

    Sailing
o’er life’s solemn main,

A
forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

    Seeing,
shall take heart again.

Let
us, then, be up and doing,

    With
a heart for any fate;

Still
achieving, still pursuing,

    Learn
to labor and to wait.

Mr.
Speaker may God continue to guide us all and may he continue to bless
our beloved Cayman Islands.

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