Speaking at a press conference to launch the political group, Miller said it would be very different from the political teams and parties that have gone before, He said he hopes to inspire people towards really influencing both policy-making and political representation.

At the launch of the party, the CIPP’s constitution was made public. This outlines the party’s structure, operations and rules, and depicts an organisation where the members, and not the leadership, retain control of the party. Miller said the group has plans to register as a non-profit organisation, which will make it even more transparent and accountable.

Aiming to break the mould of how parties have been formed and function in Cayman, Miller said the lack of accountability in the current system of politics has played a key role in the growing disparity in wealth, health and life chances for the average person. But to create accountability, Miller said politics needs to be a two-way street.

“The Constitution of the People’s Party is structured to achieve this basic dynamic, so that every member — at all levels — becomes an integral partner in the process of governance,” he said, as he explained the detailed structure that he wants to create with the CIPP.

Starting at the constituency level, with a grassroots membership up to a general council made up of representatives from those district committees, Miller said it will be the members that shape policy, select candidates and then monitor their representatives when elected.

“The party will rest on a foundation of small neighbourhood groups that will share information across communities and upwards to electoral district committees. The electoral district committees will, in turn, be represented in a national steering committee that will ensure that the people’s needs are understood and actioned. In the same way, information will travel down to and across communities and neighbourhoods,” Miller explained.

He said it was about “Empowering the People”, the party’s slogan, allowing them to participate in a meaningful way to ensure a truly democratic, free and just society.

Inspired to create the movement because of the concerns electors have that the people they elect disappear and stop listening to their concerns once in office and only return four years later for the few months before an election. Miller said the People’s Party will offer an opportunity for people to be directly involved in selecting candidates for their districts, giving input on policy and speaking directly to them and offering feedback all year round.

The political veteran said that the people he has been working with to create CIPP come from all walks of life and span every generation, from new voters to those who have long been retired. He said these individuals would now be able to officially join and start shaping the party and electing committees, all in preparation to select a slate of candidates to fight every seat on an agreed raft of policies in the 2021 General Election.

Formerly an advocate for independent representation, Miller said he had been put off party politics in the past by the dominance of leaders and personality politics. And despite believing that, since walking away from his last party connections, he has served his constituency well as an independent, the time has come for a more collective effort from the people, Miller said. However he made it clear it was essential to ensure that the People’s Party remains just that.

But he also denied that the party was about populist demands. Miller said the extensive participation he envisages from the grassroots to the party leadership would provide a platform for sensible and thoughtful policies, not just ideas coming from the loudest voices.

Miller was joined by other CIPP interim officers: Executive Secretary Gilbert Connolly, Chairman Donovan Ebanks and Treasurer Levon Bodden, who will be helping him with the administrative side of fulfilling the party constitution and rolling out a new kind of politics ahead of the next election.

Ebanks said he was happy to be involved in the new initiative as it gets off the ground, noting that he had the highest regard for Miller’s integrity, openness, transparency and the work he puts into being a representative.

“Hopefully, the CIPP can provide a means for others of similar commitment to come together and contribute to the improvement of the governance of these islands,” he added.

With the legal registration of the party now complete, the CIPP’s founding group is now inviting people to join them in the continued establishment of the party.