Tag: Alden McLaughlin
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 […]
MPs vote CI$8M more for healthcare bills
(CNS): Finance Committee has voted another CI$8 million to cover healthcare costs for Caymanians who are uninsured or under-insured and have been treated outside the Health Services Authority facilities. When the committee met at the end of the last session of Parliament to deal with supplementary spending, health ministry civil servants told MPs that healthcare […]
Local bars get raw deal in Sunday music law
(CNS): Former premier Alden McLaughlin (RED) has urged government to amend the Music and Dance Law to level the playing field for local bars because, unlike restaurants and bars in hotels, they are not permitted to play any music on Sundays. Speaking in Parliament last week, McLaughlin said many stand-alone bars that are Caymanian-owned are […]
Uncle Bill, father of PPM leader, dies aged 87
(CNS): Local businessman William McTaggart, better known as “Uncle Bill”, the father of Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart, has died. The announcement was made by the PPM chairman and former premier, Sir Alden McLaughlin, who said the Progressives family was deeply saddened to learn of his passing.
Request for o’seas offices made day after election call
(CNS): Governor Martyn Roper made the requests for Cayman to open two overseas offices the day after then premier Alden McLaughlin brought the election forward, according to details in the controversial report by the Office of the Auditor General. On 10 February McLaughlin, now Sir Alden, told the country the election would take place on […]
OAG: MITAMA broke law re CI$6M spent on o’seas promos
(CNS): The former administration broke the law when it committed the current government to around $6 million in spending over the next five years on overseas promotion. The former premier’s ministry signed agreements and contracts to open overseas offices and attend an Expo in Dubai just days before and after the election. The breaches of […]
‘Sir Alden’ gets top royal gong in NY Honours List
(CNS): Former premier Alden McLaughlin, the MP for Red Bay, has been given the top royal gong in the Queen’s New Year Honours List. According to a press release from the governor’s office, Sir Alden is only the second recipient of a knighthood in the Cayman Islands, given for his personal services to the people.
