Activists urge PPM not to allow UPM’s contested bills
(CNS): As Cayman waits to find out if parliament will meet on Friday, local activist group Sustainable Cayman is urging the PPM to stick to their previously stated position and not allow the two controversial bills that the minority government wants to push through the House to pass or even to be debated. At a Business Committee meeting on Wednesday night, the premier declined to hold a vote about which bills would appear on the order paper.
The TCCP has already said it will not support the UPM, which means the government can only look for help from the PPM for support in achieving a quorum.
After the UPM majority administration split apart, the PPM decided to allow the basic business of government to continue until the election but not to enable the lame-duck government to pass any contentious bills. Because registering to vote takes an inordinately long time, the support was offered to ensure that new voters would not be disenfranchised.
According to the latest figures from the Elections Office, more than 1,800 people have signed up to vote in the 2025 General Election, which is set for 30 April. This indicates that the move was justified.
However, the PPM is not obliged to support the minority government’s efforts to pass these contentious bills or support this parliamentary meeting. If they don’t lend their support to this, after the elections, the next government can undertake a proper consultation period before bringing the bills to the House.
Sustainable Cayman is urging the PPM not to allow the bills to pass since the UPM does not have a democratic mandate to push through new legislation.
“Efforts by the opposition to remove the contentious NCA amendment bill from the parliamentary agenda were thwarted by an unexpected move from the Attorney General’s Office,” the activists said in a statement circulating on social media. “Leader of the Opposition Joey Hew has consistently confirmed that his party would only assist the minority government until the April general election for non-contentious matters.”
Hew and other members of the party have said on the record that they will not support the passage of the National Conservation Act amendments bill because it is a contentious piece of proposed legislation.
CNS has reached out to the PPM, and we await their response.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
EXODUS…
This morning (Friday) some type of deal was done by the current Members to allow the cruise port referendum to go ahead while the NCA amendment bill has been temporarily withdrawn. Does anybody think that China Harbour pays better than local developers?
If PPM approve these bills they are done.
I will make sure my extended family know not to vote for them.
Why wouldn’t they already hold that belief? What further evidence are they waiting for?
Bit slow, wakey, wakey…
From the Desk of The Secretary to The Ambassador of Absurdistan
Re: A Diplomatic Appeal to The PPM, with Special Recognition of Our Esteemed Colleagues in the TCCP
Esteemed Members of the Progressive People’s Movement,
It is with the deepest regard for legislative theater and the fine art of governance-by-committee that I pen this letter, urging you to navigate the treacherous waters of the Unity People’s Movement’s legislative ambitions with all the dexterity of a one-eyed sailor in a hurricane. While activists have made impassioned pleas for you to stand firm against the latest batch of legally dubious, structurally unsound, and philosophically baffling bills proposed by the UPM, I recognize that such a request assumes you possess both the political will and the necessary spinal integrity to resist them. This, as history has taught us, is optimistic at best.
That said, Absurdistan would like to extend its warmest commendations to the Transactional Consultation Claudication Party (TCCP), the unsung heroes of procedural dithering, legislative ambiguity, and strategic non-commitment. The TCCP, in its infinite wisdom, has demonstrated time and time again that the best response to an untenable political situation is not to take a stance, but to form a subcommittee to study the stance that might be taken, should circumstances permit, pending the results of further deliberation.
Indeed, if ever there was a moment for the TCCP to shine, it is now!
Rather than outright reject the UPM’s contested bills, why not embrace the tried-and-true Absurdistani strategy of Infinite Procedural Delay™?
Draft a comprehensive Legislative Inquiry & Transitional Framework for Future Review of the Standing Orders Governing the Review of Legislative Frameworks, then form an ad-hoc coalition to discuss it, followed by a subcommittee to discuss the discussions.
This would ensure that by the time a conclusion is reached, the original bill will have long since become irrelevant, expired, or been replaced by an even more confusing successor (Not to mention a new Premier and Parliament)
Alternatively, in keeping with the TCCP’s finest traditions, you might consider passing an Interim Provisional Measure for Conceptual Framework Alignment, wherein all proposed legislation is considered both passed and rejected simultaneously, thereby upholding the core principle of doing something without actually doing anything.
In conclusion, whether you choose to resist, delay, amend, or simply vanish into a bureaucratic wormhole, know that Absurdistan watches your efforts with keen interest, prepared to bestow its highest diplomatic honors upon those who best exemplify the fine tradition of legislative inertia.
Should you require further guidance, the Ambassador is available for consultation—pending, of course, the resolution of ongoing negotiations regarding the establishment of a Ministry for the Procrastination of Decisive Action.
Yours in eternal deliberation,
The Secretary to The Ambassador of Absurdistan
(Sent via diplomatic courier, who has promised to deliver this as soon as their committee on optimal routing efficiency completes its findings.)
Final note : While the events described are purely hypothetical and fictional the use of never ending red tape tactics might actually bear fruit and leave the UPM no choice but to abandon their push the legislative package deal into the tall grass, like they did so many times on a horde of more pressing matters)
UPM and PPM seem to have struck a deal before the elections.
An insider has stated PPM will attend parliament tomorrow and are “highly likely” to vote with UPM on all matters in Parliament.
Despite their previous on the record positions as recently as November 2004 stated by leader of the Progressives Joseph Hew.
Once again the PPM are proving they cannot be trusted to keep their word and honor its own public positions.
See previous comments from PPM Leader MP Hew
https://caymannewsservice.com/2024/10/hew-referendum-on-cruise-wont-settle-the-issue/
Joey Hew is a joker!
PPM have no spine and are dying under his leadership as a party.
He is desperately trying to create Cayman’s JLP by deploying all the bad qualities of a neighboring failed state.
“Neighboring failed state” is represented by Saunders.
He walks and talks Jamaican distain for first world ethics and rule of law , characterized by envy and massive chip on shoulder.
PPM died all on its own under Kurt Tibbetts, long before. They have not been elected to power since.
My opinion is that Andre Ebanks, et al should have stayed in government in their respective positions. what they did was not done for the benefit of Caymanians but for selfish reasons. How many people get up every day and go to work having to deal with crappy co-workers and bosses? We don’t vote so they can change sides, remove Premiers, and all those things, at their whim. They should all think twice about the changes to the National Conservation Law. It appears that some in government think locals are too focused on the environment? SMH. As the Trinidadian people say ‘ Really? Really? I respect Andre and his work but believe that decision wasn’t a good one. Also, should have let Wayne remain as Premier. just my thoughts
Andre was hamstrung by collective responsibility. As long as a majority of Cabinet wanted to gut the NCA, he had to be a part of it. Since there was nothing he could do to stop the gutting of the NCA (and from all reports, there were numerous contentious meetings about it) he decided it was in his and the country’s best interest to not be part of it. By resigning from the UPM and stating specifically why, he drew more attention to what was going to happen (which several ministers of the UPM had been downplaying publicly) and showed the voters that there are two distinct schools of thought about the NCA and what future development on Grand Cayman should look like.
To 7:02pm: The night Wayne resigned, Mr. Ebanks said if anything else happened, that made him question the remaining government’s integrity, motives or professionalism, he was out. He soldiered on for almost a year, before he had no choice but to stand by his word — and I, for one, respect him for doing it, because Integrity requires back bone.
You obviously don’t recognize integrity when it’s standing in your face.
For people who think this way (“that Andre Ebanks, et al should have stayed in government”): Is there some level of bad situation that worker, or Parliamentarians, can legitimately walk away from? Or is it that once you start working somewhere, or with some party, you can never leave?
Whether you think the Cabinet had reached that hypothetical point is separate from is there such a hypothetical point?
Why don’t the new parties simply run on the manifesto and pledge of undoing said bills if they get voted in? surely if it was popular enough they would have a majority in the house and therefore be able to do whatever they like less they remove the whip from which dick head decides to not tow the party line?
This is politics and Caymanians are acting like they’ve never seen it before. Let them introduce the laws, it doesn’t make them forever laws. Simply batter them at the polls by throwing PPM and UPM under the bus and the voters will decide whether that’s enough.
PS Cocaine Kenny aint going anywhere to make peace with that.
It’s like this: PPM, if you, collectively, or individually support any of these environmentally eroding bills, WE WILL REMEMBER! Normally, I dislike typing in caps, but sometimes it is necessary. We won’t forget, and that will be the end of you (assuming, of course, that there are sentient folk running against you; no help for West Bay, apparently).
Why don’t you remember all the other travesties authored by the PPM from John Gray fiasco onwards? How about the $30 million dollar “agree to agree” ReGen disaster they signed in final minutes last time, that current regime is gifting sections of sacred Barkers to fix? We are outraged and protest “the disrespect” of a gate erected on private property, but then simultaneous entirely dismiss the secret Barkers giveaway talks to a bad faith developer to clean up the last PPM deal. No other bidders invited?!?
It’s an interesting position. If either of the PPM or CCP show up, it does not by any means imply that these bills would be passed. Asking them to not show up and achieve quorum obviously means the bills cannot pass, but it also won’t create a voting record against the bills.
I suppose Sustainable Cayman would rather not risk a “yes” vote, even if the cost is not having a “no” vote on the record.
Personally, I would prefer that Parliament meets and votes, which is their job whether they are in government or across the aisle.
Nothing contentious about either of those bills.
1. No one individual should be afforded more authority than the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands
2. The people should be allowed to have their say
Even when cabinet is in breach of the constitution?
Read section b) if you can read that is.
44.—(1) There shall be a Cabinet in and for the Cayman Islands, which shall consist of—
(a) a Premier appointed by the Governor in accordance with section 49(2) or (3);
(b) six other Ministers, one of whom shall be Deputy Premier, appointed by the Governor,
acting in accordance with the advice of the Premier, from among the elected members of
the Legislative Assembly; and
(c) the Deputy Governor and the Attorney General, ex officio.
(2) The number of Ministers referred to in subsection (1) may be increased by a law made pursuant
to section 60(2) which increases the number of elected members of the Legislative Assembly; but
in no circumstances may the number of Ministers exceed two-fifths of the total number of elected
members of the Assembly.
(3) The Cabinet shall have responsibility for the formulation of policy, including directing the
implementation of such policy, insofar as it relates to every aspect of government except those
matters for which the Governor has special responsibility under section 55, and the Cabinet shall be
collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly for such policies and their implementation.
(4) Subject to this Constitution, the Cabinet shall determine its own procedures for the conduct
of its business.
Irrelevant
There is no quorum in that Cabinet, André and other Cabinet members resigned. It has no authority.
Also irrelevant.
The Referendum Bill is defective. The changes to the National Conservation Law, reduce it’s effect to window-dressing, and both further erode the credibility of the governance in the Cayman Islands, one year out from a serious FATF review that we have to pass.
This action appears to be illegal. If the Attorney General’s chambers were consulted, and provided advice, then that body should state publicly their legal reasoning.
If PPM fail to to keep their word and sign up to the UPM nonsense given their role as a minority government it proves the PPM and Joey Hew are full of pure shite and will say anything for a sound bite. I will not be shocked when Joey changes his position.
It will prove the PPM cannot be trusted again.
…your phrasing suggests that there was once a time they could be trusted. I fell victim to that illusion once.
We must write to our MPs and tell them that none of them has a mandate to approve any major bills. Juju, go way! Leave these things for the next administration. Unna trying to sell our very oxygen to private interests before you leave. Slither away already!