DeCou accuses PPM of being in ‘fever dream’
(CNS): The TCCP candidate for GTE, Emily DeCou, warned voters about red flags being raised by the PPM, as she made the most of the opportunity to hold former party leader Roy McTaggart accountable at the Chamber Candidate Forum on Tuesday. DeCou said the Progressives were living in some kind of fever dream by claiming they could fix the public finances. She said they were the people who created the problem but are now telling voters they are not responsible for it and that they are the solution.
In the last of the forums for constituency candidates, DeCou, a well-known environmental advocate, jumped into the political melee and seized the opportunity to criticise the incumbent. DeCou, Bud Johnson (CINP) and Oscar Bodden (IND) are all hoping to oust McTaggart from the GTE seat after twelve years in office.
If the Progressives secure a majority, McTaggart will take on the public finance portfolio. As the forum opened, he picked up a copy of the Pre-Election Economic and Financial Update and urged everyone to get a copy. The report shows that instead of looking forward to a CI$80 million surplus at the end of this year, the next government is looking at a deficit of over $26 million at year-end.
McTaggart is running on a platform that includes three of the cabinet ministers responsible for the looming fiscal crisis, which appears to have emerged over the last few months while the Progressives were propping up the minority government.
Nevertheless, he said addressing this was now the main priority for the Cayman Islands, and he would address the problem immediately. However, throughout the forum, he gave no indication as to where he intended to cut spending.
During the forum, which lasted almost two hours, the candidates answered questions that were very similar to those that had been posed throughout this series of forums on topics such as immigration, education, the cost of living, and healthcare.
McTaggart continued to suggest that the PPM was still committed to creating free healthcare plans for all children and finding ways to give seniors with no or inadequate insurance access to the care they need.
But he was not alone. All the candidates indicated a number of policies that would require more money, but few offered any indication of where they might cut spending.
Johnson stressed the need to begin educating children in schools as early as possible with an age-appropriate curriculum about Cayman’s financial services sector, which he said had to be protected. He added that the next government must ensure that this jurisdiction is kept off all international grey and black lists.
Bodden, who struggled to articulate any policies when answering questions, did offer his support for a cruise dock. However, he was not aware that any government-led referendums are non-binding and thought it was just a rumour, even though this is clearly stated in the Constitution.
While DeCou was clear about her opposition to cruise berthing facilities for a number of reasons, including environmental damage and cost, McTaggart said the Progressives would be guided by the referendum, even though several of his colleagues have stated that the party will be building a cruise port. Johnson, who formerly owned Atlantis Submarines, said the CINP was not in favour of berthing facilities.
As he made his closing statement, McTaggart said that managing a government with a more than a $1 billion budget and a $5 billion economy was not easy, but each election, candidates emerge without the necessary skill sets, thinking they can do better. He accused inexperienced candidates of treating the election cycle like an episode of American Idol.
“Without having wide-ranging experience, they show up hoping to gain votes to stay in the competition,” he said. Even with his own private sector experience, he said, he had been surprised by the difficulties and challenges facing a government. But that was why he now knew the PPM was the best party to lead the country.
However, neither Johnson nor DeCou, who are both running with parties that could form the next government, thought the PPM was the best choice for voters. Johnson urged voters to look closely at the party, which had criticised the UPM a few months ago but now has embraced half the UPM Cabinet. He said the CINP members were not looking for a job as career politicians and were ready to govern.
But getting the last word, DeCou noted the “red flags” raised by the PPM. She said the party’s “cost of greed crisis” was costing us all, as she urged voters not to be gaslighted by their claims.
Watch the forum on YouTube below:
Check out the CNS Election Section interactive map to see who is running in each constituency.
See the list of candidates and their party affiliations here.
Category: Election News
Looking at the comments, it’s clear that you guys have on your rose-tinted nostalgia glasses. We all have fond memories of the McTaggarts, but don’t let that cloud your eyes from the reality: Under the PPM-run government, Roy McTaggart approved tens (if not hundreds??) of millions of dollars worth of unaccounted-for concessions/waivers to ultra-wealthy foreign developers with no way of tracking any alleged benefits to Caymanians. (Spoilers: there were no benefits to Caymanians, since the developers paid zero into infrastructure improvements, they don’t hire Caymanians, and Caymanians cannot afford to purchase the developments.)
This is not the “progress” we want or need. Roy’s reputation is beyond tarnished, and he can no longer be trusted to work for the betterment of Caymanians.
https://caymannewsservice.com/2020/12/minister-has-no-data-on-impact-of-concessions/
To be fair, how much of it was the concessions granted in the NRA agreement. If you recall it was 10+years and millions of concessions in return for the Easterly Tibbetts highway. Can you imagine live without that road being built? Now that would be a traffic nightmare!!! Darts hotels have been build on those concessions. Perhaps you need to look through your rose-tinted nostalgia glasses yourself and remember it was MAC who sold us all out on that deal. FACT- it was the PPM who refused to form a government with MAC in the last election. Wayne’s only option to form a government was join with MAC, which is what he did. We all know what a sh*t show that was and how it ended up – nothing to show and a pile of debt. The need for power is a hell of a thing and hope people remember that.
This happened in 2019, long after those concessions you’re talking about.
Fact: if PPM had the headcount to form a government with Mac as the final member, you’re an absolute fool to think that they wouldn’t work with him once again to regain power.
Your pro-PPM revisionist history propaganda has no power here. Begone, thot.
Roy supported by a different group could become an asset, but the PPM weighs him down because his development does not fit in with their greed agenda.
Roy should leave and join Dan or Andre.
He will not survive in the wolf pack Ministers comprising Kenneth, Mac, Jujudas, Saunders, and oh so very Dumb DuhWayne.
Joey will be relegated to the back seats in any case, especially if he has the guts to support Roy.
So sorry Roy, can’t vote PPM this time round.
Roy needs to be among like minded, principled people. CINP will bring trouble, more ignorance and division, mark my words. He needs should join Andre.
Roy is a big boy. He joined PPM, and stays with PPM, because thats who he is and what he stands for. Roy M, altho being an accountant for 40yrs and managing partner of a huge accounting firm, was PPM minister of Finance that admitted he could not account for millions of concessions granted to wealthy developers, incl Dart. That also speaks volumes about Ken Jefferson too.
People try to paint Roy as some kind of lily-white saint, but he is just as bad as the rest of PPM because he chooses to stay as part of their team.
If he had a problem with how ppm does things, like me and other voters do, why didnt Roy M leave?
To 10:04am: I agree with you. The post-retirement expense that is not declared in the government’s financial statements already existed while he was Minister of Finance and nothing was done to address it. Neither did he seek to address the fact that selling land and granting work permits were contributing to the Caymanian housing and unemployment crisis.
I mean realistically, if you needed to pick a representative for your country Roy is the only viable option for these 4. Picture any of the other 3, travelling alone to represent Cayman on international business. They would be laughed out of the room.
He is the only PPM candidate I would vote for, the rest can go to hell.
Sadly Juju Kenneth and Mac will have him removed, as soon as Roy disagrees with their irrational spending ambitions.
He is the only member of the New PPM who has any education and fiscal integrity, and that is not a fit in the gang of thieves now calling themselves PPM.
She claimed to be an expert in things she is just a novice in.
A legend in her own lunchtime.
Whatever…Em DeCou is educated and Honest.
Those are Qualities of value to voters, but totally unacceptable to the new UDPPM .
We have a choice, someone with integrity who won’t steal from us, or continue with those now called PPM , whose past actions won’t bear the same scrutiny.
I would urge you to check her education credentials. The last time she ran she claimed to have a degree from UCCI in environmental science – which they do not even offer. Turns out she did one course at UCCI and quit. Once she was found out she removed all the posts and messages. Her 10 years of legal experience was a junior administrator at DART. Look at her LINKED IN page. So many candidates inflating their experience and education! Another one on the Panton payroll!
I can confirm this is true. She doesn’t have any qualifications and could not be hired as a scientist or teacher even tho she is running to fix education and environment issues.
She wasn’t at Dart for anywhere near 10 years.
Then unfortunately she is fit for the job! She has started it off right! She lies, she over inflates her credentials and ego, talks down upon other politicians, puts herself as the best candidate. Isn’t that what a politician is?