Alden pushing pandemic panic to win votes
(CNS): The idea that a PPM-led coalition is the only group of people experienced enough to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is now forming a major plank in the Progressives’ campaign platform, even though there is no evidence to suggest that any of the other candidates who might form an alternative government would not follow the advice of the public health professionals in the same way the current administration has.
Speaking at a local rally in Windsor Park to promote Barbara Conolly and David Wight’s candidacies, the outgoing premier, Alden McLaughlin
Alden McLaughlin (PPM): Red Bay MP, Premier, Minister of International Trade, Investment, Aviation and Maritime Affairs (MITIAMA). Biography: McLaughlin has been a member of the... More, said it was too risky for voters in George Town South and GT West not to return the PPM members, as he stirred up panic over the pandemic.
“The pandemic is not over… but all around us the world is still grappling with this issue,” McLaughlin said on the campaign trail Thursday evening, as he pushed fears, which appear to be groundless, that other candidates would rush to open the border and only “the courage and wisdom” of his team could protect voters.
“If you want to continue to be safe, if you don’t want to wind up in a situation where we have to go back in lockdown and wear masks and social distance because some of them who like to travel so much… decide they are going to open the borders before we have enough people vaccinated… vote for members of the Progressives
The People's Progressive Movement (PPM), also known as the Progressives, was founded in 2002 in response to the launch in 2001 of the United Democratic... More,” he said, as he urged backing for the PPM-Alliance candidates.
This is not the first time the issue has been pressed by McLaughlin and other members of the PPM-Alliance team, and it is now apparently becoming the primary policy position. For several weeks a false narrative, based on no evidence, that voting for independent or inexperienced candidates would lead to borders being opened early and the current COVID-19 policy being reversed has become a reoccurring theme.
All the candidates on their campaign platforms, social media accounts and during the various Q&A forums on local radio and online broadcast appearances have offered full support for the current policy, which means that the PPM-Alliance is using a tactic of fear to drum up votes.
In fact, all 50 candidates have stressed the importance of following the public health advice, just as the current administration has done, largely based on advice from local civil servants in the health ministry and from Public Health England. No candidate is campaigning on an ‘open the borders’ platform.
There is no indication that any of the candidates challenging the Unity government plans to open the borders or create policy based on anything other than the scientific advice from technical experts in the public sector.
While the PPM is using Cayman’s successful navigation of the pandemic as a major plank of their campaign platform, allegations that others will open the borders prematurely is completely unfounded.
Category: Viewpoint & Analysis
I saw this coming from Alden. The PPM are grasping for straws. When the only thing you can use as a carrot to get people to vote for you is the handling of the pandemic, (which by the way was not just this government or Alden but the general public who complied and the UK for giving us the information we needed to make those decisions) that wreaks of sheer desperation.
Why does he not say he is sorry for wasting over $9m of the country’s money on trying to convince us that we needed a $250M cruise port at the expense of destroying our beautiful harbour and coral reefs?
Why doesn’t he say why they cannot even measure whether the multi-millions of dollars that they have given to the developers has worked for us?
Why can’t they talk about the Smith Barcadere fiasco and the amount of money wasted there for no reason?
I’m tired of them blaming everything on covid. covid was only the last year of their reign.
Paving roads and promising stipends if they get elected are also acts of desperation and vote buying.
Shame on you Alden. Shame on you Barbara. Each phase of the pandemic has posed new – and sometimes conflicting from previous – learnings. If this government thinks the learning and decision making criteria was all captured, and they are the only ones who can possibly have the answers based on what they learned a year ago, they should immediately be disqualified as contenders.
As mentioned many times above – this is also the government that put a rambling idiot on the Covid briefing stage for months – and doubled down on their support of the ‘wonderful job’ that idiot was doing on the multiple times he got his feet stuck too far down his own throat (on international platforms of course…). Then supported the convicted woman beater – because it ‘threatened the stability of the government’ only to then dissolve the government – presumably hoping to play the advantage of calling an early election. This government is delusional of their own abilities. This is very dangerous.
3.43 ‘That idiot’ gave us Dr Lee so that idiot probably savd a few Caymanian lives. The point he was making, which is a valid one is that his Govt made the tough decisions even in the face of some strong opposition from persons who preferred to money before lives. The newcomers can only promise to do so but will they really be able to resist the pressure from special interest. Already we see some ndividuals who were calling for reopening Cayman are supportng Johan,Alric and their group. Does this mean that they are promising to reopen soon?.
Credit where credit is due. Every country had more or less the same medical and scientific advice. Very few politicians listened against a cacophony of call to keep the economy turning. Whatever else you think of the current government, however much you may dislike them, their handling of the pandemic has been exemplary. If you don’t see that you’re blinded by other issues.
I really wonder how many of these commenters are from the Red bay District.
I am and will definitely not be voting for him
I am!
If Alden wants to claim special credit for his handling of the pandemic, can he point to anything he did other than follow the instructions of Public Health England, as slavishly forwarded to him by Dr Lee?
JTB Well the Boris should have followed their advice and made the tough decisions early. Boris didn’t and look what is happening in the UK. So I guess Alden was a little sharper than your Boris and for that many are thankful. The big question is .Will our next Premier be like Alden or be like Boris?. The only way to be sure that he will act like Alden did is to return Alden and his team.
Listen up Mr Roper. No knighthood for Alden!
Seriously though, it can’t be coincidence that all of the BOTCs independently thought up and managed the same successful Covid response. As hard as it is to believe, some bright spark in the FCO must have led all of this or carried out instructions from higher up. I know, I know. It’s the stuff of fantasy.
The Minister of Health (and his family) did a great job. I learnt all kinds of things about donkeys, moons, personal trainers etc.
Hello Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. So Alden took direction from the WHO, UK and Dr Lee and now he wants to take credit? Seriously the arrogance of this man is truly astounding.
I smell desperation. Vote them out Cayman. They all made enough money to live on for the rest of their lives. Over and OUT!!!!!
The temporary emergency orders enacted under the Public Health Law were powers and actions directed from the Governor’s office, on consultation with the Chief Medical Officer. Private donors secured our world class PCR testing supplies and reagents even as frazzled first world governments wrestled with PPE supplies and disagreed on strategies – some of them still are. Dwayne and Alden had little foldaway kid chairs in the corner of the grown-up adult meetings and can’t take credit for any of these early responses and victories. I’m sorry. They were trying to do the opposite, promising cruise liners we’d be open for business by Sept, and airlines and hotels that we’d be open by early 2021. First Lady Seymour continued to defy the orders posting private trainer workout sessions even during hard lockdown! We all lived this.
Acts of desperation. They are now using the typical fear tactics to try to win the election. A truly disgusting act.
Alden should be ashamed of himself for stooping so low. But then again it is really not surprising.
Question! if Caymanians were being buried by the dozens because of COVID-19 who would we blame? The public?
The religious right’s answer: God
They are now using the typical fear tactics to try to win the election.
The PPM has ALWAYS been about fear. Fear of McKeeva, fear of expats, fear of COVID? It’s worked for them, so why should they change tactics? For that matter, it works in other countries as well: Witness Trump and Brexit.
It’s simply because the Unity/PPM govt did nothing else during this term or the previous. They have used the last year, Covid, as an excuse for failing to do everything else they were supposed to do.
We will soon see the long term repercussions of the pathetic decisions made to revive the economy; Assisting foreigners to come here on private planes and buy up property while many were facing hardships with employment, paying their mortgage and depleting their pension just to get by.
They sold us out while locking us down and this is their claim to fame?
They tried to do things they weren’t supposed to do too!
Pushing panic to get votes is more like it. Cayman stayed safe because of people who were responsible citizens, fresh air, sunlight and a generally healthy population. If we did not have the air buses operating, we would have remained virtually COVID free.
Yes saving us from Covid 19 and destroying our livelihood and place to live. Totally make sense for Alden and his very greedy Cutthroats ! Anyone who votes this government back in power deserves what they get. it’s is pretty obvious now they no longer represents there own people and are clearly acting and helping others to the detriment of Cayman
Your viewpoint is interesting. Other countries did not do what this government has done and have paid the price. Give credit where credit is due. What we did here was wonderful and continues to be so.
No one is saying we didn’t handle COVID great, but it was not the Unity Government’s ideas. It does not take a rocket scientist to follow instructions from health professionals.
Our Covid emergency health orders were put into effect by order of the Governor using the powers in the Public Health Law. They were 180’ from PPM policy of the time. Concurrently, the PPM were busy defying the orders with personal trainers, lies, jet ski race approvals, and offensive donkey diversions. Facts.
“The idea that a PPM-led coalition is the only group of people experienced enough to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic” is the truth. This team has had one year of experience dealing effectively with Covid-19; no other candidates can truthfully say that. The newcomers can say what they would do if elected but as Johan said ‘politicians will say anything to get elected’ and so we don’t know what they will do once elected. In other words they can talk the talk but they have not walked the walk. The PPM led Govt has walked the walk and continues to do so. I dont think anyone was pànicked at that meeting but they should be concerned that a bunch of new guys might not be as strong as The PPM Alliance when put under pressure to open up.
Alden has lost all respect, people know who he really is now and he reeks of desperation and lies. He has nothing left. He is going down this election and he knows it. Any and all of the candidates will take all necessary covid precautions. Alden is just hoping his fake “control” of corona will save him- it will not! At the end of the day it was medical expertise, the fact that we are an island and is who made this possible. All Alden did was take all the credit and behave like a Devine ruler. No more Alden, good riddance!
all he did was follow other countries but retain longer…..how try to stuff a conflicted port deal down our throats and doing everything he could to thwart the peoples referendum? How about supporting by silence a young woman getting beat by a politician in her work place? How about giving away Caymanian futures for permit and PR fees? How about giving himself and other Alliance LOSERS severance pay? The guy is a disgusting pig.
I said from months ago that he was keeping the borders closed until after elections to make sure people still feel like he’s in hero mode. Capitalizing on the pandemic for sure.