Seymour paints dim picture of PACT

(CNS): Dwayne Seymour MP (BTE) said the PACT coalition was going down the wrong road and that he was concerned about the future of the Cayman Islands when he resigned from Cabinet last month. He described the atmosphere in the current caucus as “cantankerous”, even suggesting that he had “parted fights” and that he wasn’t the only person who wanted to leave. However, in the end, Seymour crossed the floor alone.

Speaking on Radio Cayman’s For the Record on Wednesday, he told host Orett Connor that he was disappointed that others “didn’t follow” when he resigned, as he once again criticised the premier for what he said was an autocratic leadership style.

He said that during the budget negotiations, there had been no chance of getting money for his constituents, and he had been spoken to in a derogatory way, which led to his decision to leave the government. Throughout his appearance on the show, Seymour made it clear that he was unhappy about the budget process because it was not going to assist his election prospects.

The former minister, who briefly held the labour ministry, said PACT was leaderless and claimed that all members of the caucus had asked Panton to step down, but he refused. He accused the premier of putting his policy aims ahead of the country, even though that was the platform on which Panton was elected.

Seymour said that people were threatening to resign if they “don’t get what they want” during the budget negotiations. He claimed that he “wasn’t happy” about having to make the decision to resign from Cabinet because he did not want to force an early election and create any instability.

He said that there were supposed to be “a couple of people” who were going to cross the floor with him, which would have allowed them to negotiate with the opposition to form a new government.

Seymour was the only person who left the government last month, and PACT has since rallied.

He said he had been to the governor to express his frustrations because he needed someone to trust, and he was not part of “the duct-tape caucus”, keeping their mouths closed when they see things going wrong.

During his appearance on the morning talk show, Seymour, an independent, said that forming a government with independents has not worked in the Cayman Islands. He said he did like some of the policies that PACT had agreed on, but they were taking so long to do anything.

The Bodden Town MP also seemed annoyed that he could not get the things that he wanted to benefit his specific constituency needs, as he criticised how the budget was being developed this year. When the budget was finished, a lot of people were going to be upset, he said and indicated that the education budget was being cut.

“I am very concerned about the way I see things going, and I was thinking the UK might be concerned as well,” he added, implying that the government was mismanaging the finances.

He said it was “quite a disappointing experience for me sitting there with the PACT government… It’s the leadership I had a problem with,” he said, adding that he believed the focus was wrong. “We can’t have a billion dollar budget… with nothing to innovate or motivate and give our people hope,” he added.

Despite the millions that will be spent on safety net spending, such as welfare support, healthcare and free school meals, Seymour suggested there were no social programmes in the budget for Caymanians. However, he did commend the work of André Ebanks in the social development ministry.

When a listener called in questioning his claims and his credibility, as well as his record in office, Seymour said that not everyone was going to like him as “not everybody liked Jesus”.

The former minister complained about a lack of movement on public projects and the rejection of ideas and suggestions that he had put forward on a range of topics, from ReGen to the acquisition of beach property.

Seymour made it clear that he didn’t believe an environmental impact assessment for the East-West Arterial Road extension was necessary, despite the major impact of the road on the natural environment and the need to protect communities along the route from flooding.

He said the situation was “disturbing” because he believed that the premier was not acting on motions that had been supported in parliament, such as the motion calling for the EWA to be dropped and the controversial plan to increase building heights beyond ten storeys.

He criticised Panton’s leadership style on the basis that the premier is following the government policy platform of sustainability that Seymour appears to have rejected. Although he was aware of the PACT platform when he joined the administration, he said several times that the premier was focusing on the wrong policies.

Seymour criticised the approach being taken to shape the budget of not funding things that are unlikely to get off the ground, suggesting that the money should be allocated on the basis of “giving some hope”. He also suggested that the government should be paying people’s entire light bills, though he did not indicate how that would be funded, and even suggested the government subsidies last year were pointless and embarrassing because they were not enough.

Seymour suggested that he planned to purchase gas cards and give them out on the side of the road, which could be a breach of the anti-corruption law if he did so in his own constituency.

The video for Wednesday’s edition of For the Record is currently unavailable due to technical problems.

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