PPM-Alliance road to power turns rocky
(CNS): When the polls closed Wednesday night, Roy McTaggart appeared to be in pole position to take the premiership, heading up another PPM-led coalition government, but in the cold light of day on Thursday morning, there was no news from the PPM camp and its new leader about their path to government. Meanwhile, although both of the new members for East End and North Side were endorsed by the Progressives and seen as a sure bet for the PPM-Alliance, CNS has learned that, given the results of the election, they have been talking with the other independent members about a potential alternative government that might better reflect the will of the people.
McTaggart has not responded to requests from CNS for a comment on whether or not he can form a government.
Last night, in the wake of the poll results, he said he would be reaching out to speak with a number of independents, pointing to Isaac Rankine, Jay Ebanks, Heather Bodden, Sabrina Turner and Andre Ebanks as people that the PPM-Alliance might work with.
However, as Thursday dawned, things began to shift and the idea that ten of the successful independents could work together and form a new alternative government was emerging. The group does not include Dwayne Seymour, whose independence is now nothing more than a label, and McKeeva Bush, who appears to have lost all relevance.
Former premier Alden McLaughlin gave nothing away in a Facebook post Thursday, as he thanked the people of Red Bay. “Together we can continue to improve Red Bay and our Islands,” he said. “Although I will no longer be your Premier, I look forward to working with the newly elected Government and to put in place the promises made to build a stronger, safer future for our beloved Cayman Islands.”
While McLaughlin will be leaving the premier’s office, having reached the two consecutive term limit for that post, he made it clear on the campaign trail that he would still have a significant influence on any PPM-led government. McLaughlin, who is now the PPM party chairman, even described himself on the hustings as McTaggart’s back seat driver.
The country now waits to see what the new group of MPs can do to form a government that reflects the electorate’s wishes.
The list of elected candidates includes 12 incumbents and seven newcomers. Seven are fully paid up members of the PPM with Dwayne Seymour the only member of the PPM-Alliance to also secure a seat. The rest of the eleven members campaigned as independents.
Three of the new MPs elected are women and two of the female incumbents retained their seats, but with the departure of Tara Rivers, the House of Parliament is still showing a disappointing gender disparity, with three-quarters of the seats occupied by men.
The winners are:
| PPM-Alliance | Independents | ||
| 1 | Cayman Brac East – Juliana O’Connor-Connolly | 9 | Newlands – Wayne Panton |
| 2 | Cayman Brac West and Little Cayman – Moses Kirkconnell | 10 | Bodden Town West – Christopher Saunders |
| 3 | Bodden Town East – Dwayne Seymour | 11 | Savannah – Heather Bodden |
| 4 | Red Bay – Alden McLaughlin | 12 | Prospect – Sabrina Turner |
| 5 | George Town East – Roy McTaggart | 13 | George Town Central – Kenneth Bryan |
| 6 | George Town South – Barbara Conolly | 14 | West Bay South – Andre Ebanks |
| 7 | George Town West – David Wight | 15 | West Bay Central – Katherine Ebanks-Wilks |
| 8 | George Town North – Joey Hew | 16 | West Bay North – Bernie Bush |
| 17 | North Side – Jay Ebanks | ||
| 18 | East End – Isaac Rankine | ||
| 19 | West Bay West – McKeeva Bush |
For more details on the vote, see the Elections Office results map
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Category: 2021 General Elections, Elections, Politics
The election office says 17,247 people voted. The seven PPM who won, plus Seymour, got a total of only
3989 votes among them (23%). The eleven Independents got a total of 6388 votes (37%). The numerous losing candidates got a total of 6870 votes (40%). If PPM picks up Ebanks and Rankine to make a ten person majority, they still account for only 4731 votes (27%). So, more of the same. Most of what they do will not suit most people because three out of four people didn’t vote for them. You need to rebalance your districts and have runoffs when no one gets 50% in a district. Otherwise, it’s PPM forever.
Now look away, it’s time to make sausage.
4.16pm While you’re working the numbers could you tell us how many PPM candidates won with less than 50% of the votes cast.
Doesn’t matter, but you can look i up if you really need to.
To 5.38pm Since you were reluctant to print this I will assist you. None of the Progressive members won with less than 50%. Juliana..71%
Moses.. .85%
Dwayne…60%
Roy……64%
Joey…..56%
Barbara..52%
David….51%
Alden….55%
I am delighted about the outcome… Best wishes for the new administration with God’s blessings.
“The numerous losing candidates got a total of etc etc”. So they should form the government since they got more than everyone else? Accept the voting system you have. None is perfect….anywhere in the world. Clearly on CNS there is a smallish group of Alden/PPM haters who post repeatedly to give the impression the whole country was waiting breathlessly for Sammy to save them from Alden and Johann from Joey and Tom Dick and Harry from everyone else in the PPM, then BINGO, the election actually showed the truth: the public did not agree with the small cabal of CNS anti Ppm posters.
Well I guess you may want to reconsider?
No, not at all. Why?
Stay tuned.
So the majority of voters here are selfish idiots? Cool.
We need a coalition that takes on the best of both sides. Does anyone seriously believe the independents can run our government with a bunch of newcomers that have no political experience?.
You call it experience.
I call it ‘Previous’
At least they don’t have bad experience.
What, like the exemplary performance of Dwayne as minister responsible for health and the dump, Joey on roads and business, Roy in running up a $100 million deficit when only $26m of it was Covid related but pretending but was pandemic driven rather than throwing money at special projects and interests ( to say nothing of parliamentarians pay rises!) , JuJu on education, Alden and Moses trying to ram a cruise ship port down our throats, Alden as environmental minister allowing developers to get a free ride whilst they concrete over our island and the only jobs they generate are for imported labour, Barbara on trying to turn Smith Cove into a cruise ship tourist trap, and David complete silence on virtually everything? Yeah – a really high bar.
Someone who is halfway honest and has the country’s interests rather than those of their friends and lobbyists would be a refreshing change irrespective of how much experience they have.
Well…… The couldn’t do any worse!!!
The PPM are so smug, I’d like to see this happen if only to teach Alden a lesson
Anyway, if Kurt really runs the show, does it matters who’s Premier?!? Ha ha ha…it’s never over until the fat lady Sings
But btw…6,000 didn’t vote? Why? The country is being run by people with a few hundred votes…it’s madness
Form a New Government without Alden and make Sammy the Speaker of the House! Give us Hope!
Wayne and Chris
If you can bring Roy and Moses into the fold as Ministers, you could have a dream team.
Yes Roy. No Mo$e$.
Make Wayne Panton premier. None of the PPM should lead. Any person that condones violence with silence is not a leader.
Dear Adlen,
Whatever you do, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE WAYNE PANTON PREMIER! and Do NOT allow Kenneth Bryan as part of the cabinet!
Ummm, I don’t think you realise that Alden have no say in this case. Independents have majority and would be fool if they allowed PPM to continue with forming the Government. The only thing that Alden can take credit for is the handling of COVID (and lets be honest, he had professional, qualified advisors advising him throughout this pandemic and many others, not in government contributed to the overall success).
He has blamed every single thing that was not addressed during his administration on COVID being the reason for it not happening, but sir, what happen to the past 7 years??? Oh, I forgot, you guys were too busy focusing on projects (the port and Smith Cove) which were not important or beneficial to the betterment of the people of the Cayman Islands.
Meanwhile, cost of living is sky high, condos/apartment developments shooting up exponentially that the average income earning Caymanian cannot even afford, not to mention the environmental damage that these developments have been causing. Concessions to these developers who make millions but the average man who just wants to put a roof over his family’s head have to struggle to pay for a piece of ply board. Or how about the dump (how ironic that that finally got sorted right before election when this has been an issue for ages)… I could go on and on, but hopefully you get my point.
I am not a big fan of Kenneth but at this point, I say give someone else a shot because Alden does not have the the less fortunate people of this country at heart.
I say, Old Top: Who are you to tell anyone what to do? Why didn’t YOU stop Alden from doing the stupid things he did?
Anonymous@1:57pm your level of ignorance is why Cayman is in the mess it is.
What excately about the Jamaican style politics offends you?
Free health care for children and pensioners?
Controlling our high cost of living by forcing supermarkets to pass on concessions to shoppers?
Giving concessions to Caymanian owned companies?
Creating a bond market so we can get cheaper borrowing rates and new products such as reverse mortgages?
Or is the zero stamp duty on up to three properties brought by Caymanians?
It was the PPM/ Alliance government who only paved the roads in the areas their candidates were running.
It was the then Premier who said that he, would increase the stipend for the people who voted for them.
So please keep your PPM / racist and bad minded thoughts to yourself.
PS Mr Panton and Mr Saunders are both worthy to become Premier!
Please get your $hite together Independents and don’t let us down with squabbling! Please form your own government! And, please, please, please don’t have MacKeeva and Donkey boy in your group!
What a smart electorate in West Bay. To elect a toxic lame duck, who nobody wants to team with.
All that for over half a million dollars in future earnings.
Money well spent, West Bayers.
Enjoy your Christmas hampers.
Let’s be clear, that is WB West only. The rest of us in WB got our sh$t together and voted in real candidates.
Apologies. I should have clarified. The rest of WB, welcome to a different way of thinking! Cayman thanks you!
But it took you 20 bloody years!
It’s Wayne time!
3:18pm – Not with Saunders, Lindsay and Bryan though…..please Wayne!!!
Surely Wayne can use 2 PPM (minority) to make a Cabinet and Ezzard as Speaker….There! Done!!
Wayne…for Cayman, please!!
Take a look at this table. Please take a very good look.
How many of the Independents listed are “qualified” to be a Minister for even one ministry or multiple ministries.
A small handful!
Sadly, only, Wayne, Heather, Chris and possibly Andre are the only independent that could become Ministers. No one else is qualified, truly qualified to be a Minister. They still need the PPM.
The best choice would be for some of the newly elected MPs to join the PPM and become Councilors. That way they will get the opportunity to advocate for their consistency; be trained in the protocol of Parliament, and be better equipped in the next election to grab the bull by the horns and take a lead.
Otherwise, the Independents will get no where if they do not join PPM in forming a coalition government. Their constituents will be upset that their MP who championed and promised so much, was elected and got nothing done. It would have been better to have their former incumbents in, as they made noise and know the game and how to play it well.
I am imploring all elected MPs of the Cayman Islands, to put away their pride and do what is best for this country. We need to get the ball rolling and start working on a united front. Country First, all egos last please.
I am not in favour of any party or supporter of any. I just want what is best for my country, our country. If we had more Independents that were well equipped to become Ministers, then the game would be different. Unfortunately, they do not have the skills and experience to form a Government and lead us all. We can give them a chance, but more than likely, they will crumble from lack of knowledge and no clear leadership as each will want to advocate their own agenda to ensure that they get re-elected.
Please think of the big picture. Think of what’s best for Cayman.
Who on the PPM side is really qualified to be a minister?
Yeah, because Tara Rivers and donkey boy Seymour did such good jobs. Get real, the place is run by half-wits on the basis of a couple of hundred votes to get voted in. They’re not fit to run a Parish council in the UK.
Lol. PPM qualified.
Come on Roy ask Ezzard to be Speaker of the House. Ask Wayne and Heather to come on board and make Wayne Minister of Environment, and Planning. Invite Andre and Kathy aboard and make Andre Minister of Financial Services and community Services; and offer Kathy Eugene’s old post as Parliamentary Secretary for Housing. I hear you are talking to Wayne so go on get it done.
Wayne is going to turn down Premier to be minister for the environment so he can be treated the same way as Gina Ebanks Petrie? An afterthought for lip service only whilst Alden sells the country to developers. Yeah right
Good Day All,
As a registered voter, I voted for change, once again. He we go 2017, round 2. Please don’t silence the voter’s who elected you. Our voices must be heard this time around. Loud and clear. We want a new government, elected by the people , for the people. Let your love and the future of these Cayman Islands, and generations to come depend upon it. Otherwise the young adults, will soon rise up. We must take controll of our beloved Cayman Islands.
Thank you.
The next government hasn’t yet formed and the other paper, is already prematurely unleashing it’s pro-PPM CI Port expansion propaganda with an editorial on “backlogs of used cars” marooned in Kingston because of CI Port capacity limits, and matched with improbably high approval thumbots from overseas. Shame on all those who voted for four more years of that brand of bullshit. Not even 24 hrs since polls closed and it’s already cranking up again. We deserve better.
The article mentions that the House of Parliament is still showing a “disappointed” gender disparity. After reading that statement someone could be forgiven for mistakenly getting the impression that there are special limits preventing women from putting themselves forward for elected office and/or that women don’t make up the largest group of registered voters. None of that however would be true. Women in the Cayman Islands have the same ability to make their case to the majority female electorate as men. Let’s hope going forward that more women are willing to take the risk and put themselves forward for elected office.
Electing in hew and mac you all deserve the crap that will come with it.
Any bets on Mac emerging as leader of the opposition?
Old saying, ‘Every nation gets the government it deserves.’
Dwayne Full Moon Seymour was listed on the ballot paper as IND.
That’s right! PPM out! That is what the people want
We do not need Jamaica style of politics in this or any government. And if Saunders is part of government that’s just what we will get. Wayne- PLEASE give this second thought. Your integrity and discipline will be deep in jeopardy if you have Saunders a part of your Cabinet. This also includes Bryan who maintains allegiance to the woman beater from the west. Whilst I fully support independents forming the new government, I am not sure we are headed down the right path with the rumblings I am hearing.
Agreed 100% we definitely do not want to go down that road
Chris for Premier!! You people hate on this man for his brilliance and his Jamaican accent due to him going to school/college there. It really pains you that he’s just as Caymanian as you are (despite his J’can parentage) with the SAME DAMN RIGHTS! Unuh need to realize this man was born here and loves this country. Why didn’t you run, win and form a Government with Wayne?
calm down.
Deputy Premier heffa!!!!! Yuh want a red stripe to celebrate wid mi?
I have nothing personally against Kenneth but I am smart enough to realize we could have gotten rid of Bush had KB had the balls to join the other MLA’s and evict him as speaker so KB you lost my respect on that one. Can’t decide if you are very smart or very stupid. Jury still out!!!
Alas, it’s the latter. I know him well.
I would say he’s quite smart. Kenneth knows all he needed to do was take care of his GTC voter’s, which he has for the past 4 years. Hence his reelection by a landslide! Of everybody running, he was the most certain of his seat. Now put that in your pipe and smoke that shit!
Money money salary salary
Typical cancel culture of today, to deviate from the issue posed in the statement and revert to expletives and gullible attacks. So in essence he sacrificed the greater population of the Cayman Islands in order to remain in his seat to take care of just his GTC constituents. By not doing the right thing and ousting the convicted speaker. The same situation that is unfolding in the east end today. Self-inflicted ignorance was always the number one enemy of the Caymanian people.
I do, he singlehandedly kept Mac in the LA.
A back room deal was done to get Kenneth to take the bullet for Mac. Either a threat or a promise, we will probably never know the price but in Kenneth’s mind it was worth more than his personal integrity. One thing is for sure- he did not block the vote because he was putting the Cayman Islands first. Does not deserve a seat at the table.
This is great news from the Independents. This is what people are praying and desperate for. Please form a new gov asap but for the love of God leave the jackass from Bodden Town and the woman beater from West Bay out of it. Restore some dignity to your office and our beloved country!
Who did you pray to … the devil..?
That was mean. Geez..
It may be what YOU voted for 12:54 but may I remind you that, happily, you are not the only voter in Cayman and plenty others disagreed with you.
So many disappointing names on that list. Kenneth Bryan after what he did? JOCC again? And of course the grandfather of all our problems, McKeeva. He may have lost all relevance but he still gets a title, a salary and another government credit card.
Get the best from both sides and form the best government fot the country. An equal coalition. Time to move ahead together.
Oh yes, just like last time!
Dream on. Bro.
Back seat driver? Old Alden wants the power and just has Roy there as his front man – he looks like a bobby doll shaking his head yes to everything Alden tells him to do. Good bye PPM Alden, go farming!
In politricks expediency trumps all.
Make Grand Cayman Again!
A change is what we voted for. Not the same old same old. Get yourself sorted and do not PPM ON YOURSELF..
Er… “The list of elected candidates includes 12 incumbents and seven newcomers”
With two of the seven newcomers filling vacated seats and only five having not been previously elected. The people voted for the status quo.
Tone status quo you appear to have voted for SUCKS
I personally liked Status Quo….Down, Down, Deeper and Down…dah,dah,dah,dum…
Yayyy, let’s have change, 12:54! I propose Kenneth for Minister of Youth, Sports, Recreation and Culture!!!!
LOL! We need some comic relief.
The problem…massive ….is it might come true. Please Wayne, NO.