Panton ousted in favour of JOCC
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton has been pushed out as premier and replaced by Juliana O’Connor-Connolly MP (CBE), according to a social media message circulated on Wednesday by McKeeva Bush MP (WBW). After rumour and speculation about the future of PACT mounted in the wake of Tuesday’s no-confidence debate, MPs spent the day horse-trading over a new government, which, according to the veteran MP, is effectively the old PACT line-up but without Panton, under the new moniker of the United People’s Movement.
CNS was told that an official statement would be released from the premier’s office before 5:00pm. But by 7:00pm no official information had been released about the new government line-up or Panton’s alleged new post as speaker of the House.
However, just after 6pm on Wednesday evening, a press release was issued by the parliament, stating that Speaker Katherine Ebanks‐Wilks MP (WBC) had resigned from the job. This was described as an effort to maintain stability and support the government in meeting its constitutional requirements. She made no mention of her new role, which, according to Bush, is as a minister in the new Cabinet, picking up the former premier’s sustainability and climate portfolio.
“I found myself in the position where my casting vote would need to be relied on as the speaker in a hung parliament,” said Ebanks‐Wilks in the release. “Our parliament deserves better than this, and I took an oath to serve the people of the Cayman Islands so I had to make the very hard decision to do what is best for our country when neither side was able to find a solution between themselves.”
Ebanks‐Wilks was the youngest person to ever hold the office, which she held for just one year. However, she said decisions should be made based on what is in the best interests of the country and the people of the Cayman Islands. “I want to make sure that we stop this instability and that we meet our financial obligations of 31 December so our hard‐working civil servants are paid on time,” she added, referring to the budget.
If Bush’s message is accurate, the responsibility of bringing the budget process to a close will now be passed on to O’Connor-Connolly, who is understood to have been given the role of finance minister. That will now almost certainly include the money for a new high school in Cayman Brac and likely a school in West Bay. This was rumoured to have been a major sticking point among PACT over the last few weeks.
O’Connor-Connolly returns to the government top job after almost a decade. The MP for Cayman Brac East took the helm in the wake of the last government that fell following a no-confidence vote after McKeeva Bush was arrested in December 2012. She then led a government under the name the People’s National Alliance (PNA) made up of former UDP members with some support from the then opposition PPM for just a few months until the election of 2013.
While Bush indicated a number of other changes in the new cabinet, including the ousting of his West Bay colleague, Bernie Bush, the reshuffle has not been confirmed, and given the continued political wrangling and the absence of any official confirmation, the current alleged state of affairs could change in a matter of days or even hours.
CNS Note: Since this article was posted, the government has issued a release confirming the new line-up and that on Wednesday evening the governor swore in the new UPM Cabinet behind closed doors in what can only be described as a secret ceremony.
Check back to CNS later for more on the new government line-up.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Politics
I am truly disgusted by these events and even more disappointed in the “Governor” for going along with it. Has the “Governor” actually done anything since she arrived?
This place is truly FUBAR.
Sir Alden very effectively stripped the Governor’s powers during the years he was in power.
There is nothing the Governor can do.
She’ll pave the way to success, and exorcize all doubt!
Greeeeat, a useless, homophobic, cloud fairy worshiping lunatic, what could possibly go wrong? Cayman, you have truly sunk to a new low 🙁
They’ve put the foxes in the various hen-houses. Unbelievable
Juju will now cave in to every demand made by the thugs who ousted Panton.
Kenneth will turn Cayman airways into his personal airline.
He will get his ego private terminal.
Kenny beach waste will go ahead.
The port board will be even freer to award themselves greater pay and stipend increases.
We will spend $100.Million plus, on a resort prison we don’t need with money we don’t have.
Mac will tell Juju what to do and Juju will pray.
Bush taking the environment and sustainability role. Holy crap we’re in trouble.
Setting up for McKeeva Bush as next Premier next year. The gift that just keeps coming.
Forever a God in West Bay.
Our best and brightest. People, that is where we are at.
Please father in London, take us over.
Same crap deck of cards, just reshuffled.
Functional unity is not available at this time. Sorry for the inconvenience. The person who is responsible for the poor edumacation keeping Caymanians ignorant and third world is now in charge of all. This slow motion train wreck is about to run out of track. Finally.
Same clown car, different driver.
Merry-go-round of mediocrity. Same useless bunch but in a different order.
I’d settle for mediocre. We now aspire to mediocrity. We have a Christmas selection box of the uneducated the self serving the criminal and the plain dumb. Take your pick. This is the selection we voted for.
Let me guess, her first order of business will be mandatory exorcisms in all government schools.
Seriously, democracy just doesn’t seem to work. Trump in America leading polls and threatening to win again, fascist morons running the UK, and now a 16th century vessel of baby Jesus leading Cayman. Maybe we gave up on monarchies too soon.
This not gonna be good, we’re in for some bad juju!
I had the displeasure of meeting our new premier recently. She is just as raving mad face to face as she seems. A true religious extremist and zealot, who wouldn’t look out of place in Al Qaida or any other fundamentalist religious death cult.
We really do know how ti pick leaders here…
Setting up for McKeeva Bush as next Premier next year. The gift that just keeps coming.
Forever a God in West Bay.
Our best and brightest. People, that is where we are at.
Please father in London, take us over.
Mac loses his party
Mac joined Alden – ppm lost
Mac joined pan – he stepped down
Mac joining Con – all I can say is ????
2021:
Yea man wote for independents, toke toke, check this! A whole gowermint of nuttin but independents!!! yea man toke toke, lets get the word out. Sandra start spreading the news Hunny Chile!!!
2023: toke toke, brah..wtf? did you wote for the UDP? How dem people get there?
still 2023: Sandy! Hunny Chile, wa going on ?
Hunny Chile: aaahhmmm lets petiton for new elections, we gonna get this right next time, I calling a do over right ya now. Don Don one more check please!
watching CMR suddenly delete posts and all the mental gymnastics they’re doing has almost made this worth it.
What happened to all the millions of the Paloma Hurricane Fund?
The people of the Cayman Islands have the right to know. A private audit is overdue Madam! We the people of the Cayman Islands are demanding one Madam!
You guys should do us all a favor and all give up. All the politicians here. Not just Pact. All of you, just get out of the way and let someone that gives a damn run. Not this I am better than you, I one upped you garbage. It’s just disgusting. Shame on all of you.
They all represent the People’s National United Squad.
PNUS for the win!
Seriously, what a bunch of self-absorbed charlatans. Mediocrity is what they aspire to attain, because that’s as good as it’ll get with some of these fools.
We’re now led by a confirmed bigot with views that would seem extreme in Victorian Britain. We have Seymour, who is best utilized as a stone cold sober crash test dummy. The rest of them, with the exception of Andre, couldn’t rub two brain cells together.
At least this is proof that if God exists, he or she, or it, has a great sense of humor.
Most people will forget by this weekend anyways….Caymanians should be ashamed of the people who they continue to elect. I’m really wondering if education is really free in this country?
forget the zombie governor….time to petition the UK directly for immediate intervention
We certainly need direct rule. This is a total joke.
McKeeva will be Premier again next year.
thanks for nothing ppm….you can’t even score into an open goal from a yard out…as bad in opposition as they were in government
How is this their fault? Blame the electorate for giving us this bunch of jokers.
Cayman really has become the dictionary definition of a Buggers Muddle.
Bug——?
Are you sure you intended to write that word?
Yes, bobo, it’s an English expression meaning “clusterf#ck”.
Same old, same old. What a terrible, embarrassing mess we are in. At least Wayne had a brain and common decency and Andre seems to be smart and principled too. But, dear God, the rest of them!
A Waffling bummbling clod that bought his way into political office, good riddance Cookie
I’m not sure which House to find any reality with what’s going on these days, House of Parliament or Prospect Playhouse 🤷🏻♀️
Entertainment always at the Fools Theatre though 🤹♀️👍
Juliana….what an embarrassing representative for the country. 19th century views on social issues. Very inarticulate. And physically, well, need I say more.
Indeed you must be joking.
I for one am behooved with admiration to see the new premier with that elegant Sunday brunch hat. Like a shining white clothed knight to usher in a new era is indeed upon us!
Please look up the definition of “behooved”. You often use that form of “to behoove” in your comments and misuse the word each time.
You might consider using the word “beholden” in this case. i.e. “I for one am beholden with admiration…”
From a lot of what I see on here differentiating between satire and sincerity would be a difficult task for many, – leave the behooved polygot to the task at hand, capiche ? 🙂
Are Darren Fleet? Behooved can be used in many ways.
First order of business- shred the code of conduct
Second order of business- commence filling the central mangrove
Third order of business- finaliize plans for her royal majesty’s bluff palace.
Early Elections should be called immediately!
Is this April Fools? This cannot be real.
What
A
$hit
$how
God help us all………..
probably better off asking superman for help….
This country is going the way of the dogs, honestly our government changes sit more than a parent changes a babies pampers. When will the cayman community wake up to the fact that these old fools only care about filling their corrupt pockets full of money. This is a sad time to be alive indeed.
Your Premier – https://archive.caymannewsservice.com/2012/05/23/private-brac-paving-illegal/
https://www.caymancompass.com/2012/12/10/lavish-hotels-mark-deputy-premier-s-42k-qatar-trip/
Your Tourism Minister-
https://www.caymancompass.com/2007/02/23/two-jailed-for-supplying-cocaine/
https://caymannewsservice.com/2016/02/bryan-guilty-of-assault-but-no-conviction-recorded/
Your Minister of BorderControl and Labour
https://archive.caymannewsservice.com/2011/05/13/
https://caymannewsservice.com/2020/04/minister-dwayne-seymour-behaviour/
Your Planning Minister –
https://caymannewsservice.com/2022/03/questions-raised-over-inside-deal-for-nhdt-fill/comment-page-1/
Congrats Cayman.
Don’t get me started on the backbench.
#stayclassy
caymanians deserve what they get …the other 50 % hardworking residents deserve much more
Thank you for posting these links – very informative and an apt reminder to everyone that this country is being run by a band of clowns and crooks. It’s beyond tragic and a lesson to any 3rd party observers on the failures of the democratic system in a small, undereducated, fishbowl society.
The perfect representation of of a bunch of fools.
any comment mrs governor???
Why should the Governor comment? WE are the ones who told the UK we want to run things ourselves internally so as to prepare us for the inevitable independence. We don’t want a colonial Governor breathing down our necks, we just want a ribbon cutter and a host of receptions at Government House, providing we don’t do something stupid like refuse to enact laws we have been ordered to enact. So that’s the type of Governor we have been getting for many years now.
12:29, Sir Alden in his time in power effectively took away most of the powers away from the Governor.
On the road to independence, thanks a lot Sir Alden.
Why would the governor comment? It’s not her place to interfere with the change of government.
Just when you think things can’t get any worse…it does. Is there no one with integrity and intelligence we can vote for to form a government? It seems not. This woman is remarkable only because of her long history of failure.
What a shambles. I had hoped for so much better. What a sorry mess we’re in now. FFS man, André and Wayne get my vote but what is this sh1t show?
What in sweet hell has happened?
No one voted for Julie to be Premier nor did they vote for another Mckeeva controlled government.
New election needs to be called.
Panton was the only good member of PACT
Wow the Panton kool-aid is flowing today. Panton is a failure!
Fire up the Paver!!
Forget the paver, I’ve heard tell that she has MUCH bigger (and more expensive) fish to fry for 266 voters who put her in. Watch and see.
This JOCC? https://archive.caymannewsservice.com/2012/05/23/private-brac-paving-illegal/
Or a different one? Asking for a friend.
yes – same one
Why is McKeewa announcing this, he is a noboby and nothing but a criminal, majority of people are sick of hearing him and his meddling creating chaos.
New Premier?
United People’s Movement? Which united people and what movement, except forever backwards.
Disgrace.
United People’s Movement is just a successor to United Democratic Party in my opinion.
Oh goody, I’ve been waiting for a good postal conference or two in Rwanda for us to spend our hard earned revenues on.
God help all of us in the Cayman Islands. This is friggin ridiculous.
An absolute disaster as Education Minister.
She is just keeping the seat warm for McKeeva to come back next year.
😭 😿 😢
No hope for this place.
Surprise Surprise Wayne. juju is always looking to undermine
So Mac was brought into the fold by Wayne to make him premiere and now Mac has stabbed him in the back. No surprises from a man of his character.
So the person who single handedly ran the education system to ruin has now been given the reins to the country? This defies any and all conceivable logic and reason. You literally could not make this up. WTF.
+1,000,000,000,000,000
and is finance minister!!!!! you can’t make this s**t up
The UDP is back in power with a slightly different name.
no matter the alphabet it is still the same people in government. Yes early election, bring it on just like the Motherland.
UGH, SO EMBARRASSING
This should now give my good friend Gurney time to concentrate on his propane business.
And his lawsuit against OfReg.
Laughing stock of the third world.
UDP all over again – you have all the major players re-united.
I will bet that every one of them will get all of their projects approved and the spending will be more than out of control. Taxation will be coming sooner that we know it to pay for all of it. To be honest an early election would have been better than this bunch of power hungry bandits.
The one donkey that not moving and has already announced her portfolio was the most important to get rid of. We need to stop electing uneducated disc jockeys ya all. Prospect do better!