PACT must do more in 2023, McTaggart says
(CNS): The PACT Government must do more this year to help boost the “sluggish local economy” and help families and businesses through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart said in a New Year message to the country. The Progressives leader said 2023 was likely to be a year of continued anxiety, given the increase in crime and the remaining economic uncertainties, but the opposition would push the government to do more.
“The government needs to end its complacency over the economic future of our islands and put in place the measures we have been advocating to drive future economic growth,” McTaggart said in his video message.
He said that as the cost of living has skyrocketed over the last 12 months, many people will be fearful for their jobs or their businesses or losing their homes this year. More must be done, he said, and throughout 2023 the Progressives would continue to challenge the government to do more and move faster. “They need to make up for their lost time in 2021 and 2022,” he added.
McTaggart said that despite being in opposition, the Progressives would “work hard to secure the best possible results” during the coming year, adding that the party’s dedication to the Cayman Islands and its people was “unwavering”.
“As we face the challenges ahead, we must not lose that sense of togetherness, for it is what our country is built upon. One of the unfortunate things about Westminster-style politics is that it casts elected politicians as ‘government’ and ‘opposition’. It creates a necessarily adversarial relationship but is also potentially destructive if we let it. We must not let that happen,” he said, as he committed to supporting the government where it gets things right.
But he said the government was “failing to deliver the action… at the pace necessary to overcome the challenges we face”. However, he urged the country to pull together and not fall into the trap of division.
“In recent years, we have seen signs that the togetherness, which has been Cayman’s hallmark for decades, has begun to erode,” he said. “We must not fall into that trap of division. It gets us nowhere and only prevents us from working together to solve the challenges we are facing now.” He said solutions to crime, economic problems and the climate emergency could only be found if people pull together, whatever their status, background or politics.
“This New Year, I hope we can rediscover the strength of unity that has bound us together in the past. That strength of unity and togetherness has seen us grow from small island anonymity to an economic powerhouse. It has brought prosperity and achievement. It has overcome adversity. It can do so again,” he added.
See McTaggart’s full address below:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Politics
How about all you guys putting your giant egos aside and working for the sake of Cayman. Roy, Alden, Moses and Joey need to get together with Wayne, Chris,Sabrina,and Andre – who if working together could actually acheive plenty. Then get rid of the dead wood in both your parties. Wayne, you need to drop Dwayne, Bernie and Jay for sure and Roy, you need to ditch Bryan and Barbara for sure plus a couple of others.
You will still get paid if you club together and work for the good of the country.
Tell us again how the Progressives would “work hard to secure the best possible results during the coming years if elected” ,Roy. I didn’t find anything you did during your time at the wheel for me.
Roy you look and sound like an idiot please sit down and shut up and stop being Alden’s puppet. PACT HAS ACCOMPLISHED MORE THAN PPM EVER DID OR EVER COULD!!!
Yes Pact gave us an unelected UDP government.
PPM cannot be trusted ever again they sold out Caymanians and gave away Cayman to wealthy foreigners. None can be trusted Roy, Alden, Joey, Moses, David, Barbara, Kurt and the new ones they are recruiting.
What – specifically – are you accusing politicians of having done, that you don’t like?
What – specifically – would you like Cayman to look like?
60 years ago Cayman was a fishing island. Is that what you want to go back to, and if so what’s stoping you from living in a shack and eating turtles like your grandparents?
ppm are meant to be opposition to the current woeful pact government.
why are they missing an open goal?
answer: do-nothing-ppm are as bad in opposition as they were in power.
Its 2023. Are we still listening to politicians? No Sah!
PPM wetting their chops and rubbing their hands together for the big paving finale where their guys start earning.
Translation: the pace of theft by planted double-crossers continues to disappoint established PPM receivables criteria!
Please Roy, do tell – what would PPM be doing for the people in the current “sluggish economy” if it was still in power…?
The decades that PPM politicians were in Government and not one of you even thought to offer lunches to school children before? As just one small example.
The number of incentives PACT has put in place to assist its people in their 2 years as a new Government already outweigh anything the PPM ever did for its people directly.
PACT must do more? Tell me what PPM achieved? I’m so sick of PPM.
This guy is hilarious. What are these policies that the opposition recommend?
Find common ground and get the work done or shut up. All of this lip service and complaining and posturing looks stupid. The ppl don’t want to hear this crap. we want to hear what you guys agree on, which experts you have consulted, their qualifications and how you’re going to get the work done. We don’t want to hear ” oh we could do it better if you vote for our gang but you didn’t so please vote for our gang next time because we really really know what to do.” Unnah couldn’t even get elected. Please be quiet and sit down.
It’s CORNY, Do your job and fix the damn dump othewise like doctor evil said “zip it”
Once again, “Pot calling the kettle black”.
guy couldn’t even give up some horse farm land for the good of Cayman.
McTaggart was instrumental in creating the problem. He was significantly involved in the informal (too scared to do it formally) adoption of policy to ignore Caymanian priority in financial service industry. Roy doesn’t think young Caymanians should have same opportunity he had.
Will somebody try tell this old dinosaur to try go sit down? Complain, Complain is all he does ..they had 12 years and did nothing but sell us out to the highest bidder..no sah!
#NOMOREPPM
He is doing what Sir Alden tells him to do.
Only thing more sickening than Roy is Joey or Alden as PPM leader
Why are PACT members referring the Saunders as Premier and not Deputy Premier ? Ive heard it done twice now and each time the member gave a little smirk when they said it.
I sorry mister McTaggert but I dont think you like the people when you dont help us.
PACT vs PPM
Politics is division. “they” are wrong, “we are right”
Dear PACT,
Please, please, please make MRCU function at even a basic level.
All the best for 2023.
The Bitten Masses
Spray too little chemicals – “they na doing their job”
Spray too much chemicals – “they tryin give us cancer”
Innovate with a new method of pest control – “they tryin edit our DNA and make us grow a new arm”
LOL 😆
I am sorry Mr. McTaggart, but your lack of consideration for anyone but yourself has destroyed any good feeling we ever had for you. Please don’t waste our time………… and yours.
At least he is doing his job in holding the government accountable.
Whatever the opinion of his time in power, he is making the right call in pointing out the failing of the current government.
Taking shots at others for his own failings when he was in power is just sad and pathetic IMO.
It is specifically because of his failure to exhibit the same concern when in power, that he is currently being seen as inauthentic. These individuals vie for the power to lead our country. By looking through this lense, it is unwise to extricate people like him from responsibility for past errors due to current “good intentions”. If the PPM were in power, they would not have exhibited a quarter of the desire for public engagement we see now.
wa.. help the billionaires only, as ppm was doing? lol
People’s memories are short. Remember which administration was in power before PPM. That is when the domino effect began. Think hard.
Something has to be done. I can’t carry on this way. Medical insurance premium up 40% this year, house insurance up 44% over the last 2 years. Grocery bill skyrocketing. This is the last year I will receive anything from my pension fund, it’s exhausted now and was never enough to pay the rent anyway.
Once my few savings are gone, I am in fear for the future.
And other members of the family are feeling the same. How can one of the wealthiest countries in the world have so many people who can’t afford to eat.
Because you keep electing idiots.
3:59, We love McKeeva. He leads us to hell while taking care of his business.
The only solution is to have term limits. Every MP should serve a maximum of 3 months. This way, after 10 years all of us should have been elected and served a term in office, and be entitled to free healthcare and pension for the rest of our lives.
I agree 7:53- there should be a rollover policy for the politicians!
Also because you don’t realize that having multiple kids with different absentee baby daddy , means that there will be more and more people who can’t afford to eat.
Wrong choices at the polls.
NO choices at the polls
We are not a wealthy nation, and it’s so unfortunate that so many people have been fooled by the listed wealth under management in Cayman and the select few who benefit from that to think that Cayman is a wealthy country.
One small shift in global politrix and boom all our wealth is gone and so fast it would frighten you because they don’t even need to come get the hard drives anymore, it’s all cloud hosted now in multiple jurisdictions.
Well said. There are many other jurisdictions which people can move to if locals get greedy.
Live or die within your means: don’t get greedy and demand the right to seize money which other people earned themselves, or you’ll find that the financial services industry comes crashing down around your ears.
Look at the Bahamas and Bermuda as warnings to those tempted by the politics of envy.
You do realize that inflation is worldwide and Cayman is not exempted..I know Roy doesn’t know that but common sense tell most of the rest of us..
We do not live in a bubble..
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
What measures you “have been advocating to drive future economic growth”, Mr. Roy? You mean the cruise port boondoggle that we didn’t (and still don’t) need, or perhaps you’re referring to the staggering concessions given to rich foreign investors?
Maybe you mean the overdevelopment and ruination of our natural resources. You apparently subscribe to ‘trickle-down’ economics, because that’s all Caymanians have ever gotten out of these policies — a tiny trickle, that we all have to share.
Why don’t you lobby for meaningful systems that will benefit the struggling Caymanians and other residents? We need to provide opportunity for young couples. Start with the construction of a good trade school; not just overpriced, empty buildings that an MP’s relatives build for profit, but a genuine trade school, with qualified teachers. Put it on the Brac, where the small increase in cars on the road can more easily be assimilated. Start with that.
As you can see by my rant, it is EASY to point fingers.
Think back and remember when and under which administratiin the “staggering concessions” begun/were given. Not under the PPM administration exactly.
I am not taking the side of anyone Administration but what some people may not realize in politics is their agreements behind closed doors that sometimes have to be honored even when the changes in governments take place and governments are not always going to be able to tell the people exactly what’s happening whether that may be negative or positive. Adding, governments can be sued also…I am just pointing out a few key thought points.
Merely degrees of pocket-lining and benefactor consulting fees since Truman was LOGB. It was Kurt that presided over several closed-door sole source bid NRA Agreements with Dart. Might as well have faxed it from Stan Thomas’ desk. They are all the same. Kurt was even involved in the shadows on more recent doomed Smith Cove project. It’s like a mafia of loyalty where these has beens get recalled to the trough as part of their severance.
Thank you Ms Bryan, like the secret UDP arrangement get the Chinese to build cruise ship piers.
We were saved by the FCO and a strong Governor Taylor.
@watcher
Well said…I’m not even going to bother to open my mouth now..
Roy is nothing more than an empty vessel for the PPM..their time has come and gone…
Mr. McTaggart I agree with you that both sides need to work together but I do believe that will not happen. The Pack of wolves cannot work together with themselves let alone working with the Progressives.. They are only interested in being adversarial. fighting against their leader while patting themselves on the back for being the worse bunch of uneducated, unprepared, no integrity imbeciles that could ever be elected. The stories I hear coming out from their cabinet meetings as well as the way they conduct themselves with their staff is very questionable and unacceptable. So go figure!
1:58, you sound as if you’re insinuating that the PPM is any better. What the Cayman Islands needs for survival is a clean sweep and to usher new blood. Both sides of the aisle need to go: every single one of them! Clean sweep 2025!!!