Parliament meeting set to deliver UPM budget
(CNS): The United People’s Movement government will bring the 2024/25 budget to parliament on 8 December. In a press release from the House, the Speaker, Sir Alden McLaughlin called for the second meeting and official state opening of the 2023-24 session of the parliament to begin next Friday at 10am. It will include the governor’s first throne speech as well as the budget address.
The budget address will be delivered by the new premier and minister for Finance, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly one of a number of firsts noted by McLaughlin.
“This is a unique State Opening with a new Speaker, Governor, and Premier,” he said. “But it’s a mistake to think this is purely ceremonial. In fact, this is a vitally important meeting for all Caymanians and residents, as the country will be hearing about the government’s spending plans over the next two years, as well as any policy developments that will no doubt impact the public.”
The budget could very well prove to be even more controversial than usual as the government’s spending plans are expected to reach over one billion dollars as it finances a long list of projects in the last spending plan before the next election. The budget has been in process for most of this year and while it will now be labled as a UPM budget much of the work was done under the former premier and finance minister Wayne Panton.
However, there are concerns that some of the projects that would have fallen under Panton’s climate change ministry to help fund the country’s transition to greener energy and begin to build the desperately needed resiliency measures to protect this islands from climate change could have lost out to the new Cabinet line ups other priorities and increased development.
Officials are expecting the meeting to run over several daily sittings and the new Standing Business Committee will meet next week to finalise the order of House business. The State Opening typically leads the first regular meeting of a new session after proclaiming the start of the parliamentary year, and is an opportunity for the governor to address the nation on the key priorities of the United Kingdom and the status of each arm of the governor’s constitutional responsibilities.
Following the throne speech, members usually debate the address given by the governor in a future sitting in order for the premier to provide remarks on the budget and any new policies by the government and give those on the opposition side time to digest the government’s fiscal plan.
Members of the public are able to view the proceedings live in person at the House of Parliament after signing in with security. The event will also be broadcast on CIGTV and its YouTube channel and government’s social media pages and Radio Cayman.
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Category: Government Finance, Local News, Politics
I thought it was disrespectful to wear a hat in parliament..
I’m sure you are not meant to wear a hat in parliament.
Anyone know for sure?
Ju-Ju is Morbidly Obese with an Oversized diaper on her face to hide the Government’s cut and dried obligated agenda. Perfect narrative of the ‘Public Health’ Status in Cayman.
Juju sold out a long time ago, she has the money and Biblical knowledge to care for herself but question is, why isn’t she doing so? Answer: Money, Power, absolute Greed and Hypocrisy! She going to HELL, and she better repent before her silver chord is cut!
Is she trying to tell us something with the mask?
Please don’t tell us that COVID-19 is coming back as COVID-23?
Watering Place variant.
I sincerely hope and pray we poor pensioners will get the one-off payment. I think it’s a case the rich will be richer and poor gets poorer. Some of we pensioners only get enough to buy food and pay water bill. Can’t say light bill as this is very astronomical.Also the $950 to $1250 pensioners ex-gratia payment starting December 2023 should be made retroactive from August 2023. If we don’t get the one-off payment please make it retroactive as such. We are former civil servants who worked our butts off whilst employed with the Government. We are all in this together.
Any bets on whether this budget will include a USD$250,000 municipal glass crusher?
I certainly hope that people stay woke for what is about to happen to this country with Julie as Premier. Since September there has been infighting and selfish debate between PACT members over ‘what they will get’ for their constituencies – new 60 Million dollar school for the Brac and West Bay, Parks, all the typical Re-election vote getting demands. The former Premier tried to rein in the spending and tried to put together a budget WITHOUT borrowing. We all saw that earned him the ejector seat!
In comes Julie. No more fighting, all singing kumbaya as the new UPM. At first, I wondered how this could be, then I realized what was happening. The new Premier plans to use the $360 Million dollar line of credit to make everyone happy and secure her position as Premier. The Civil servants have been given their $1500 plus a bunch of other perks that will be disclosed in January, Kenny will get his new Park, Mac will get his new school, and the list goes on and on, BECAUSE she will borrow and put this country deep in debt to balance a budget of outrageous spending with nothing to show for it.
The budget needs a majority to be passed, I urge every voter in this country to tell their MP to vote NO to over-spending shenanigans and save this country.
If the whole bunch of youse nayvsayers expats and caymanians alike alike by some strange quirk of fate are correct in your combined assessments, we promise that there will be a celebration on your behalf at the Lighthouse on the Bluff. Come dressed economically ? Blind folds will be provided. Sayonara g”duppies .
Okay I’m stumped. She doesn’t believe in vaccines but she does believe in masks? Someone please explain.
She believes in deception. She is well-paid to project an image.
Halitosis
welcome to wonderland…
Neither masks nor jabs work. Wake up. Be free.
Both work. Wake up. Be sane.
3:49 Why don’t you look up “died suddenly” and learn to think critically? Are you real or a bot?
I was buying all this UPM change and getting around to even accepting their fleecing of the Government with their salary scam as a standard operating procedure for our political parasites and senior government chumps but it all TUN bad when i saw the listening awards at the Ritz for Listening “Listening” to who? certainly not Cayman they must be talking about their old evil mind because it ain’t no way on God’S green earth this $hit is Right!Boy you can here some real Bull$#@!in this little place.
I just read the same thing and still hurting from the tears!
I can’t take her seriously in that hat and mask.
With or without I can’t.
Maybe it’s just me but there seems to be a glaring shortage of truly solid, good leaders who want to work for the betterment of their citizens and their country. Seems like a worldwide phenomenon. Just baffling to me.
$1500 for anyone who signs up for the Christmas clean-up crew! Spend two days pulling bush, sweeping the road, or painting curbs, and get $1500 for Christmas.
Ragga Ragga RAGGA..WE DANCING..WE SINGING..RAGGA I N THE DANCE FLOOR! LOL
“The budget has been in process for most of this year and while it will now be labled (sic) as a UPM budget much of the work was done under the former premier and finance minister Wayne Panton.”
In truth, much more of the work was done under the former Finance Minister Chris Saunders.
The actual work is never done by politicians. The work is done by the civil servants who have to bow to the wishes of the elected jackasses.
Done under and done by are very different things.
better budget some more funding for masks.
Me want the $1500. Miss Ju Ju, me works hard so give to me also.
A motorway in the Brac
Not before the Bouge Bridge is opened!
It behooves me to be deeply thankful and can now sleep easy tonight knowing the honorable new Premier is masking up as you can never be too safe from 2020 covid.
Are you a horse? Can only answer “Naaaaaay” or “Naaaaahy” (if you are a real horse (as you always write behooves) you will know what that means). If answer is no in horsey language you cannot write that word again.
Or at least learn how to use the word properly.
Maybe half your shameful wages and assist the communities in which you all live would show you actually give a damn ?
Printing money in the Hurricane Hilton mussa be. Might as well use it for something I suppose.
That will help to pay the $100 Million for the planned Northward Hilton resort.
Why is she wearing a mask!? That’s probably more worrying than the budget!
because she is worried about the Covid circulating on Cayman at the moment.
The hat and dress complement the mask.
still scared of the gay plague.
utter joke letting this woman lead the country.look at her record in Education, anti gay stance and don’t start on the Brac tarmac scandal.
strange to see an anti-vaxxer put her faith in a surgical mask….btw what is she trying to protect herself from?
One of the perks of the job LOL
Given she got vaccinated and all 😉
She’s about to perform surgery on our finances.. either that or completely butcher them.
She’s anti vax? She’s not so dumb after all.
fco ready to step in….(i hope)
will just be more of the same a billion dollars to be spent and nothing to show for it…and then a sprinkling of soon-come promises about major plans(that will never happen)
be afraid…be very afraid.
Who will get Juju’s Nation Building Fund handouts….wait for it.
Better that by a mile than $125,000,000 high school. At least we got sports courts and hurricane shelter at a nominal cost. Too many hung up on this pebble and missing the gigantic stones.
Complete arrogance and ignorance to assume that these islands will continue to post the revenue it did in the last several years that was mainly driven by real estate sales.
They should be saving for the day revenue declines, a natural disaster occurs etc. but they will blow it for their re-election campaigns.
They have not controlled inflation and will be left with no alternative but to raise fees. Stay tuned cause it is coming.
For those of you that don’t care and continue to get your handouts think of the next generation.
We are a minority in our own country and we should all be concerned that they will continue with rampant development that is not in the best interest of the country but services their masters – the developers.
When the budget is tabled you need to voice your opinions and let’s march!
Oh madam premier, you are mana from heaven, shut down those stupid projects Patton wanted and get the development going again. Help our people please. Now that you and the Unity Team are back in control we will be saved.
The new Premier & Minister of Finance Mrs. O’Connor-Connolly intends to spend $50million on the construction of a new high school in Cayman Brac that serves 160 students maximum.
That is the definition of stupidity and a waste of public funds where value for money is not even considered. This UPM budget has disaster written all over it and we the public will pay the price for greed and the quest for ultimate power.
That’s just the starting point. I’d say the over/under is closer to $75M. 😳😳😳
Check how much they bought the surrounding land from uncle Kurt for.
Better than the planned $100Million waste resort planned at Northward so criminals can have a comfortable life in “prison”.
Why would they fear getting caught, what would deter them from committing crime..?
I think you just got whooshed. Your points are however spot on.
Its actually 151 students
Perhaps but it’ll have her name on it. Mark my words.
Masterful trolling.
March? Lol, noone is coming. Well, maybe a couple of ‘concerned citizens’. You will never get a big number, like when lots and lots of you protested same sex marriage. And remember, you voted for them. Find plan B and consider retirement elsewhere.
Hopefully we wont have to stop to get home for thanks giving again and the big voter Butterball/ Ham give away extravaganza can get on without the political sponsor hovering over them wid he likker up stale breath.This is going be painful next couple of dayz i tell you.
More handouts that we cannot afford. More destruction of our natural environment. More fat cat salaries and allowances. More religious fanaticism. More jackass politics.
Fix the damn dump!!!
Why are you such a crazy person always cursing about fixing the dump? Don’t you know that Madam Premier and Minister Seymour are wonderful people who love us Caymanians. Have no fear as they will deal with everything. Let us pray for you that you will be at ease now.
Have you even seen the budget? It hasn’t been released yet….
Yes I have. Watch and learn.
Calm down you poor frustrated soul, Madam Premier has it all under control. Pray for peace & guidance.
Anti-religious bigot alert.