Welcome the gang to the party
Kent McTaggart writes: Cayman is accepting the fact that things have changed and what we were is a memory that we must cherish as it will never return. We are standing in a reality where we feel a general sense of loss and despair, as we have created a mess that we are not confident we are able to get out of. We feel this way because when we peel all the layers back, we simply have little or no trust in our government anymore; we submit to the individuals that define their respective party, parties that have controlled Cayman for the past couple of decades.
These people are liberators or oppressors depending on what colour tie you prefer.
The irony of this little tidbit is wrapped up in the fact that we have allowed street gangs to crop up in our communities. We refused to acknowledge that we had gangs; we were warned, yet we refused to even acknowledge the fact that they were not only here in our beautiful paradise but they were far more advanced than we could have ever imagined.
They replaced appropriate social activity and behaviour with behaviour that made themselves and their cronies feel empowered at the expense their loved ones, community and country. They felt completely justified in their actions, as apparently our society as a whole failed them.
We have allowed more refined versions of this same game to be played and we are paying dearly for it. The Red and Green gangs have been playing their games with much the same results as the gangs we are so desperately trying to purge from our society. The major difference is that one is an outlaw and the other has the protection of the law.
I propose that possibly the most dangerous gangs are the ones who meet in a clubhouse that is clad in green stone and has leather chairs. They fight with words, policies and laws, but somehow the loved ones, community and country they are empowered to help seem to somehow end up on the short end of the stick as they play their foolish little games based on what colour tie someone wears.
The proof of this is in the fact that both parties are responsible for the ever-increasing lack of confidence our people have in them, and the fact that since inception and in spite of OMOV favoring them, they have never been so weak.
Both parties have had to rebrand their identities to some extent to try and minimise the negativity of previous times at bat. Neither has been able to put a series of terms in office together, and we now see neither could produce a full slate of candidates and they generally couldn’t recruit the cream of the crop. In fact, they had to scavenge their support structure and back office in some cases just to have enough candidates to make a good show.
This fact has led to one big question: Is country or party of paramount importance? In several constituencies the parties have attempted to recruit candidates to run under their banners, but the parties’ first picks refused and decided to run as independents. The parties then put lower calibre candidates in those same constituencies to run against the very ones they wanted in the first place.
We hear the parties say that it’s a numbers game. I ask, who wins in this game? The gangs or the people?
Category: Candidates, Election Viewpoint
Blah Blah Blah Kent. You won’t see the light of day anyhow. You face an all but impossible task of defeating Anthony on his home turf. I predict you won’t even win 2nd place.
I have no idea why people are depicting we are in such dire straights. Yes we have issues but tell me one country that does not. Yes we have unemployment but where does not.
People the sky is NOT FALLING!!! For the love of God let’s stop listening to these idiots.
For unemployment we simply need a database of who is unemployed. We need to ensure no work permits are granted for positions on the list without TRUE REASON.
We have all the laws we need we simply need enforce them. Make the head of
For crime we need more manpower and training with a direct aim at putting the gangs out of business. It could mean bringing in an outside element who’s soul job is gangs. All they do morning noon and night is to monitor the itty bitty gangs we have here and bring them down one by one.
For us we need creative thinkers people who are going to find ways for the country to make more money just in case our Finance Sector takes a big hit. It is VIOLENTLY under attack. One day that attack will pay dividends to some group as they will upend something we depended on. What will happen then? Do we wait for it to happen and then react or do we proactively seek to diversify our economy so that we can take that hit? This is why I decided to take a closer look at Ellio’s idea and others should also. Always give ideas some value until you can prove otherwise.
Never finished my thought there…
We need to make the head of Immigration reporting activities to Department of Labor. He/she needs to report all permits granted each month by business by category and reason for not hiring Caymanians.
We need to have a list of jobs provided by Labor to Immigration that no permit to be issued for because of X # of Caymanians unemployed.
We need matrix relationships in here.
The Department of Labor needs to publish a report monthly showing:
# of Unemployed Caymanians as at start of month
# of Unemployed Caymanians found work during month
# of Unemployed Caymanians added during month
# of Unemployed Caymanians at end of month
Top 10 Jobs for Unemployed Caymanians.
Efforts being made to reduce Unemployed Caymanians during the period.
# to call to get yourself registered
# to call to report unfair labor practices
Attach forms to fill out to place your name in the database.
Finally, and maybe most importantly. No more newspaper ads to supplement a permit application. ALL JOBS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO NWDA WEBSITE.
A detailed report of this site should be presented each month to the head of Immigration, Head of Department of Labor and Minister in charge of Labor.
If we want to attack Unemployment WE CAN. We don’t because we are LAZY.
Speaking of lazy, how is the surgery working out for you?
LMFAO!!!!!!! I didn’t mean to laugh so loud. Wasn’t prepared to laugh through this.
Kent if I was you, I would be making phone calls with other Independents to form a party! Stop leaving voters in the dark as to who will fill cabinet ministries, choosing to be some lone ranger! No country can be ran without some sort of unitive effort! No country! If you want to bet the red and the green, ya gonna have to either join em or start your own party!
The time is ripe or it will be too late. If you don’t act, someone who has leadership qualities will do so before you! And don’t grip and complain about you Independent … lol … smh :))
Ft he next government will be a coalition government, presently all anyone can do is make best guesses, and speculate as to who to align with. I am an independent, who will help form a government with people who are walking to the same general destination I am.
Thanks for the advice.
Kent,
You seem to be against party. But party means unity! Whether you like it or not, even Independents have to come together and form some kind of alliance. By voting straight for a party, many just like the idea of candidates having some united plan of who will do what and fill the portfolios. Independents leave many in the dark until they get into the LA then its something else. Many prefer to know that their is some united goals, and hence vote for a party. Why fill the House with Independents all to find none of them are qualified to fill in the ministries,and you have a House – like it is said,
“A house divided against itself will fall”
We can’t be playing guessing games with our little democracy, voting for Independents and not knowing what type of government we will be getting. Kent, that is why I and many others would rather choose a party.
Kent, if youre not happen with the green and red, why dont you and the rest of Independents unite with a manifesto and form a new party, so voters will not be voting blind???? :/
Cayman grew and prospered prior to parties, a Caymanian flourished prior to parties, and the fact that neither party will carry enough candidate through the finish line means a coalition government. I would also offer that the authors of this elections talk are the independents as we wrote the script over the last couple years, the parties are simply reading what we wrote. The independents are the ones who can bring Cayman back together as Red and Green don’t mix without a binder, and the independent perspective is that binder.
Times have changed. Get with the time!
50% of the independents are what I call “pay roll candidates” just in it for the monthly cash injection.
The other 50% are UDP incognitos pretending to be independent.
Kent sounds to me like one of the Eastern district current placeholders just angry and complaining about everything but still a do nothing that wants a tenured pay check.
12:54 pm all of them are for what they can get out of it, high wages and lots of kick backs, if you don’t believe it cut their wages to $3,000 pm and see how many would be running.
Can anyone tell me why the party candidates seem to be missing the forums? Such a good way for the voters to get to know the candidates in their area as opposed to meeting where speeches are read out?? Not impressed with those who have missed these forums.
The forums are a joke anyway, no one watches them and a few people get to dictate the questions however they please according to their biases. I’d rather hear from the candidates in person. I bet those that didn’t do the forums were actually meeting with the community and getting to learn what they need, which is far more important, Instead of answering some dumb questions from the Chamber.
Most people are watching ,in person, online or on tv.
Probably because they are better at getting things done than just blabbing in public. Even the wife beater from prospect sounds good at the forums but his character dictates he should never be allowed to run for office. Horrible example for our youth.
I don’t condone violence. My questions is, are we dealing with someone who did something wrong. Was punished and then took steps to correct their behavior and not repeat it? Or, are we dealing with someone who deflects blame, created justifications and continues that bad behavior. I ask this because, like most humans, I have done bad things in my life. I haven’t been violent, but I have made bad decisions and I have paid for them. Are humans redeemable? Can we not still add value to our community even after doing bad things? If you are religious, is that not the purpose or forgiveness? If you are not religious, is that not a reality of humanity – that bad things are done, punished and in some cases never repeated.
Its difficult to hear that someone shouldn’t be allowed to participate in elections because of this IF they have been punished for their bad deeds. Our youth do bad things and make mistakes, are we to teach them that they are precluded from success if they do? The reality is people will do bad things, are children to learn 1. don’t do bad things and 2. if you do your life is over or 1. don’t do bad things and 2. if you do, pay for it, learn from it and do better?
Some party candidates, aka puppets, only repeat what the party leader says, so if their party leader isn’t on the stage with them, then they have nothing to repeat.
Any candidate who refused to participate, or hold a meeting on their own, can be viewed as an extension cord.
There’s only one reason why the Party members won’t show up! Why waste their time? Party Politics is one dictating what the Party will do. The rest is just a waste of money, space and your vote! A Dictator or sorts (NOT recommended).
please check your facts prior to spreading false information.
I did NOT stand on any platform last night.
I think you should! Show some inter-dependence for the country and stop acting like a lone ranger! No government can ever be govern by Independents. Show me one government that doesn’t have a leader and a united party? Show me one?!
Don’t you think if there is a time we need a platform of candidates to counter CDP and PPM it is now?!
Make use of yourself and join or make a team, bro!
:/
A vote for Kent is a wasted vote. For MANY reasons but plain and simple he can’t do anything but make noise like Ezzard and Ardennes and then blame everyone else. He wants a pay check. He wants to pretend he knows how the average Caymanian feels but he is not one of us.
He has no ties to the district he is running in and no family there either. Most of the “Independents” are already bought by the good doctor. Those that are not are really just pretending they are not part of udp/cdp.
I don’t agree with the members from the East on everything. But I will tell you without reservation that given how the party’s play they have done a fantastic job over the past 4-8 yrs being the opposition, and sometimes the only opposition as others sat quite saying nothing.
As for you comments about not having ties to Savannah, let me set that straight. I grew up on Spotts Rd. (Now Chime St.) until the age of 14. My statement on TV was actually that I don’t have a lot of friends and family, and I want to be elected in my message not because I am you family or friend.
As for being “one of us”. This statement sounds much like KT and is divisive in nature. Please define the “average Caymanian” I will be happy to be very real and open with how I fit that definition.
I am not “most independents” I have not recieved any Tomlinson money, and Anna absolutely NOT a CDP guy.
Thanks for letting me clarify that for you.
You grew up in Spotts Newlands Kent, on Sparrow St. You are a Sav-Newlands resident. End of story.
Kent they did very well as the Opposition , but that is where they should remain.