Candidates to talk corruption at university forum
(CNS): Two PPM candidates, two C4C members and one incumbent backbench UDP MLA will be the first five people running in the May General Election to line up and talk about good governance, corruption and transparency at the first of two campaign forums at the University College of the Cayman Islands. UCCI is seeking input from the public for questions to put to PPM candidates Wayne Panton and Marco Archer, Roy McTaggart and Jacqueline Haynes from the Coalition for Cayman and the UDP’s representative Ellio Solomon during a debate set for Wednesday evening. Corruption and transparency will play a key part in this election and the university president, who is a former politician, said the forum presented an opportunity for the candidates to say where they stand.
“As people are already aware, next year’s UCCI Conference will focus on the topic of corruption,” said Roy Bodden, a former MLA for Bodden Town and cabinet minister in the 2001-2005 UDP administration. “What better way to capture this discussion in a very tangible and real way than to have those potential representatives weigh in and let us, the voting public, know where they stand on these rather complex issues?”
Director of Student Services, Mitch Ebanks, said that, given the magnitude of issues that have been identified as important to voters combined with the current political climate, as well as the expected number of contenders at this election, the UCCI has altered the usual forum to maximize the potential for meaningful dialogue with the voters.
“By making this a People’s Forum our hope is to get the candidates to engage more with the voters, as opposed to one another, as is common in a more traditional debate, and to get down to the substance of the issues,” he added.
Invitations were sent to all independent candidates who had declared by 7 February, as well as PPM and UDP candidates and the current members of the interim government, who all say they plan to run to retain their seats on 22 May.
The candidates for the forum were selected on a first come first serve basis and Ben Meade, Cayman 27 News Director, will moderate the event. The forum will be broadcast in its entirety on Radio Cayman and the first hour will go out on Cayman 27.
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.
Anyone wishing to put forward their questions can do so by emailing forum@ucci.edu.ky or by submitting questions directly to Facebook on www.facebook.com/officialUCCI. Both the email and the Facebook option will be open throughout the forum so that those watching or listening from home or the Sister Islands can interact with the candidates as well.
The event starts at 7pm on Wednesday, February at the Sir Vassel Johnson Hall. For more information, log on to www.ucci.edu.ky and click on the forum banner or email forum@ucci.edu.ky.
Category: Politics
Yo it’s really scary when Foolio is the best representative of the UDP to talk about corruption and transparency!
Who is Foolio?
why not? he has a wealth of experience in that area for sure !
"Candidates to talk corruption at university forum"
Is that a headline or a prophesy?
Yes, Mr Ellio is Chair of the Standing Committee on MLAs Register of Interests…. Lets hear his update on his work…. Zzzzz
What work; the members file their declarations annually, not daily.
Ellio, first and formost I want my vote back from last election. Second, I want to hear what you have to say about your party's leader that is under a cloud of serious charges and out on bail and why you are so strongly supporting him and why people that can think for themselfs should vote for you when we get this false leader from West Bay back incharge of our government? Answer me that Mr. Big talking Eillo?
2 PPM member , 2 Independents (that use C4C to do their research and administrative matters) and 1 UDP member.
Doesn't sound like a fair slate.
if that's who responded, then the question is why did NO ONE ELSE?
Every politician should have to declare their assets and business interests at nomination day and when the house is porogued. Additionally, they should have to disclose any and all accounts, personal and business, to the Anti-Corruption Committee, who should have authority to vet them from time to time. They should also have to make a declaration to the Anti-Corruption Committee under penalty of 20 years imprisonment for a false declaration, that they have not used the account in the name of, or in control of an attorney, family member, or other person in order to control, move, hide or conceal any money or money's worth during their time in office as an elected member.
That should keep them honest.
I wish the UDP could have found another Back Bencher to speak on curruption other than Elio.
But he's the expert on EVERYTHING!!!!
ROTFLMMFAO!
I can understand why you wish that – knowing that Elio is going to whip the four of them all at once has to be painful.
I really dont think that the person you referred to is corrupt. He does have a sense of sincerity about what he believes in – but of course I am not saying that I agree with him, or that he is not misguided…
Nothing that he has said or done convinces me that anyone should think, or say that he is corrupt!
On the other hand I am not willing to vouch for him by saying that he has even a grain of common sense…
Talking about corruption is a good start. Transparency and openess are the best tools to keep that particular beast from rearing it's ugly head. And whilst it is slowly getting better here (FOI etc)…there is still far too much secrecy here. Secrecy is not needed here..anyone that tells you different has something to hide.
I am sure the incumbants will swear they are all totally void of any lack of transperancy but this will hopefully seperate the wheat from the chaff.