Governor closes parliament

| 26/03/2013

temporarily-closed.jpg(CNS): The country’s Legislative Assembly has been prorogued after the Cayman Islands governor, Duncan Taylor, signed the necessary proclamation on Tuesday and the details were published in the Government Gazette. This paves the way for Nomination Day to take place on Wednesday, when more than 40 candidates are expected to formally declare their intentions to run for office in the 22 May General Election. At least half of those candidates will be contesting the six seats in the capital, where more than 7,500 people are registered to vote and where the battle for the LA will be focused. The incumbent members made their “swan songs” in the parliament Monday night, reflecting, with mixed views, on the last four years.

Looking both back and ahead, the MLAs all offered their thanks and congratulated themselves for what they saw as their achievements as well as expressing their hopes to be returned.

The opposition leader described this term as the “most eventful” that he had ever been involved with. While there was no point in going over what had happened, the members were not leaving the parliament on a high note, he said, in passing reference to controversies surrounding the former premier and the charges laid against him for theft and corruption offences.

He pointed to the continued uncertainty at home and abroad and the confusion that he felt would dominate the election campaign with so many candidates, but also with the two political parties, the Coalition for Cayman, as well as the interim government’s team and then the various lone independents. Alden McLaughlin warned that Cayman did not need any more uncertainty but that was what it faced if the country tried to cobble together a government of independents on 23 May.

“It will be much more challenging to come up with the necessary policies needed and for ten disparate people to come to some degree of consensus on major issues," he warned. "It is not an easy undertaking.”

McLaughlin also talked about the myth of the good old days of independents, noting that politicians had always run in teams. Pointing to the one and only election where there were no national teams in 2000, he said he didn’t have to remind people what a disaster that was and how, in the end, it gave rise to the birth of a formal party system in Cayman so that the voters would know what they were voting for.

Althoughhe said he was “a reluctant convert to the party system”, experience had taught him that without a group that has sat down in advance of the elections and hammered out broad policy objectives, it was a recipe for disaster. The opposition leader said voters had a choice of choosing the government or choosing the people who would choose the government for them.

The beleaguered former premier, McKeeva Bush, said he had been in office seven terms and had paid dearly for that support and having the audacity to move forward, but the West Bay people usecommon sense as they know that he is a worker. Bush said he had piloted many projects over the 28 years which had benefitted all Caymanians. 

Noting what he said had been a difficult time over this four years, he said those in “officialdom” had not given him “the support they are supposed to give elected officials” and claimed much more could have been accomplished had they done so. “But there was too much sabotage … everyone knows,” Bush added, saying that time would record what had happened.

Despite the fact that he worked, and worked hard, day and night to keep "the good ship Cayman afloat", Bush lamented the criticism made of his government . He said the UDP had taken up office “under striking circumstances” and had been faced with tough decisions to make. “We had to raise fees or we would have turned belly,” he said as he accused the FCO of trying to force direct taxes on government. However, he claimed they had worked hard and succeeded to some extent to turn things around.

He implied that those who believed that a new administration was "going to be a cake walk” were misguided, and suggested they would have to fire 500 people from the public sector.

Agreeing with the opposition leader, the former premier said the elections were going to be challenging because many candidates were "coming out of the woodwork”, and he pointed to the Speaker as the only person he didn’t think was running. “But we must have an elected body that is cohesive,” Bush added. “No one or two people can do it by themselves; a group has to work and decide together. It’s not party system that’s wrong.” 

The former government leader closed by saying that he knew there were doubts but he said, “God doesn’t take sides … whatever God ordains is best.”

See the proclamation signalling the close of the Legislative Assembly below.

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  1. Anonymous says:

    When I saw the headline I though, HOORAY!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Can we move elections back to November? This year! That way all of the politicians would have to be nice to everyone for the next 8 months, and we would save 6 months of politicians' salaries.

  3. Anonymous says:

    “But we must have an elected body that is cohesive,” Bush added. “No one or two people can do it by themselves; a group has to work and decide together. It’s not party system that’s wrong.” 

    Having an elected body that is cohesive is the only thing with sense that he has said recently! So why can't we elect who we want and have ALL of them work and decide together? It's not "a group" (as in the members of a particular party) it's "the group" (as in ALL elected members) that MUST work together. The problem with the party system is that they spend more time fighting with each other than actually doing what they should be doing. The party system IS wrong…

     

    • Anonymous says:

      Aha..its all a plot by the British to destroy Grand Cayman and keep it for themselves, as Bush would have us beleive. Anyone not agreeing with Mr Bush, that is, is in the plot. But since you are agreeing, you are OK. His own arrest and charges are a british plot too. So you really cannot beleive a word that comes out of that mans mouth.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Of coarse they both think the part system is good for Cayman becuase it benefits them and allows them to keep their Good Ole Boys clubs intact..

  5. Anonymous says:

    the last 8 years have been a perfect advertisement for direct rule…… when will we admit that caymanians do not have ability to run their own affairs?

  6. Anonymous says:

    for doing absolulty nothing except collecting a fat pay cheque……. we need to get rid of:

    whogene

    kurt

    eden

    john john

    kirkconnell

     

    plus get rid of the rest for pure incompetence…

  7. Anonymous says:

    The End Of An Error!

    • Anonymous says:

      No Public Holiday for Nomination Day?? You know we can never have too many of those!

  8. Anonymous says:

    I give this whole group an "F-".

  9. Just Sayin' says:

    Thank Christ that circus is finally over.

    • Anonymous says:

      I'm listening tothe Rooster talk show – just a lot of wind blowing. I'm not even sure what party if any Mervyn is running with but just listening to him there is no way he should be involved in the running of this country. I don't know what the options are but he is a definate NO

      • Anonymous says:

        And Jacqueline is fumbling her way al;ong as well when she is asked to answer a specific queston. Shame, I liked her more yesterday

        • Anonymous says:

          You are stuck with them on Rooster as you have to pay to listen to, I mean be a guest on, Austins show on Rooster now. They are the only ones who can afford to pay. There will be a series of debates later and Mac is not even on the schedule, seems he is still afraid to debate. 

    • Peanuts says:

      Mistake……. That was the sound of the curtain going up. Act One – The Clowns –

  10. Anonymous says:

    Does that mean we can get rid of Mary Lawrence as Speaker?

  11. sickntired says:

    Well lets see what Happens to tomorrow, what sort of tricks the government will be up to to prevent certain ppl from being nominated!!

     

    It amazes me in this country ppl can have their civil liberties and human rights abused and they take it so lightly!!

     

    Only in Cayman!!!

  12. Anonymous says:

    Most if them are just in for the $$$, like most corrupt politicians we’ve had! Vote careful my people!

    WP