Submission from Dennie Warren Jr, President,
People for Referendum, Cayman Islands
Since the 1950s there has been widespread interest
in learning about constitutional matters, but the education process
has been limited. The attached documents provide information about
the efforts the various groups in the Non-Self-Governing Territories
(NSGT's) have attempted to make in this process.
In our research to understand the relationship
and our rights between an NSGT and their Administering Power,
we contacted the United Nations Decolonization Committee for educational
material on this subject, their website is http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/main.htm
As a result of these investigations we discovered
that the United Kingdom has unilaterally and in violation of its
international obligations withholding our inalienable rights to
the various UN options for self determination.
We would hope that your committee in order to
understand better the situation in the OT would visit the OTs.
Further if you do visit the Cayman Islands we would request a
meeting with yourselves and we also suggest that a meeting open
to the public be convened so that our people can be further educated
on the subject of the relationship between ourselves as an Overseas
Territory and our Administering Power, the United Kingdom.
We also request that all discussions on the
revision to the Cayman Islands "Constitution" be done
in the Cayman Islands, that all discussions be done in a public,
open forum, with written verbatim transcripts of all proceedings.
Should you wish to discuss any of the above
or any of the attachments, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit these
documents.
Fourth Committee 2007 reports to the UN General
Assembly:
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/fourth%20committee_documentation_2007.htm
Fourth Committee press releases 2007:
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/fourth%20committee_press%20releases_2007.htm
Decolonisation Regional Seminars: despite repeated
requests by the UN to host these seminars in a (NSGT) this occurred
only in May 2003 when the seminar was held in Anguilla.
In 2007 we understand that it was the wish of
the Decolonization Special Committee to convene the 2007 Regional
Seminar in the Cayman Islands but this did not occur.
The Cayman Islands NGO Constitutional Working
Group was represented at the Anguilla seminar in 2003 and in St.
Vincent and the Grenadines in 2005. They have also sent representatives
to the UN in New York.
The annual seminar documents:
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/regional%20seminar_main.htm
Historical General Assembly resolutions:
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/decolonization/docs_historical%20resolutions.htm
The General Assembly Resolution 1654 you will
note that the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
was a founding member of the Special Committee on January 23,
1962.
Additionally the UN Handbook 1960 states that
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was a
member of the UN Special Committee of Six (India, Mexico, the
Netherlands, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
and the United States) that developed and unanimously recommended
to the UN Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth
Committee) the twelve (12) principles to determine whether or
not an obligation still existed for an administering Power to
transmit information under Article73e of the UN Charter.
The UN Special Political and Decolonization
Committee (Fourth Committee) accepted then submitted the recomendations
of the UN Special Committee of Six to the UN General Assembly,
the twelve (12) principles for self-determination of an NSGT,
the UN General Assembly accepted the recommendations and Resolution
1514 was approved on 14 December 1960.
Included in these twelve (12) principles for
self-determination are the three (3) opotions an administering
Power is obligated to allow the peoples of their NSGT's the rights
to choose in the relationship of an NSGT's with their administering
Power. The three (3) self-determination rights are integration
or free association or independence.
You will see from the documents that the UK
did in fact participate in the drafting of the twelve (12) principles
for self-determination and the work of the founding Special Committee.
http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/RESOLUTION/GEN/NR0/167/07/IMG/NR016707.pdf?OpenElement
The indefensible evidence is:
1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland participated in the drafting of the right of
people in their NSGT's to choose either of the three (3) options
of integration, free association or independence.
2. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland was a founding member of the Special Committee
on 23 January 1962.
The current UK position is that "We did
not vote for it, so we are not bound by it", the UK now unilatterally
dictates to their NSGT's, that there are only two (2) options:
take the constitution we give you by Order in Council or go independent.
We are sure you will agree with us that the
UK is in violation of their international obligations as a member
of the UN because they are denying the peoples of the NSGT's their
inalienable self-determination rights.
We look forward to your reply.
31 January 2008
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