Tag: Alden McLaughlin
MPs vote in favour of West Bay high school
(CNS): Almost two decades after then education minister Alden McLaughlin proposed building a new high school in West Bay, the parliament has voted to try again to give the district a school. A private member’s motion presented by veteran West Bay MP McKeeva Bush proposed that Cayman Islands Government start the process to build the […]
SPS passes easily as opposition MIA for vote
(CNS): In the early hours of Thursday morning, Premier Wayne Panton defended both the figures and the policies in PACT’s Strategic Policy Statement, as he wrapped up the debate on the government motion supporting the SPS. All opposition MPs except for Joey Hew had left the chamber before the vote, which meant that the SPS […]
Opposition looks for answers from PACT
(CNS): The PPM has filed eighteen questions for PACT to answer during the next meeting of parliament on topics ranging from the controversial ReGen project to the Deloitte Transport report. They have also tabled two motions, including one to mandate a private schools bus service. Chris Saunders, who will be taking up his new seat […]
CoP admits failure to enforce gambling law
(CNS): Police Commissioner Derek Byrne has admitted that law enforcement has not been doing enough to address the escalating problem of gambling, which he said is both fuelling and directly linked to other crimes. Byrne said the RCIPS needs to do more, but that community-wide tolerance of illegal gambling and inadequate consequences for anyone who […]
Traffic troubles stir up political friction
(CNS): MPs on both sides of the House went to battle on Thursday over the best ways to tackle traffic jams and who was to blame for the delays in the East-West Arterial Road extension. A private member’s motion brought by Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart asked the government to consider rolling out some of the […]
Local gambling connected to foreign crime syndicates
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton, Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Attorney General Sam Bulgin have all stressed that law enforcement agencies in the Cayman Islands are increasingly concerned that illegal gambling here is directly connected to international and organised crime syndicates and is generating as much as $50 million each year in illicit earnings.
MPs debate planned vote on ganja and lottery
(CNS): A government motion to hold a referendum on introducing a national lottery and decriminalising cannabis was debated in parliament on Wednesday, stirring up different views across both sides of the House. However, the motion succeeded and the government now intends to draft a referendum bill in the New Year. But the motion only proposes […]
Ebanks-Wilks voted speaker, Seymour as deputy
(CNS): Katherine Ebanks-Wilks (WBC) is the new speaker following a vote by MPs in parliament on Friday. Although she has been an MP for just 19 months, she beat the only other person nominated, opposition member Sir Alden McLaughlin (RED), who has served in the legislature for more than 20 years, by ten votes to […]
Local bars to get green light for ‘quiet’ Sunday music
(CNS): Cabinet has approved a change to the Music and Dancing Act to level the commercial playing field for local bars and trip boats, giving them the same opportunities as restaurants and hotels on Sundays by allowing background music. The bill, which is now open for public consultation, will equalise the situation for owners of […]
PACT MPs accept Bush’s resignation on his terms
(CNS): With the entire opposition boycotting the current session of parliament, the PACT Government voted to accept the resignation of Speaker McKeeva Bush on Friday without any debate or discussion. The resolution confirms the government’s support for the terms Bush set out in his resignation letter, paving the way for him to remain in the […]
Panton sought deal with opposition, Sir Alden claims
(CNS): Sir Alden McLaughlin has claimed that Premier Wayne Panton recently approached the opposition about forming a government with them. Speaking at a PPM press briefing on Friday after the opposition members boycotted parliament, the former premier said the Progressives had brought a no-confidence motion in government because various members of PACT had been speaking […]
