PPM is a force for good, says former LoGB
(CNS): The former leader of government business and the first leader of the People’s Progressive Movement said that the party remains a force for good in Cayman and pointed to the value that organised political parties bring to Cayman’s Westminster-style of government. Kurt Tibbetts helped found the PPM in order to put a stop to the horse-trading that was a characteristic of previous governments. As the campaign trail heats up, Tibbetts, who has been less visible since he stepped down from the leadership of the party, waded into the debate currently raging about political parties, claiming they were an essential component of democracy.
“The Progressives will continue to be a force for good in Cayman,” said Tibbetts, as he asked the electorate to take a good hard look at the role of parties in the upcoming Parliamentary election.
“We are committed to open and transparent government, creating lasting, good jobs for Caymanians, and strengthening our position as one of the world’s leading financial centres. And most importantly, we have publicly stated what the Progressives will do once we are elected."
Despite the backlash against political parties following almost four years of a controversial United Democratic Party government, where voters came to believe that the nine government members were blindly following a leader without due consideration of their constituents and election promises, the PPM insists that the last administration should not be allowed to reflect poorly on the principles of parties and their role in democracies.
The party officials said the parliamentary style in Cayman requires that MLAs join together to form a majority government and, in the case of the PPM, the group has already come together and agreed a policy platform on which all of the candidates will stand and if elected deliver. The Progressives said their manifesto is to bring good jobs back to Cayman, build the economy, root out corruption and restore confidence in government.
The Progressives said they could commit to specific policies because they had already cone together in agreement as a team before the election, so Caymanians know what they are voting for. By stating these policies and positions prior to the election, citizens can then hold the party countable for their actions once in office.
“We have a team of 14 candidates in four districts who are well versed in what matters to Caymanians, investors, and visitors,” Alden McLaughlin, the current party and opposition leader, said. “We have seen the failures of the last four years, where our opponents have failed to address the needs of the people and their districts. This won’t happen with the Progressives.”
The value of electing a cohesive team is that together they can exert pressure upon the political system, he noted, placing district level concerns in a national context. " A lone wolf, or independent candidate, cannot make claims because they will be at the mercy of those elected to serve with them," the PPM leader said.
The Progressives have chosen candidates who will assume a role in governing society. Through efforts to influence public policy, parties play an intermediary role, linking the institutions of government to economic, ethnic, cultural, religious and other societal groups. The PPM will rally support behind important legislation, advocate positions that improve the public welfare and advance citizens’ interests, officials said in a release promoting party politics.
Category: Politics
Kurt would retire except he is a guaranteed seat for the Progressives who want to regain control of the government.
Unless he gives us some answers we should let him retire.
Kurt, it's over. Go home and take a long nap. Then have something to eat, watch some TV before turning in for an early night.
So Blogger 12:11, you are accusing me of forcing my family to vote for PPm? Then why are you always on CNS blogging and telling all the readers to NOT vote for PPM, but rather vote for C4C. You guys are jokers and your hatred for PPM will cost you even more. Your blogs are so transparent now, we know who you guys are. The people are not fooled anymore, C4C are a spin off of the UDP and yes, you guys are a party. GT'er, West Bayers and Bodden Towners, please do not be fooled…vote PPM! Their hands are clean. We need more laws to clog the loopholes and only PPM can make those laws, too many hands in the cookie jars. We need to close those jars. PPM please do not make the C4C Negatives ads and antics sway you from what your job for the people will be. The UDp and the C4C just sickens me!
Sometimes you people should be made to pay for your lies and propagandas that you spread; I would want you or anyone to show proof that I have ever blogged on CNS telling anyone whom to support or not to support. I have 2 children 26 and 19 who will be voting for the first time in this election and to date I have never told my children whom they should vote for; I have encouraged them to exercise their democratic right; told them not to let their friends or friends parents influence thier votes and they should vote their choice. That is what most of you cannot do. In fact my neighbor stop speaking to me because I told him what he was doing is wrong; but i am not worry mango season is around the corner and he will be coming with his bags to get mangoes and I will give him all the mangoes whe want,I hold no grudge.
So Mr/Mrs liar – show the proof – I am waiting.
I believe the PPM or the Progressives as they now like to be called are generally good people but don't really have a clue as to how to lead the country into the 21st century.
Their closed mouths when it comes to solutions is deafening. Pointing fingers at the UDP is OK as far as that goes but there won't be money for the Progressives to spend their way into stimulating the economy.
So how do they propose to accomplish the stimulation of the economy and lower the standard of living?
Your last sentence makes no sense. You want them to "lower the standard of living"?
Why are you picking on the PPM? Can you tell us what solutions any of the other groups are offering?… I thought not.
Anon 2013 are you trying to say you are coming out of the closet and are really a PPM supporter or o hell you got me confused.
You say they dont have a clue but you want to lower the standard of living?
At least the PPM were/are:
More democratic in their style of Governance;
Put forward well-thought-out, sensible ideas;
Listening to the people and respecting their wishes (Ironwood Forest road issues);
Having Michael Ryan and his companies payback their deferred duty;
And are NOT:
Under RCIPS investigation(s) for irregularities;
Importing dynamite illegally;
Causing at least 4 different lawsuits against Govt (Tom Jones, GLF, NRA boss, Ritz transfer);
Renegging or back-tracking on deals they have made (like UDP & UDP-Lite re FCIA);
Giving away your hard-earned money to the Premier's church;
Paving their constituents private driveways with your hard-earned money;
Lying to the police 3 times when they crash their car;
Hiring and paying loyal supporters as "consultants" from a Nation Building Fund, and disregarding the normal hiring procedures of Govt;
flip-floping on every issue they announce;
having to get baptised every 4 years.
The UDP will never get my vote, and a lot of these so-called "independents" like Stefan Baraud and John McLean Jr (and Sr. too), are UDP to the bone.
You forgot that the PPM also:
– left the country nearly bankrupt
– left the country at the mercy of the UK
– left the country saddled with debt in an attempt to build monuments to Alden
– increased the Civil Service and now people will have to be let go
– took people’s land for roads and still have not paid them
– gave away the Houston route on Cayman Airways to Continental
– fired several good Caymanians from Cayman Airways
– caused a very expensive court case that cost us millions
– caused us to lose our good rating by Moodys
Whew! I’m tired from all that. Four more years? NO WAY PPM. Go fish with KT!
humm… the first three same to be all the same point – that the PPM spent a lot of money on capital projects. However, we were never nearly bankrupt. If it were not for those capital projects – which were all needed – the recession would have been deeper and unemployment much higher. It is good thing that we are now subject to the FFR.
As far as I know the the elected government is not involved in the hiring of civil servants.
It has always been the case that where there is a dispute as to land which has been compulsorily acquired it takes several years to resolve. That is not a PPM thing.
I don't know that there was anything wrong in giving up the Houston route. We should only fly routes on which we make money or that are essential.
Some of the KX firings were overdue.
What court case was that? I do know of several which the UDP govt. has caused that have cost us millions of dollars.
That is a lie re Moodys. We have not lost our credit rating but have maintained it throughout.
You know, before I read your post I was going to vote PPM.
Are you saying you would not vote PPM nowand would instead vote for UDP because of the list of things the UDP have done?
They don’t have any millionaires backing them you say so what are Messers Panton, Moses Kirkonnell, Duckworth, Anthony Scott, Jerry Kirkonnell, Cpt Charles K family and all the merchants who do not support udp?
And look at the people you named, all save 1 are Caymanians with a vested intrest in seeing the islands succeed.
Who are these people…? I'll tell you.
They're a damn fine bunch of honest citizens who don't want Cayman to be run by a slimy self serving bunch of politicians. ,Suppoting PPM is the only way they can achieve that.
Anthony Scott is C4C
I know one thing, all 17 members of my family will be voting PPM. I don;t see any other choice in the Political arenas. C4C are hating the PPM abd UDP is destroying the Islands. PPM are the only party that do it right, according to the books. They don't have no hidden agendas or have the millionairs backing them. They are the party that puts Country first. PPM is the party of Choice!!
What about all of the spending under the last PPM administration?
The PPM spent money on assets such as the roads, Govt Admin building, and schools. Are you even aware that our kids in John Gray are stuck in an overcrowded facility that their Grand Parents went to school in? Why is it that we can throw millions away on the Port, and Cohen, and mess up the procurement process so badly that no projects get started, mis-manage the economy, cause unemployment, cause sky high crime, give concessions away to the detriment of the people, ammend laws to help foreign developers make money, but we cant build a modern school for our kids? Are you even aware that the schools were on budget until the UDP started messing aroudn with the contracts and adding to the costs?
The PPM built a nation and provided the foundation for a lot of the projects that the UDP now claim credit for and all I can hear is they spent money ? I do not hear the Auditor general jumping up and down about the PPM administration and "walue for money" that the UDP brainwash gang have failed to provide.
(1) You don't seem to understand the simple fact that you should not spend money that you do not have. (2) Parents should pay for the costs of sending their children to school and not place this burden on other tax payers.
Have you considered that without those projects the recession in Cayman would have been deeper and unemployment higher?
Where did you get your degree in economics?
At least you can see where the spending went unlike some others. Had the global recession not fallen on us we would have been much farther ahead than any other leadership we have ever had.
You should write comedy for a living. Both you and your fellow PPM cohorts must have been living under a rock (or sleeping under it) if you think that the global recession was something that had just "fallen" on you. You make me laugh.
What a stupid commentt 8.21…don't you drive on our improved roads, your kids at new schools..doing business at the new govt. office, enjoying the FOI Kurt brought in..?…or would you rather see our funds wasted on travel, law suits,and vote buying…?
What about all the wasting and giving away under the UDP administration?
The question was about the PPM administration and not the UPD administration. Two wrongs don't make a right!
You can see where every penny went. Previous Governments can brag about surpluses because the ignored the infastructure of the country
Please provide the details of where "every penny went".
Hush, now. That's something we're all supposed to forget about!
Compare the PPM spending to the UDP spending and see which one actually got the general public more.
They both had say 2 billion dollars over 4 years to spend (500 million in revenue each year), what did they do with it?
Why is it that you don’t understand the simple fact that you should not spend money that you do not have?
The question was not about a comparison between UDP spending and PPM spending.
Did all the 17 members of your family decided on thier own to vote PPM or did you dictate that to them, like telling them if you dont vote PPM you will be cut off, you wont be staying in this house ever again, dont even call me for any etc, as most PPM supporters seem to be doing to their children and elder relatives. I know it cause my next door neighbor is doing this to his children/inlaws and other relatives. Just plain dictators.
The only fault I can find with PPM they were too accommodating to UDP when negotiating the constitution. Had it not been for UDP fighting so hard during the negotiations we would already have one man one vote. We'll get it now though.
I am proud of my association with PPM. Good honest hardworking persons with right vision. If the only flaw you can find is that they are a party so be it.
My party and happy to be PPM
Please share with us how your PPM party plans to stimulate the economy without money to spend?
How does your PPM plan to lower the cost of living?
Does the PPM see direct taxation in the future of Cayman?
I hear nothing from the PPM about solutions.
For forty years my patriarchal great grandfather in Canada thought he dictated that the votes went liberal. He never knew that he was sleeping under a quilt embedded with Tory symbols that were very clear to all the women in the family.
All my family will be voting for the PPM just to make sure Mac/UDP never again threaten to destroy us…and they came to that conclusion all by themselves.
A “force for good” my @ss did nothing in 4 years but expect to rule again LOL
There wasn’t any opposition really for the past three years with the exception of Ezzard and Action Man. Why is the PPM so quite about the west bay road closure. The public needs answers??? I will say this, the party system has ruined my country, my family, my church, my neighbors friendships – remember Jamaica and what happened to them?
We need the PPM they are the only option if we want a team ready to work day one. A coalition govenment just means 'horse-trading' behind the curtains, and the voters have no say-so. If the voters want a voice in the next government our only real choice is PPM. Vote PPM.
The PPM backs the PPM. No news here.
There are a lot of us supporting them this time too, no vote splitting and allowing a UDP Government to return to power. If you don’t want UDP vote PPM. Don’t Mix…..Vote Six
And that kind of thinking will keep the Cayman Islands is this never ending spiral of disfunctional party politics. The only hope for this country is to get some new and intelligent blood in the Legislative Assembly, people not beholden to political party doctrine.
The only dysfunctional politics is the UDP and the “we are not a party” C4C. A C4C guided UDP spent $2billion in 4 years. On what, parties, travel, churches, lawsuits, the list goes on and on. At least with PPM we saw something for our money and they never spent $2billion.
Bring back KT as the leader of PPM if you are serious about winning a majority of seats
Mr kirk ppm are so good please stop the west bay road closure
Wow. You have the article in front of you and you still can't get his name right.
I continue to be amazed at how the party politics is working in this country.
We have UDP members screaming at why would the people put back in the PPM after what they did. Of course those same people ignore what the UDP did this past 4 years.
Lets also remind ourselves that the last time Mac was in control was when we had the status grant fiasco.
So in the end we gave Mac a second chance then we should consider the PPM.
And for another matter what other choice do we have?
If we had followed the PPM suggestion and called early elections after Bushgate we would not have the WB Road closed, but C4C were not ready so the UK let these clowns continue in power. You can’t blame PPM this time. Blame your self if you voted UDP or Independent in 2009.
Kurt is awake and still alive?
Go back to sleep because you haven’t done anything in 4 years except enjoy the MLA salary and pension check which is money for nothing
Those that know Mr Kurt knows that money goes back to his people, where have the big money candidates salaries gone over the last 20 years. I bet not too much went to the needy of GT.
That attitude / behavior is a big part of the problem…wheather it's Mr. Kurt or Big Mac or anyone else. It creates and maintains an environment of hand-out / gi me mentality…and causes the reciever to feel beholden to the giver! It all amounts to real and / or percieved corrption!
Persons needing help genuinely should be directed to Social Services.
What I don't understand is why [some] people want to put PPM back in power when they were the ones who financially screwed us over so hard during their last administration. Do people forget that or…? And although the UDP was endowed with their enormous government debt, they couldn't do so much as to alieve the debt – they only made it worse. C'mon! We don't need this foolishness to taint the country for another four years. Enough is enough.
Caystudent,
What does it mean to be financially screwed in the context of a government? What makes you draw that conclusion? What measures are you using?
Actually no, people havent forgotten. They remember the truth a little differently!
I have to say initially that I prefer to use softer language (and your language I think betrays the fact that you are more of an impostor than a student) so I will use "hard done by".
So three years of PPM balanced budgets between 2005 and 2008 sound hard done by?
Are we hard done by that after finally spending money on needed infrastructure the government is only spending 10.5% of its revenue to service that debt?
Wouldn't we all be happy if we only spent that much on our personal income to pay for our loans or mortgages!
Were we hard done by that PPM investments were made to improve the quality of lives of the people? Hitherto nothing much was done since the 1970's.
Were we hard done by to have PPM investments in schools, roads and a new government building that represents investments paying dividends decades into the future? That means for us, our children and their children at the very least! And you know where the money went!
Were we hard done by to have our public debt amounting to less than 25% of our annual GDP (the aggregate value of our economy)? Most countries would kill to have it that low.
Were we hard done by to have the PPM pay down our unfunded public service pension liability by $15M per year for EACH of the four years there were in government?
Remember the UDP paid nothing against that liability for three out of the last four years until they were forced to include a $14M payment in this financial year by the UK!
Or was it really the global financial crisis that caused us to be hard done by in the 2008- 2009 Financial Year?
And wouldnt we have been harder done by if we didnt have the stimulus of the PMM initiated investments over the last four years to generate some activity in the economy?
Imagine how much worse the recession following the global financial crisis would have affected us!
Become a student of history and stick with the facts.
FFR and the budget crisis is a direct result of ppm history in addition to the usual udp waste of limited resources. Expensive schools 100m for Frank sound high school so far that the country cannot afford and buying land from supporters look at GT primary does not guarantee a quality education. Those facts cannot be disputed.
The FFF can be seen as positive as well. So what if we cannot go back to the UK to borrow before 2014; that’s just around the corner. That’s a sacrifice well made.
Your facts do not include how that 100m was incurred and how much of it was really attributable to the ppm.
You also chose to ignore that the ppm did not just build buildings. The ppm was the first government ever to engage in dialouge with teachers island wide in a national conference to discuss education reform and then acted on it through changes to the education system and laws. These are the same initiatives continued by rolston ever after he lambasted them in the campaign.
If ppm broke the country so, the udp would not have been able to waste the funds that they did. If we were o broke after ppm, where did udp find the money to spend???
Lets see CayStudent after the first year the UDP announced that the budget that they had produced was giving a profit. And four years later they still crying?
Too many of us see only PPM wrong or see only UDP wrong.
We are all becoming mindless puppets being led by party politics.
Be counstructive in your comments. Realize that each group that goes in does some good and does some bad. But party politics only allows us to point out the bad.
Isnt it amazing that our current fab5 have acknowledged that they are going back to what the PPM was doing in terms of having weekly media briefs?
And yes I am man enough to say that the PPM did mess up this country financially but on the other hand its Mac that has the UK looking hard at us know.
Kurt needs to stick with fishing and his fish shack. It is such hypocrisy by the PPM supporters to complain about other politicians earning a huge salary for doing little when the PPM has KT and Anthony Eden. Has anyone even seen him lately? Remember you had your chance and left this country in near bankruptcy! You all need to go!
Bush and the UDP had their chance over the last four years with the C4C sitting right their on their boards or giving them "money fa walue" assessments that are secret and we have never seen or doing their own secret deals with Dart.
What did that get us? Financial ineptitude. A massive leadership deficit. Decimation of credibility and reputation. Corruption coming out of our ears and total loss of trust and confidence from the man on Fort Street to the man on Downing Street!
So if someone who is not a registered party member
is elected and brings a motion that will benefit these Islands to the LA,
ARE YOU saying the party members will not support it.
What kind of leadership is that?
As we all know the party is there, self serving to remain in control,
while the majority of people continue to suffer by becoming poorer and crime increases.
11 years of parties have destroyed us, we prospered when we elected independent thinkers who took us to our peak of prosperity.
The parties have divided us like they have in my Jamaica.
Please Cayman do not go down that road, get off now.
How did you draw that conclusion from that article? Where does it say they will not support a bill brought by another member?
If you are are not a party member, YOU ARE AT THE MERCY OF THE PARTY MEMBERS
nuf said.
this man has done little or nothing in the past 4 years….vote him out!
we need real politicians that will actively make a difference….
You have said a mouthful Kurt and I agree with you 100%. How will these independents work together when they get elected. I can see trouble brewing in the house. World wide there are parties and it has served its purpose well. I love the Progressives and the new slate of candidates, men & woman of integrity, sound minds, professionals, businessmen and down to earth individuals who really loves these Islands and will do their endeavor best to put Country First and move forward. God Bless each one of you and I really hope that the people of these Islands and especially George Town and West Bay will wake up and make the right choices come election day.
Use the force, Kirk. Use the force.
No wonder you are confused. His name is Kurt, not Kirk. Can't you read?
Wow. This is truly sad. Not a word from these guys for 4 years, crying and wailing and cashing their fat paychecks. Now, election time and it is all about grabbing the headlines?
I’m no party person (can you tell? I see the ruin it brought Jamaica and Bahamas) and ask the Caymanaian people how they can possibly follow like sheep when these PPM never knocked in doors or held public meetings for FOUR years and now want my vote?
Honestly we do not need parties in politics or politics period! We are a small population of 60,000 people that has a decent income from tourism, import tax, and finance. We only need better administrators to cut our wasteful spending, not politicians to spend more foolishly.
My grandfather would say stand up, tighten your belt, and do a hard’s day work.
I wish he were still alive to elect instead of these career fools.
Here we go again!!! People are critizing the PPM and in particular Mr D. Kurt Tibbetts, someone most George Towners love and respect, for keeping quiet for four years.Excuse me.. but do you all know the meaning of opposition? I think so! The opposition does not make laws, only could table motions and it is up the Government who has the numbers to help push it through. I've notice too many motions that has been tabled by the PPM and the UDP voted them down, and said they don't want to hear a word from the opposition. The opposition is also there to oppose and expose the government of the day, but in the end the Government still wins. Welcome to the westminster style government and stop trying to match it with the US which is an Republic. Now onto the PPM bancrupting the country. Weren't you the ones when PPM was in Government, bawling for a better traffic flow? you all got it now and can get to work, and home quickly, but to build roads, it takes money!. (2), you all were bawling about the licensing department downtown, but now you all got a larger and a more efficient facility to use, plus you have seats to sit your butts down into, and relax. Too Ungrateful! (3) The new Government building was badly needed, because the glass house was outdated and little room for expansion, plus mould issues. Now we have a state of the art building where majority of the government workers are located comfortably and has alot of real estate inside for future growth. (4) The two high schools was also badly needed, and yes the government went over board, but the Schools were done through bank loans from my understanding, and not from core government. Even the Miller-shaw report stated that it wasn't the Schools that cause the financial problem and that the schools could have been built out of core government revenue. Now the CHHS is getting good reviews from the students, teachers and parents, and the students love their school. All of these project took money and at no time we heard of any under the tables deals or corruption or law suits, while PPM were in office. These are just some of the project that was done by the PPM betweeen 2005-2009, but you all are too ungrateful for the things they've done and very hypocritical because you all are the same ones that are using those facilities.
Did you ever read the press or listen to the LA? Or did you just listen to Rooster then considered yourself informed? Maybe just a C4C propaganda puppet?
I just checked the election law, and being dead is not a restriction for being elected. Go ahead and nominate him, he can't make any worse decisions that what has been made in the last 4 years.
PLEASE leave Jamaica out of your politics.
Thank you
Why? It is a good reminder of what not to do. We can cite examples from anywhere in the world we wish, including Jamaica.
The President of UCC in Jamaica got involved in our politics with the Honorary Doctorate for McKeeva.
Jamaica is referenced because it is the best example of how party politics can divide, corruption run rampant and lead to senseless violence due to wearing either green or red where people blindly follow a party agenda primarily interested in their supporters not the the country. Does that remind of Cayman yet?
Are you serious, ********************
is it not Jamaican style party politics we now have by the 2 political parties