A politician for the people
(CNS): Calling the last four years of the PPM administration tomfoolery, formerUDP member and Minister Dr Frank McField began his campaign as an independent candidate on Thursday evening when he criticised the incumbents personally and politically, but also had plenty of condemnation for his old party as well. Urging the people to vote independent on 20 May, he said the party system was not part of Caymanian political culture.
Far away from the bright lights and wealth of Seven Mile Beach, McField said he was not welcome in the boardrooms of the rich and the powerful and that he cared about the real people, those who were suffering in the hard economic times. “I am guilty of having too much love for the people,” he said, adding that the PPM had not only mismanaged the country’s finances but they had mismanaged the social issues and turned their backs on the poor.
Saying that he wished he could have done much more for the poor when he was in office, he said he did not have the time to achieve what he wanted. Speaking about the Affordable Housing Initiative, he did not mention the missing $300,000 as revealed in the auditor general’s report on the issue, but criticised the current administration for saying the houses were substandard. He accused the PPM of doing nothing to try and fix them up or build more affordable homes for all the people living in overcrowded conditions.
“The PPM is the worst of the governments George Town people can remember but the PPM still makes fun of the few affordable homes I tried to build,” he said. “The PPM did not build one home for the poor people; they only wanted to destroy what I had built.” He said poor housing and social living conditions went to the heart of all societies as it impacted education since kids can’t learn properly and often led to people finding themselves involved in crime.
“Enlightened people know that those who look after the poor protect the entire nation,
for when the poor have nothing to lose not even the rich are safe. Public safety begins by addressing poverty and the negative social factors poverty breeds.”
He indicated that the current administration was neither enlightened nor intelligent and said the government was not intelligent enough to see the financial crisis coming and the administration was filled with small minded arrogance. He said that Alden McLaughlin had been lauded as the party genius but he was no genius. He had, McField said, gone to school and “memorized a few laws – memory is not education,” he declared.
He also took aim at Charles Clifford who he said had ruined the tourism product and was suffering from a Napoleon complex. “I apologise to short people here, but no one is as short as Charles Clifford; he is short of everything,” he added.
Although McField pulled no punches with his criticism of the PPM he was no less reticent when it came to the members of his former party, the UDP. “Is the UDP of George Town giving us new vision and new opportunities in these serious times or just recycled mediocrity?”
He said the George Town candidates were nice enough people but very inexperienced, with too steep a learning curve ahead of them, and had been chosen by the party leader McKeeva Bush, he said, “to fit McKeeva". He added that they would all be manipulated and dominated by the “West Bayers". He said he spoke from experience and had clashed with Bush many times. “I had to stand up to him a few times and he doesn’t like anyone standing up to him,” McField recalled.
He said he wasnow running alone under the New Vision Movement, which had been around a long time. He explained that he had only joined forces with the UDP because of what happen with the collapse of the government in 2001 and he aligned himself against Kurt Tibbetts rather than with the UDP. He explained it was not common ground but a common enemy that had pushed him into a party and he did not necessarily share the same philosophy with its members. He said the party system in Cayman was immature and had only formed because of the 2001 coup and was not entrenched.
“We need to appreciate and develop democracy within the party system before we can give total control to the parties,” he said. He said that every time he had been elected he had been elected as an independent and had served as an independent in government. He said the people of George Town needed to elect individuals with the courage to stand up for their ideas. He appealed for voters not to let the glitter of party colours con them again.
Category: Election 2009
I believe to give people a second chance, but I also believe that it is important to set an example for our youth. How can they take authoritiy seriously if our elected members are caught up in all these run ins with the police? Why are they caught in these situations to begin with?
Caymanians please don’t be ignorant and vote for this convicted criminal – a man whose record includes a suspended prison sentence for violence and two recent convictions for disgraceful behaviour towards figures of authority in society including biting spitting and swearing.
Frank McField…. I would like for you to respond to this letter yourself.
How can you call yourself a man of the people when you act as if you are better than people.
Frank I cannot even give you the title Doctor so if you do not mind I will call you Frank. You may not remember me but one day while you were Minister in Government I approached you to have a word with you. I wanted to ask you about information concerning Social Services as I had a friend whose child was placed in Foster Care. You were with 2 ladies. I tried to ask you for a moment of your time and you RUDELY looked at me and asked me what district I was from. I told you I was from West Bay and your reply…GO ASK YOUR MLA FOR WEST BAY BECAUSE IT IS OBVIOUS TO SEE THAT I AM BUSY. You turned your back on me and just continued walking and laughing with these 2 young ladies. That was your attitude then and I do not see it any different now with you spitting on a Police Officer or resisting arrest or anything. THE ONLY CANDIDATE THAT I SEE YOU A PERFECT FIT FOR IS NORTHWARD PRISON. Maybe you can run for PRISON INMATE LEADER. Try spitting on one of your fellow imates then. I gaurantee you would never spit on anyone again.
Frank I remember the days when you walked around like a fool with that dead parrot talking to it. I remember the scenes you made in public. Takikng a pee on side of the building where Senor Frog’s is now. Remember the many times you were ran out of Dominiques Restaurant because of how bad you smelled? How about the begging. The attitude, The drunkedness.
Do you remember Frank leaving Cayman and coming back with a doctorate degree? Up to now I am yet to see proof that you earned that doctorate. That President of UCCI claimed to be a doctor. Turned out he was a fake. Do you follow the pattern as well Frank?
Frank you need to learn that you had a chance. I gave you the benefit of the doubt the first time you ran. I figured that maybe you deserved a chance. Maybe someone could clean themselves up. But instead you showed to everyone that you were nothing more than a greedy man who looked out for himself. Made your family wealthier and then throw a couple dollars like the other politicians in some crappy housing. Oh and did anyone mention that you profited from that construction. Was you not the partner of that company that built them?* Taking from your right hand to give to your left.
Shame on your Frank. Shame on you. Now you come again with this stupidity. I never see your wife out with you anymore. I think she is regretful of marrying you. Frank you are a disgrace and should be stripped of your rights to call yourself a Caymanian. You are an outcase that deserve to be deported to some 4th world country.
FOOL ME ONCE…SHAME ON YOU…FOOL ME TWICE…SHAME ON ME…CAYMAN WILL NEVER MAKE THAT MISTAKE WITH YOU AGAIN. WE ARE NOT THAT STUPID. GO AWAY AND NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE AGAIN. FIND THAT PARROT…HE MIGHT VOTE FOR YOU.
CNS: Dr Frank was an owner of one of the subcontracted companies that supplied the heavy equipment for AHI, but not a partner of the company that built them. For more on this, see this CNS report
"Frank McField…. I would like for you to respond to this letter yourself".
Talk about a sound whipping. I don’t know you are but that went to the core.
I note from some of Dr. Frank McFields campaign pictures that he is wearing a funny looking pair of glasses. I wonder if this is the same glasses he will use to determine his new vision for the Cayman Islands.
‘it’s funny that when you and I make a mistake we want people to see it as just that…but when the other person make a mistake; just give up on him/her..’
To make a mistake is forgivable, to go out and repeatedly get plastered, and then make an arse of yourself, then get arrested (more than once) is a sad intictment of a persons character….
And i have not even mentioned the investigation in relation to the ‘lost money’ with the affordable housing initiative.
The situation with the RCIP at the early morning hours which led to Frank’s arrest was ugly; the elected members of the LA need to be the best of Cayman and deserving of the title, "honorable".
This guy goes "Absolute Bananas" when he get’s a drink. How could anyone of sane mind be thinking of voting for him again, knowing that if he is elected, he would at some point be attending functions where alcohol is served. An absolute recipe for disaster and embarrasement, once again !!!!!!
I too will agree that too much alcohol sends anyone "Alsolute Bananas" …I wonder if Dr Frank learn his lesson?…how many times since his run in with the police have we heard of this kind of behavior?…just wondering if you have taken the time to talk to Dr. Frank to find out. No one is perfect!!…it’s funny that when you and I make a mistake we want people to see it as just that…but when the other person make a mistake; just give up on him/her…
I am not family nor friend of Dr. Frank and I would give him my vote again simply because when I look over his record while in governemt,I saw that he did try to do much on setting these Islands on the path of understanding our social problems. Call me in-sane if you want…
ok then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he wasn’t allowed in the boardrooms? too bad he didn’t remember that after he was elected as minister!!!!!!!!!
As we would say " now way he gine???????????????
Hmmm, I wonder if Frank still has that ‘Dead Parrot’ he used to walk around talking to?.
He might do well to learn a lesson from it, and keep his mouth shut, least he too end up ‘in a cage’ (behind bars).
Oh, please. You were happy with the party system when you were with the UDP, but now that they have kicked you out, you say the party system is not for Cayman. Stop flip flopping man. It’s a classic case of the fox calling the grape sour, or something like that. The party system is here to stay, so get used to it, or better yet, form one yourself.
sorry dr frank but you need to clean up your act first. why the run in with the police for example? we need leaders that don’t get themselves into that sort of mess.
What a crock of sh…! How many members of the voting public wasted their time to go to his meeting? Does Frank really believe anyone is going to vote for him except for a few members of his family. Amazing how he talks about helping the poor whilst he lives high on the horse. Frank, you don’t have to be elected to help the poor.
Who can blame the UDP for not wanting you. Blame it on McKeeva as much as you want. you should be thanking him because if not for his help you would never have become a minister. Be grateful and say thank you! You have to cry down the party system, because you know there will never be another party that will ever let you in again.
As far as the PPM goes, we all made our mistakes. I voted for them just like the majority did last time and have been let down. Like you, their time has come and gone and you should accept it and move on instead of wasting time castigating other people and parties for your own politicial expediency.
i encourage everyone to get out there and vote but please I beg of you don’t vote for the PPM, they have ruined our country,and for God’s sake don’t vote for Frank. We need people with vision and good common sense.