UDP candidate added to UCCI forum panel

| 18/03/2013

(CNS): Following the announcement last week by UCCI of the five guests that would be making up the panel at this week’s political forum, the college said Monday afternoon that a sixth man has been added to the line-up. In the second in the two part series, Jonathan Piercy from the UDP will be joining two of his former party colleagues, one PPM representative and two C4C candidates, for a debate on youth, education, employment and crime. The late addition sees the UDP finally participating in the forum organised by the local university in an effort to educate not just its student body but the wider public about the candidates hoping to win seats in the May General election.

Although Ellio Solomon had been invited to the first of the series, which focused on corruption and transparency, the UDP MLAfor George Town did not show up. However, the appearance of Piercy, who is one of the UDP’s candidates in George Town who came in fifth at the last election just behind Solomon, will address the balance.

Piercy will join the former chair of the UDP George Town committee, Stefan Baraud, who left the UDP last year following a very public split with the former premier. Baraud, who was appointed Port Authority chair by McKeeva Bush, left the board when the two men clashed over plans for the cruise berthing facilities and the rejection of the GLF agreement by Bush in favour of starting talks with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd.

Alongside Baraud will be the former UDP member, Mark Scotland, who was booted out of the party after he sided with the opposition to oust Bush from office in December in the wake of the former premier’s arrest. Scotland is currently part of the minority government and is expected to fight for his Bodden Town seat on an unnamed party ticket with his current Cabinet colleagues.

The current and former UDP members will all be joining the Coalition for Cayman candidates, Winston Connolly, who is contesting a seat in George Town and Tara Rivers, who is running in West Bay. Meanwhile, one of the youngest people in this election campaign, the PPM’s candidate for George Town, Kenny Bryan will be completing the line-up. 

Ben Meade, Cayman 27’s News Director, will moderate the event, which will include submitted questions from the public.

Those who attend the forum will have a chance to ask the candidates questions directly or to submit questions in writing throughout the event. UCCI has already started soliciting questions from its students and the community at large via email and Facebook,which will be available throughout the forum so that those watching and listening can interact with the candidates.

The final forum will be held on Wednesday, 20 March, at 6:30pm at the Sir Vassel Johnson Hall at UCCI. The first hour will be televised on Cayman 27 and the entire two hours will be broadcast on Radio Cayman 89.9FM from 7pm to ensure that all voters, including those in the outer districts and the Sister Islands, have access to the information that will be provided at the event.

Questions can be sent via email to: forum@ucci.edu.ky  or placed directly on Facebook: www.facebook.com/officialUCCI

For more information log on to www.ucci.edu.ky click the forum banner or email forum@ucci.edu.ky.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    If he was born in the United States of America he does not have to renounce his citizenship.  If he was born in Cayman and has dual citizenship he must renounce it.. Stupid Law like many others around her that need and HAVE to be changed.

    • Anonymous says:

      Can you provide a link/reference to the law in question?

    • Anonymous says:

      I think it's the other way which doesn't make any sense.  By the way, only an American born in the United States can be President.  I think that's weird as well because we have a lot of people here that just went to the States, had their child and came back to Cayman with the child.  That child is now eligible to be President even though the child didn't grow up in the United States.

      If I was him, I wouldn't give up my US citizienship.  The other poster is right, this ship is sinking. He won't be able to get it back.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Kenny X, what qaulifications, job experience do you have to tackle the serious economic situation amongst other issues Cayman is in? go back and be  bartender/dj at JET nightclub please!

    • Anonymous says:

      He has experience of supply and demand.  The ladies demanded cocaine and he supplied it.

      • Anonymous says:

        Supply and demand, Kenny X should know that in the Cayman of today people like you are both servants and psychologists, he should be aware that your type of people are so obsessed with your own importance that you will pay literally, even dearly, for the impression of being catered to and entertained, thus the need to ruin our young men with your demand for drugs and your deviant proclivities.

    • Anonymous says:

      Remember Kenny X has sufficient qualification and experience to tackle the economic solution, just a much as anyother world leader and much more than the current batch of politician that gave away the best country in the world with the stroke of a pen, I can only hope that the leaders in your country of origin did better but I doubt it very much or else you would be home.  If he has to go back to bartending and DJ what the heck is he not in his own country? Please do us all a favour and go find your own solution and let Kenny X bring us the same honour that Malcolm X brought to the great USA.  At this juncture Cayman could do with much reform and humility.  We don't need any more of the clean, white collar criminals that has destroyed and continue to destroy the  reputation of Cayman.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Jonathan is a waste of time. First he is reported by CNS as categorically stating he wasn't going to run in the elections; Then he quits his job on a dime and runs, not as an independent but with the same Mac he has been criticising for past 3 yrs in the office; Now he's gonna go out there XXXX.

    • Anonymous says:

      Has he renounced his US citizenship yet?

      • Anonymous says:

        Jonathan better take a fool's advice and hold on to his nomination fee and his U.S. citizenship.  Last time after losing the election he had to run up to the U.S. to get a job. He is a smart guy so I hope he figures it out before it is too late.  He is too good for the UDP.

      • Anonymous says:

        He doesn't have US Citizenship. Also, Johnathan has been with the UDP from the last election (not that I support that move). He has been a supporter of the UDP through their administration.

        I like Johnathan, but like I said, not too supportive of the UDP or the Fab5.

        Johnathan is smart, educated and cares about Cayman!

        If GT votes him in and get rid of FOOLIO, we will all be better off!!

        • Anonymous says:

          How do you know that he does not have US citizenship?

        • Anonymous says:

          Jonathan is foolio's rejected lap puppy, and Mac's foot stool.

          Jonathan is a waste of a vote this election.

        • Anonymous says:

          How can you be smart and educated and be in the UDP?  Aren't they mutually exclusive concepts?  I thought that was why Foolio and John John got so high up the party ranks.

      • Anonymous says:

        If he has US citizenship he had better hold on to it, because Cayman is going, to the dogs.  We need new leaders and a new style of leadership.  As voter I am seeking representatives that do not give hand outs instead they provide handups  by providing good leadership, honesty, integrity and do not promote division.