Cayman Speaker loses out in CPA chair elections
(CNS): Juliana O’Connor-Connolly was pipped at the post in a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) vote earlier this month when she was in Cameroon for the recent 60th General Assembly meeting of the association. In a closed door head-to-head vote Shirin-Sharmin-Chowdhurry was elected the new chair of the CPA’s Executive Committee, the first Bangladeshi to take up the role with the organisation that promotes parliamentary democracy across the Commonwealth. Chowdhurry, who is the Speaker of Jatiyo Sangshad, the Bangladesh Parliament, defeated Cayman’s speaker by just three votes.
O’Connor-Connolly, who has served an elected member for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman since 1996, had a brief stint as Cayman’s second premier in 2013, making her the first woman in that job. She also has a long history as Cayman’s representative to the CPA, travelling around the world for the meetings.
However, with 67 votes to Chowdhurry’s 70, she narrowly lost out in the ballot. The Bangladeshi speaker replaces Alan Haselhurst, a member of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, and will serve for the next three years as the chair of the 35 member committee. Out of the total 321 votes, 137 voters from 175 members of the association turned up at the general assembly, which is the body authorised to elect the chair.
O’Connor-Connolly, who was nominated to run on behalf of the region by her Caribbean parliamentary association colleagues, had said ahead of her trip to Africa, “I look forward to going with great anticipation to Cameroon, knowing I will be the candidate of the Caribbean. If successful, I will work diligently throughout the duration of the term to ensure that the Caribbean will continue in its rich heritage of transparency and accountability.”
Category: Politics
They could not afford to support her travell expenses.
Too bad they didn't ban her return trip.
the commonwealth breathes a sigh of relief….
only in cayman brac could someone like juju be elected……
AND I QUOTE: If successful, I will work diligently throughout the duration of the term to ensure that the Caribbean will continue in its rich heritage of "transparency and accountability.” Now I know why you weren't elected JuJu. Could it be that someone most powerful knew those words were insincere and let the other lady win.
Please JuJu explain the paving thing. We all want to know.
Praise be to Allah!
why do these clowns feel it is ok to travel to these far away destinations just because some moron "nominated" you or you have to attend some "postal" conference …ENOUGH already you can't even do a good job at home ..please retire ( no more paving ) and stay home !!!!
Clearly those voting for her don't know the Julie we know.
She must have got a reference from Alden. He was the one remember who 'pardoned' all her transgressions – all for the sake of one more card in his hand and the good of his party!
Not sure why this is making news or what use she is to the country. The money wasted on far away vacations, shopping and paving drive ways is a shame and disgrace.
Another Caymanian passed over for a job.
But she was not pipped at the post by a paper Caymanian. Small blessings!
If this chap only won by 3 votes then surely there was a pot plant or something else that could have stood as a stalking horse and perhaps won it. 67 people have met JuJu and still voted for her?
I dare her to say "transparency and accountability" and "paving" in the same senctence.
Does anyone know if Paul accompanied her?
Were they taken the Pisacco?
Love the hair darlin'. Where did you get that done?
"I will work diligently throughout the duration of the term to ensure that the Caribbean will continue in its rich heritage of transparency and accountability.”
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
No feet washing then?
Just make sure to keep her away from paving equipment!!! What is she still doing in our government? JuJu should have been gone long time! She should have also been forced to pay for all the private driveways she paved. Every time i see her all i can picture is one of those birds from Finding Nemo " mine mine mine mine mine". Go run a marathon to support trasparency Ju Ju.
PPM is what she is still doing in our government. Birds of a Feather.
Maybe if she had offered to pave some driveways she might have gotten more votes?
Who cares? What is she doing for our country and our people?
“The Caribbean will continue in its rich heritage of transparency and accountability”. Which part of the region is she talking about? Sure as hell isn’t here – see other item on $1 billion missing.
Maybe Haiti or Cuba…
What planet is she living on?
Planet Cayman where leaders and elected members and anyone connected to them can literally get away with anything.
I am embarrassed by the people we have out there representing our country…thankfully one of them just hung out in the nearest casino.
Thank goodness she lost, or we would have had to pay hundreds of thousands for the lady and her bodyguard special/assistant/driver to travel the world first class with five stars accommodation.
If it is not too late can we ban her from returning, you know Ebola, wasted trips, paving etc?
Good – that would have just cost us a whole lot more money – keep her on the Brac for Gods sake!
This is where my taxpayer dollars go? So JuJu can come back and give me Ebola?! No suh. I well vex
She could have won if she had taken an Executive Aide to press the delegates on her behalf before the vote.
Press the delegates. I see what you did there.
Oh please. We have lost more than that, when it comes to this "representative".
I hope we will learn the cost of this trip to Cameroon,and whether it included any stopvers in New York for shopping.
or restuarants in Spain. Birthday anyone?
The previous chairman, Sir Alan Haselhurst, is the British MP who pushed Martin Polaine's 2010 complaint about Operation Tempura through the FCO after the then OT Director Colin Roberts (now Governor of the Falkland Islands) had rejected it. That resulted in the Aina report and we all know what that has cost to date. Small world or what?