Premier denies return to UDP
(CNS): The premier has said she will be running for office with her Cabinet colleagues and not on the UDP ticket, despite mounting speculation that she has already made a commitment to return to the political party as the election approaches. She also denied signing any agreement with the UK and her current ministerial colleagues to stay with the interim administration until after the 22 May election. Although there is still considerable suspicion about how real the split is between the current premier and the former premier, Juliana O’Connor Connolly said Thursday that she remained committed to her colleagues in the minority government.
However, she also made it clear that if she was returned to office she would be prepared to join any government of integrity if she could secure a Cabinet seat for the people of Cayman Brac.
As the race to return to the Legislative Assembly begins in earnest how the cabinet ministers who are all former UDP members will mount their campaign remains up in the air. Fielding questions from the press about their intentions, the ministers have given little away other than to imply they will be running in a group together.
While four of the ministers will be running in two of the three main battlegrounds, the likelihood that the premier will be returned in her constituency of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman means the UDP is unlikely to field a candidate in the Sister Islands and there appears to be an expectation that O’Connor-Connolly will support the return of a UDP government under the leadership of her former party colleague, McKeeva Bush.
However, the premier said Thursday that she was content with her Cabinet colleagues and that her part in the transition to the interim government was done for the sake of democracy and no secret agreements to bind her to the new group were required. She said that her main concern was serving in a government that was honest and had integrity and until she saw evidence to the contrary she was remaining with her current colleagues. “I am happy to be a part of this government,” she added.
O’Connor-Connolly said that if she was re-elected by her constituents and invited to join a government, provided it was one of honesty and integrity that would take her country forward and if her constituents wanted her to accept, she would join it. If not, she was prepared to remain on the back bench as a “lone ranger, crying in the wilderness for the next four years."
So far, O’Connor-Connolly and Moses Kirkconnell, the deputy leader of the PPM, are the only candidates who have confirmed that they will be fighting for the two seats in the Sister Islands. While the two incumbents are both expected to retain those seats, the final list of candidates on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman is expected to be considerably shorter than the three larger constituencies of George Town, Bodden Town and the now unpredictable battled ground of West Bay.
However, in an election that remains wide open, it is impossible to say how many people on the Sister Islands may decide to throw their hat in the ring and make a bid for political office.
O’Connor-Connolly, in conjunction with District Administration, will be holding a public meeting at the Aston Rutty Centre starting at 6pm
Category: Politics
We have a Premier? Where?
part of a Government that is honest and has intergrity?? Does she mean that, as she and the other 4 split away from Mac, that Mac and the rest did not and does not have honesty and integrity???
Secure a Cabinet Seat for the people of Cayman Brac? Is that a euphemism for anything to retain a cute cuddly executive assistant with two passports?
Julianna O’Connor-Connolly as a Premier or Deputy Premier and as a MLA cannot be trusted it is as simple as that!
She says she will not run with the UDP but did not rule out workiing with the UDP. In my opinion she is still in close contact with Mac. The Brac pople much not re-elect her.
She still has NOT confirmed that she WILL NOT join up with Mac again.And we have to ask why?
If you read it carefully she says quite clearly that if it means she can get a seat in Cabinet, then with the approval of her supporters in the Brac, she will join up with Mac again. Brackers think having a seat in Cabinet for CB is all important so it is a foregone conclusion what their decision would be. She has told us all we need to know.
"she would be prepared to join any government of integrity if she could secure a Cabinet seat" – Is this a shake-down?
The new Premier is a disgrace to the country. She needs to repay the public's money that was used to pave driveways and buy votes. Why is this matter being swept under the carpet?
lets see what the 'great' cayman brac electorate will do……… don't hold your breath…..zzzzz
shut up and get some blasted garbage trucks for this country!!
For the first time in Cayman's history, three months before elections, a private road gets paved, IN WEST BAY, while we have a premier known for illegally paving driveways, and an ex premier who would switch churches to get back in power. Need we say more folks?
Home is where the heart is Ms. Julie never left the UDP in her heart. Let the truth be told she is calling big daddy to beg him to let her come back home. Check it out folks…. the fab five need the UDP not the other way around.
Did she really say she wants to be a part of an honest government and integrity will be an integral part of her decision?! Was she not the deputy premier by all accounts of a government of questionable character that squandered millions over the past four years! She was a major player in this spending ridiculous amounts on lavish trips, breaching protocol and using public funds to pave personal private drives and boast she will do all again if given the opportunity!
I am sicken by the gall of these UDP members now called the ‘Fractured Five’ for the hope of this wonderful island nation’s future let us hope that these persons do not get back into Government. She in particular should be ashamed to even utter the holy name of God with all the questionable practices she has and continues to be apart of!
The scary thing is that unless the people in the Brac switch on their brains she is going to get back in. Maybe not as a minister, but she will be part of the Government.
Brac please – country before self!
I could care less about what is on the label.
I want to know what is inside the can.
That’s Couldn’t care less. Sheesh!
Now that we have that right, you'll all be pleased to know the can is empty.
I suppose that you are American or American educated. What you actually mean is that you could NOT or couldN'T care less and that is the opposite of what you wrote.
Think about it.
Hahaha hahahahahahaha this makes me giggle and snort. So hiding behind the scene of a corrupt leader Mrs Julie emerges as leader of our nation and now renounces any mixing of her new policy with her UDP background…….I don’t think much of it but still funds just a tad fishy.
Clearly, (as our Education Minister would say), the UDP had to have a split todistract voters, gain sympathy for Mac and launch new candidates to increase chances of more power. You see they had to be careful to secure enough of local and new voters from the increasingly popular PPM and C4C.
The UDP has never truly been 'split', imho, that entire party membership is so mixed up, so obligated to certain groups & businesses there is no way they could avoid all the negativity and win so they came up with a daring plan, hope people see through it and send all UDP back to where they came from.
Nah, the minister would say “ultimately” .
Lets be honest here the bracelets will vote her back in and when da west bayers vote Mac back in she will become his friend again. All smoke and mirrors!!!!!!!
Miss Power Hungry will ride on even a donkeys tail, but she wont be left behind. She is friending the udp the ppm the independents and the fabulous 5. Chances we will have her for another 4 years. You have to name people like that PIP. PARTY IN POWER.
Give me break, please – I’m out of Depends – I can’t risk laughing that much.
I would be very proud if the Premier returns to her UDP colleagues. How can we trust any MLA that stabs their own leader in the back? It’s simple! You can’t! CG, MS, RA are totally finished. No Caymanian will ever trust them
The trouble is that you place personal loyalty to McKeeva Bush over loyalty to your country. That is treasonous.
Vincent Frederick just posted this on Facebook in response to a question about how he would improve the Cayman Economy. This little racist rant has no economic theory attached and pretty much demonstrates the depth of the UDP Candidate. If this the best we can do for Bodden Town? If Bodden Town votes for this man based on his party membership while ignoring quality candidates like Mr Eden, Mr Bodden, Mr Panton and Mr Suckoo …."Dog will eat our supper" this is conceivable worse than the train wreck Jon Jon. I dont know which one babbles more.. Way to go UDP LMAO
Is that the same guy who said a few years ago that all crime in Cayman was the doing of expats, and all expats should be run off? Or did he say something else that was equally asinine?
Look who is asking the questions and who is providing the answers. Has the Cayman voters become so incompetent that they cant see the moral behind these questions being splattered over the voters facebook pages.???
Yea the same guy who thinks the whole of Cayman should look up to him for tips and advice on how to live, how to be a productive member of society, how to get drunk and rant and curse people out on facebook who does not agree with every word he spews out of his mouth. With a track record like his, I would say he is a fine example of just who we do not want representing us.
Did you say Onecent Frederick?
Coming rapidly to the conclusion that the best candidates here are going to be those who have been succesful in business here and never been in the "system", and who have spent some years in the real world where none of this crap ever happens.
She should be careful the next time she enters C-Brac WP Church of God Holiness! God never sleeps! Even worse proclaiming to Christian!
WP Braca
You should not bother to as you will NOT get in. Maybe if you pave more places. You must like the smell of asphalt. Why grow grass in our yard, when it could be pretty and black and a little hot. We gone from loads of sand and top soil from fridges and stove. Nah not a chance XXXX
Does it matter? Julie and her 5, UDP, and C4C are all equally responsible for the disaster of McKeeva Bush’s last 2 administrations. They should all be held accountable come election time.
It really doesn't matter what she says now. She was a part of the mechanism which kept McKeeva Bush running this country offa cliff for 3 1/2 years. They made him premier and they kept him as premier until they had no other choice. I never have and I never will vote for any of them.
More importantly, can someone tell me how to get rid of these iguanas that live above my bedroom window? I dont want one to slip and impale my kid when she steps outside…. A little help please?
Does it really matter now…she stood with them for over three years never said anything, then when the going went rough she went going…nope I don't want that to represent my country. We need someone with back bone…I am sure she knew of alot of the wrong doings of what was going on and as a representative of the cayman islands should have spoke up…not after the fact…just like some people who are running now "the are disassocating themselves" from the UDP. Really? One or two months before election? I hope the people of the cayman islands sees this and doesn't do a repeat….
It might not be as clear cut as we think. JuJu has to balance her UDP blood with the fact that not being UDP means she has more chance of getting on fancy trips at our expense. That would be a clear clash of "conscience" for her.
Don't you dare have the audasity to be audastic.
I felt sorry for the reporters at the "press briefing" they asked a lot of questions but never got one straight answer from any of these UDPuppets and often had the look of disbelief on their faces like was that my answer, we can do better than this Cayman.
Tru dat, but at least Tammie got her nailed down on the road question saying that it will be closed by the end of the month after doing "gymnastics" around a possible return to the UDP question and then she just had to run from the rest.
I always said that she is the type of politician you can compare to an eel swimming in wesson oil; but as it turns out she has proven me wrong! Yes I will be the first to point a finger at myself and say so.
I WAS WRONG, She isn't an ell swimming in wesson oil…she made from that sh%t!!!
I guess we will see how far she really has distanced herself from Mac in how she deals with the sale of the Ritz-Carlton. Still UDP at heart? we shall see!
Just like Italy in the World War.
Who cares…
Too right.
A phraseinvolving a search for a large part of the human anatomy, both hands and a map comes to mind here.
Boring – where's the nation building fund story? Its Friday and I want to rant!
Pshhhh bobo that story was last week, wha happen you don’t see this is a whole different lump of manure we dealing with here? Tell you what, have a read and come back when you have an opinion relative to this pile ya!
Secure a cabinet seat for the people in cayman brac? it isn't needed! George Town doesn't even have one now!
This lady has proven that she in not worthy to represent honest people by her flagrant overspending on junkets with her 'personal' bodyguard (for heavens sake!) and a matter that deserves a full investigation of the paving scandal on Cayman Brac.
Brackers, if you elect this woman again, you only have yourselves to blame. I am a Caymanian and I can tell you, she never was, is not now, and never will be my Premier.
What honest people?
Dishonest people make dishonest politicians. The culture here won't be changed overnight. What Cayman needs is some good honest expat politicians.
Now that's just flawed logic. Being Caymanian and honest are not mutually exclusive.
Yea, and where the hell you going find them? No thanks, we will perfer to be destroyed and pillaged by our own!
We need good honest politician, period. Being expat is not a qualification.
Nobody else nah running so she gah get back in again
Dont you people understand that she is a christian woman, with integrity and morals. If only I could kick each of them who bring "God" into every sentence they speak in the shin and watch the liars jump and hop and scream in agony for all the lies and iguana doodoo they have these Islands in. Oh and by the way JuJu, the 60s called and they want their frocks and hats back for a charity event, as for the shoes, well nobody would want to walk in them so you can keep them – lol !!!! its Friday !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Funny how she has only now decided or declared she endorses a government of integrity. LMA$$O… Why did she along with her other useless UDP government hide so long behind the scenes without any voice of concern for the fate of Cayman while their leader single-handedly dictated all of our fate and Cayman's downfall into debt and disgrace? She is no better than any in this group she is asscociated with or the last and she might as well get used to crying on the back bench in May…if she is lucky. Please dear sister islands…send in another clown this election. This can't be all you have to offer as a candidate.
She is still UDP no matter what.
No No Bo Bo, she is no longer a UDP. She might drink with Mack but he dosent get drunk with her. He is yoo smart and loyal to his supporters and they call the shots in telling him that if he aligns himself with her ever again then he will loose their support. I am surprised that the others are taking tea with her they must really be hard up. Mack has his candidate picked for Cayman Brac.