PPM appear poised to prop up ‘dysfunctional’ UPM
(CNS): The opposition might align with some of the remaining UPM Cabinet members following the resignation of four key figures from the administration Thursday, saying it was dysfunctional. The PPM released a short statement indicating that the party is ready to provide “the leadership” for the country.
CNS understands the PPM met with Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, their former political ally, today and may be prepared to form a coalition to take Cayman through to what is now expected to be a June 2025 election.
In a short statement following the resignations of André Ebanks, Sabrina Turner, Kathy Ebanks-Wilks and Heather Bodden, the PPM described the situation as an “urgent crisis” threatening the “stability and unity of our nation”. The opposition party said urgent action was required and stressed the necessity of restoring “unity and stability to the business of government”.
The party stated, “With these key figures stepping down, the Cayman Islands faces a defining moment that demands swift and decisive action to restore confidence and chart a secure path forward. For years, the People’s Progressive Movement (PPM) has warned of the critical need for a stable, transparent, and unified government dedicated to serving all Caymanians.
“Today’s events have brought these concerns to a breaking point, underscoring the dangers that an unchecked, disorganised government poses to the future of our Islands. Now, more than ever, we must act without delay to protect the interests of our people. A credible, organised, and unified government must be established to ensure that the country is placed back on a steady course.
“In these uncertain times, the PPM stands ready to provide the leadership the Cayman Islands needs and we are carefully considering the available options. We must act with urgency, resolve, and a relentless commitment to the future of our islands. We must restore unity and stability to the business of government,” the PPM added.
CNS has attempted to contact members of the PPM throughout the day, asking if they intend to form a coalition with O’Connor-Connolly and the remaining UPM members. So far, there has been no admission or denial of that intention.
There are only three options for the UPM: the party attempts to limp on as a minority government, a new coalition government is formed, or the governor officially calls for a new election. It is understood that the premier had been seeking a June election, and she may well feel that it is worth continuing in office for the next six months with her former PPM colleagues.
Few details of the current closed-door horse-trading have yet to leak. However, in light of allegations made by the four MPs who resigned today that some Cabinet members are putting self-interest over the country’s interest, it may be surmised that the remaining members of the UPM will be seeking ways to remain in office.
There is speculation that the remaining UPM members want to roll out significant policy developments or legislation to counter criticism of the administration’s failure to deliver much of its original policy agenda over the last three and a half years. The UPM may be looking to accomplish something that they can claim as a major achievement before the elections, such as starting the East-West Arterial extension or immigration reform.
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Category: Politics
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisonescalante/2020/10/13/dishonest-candidates-win-elections-according-to-new-research/
The Halloween pranks are getting a bit much, now!
Mr. Hew is not qualified to be the Premier. The Cayman Islands needs an educated, professional grade and experienced leader with a proven track record of success outside of the political arena. These core competencies he does not possess. We need a person that understands what makes the Cayman Islands successful and will continue to make pertinent decisions for the country thrive for all not just a select few friends, family members, rotarians and others that will provide a slice of the pie.
I have seen how Mr. Hew operates with his circle of friends or business partners that all benefit from the schemes. At this rate, we will end up like the Turks & Caicos islands given the unscrupulous behaviour that has gone on in the past and will only get worse if characters like Mr. Hew were to ever assume power.
If given the choice between Mr. Hew, Sir Alden McLaughlin and Mr. Andre Ebanks as the future Premier it is obvious to many that Mr. Hew is not in the same class or character.
The choice for the masses would be simple and thankfully it would not be Mr. Hew.
Cayman gets the representation it deserves.
Buying votes in the poor areas is the game that has been mastered. Voters don’t really want honest MP’s they want people that give them money so buying and selling votes is common in all districts.
Then those MP’s or Ministers thru negotiations with key special interests groups and financial backers give then away millions in concessions to those that pay to play whilst contracts for services are provided in exchange to the Public Official’s various pecuniary interests.
There is zero difference between the scandals of the PPM and the Juliana O’Connor-Connolly led UPM government. Too many people will need to be paid by the masters to get the desired results. Plus the civil service at the highest levels is compromised and facilitates the poor decisions while being directly involved in the mismanagement of millions annually and the key projects that do not pass the value for money test.
These actions all merit full investigations and criminal charges for “abuse of office” as per the standards in public life provisions and the Anti-Corruption legislation.
It is the only way to stop the overt corruption that exists for all to see.
Well, we all know that the premier will just switch to the winning side
Excellent. The same old useless bunch that did nothing coming in to support the current useless bunch that have done nothing. Wonderful.
Cayman Islands Government- the best government money can buy!
So let me think about this. Andre, Kathy, Sabrina and Heather resign feigning intolerable behavior by their colleagues, but they fail to give any specifics and examples, and we are to just to believe that this recent behavior was intolerable despite the fact that they have sat with the same colleagues sans Panton for almost 4 years now.
Rather than call out the wrongdoers and expose their terrible behavior, the 4 deserters decide to remove their honorable, mightier than though selves from the pack and depart into the wilderness.
And we, the idiot public are to simply accept this untimely departure and swallow their excuses.
The other shocking element is the number of accusations being made against the PPM who have been forced to act in the best interests of the country and return stability to the Government quickly before we begin to have an international fallout, investors become nervous, and the UK acts.
Yet many of you are accusing the PPM of being power hungry and blaming them for the actions of the 4 deserters. How does that even make sense? The PPM are elected, they have a duty to act in the best interests of our people. If they sit quietly and remain uninvolved, they are blamed for not doing their jobs.
We need to really stop listening to ignorant conch brains Aunty Sandy who is paid to promote Panton and think for ourselves. This move is clearly being orchestrated and planned so that the Government fails, Panton can jump start his new party (Possibly in partnership with Dan Scott) and early elections can be called which will not favor the PPM or the remaining UPM members. This is nothing more than selfish political maneuvering by Andre and the crew to save their precious asses.
We need to wake up to the fact that in politics nobody makes a move unless it benefits their political survival.
Early elections will come, and anyone who was thinking of opposing an incumbent will be at a severe handicap due to the lack of time to be prepared to run, and we will end up with the same people being elected and the shambles will continue. I hope that at that point, we can all then point the finger in the right direction (Panton and his 4 deserters).
The PPM are done. Any credibility they had fell when they replaced Mctaggart with Hew. They are all bought and paid for and puppets for Big D.
Dan Scott? Why is he St Dan to some of you? You really know him….REALLY know him….rather than just the glossy exterior??
The Cayman Islands Constitution (As Amended)
Disqualifications for elected membership
62.—(1) No person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of the Parliament who—,…
(d) is a person certified to be insane or otherwise adjudged to be of unsound mind under any law in force in the Cayman Islands;
If the PPM join the incompetent UPM group who are selling out Cayman by gutting the NCA, spending the present and the future on their own self interested projects and by supporting only the developers who have them in their pockets, I will have lost all respect for them. They should be working with the breakaway 4 who have demonstrated their integrity and good characters. We are very close to an election and no substantial legislation should pass until we have a chance to vote on it.
Don’t forget that the PPM were the ones pushing so hard for the cruise port. That might be the only reason they are still in the game. None of them will allow the people to voice an opinion that is legally binding.
It was an excellent deal whereby the Cruise lines were paying for the piers , and their maintenance, hence ensuring their ongoing commitment to Cayman .
They would not be reimbursed if they did not visit.
The only thing certain in Cayman right now is that it’s the first day of snail season.
Maybe Ten Haag is coming to take over? He can’t do any worse!
Not to worry, they are only in charge of a $1.1 billion dollar budget.
No thanks Joey, we good.
The PPM have done more than anyone else in the past 15-20 years to obfuscate and disengage people from politics and political causes in Cayman.
They refused to implement the District Advisory councils despite being the ones who drafted the 2009 Constitution which requires them – they would be a direct way for constituents to raise issues within their districts (other than moaning on local radio shows or sending messages to certain disreputable media personalities)
They actively opposed the few bits of direct individual involvement in politics that have occurred recently such as the effort for the Cruise Port Referendum – spending tens of thousands of dollars scaremongering with their campaign of media bombardment in opposition to the idea of even having a vote.
The PPM refused to hold Mckeeva accountable to basic democratic and ethical norms during their ‘Unity Government’ from 2017 to 2021 despite public pressure and protests after his multiple ‘incidents’ because it would have endangered their governing coalition
They have fundamentally failed to reform our election system to ensure that voters are given as much leeway as possible to be involved in the process – it is ridiculous that you have to register half a year in advance to take part in a vote in a country where the voting pool is less than 30,000 people total. The entire system is designed to be as unintuitive and time consuming as possible as we can see with the upcoming referendum where voters have no time to register even if they tried on the day of the announcement.
They thrive on a political system which allows them to obfuscate the donors and sources of the hundreds of thousands of dollars they blow every election cycle – despite their massive failure rate of new candidates then submit to the Elections Office en masse “party totals” for the campaign which are impossible for anyone to review or challenge. Elected officials and parties only have to account for money that is given to them directly in the runup to an election, or during it – there are YEARS of gaps where money can be handed to them and held by the party and no one says a peep.
Their organisation is not a functioning party with engaged members and active processes its insular social club where prospective candidates are picked in advance from the people who donate funds to the party or otherwise be committed to the party line for years and be willing to be a voiceless empty suit in parliament who nods along to whatever the leader of the day says
They regularly draft candidates based on them being long time political assistants or donors that don’t even live in the constituencies they stand in because the only thing they care about is someone who will do what they are told.
Despite their claims about their competence of their party and the need for a party to form a strong government, they have failed at every turn to get an elected majority in 2013, 2017 and 2021. The only time they have ever had an elected majority was once almost 20 years ago in 2005 and they used it to push some of the most disastrous policies and projects this country has ever seen – while failing to prepare Cayman for the decades to come.
They can talk as much as they want about their internal processes or conferences, they much like their preferred style of governing is done mostly behind closed doors in back rooms with insiders with smalls charades made public because they think they are above the involvement of regular people.
They can scream “For love of Country”, “Service over Self” or whatever other nonsense they want come the next election, that party is rotten to its core, and I hope and pray they are never again trusted to be even a room away from where decisions are made.
so ppm are super critical of an incompetent dysfunctional government…..but then decide to prop them up and support them???
only in cayman….welcome to wonderland!
Now is PPM’s chance to rid us of Mac, Saunders Seymour Kenneth and Jay by demanding early elections to bring in Dan and Jude with Andre added to other principled and educated Caymanians .
Please don’t enable these self serving parasites to continue the destruction.
This might shock you, but the PPM *are* the very same self-serving parasites you mentioned.
Except Andre looking to team up with Wayne again it looks like.
Don’t let the smooth talking fool you…
“Except Andre looking to team up with Wayne again it looks like.”
GOOD!
Pure speculation.
Does anyone know. Is there anyway we the people can try to trigger an election? I am now genuinely afraid for the future of my country.
There is still no Referendum Law required by Constitution. Our “legislators” have no idea what their actual responsibilities to good governance are, or who they are supposed to represent. The FCO’s Governors are all dumb and mute, hoping we will hang ourselves with the rope they’ve fed out.
No because Bush & Seymour say we are to dumb for that. They are the geniuses in the room.
ppm should just call a snap election…instead of tainting themselves by propping up the worst government ever.
The Dart crew must be licking their chops now as once PPM get some power they will give Dart the blank check to rape us on the dump deal. Going to cost more as there will be more palms to grease.
Taint themselves? lmfao. The PPM are the prototype for everything that is wrong with the burning trash heap called UPM, and you’d have to be a complete fool (or a paid actor) to believe otherwise.
Alden, Juju, Mac and Co. We’ve seen that movie before and we know how it plays out.
Andre is the only one we should be worried about losing. Sabrina offers nothing to government, and I highly doubt she will be voted back in again. I live in Prospect and she has done nothing for the community. They are only jumping ship now so that they can claim they left by choice when they attempt to join PPM. They are very aware that this government is not getting back in. It was a joke to being with and formed by a bunch of clowns, simply so that Wayne could be Premier. He cared about quantity of members rather than quality which is the reason he is no longer Premier.
While what you say is true about Wayne’s “quantity” choices, the only alternative was a PPM government hell bent on developing every last inch of Grand Cayman so that they could line their pockets. This is just one of the repercussions of these insanely small single-member constituencies. It was entirely predictable that the PACT government would fail, just as it was entirely predictable that a UPM government would fail. If the PPM props up the UPM to form a new government, it would probably last the 5+ months until the next election, but it would be just as dysfunctional as the last two governments.
But 11:02 this lot has carried on selling out Cayman to developers just as much as the last lot….despite changing the personnel and Chairman of the CPA. Didn’t make a damn bit of difference. Condos and other cement foolishness all over the island, even in the East nowadays.
To Anonymous 01/11/2024 at 7:37am: Who got elected was not Wayne’s fault or choice. Remember: OMOV. Before Mac and Alden pushed that crap through, we were able to choose from a wider pool of people. Now we have to choose “the best from the worst”!
To Anonymous 7:37am: I understand the HSA has human resource retention challenges since she took over the Ministry. I don’t know if she is the problem, or the Chief Officers. Frankly, that aspect of the civil service needs overhauling. Too many people get leading roles based on tenure, who are not qualified to lead. Monteith in Education being a prime example.
she’s done less than nothing in prospect. so many derelict cars and buildings, trash everywhere, rampant criminals etc.
Ya’ll should have never let Austin Harris go…he did a lot for the community. Things Ms Sabrina took credit for. Sure he wasn’t perfect but who is? And if not Austin then who Prospect?
PPM apparently have a new, young, educated candidate running. Not sure if this is set in stone, but if so, she would be a great choice.
The PPM are agenda driven power fanatics, we need to delete that entire roster.
Let us agree to do away with OMOV. It is saddling us with the worst candidates.
We need to be able to identify the most honest and qualified people to carry out our decisions in Parliament. At the end of the day, it’s what we pay them for: we make the hard decisions through public consultation, and they carry them out in the House. No more McKeeva, no more PPM, no more Julianna. No more One Man One Vote BS.
It should be OMOV but an island wide vote since Cayman is so small.
Good grief. How long and how often are the voters and people of Cayman going to allow this continuing merry-go-round of ineptitude? I would say direct rule but the UK couldn’t care less as none of this stupidity affects them directly. We are a 3rd world state that even your sub-Saharan despots laugh at.
This would be the worst-case scenario – not just a return to government but essentially just handing the PPM the full keys to power as controlling interest in a weakened and stumbling government filled with desperate useful idiots like Mckeeva, Dwayne Seymour and Kenneth Bryan who are making more money than they have ever seen in their entire lives as Ministers – at a time where they will then use the government to sign off on their own self-serving policies, they will use the few months ahead of the next election to go back to their corrupt
They will rush to push policies to ensure their donors pour money into their party such as ripping into the National Conservation law to benefit their construction industry and business allies, completely kill any discussion of a further minimum wage review, go full speed ahead with another cruise port plan, and continue their long and storied history of mismanaging projects
Nightmarish that after the second election in a row where the voters refused to give the PPM a majority we are still constantly saddled with them being put into positions of power simply because they are committed to their one true goal – wielding power for and to benefit monied interests.
Self interest always has been the prime motivation of the vast majority of our elected M.P’s. The U.K.has large numbers of immigrant origin M.P’s and many in high positions in Govt including as P.M and heads of Ministries. Cayman if it ever wants honest Govt. must change the law so that some well qualified and honest expats can be elected to Parliament.
We do deserve better. Any and all Caymanians over age 21 should be allowed to be nominated, even if they didn’t have a Caymanian granny. The lineage requirement has so far failed to confer necessary education, brains, and principle to run this show with dignity, fairness, and competence. There are student governments in college that are run better.
Unfortunately for Cayman, the majority of ‘expats” are Jamaicans, who will team with Saunders Mac Kenneth and Seymour to turn us into a Jamaica with ghetto politics crime and corruption.
To Anonymous at 9:25am: I disagree with your assertion. There are many university-educated, hard working, honest expats who hold Status who care more for Caymanians than several of these MPs.
11.31 .. I agree with you, but they will be overwhelmed , at the polling booth, by Jamaicans who lack those qualities and will gift us the likes of Mac Kenneth, Saunders Seymour who share their heritage and culture.
Exactly. One has to wonder how come these “university-educated, hard working, honest expats who hold Status” clearly don’t understand basic mathematics.
“threatening the “stability and unity of our nation”.
good grief PPM, be honest, – this is the truth that you lot run on these days to get elected into office..
That the PPM backbench desperados aren’t willing to consider teaming with the parliamentarians that resigned on principle, tells you everything you need to know about the state of corruption in the Cayman Islands.
Wrong. They don’t want to join PPM cause they clearly said they are their own group. They have their own agenda. This was the first step to revealing their agenda and who they will align with.
Anyone who knows Andre knows that he would not make such a bold move unless he had a ‘plan’ in the wings. For those paying attention to the back room maneuvering Andre has aligned himself with Dan, Peanut, Jude and other who are securing votes in the Brac and other districts – bringing along his 3 ladies of course.
Meanwhile Panton has been mending bridges to join in with Andrea and his new quest – forgive and forget as they say. Its highly doubtful the Governor will call an early election, so the backroom scheme has encountered the first snafu.
Mac and Kenny are homeless – but sniffing around looking for a spot. Where will this leave the controversial Cruise Port and Brac school of opulence? Stay tuned Cayman – see what tomorrow brings. You know we are all done for when Jon Jon is Premier and Jay is his deputy. God help us.
A June 2025 election?
Time enough for the Mango to get her $75 Million Dollar school started and well on the way!
Enough. Stick to the original date of April 2025 or call elections NOW!!!!
IF this happens, it only solidifies that every PPM MP is aligned with the UPM as self-serving asswipes. Voters, let us march and demand that Ms. Cotta Governor, call a election without delay. PPM, I have voted for you the past 3 elections, but should you become so ignorant and join the remaining govt ministers, you will have earned my last vote and dues payment.
Joey and The CUC Cartel needs to be mash up now bro!!
They even begrudge us Solar energy cheaper.
PROFIT over People Men.PPM
JuJu, or to use her full name JudasJudas, strikes again!
Go ahead Joey. Do it and your done.
If PPM gets in bed with the worst of the UPM they’ll have made it explicitly clear that all they care about is power and they have zero principles.
If they thought this through they would force an election now and run as a slate on the basis that the alternative leads to exactly what we got over the last 4 years – a mixed bag of different agendas and no ability to achieve consensus.
If they get in bed with the likes of KB and Mac what are they going to say come June? Who will be able to take them seriously?
Why prop up a regime for a few more months? You’ll get no credit for anything that is hastily passed in the dying months.
‘”urgent crisis” threatening the “stability and unity of our nation”.’
Another empty headed desperate waffler, they all the cause for too many years!
If you get in bed with Ju Ju again Alden I’m not voting for you.
Lots of others in the char agree.
That woman is just a turncoat looking for dollars.
Early Election now.
PLEASE say this isn’t so!
Ppm can’t prop up themselves
Unna do realise that the remaining PPM are a bunch a donkeys.
If you look at the caliber of people appointed to act as Premier and Deputy Premier over the last two years, I hold donkeys in high esteem.
As opposed to the existing government. It’s the worst government in Caymans history. They have achieved nothing since coming in. All they have done is collect a paycheck, upgrade houses and give themselves free cars that the public were forced to pay for! Name one thing Sabrina or Dwayne has done. Chris Saunders was fired, Wayne resigned. it was joke to start with.
Ms Governor, call an election now as this bunch of fools led by O’Connor-Connolly are only looking to feather their own nest and screw Cayman. Just look at what that fool Seymour was spewing the other day.
No election will happen because the current bunch will be teaming up with PPM so they all can rape over the country some more plus our Governor is to scared to do anything. There attitude is to get more for themselves and to hell with the Cayman public. Problem is that some of the big money people are getting a little worried.
We need Standards in Public Life to be more than a disregarded catch phrase. Convicted criminals should not allowed to run for office, develop policy, or handle money. Cabinets should not be allowed to enact their own criminal indemnity, Conflict disclosures should be updated in real time and published for inspection. Career enablers like Ken Jefferson, Franz Manderson and Sam Bulgin need to be replaced. Before we reshuffle the loaded deck again.
Complete chaos in the CIG. Oh how sweet… and much needed. That is the good news. The bad news is that there is little hope for true ethical reform for a CIG that solves problems, protects its populace, rebuts bribes, and truly works for the future of the Islands. The lynchpin for progress is the Cayman electorate who puts these Ministers in power, and I have NO (not little – but NO) confidence in the intellect and informed views of this segment of Cayman. Far too many are uneducated, ill-informed, bought out, simply unqualified to vote for ‘their masters.’ They are slaves and don’t comprehend that they are electing their masters. Cayman from 1960-2060 will be a chapter in many future textbooks for how a territory/country/jurisdiction fails on it own failed merits. I’m glad I won’t be here to read it – I saw Cayman at it’s BEST!
No Kenny, no Mac and no Bernie. Don’t say you haven’t been warned Joey.
No Joey
NO Saunders…… whose personal chip on shoulder agenda aims to Jamaicaise what’s left of Cayman.
If they do get into bed with remainderof UPM it’ll be PPM death knell.
Does anyone actually believe that the ‘horse trading’ that is going on as the current bunch of politicians try to stay at the trough has anything to do with the interests of the Caymanian people?
Bring on the election!
Incompetents proposing to prop up other incompetents in order to keep themselves at the trough.
Translation…….The development cartel and other corrupt influences are concerned by today’s events and are seeking to ensure that they retain control irrespective of which ‘honourable’ person sits in which chair. Hence the corrupting influences are pushing those that do their bidding to join together for the sake of mutual profit….. which is a very different thing than the good of the country.
It seems a certain someone now influences government, planning decisions and the Chambers. I completely agree with you, it leaves me questioning motives.
“These are uncertain times.” The only thing that makes it uncertain is how to manage the kickbacks from government projects. Political greed is killing this country.
Very true. What is mind boggling is why the UK chancellor is not keeping up with news here in Cayman? This is ridiculous what these politicians are doing and are getting away with it.
If they get in bed with Mac and Kenny they have lost the votes of myself and my family forever. We will be resigning as members of the Progressives with immediate effect.
Like they care, got rid of Roy. Joey was the death knoll for PPM. Darts adopted son 😆
Sabrina is no longer a Progressive. They want nothing to do with her.
Goodbye and good riddance.
You keep telling yourself that. They will take any and every sitting MP that will join them, including those they have thrown under the bus multiple times.