Special meeting hangs in balance
(CNS): The opposition leader is one signature short of triggering a special meeting of Parliament to debate whether or not McKeeva Bush should be ousted from his prestigious office before the current term ends, as a result of his conviction for assault. Disappointed that the premier has said he will not now hold a meeting of parliament before it is dissolved for the general election, Arden McLean is petitioning for a meeting and needs seven signatures to force the issue. But as of Wednesday lunchtime, no government members had signed the request.
The independent opposition member, Kenneth Bryan, had also failed to sign up in support. And if Bryan fails to sign it will be the second time he has sided with government rather than the official opposition to prevent the issue of Bush’s position being debated. CNS has contacted the GTC member and we are still awaiting a response.
While the no confidence motion in Bush would likely fail in any event, the leader and other members of the opposition leader and the independent member for North Side are hoping to at least get all MPs on the record over where they stand on the whole ‘Bush saga’ and the issue of violence against women before the election campaign starts.
Currently, parliament is due to be formally dissolved at the end of March, eight weeks ahead of the 26 May General election, unless that date were for some reason to change.
McLean said government should be meeting as there is still work to be done on behalf of the people and that failing to call a meeting also breaches the constitution and the requirement to call a meeting at least once every year that a government is in office.
But the opposition members believe that the premier is deliberately not calling parliament again to avoid debating the no confidence motion.
Having filed a request for a meeting with the clerk yesterday, McLean has also written to all members individually inviting them to sign the request. So far, as well as McLean and Miller, Alva Suckoo, Anthony Eden, Chris Saunders and Bernie Bush, have signed up.
“It should be a matter of grave concern for the entire country that the Premier is so reckless and cavalier in operating the Parliament in breach of the Constitution, in order to facilitate his political objectives and avoid debating a motion of such magnitude and public importance as to challenge the continued tenure of the Speaker,” McLean said in a press release. “The responsibility of every duly elected Member of Parliament is to ensure that the Constitution is upheld and never circumvented to prevent debate on matters of national interest.”
McLean described McLaughlin as despotic and creating public distrust and political division. “It is also very unfortunate that the Premier continues to spin the narrative that the Government may fall if he calls a meeting of the Parliament and debates a Motion of No Confidence calling for the removal of the Speaker from that position,” McLean said.
“This is simply false. To remove the Government, it would require an affirmative vote of the Parliament of no less than 13 members, the same number required to remove the Speaker. By our count, even if the Speaker is removed from that post, the Government would still have a clear majority and could continue to function as normal for the remainder of this administration.”
McLean added that at this point there is no appetite on the opposition benches to bring down the whole government as the administration draws to a close; they are not seeking a no confidence motion in government but are focused on the consequences relating to Bush alone.
He accused McLaughlin of trying to confuse the public over his excuses for not taking the right and honourable action regarding the speaker. He urged the premier to do the right thing and called on him to address the issue.
“The Caymanian people and the tens of thousands of residents that call the Cayman Islands home are good and decent people and they know that we are better than this. This kind of behaviour has no place in any country much less any holder of public office. It is never too late to do the right thing; our people deserve better than this,” McLean added.
See the request for the meeting in the CNS Library.
Category: Politics
Can CNS please find out who is running in all the Constituencies
and give us names. This Election is now two months away and nobody knows who to vote for. Surely, there are new candidates out there that hopefully, can make a difference to Cayman for its future prosperity if elected?
CNS: All the candidates that we know about are on this map. Just click on a district.
I am saving up used cat litter to throw on anyone that comes to my door from the incumbents looking for a vote. BE WARNED!!!!!
Oh dear! What if they do the same to you when you go to their door?
Arden wins
PPM/Unity Government dissolves on this Valentines Day weekend – what a sweetheart deal
Game-Set-Match
ppl that need to go:
mac, whogene, bryan, arden,eden, juju, seymour,harris
They will all be gone on April 14 unless they are voted back
It’s that simple
Thanks Cap’n Obvious.
You hate it when someone points out your stupid posts, eh?😂😂😂
weak corrupt government. UK please step in
I honestly believe that Kenneth Bryan started good but his inflated ego got the best of him. He needs to go as quick as possible. A royal disappointment to say the least.
foolio version 2.0…hope he has the same fate.
7.31pm Mac started good too.
7;31 pm, you are 100% right, Bryan got to go, he is part of the problem, NOT part of the solutiob. GTC voters do the right thing , DO NOT VOTE FOR HIM EVER AGAIN.
I’d have thought he couldn’t even be an MP with a conviction for supplying cocaine. Right?
Taking cocaine or smoking weed as a teenager is one thing, selling is surely rules him out?
You know, the hypocrisy of the opposition doesn’t cease to amaze me. Does anyone remember the comments that were made by MLAs (now MPs) about members of the LGBT community here – some comments even bordering incitation to violence and disrupting public order? And here it is that McKeeva attacked who he referred to as a “motherf***ing lesbian”, and now all of a sudden, Arden and his team are baying for blood? I have no love for McKeeva and wish to see Him ousted (as well as the rest of them) but at least he followed through with some of the homophobic comments that were made in Parliament.
Bunch of cowards, all of them. Sick’ning. Wothless. If we want balls, we need to vote for a soccer team, because these bunch don’t have any.
Football
What’s soccer?
Ask Jeff.
Kenneth Bryan…the renowned fence-sitter as Alden put it. I guess he’ll wait until McKeeva strikes a woman in his family before he acts…but then again…this is Kenneth we’re talking about…
Deez nutz hang in the balance
As a female voter in George Town Central, I am just so pissed
with Kenneth Bryan..
He had better not come into my yard looking votes
This deal just means that Alden won’t run anyone against him.
Completely agree. Can’t find a real job, can’t speak or write real English, has a real record, has no real education and has no real manners or an understanding of equality. Vote him out and his counterpart in East End.
Success has different impacts on different people. Some admire and some are envious. At least we do not have to guess the group you represent. A young Caymanian man has lifted himself from a questionable past and made a great success of himself. Celebrate!!! Give the man credit for having his own counsel and not jumping on the bandwagon, even though it is more politically expedient. I wish I lived in Central; I would vote for the man. I did once before but now I cannot. Ignore the naysayers and haters, Kenneth. You are doing a great job and I believe the people of Central GT will never abandon you.
Thank God I don’t live in GTC any longer because for the first time in 46 years I could not in good consience cast a vote.
Special meeting? Alden called hear fools bluff. Again.
We have a lot of cowards in our “leadership”. I hope there are not enough weak-minded voters to re-elect them. Enough is enough. Let’s vote them OUT!