A tumultuous year in Cayman politics saw a changing of the guard, as Wayne Panton assembled a team of independent legislators to lead the country in the wake of a closely-contested general election.
Panton’s PACT coalition – the final pieces of which fell into place a week after polling day – brought an end to an era of two-party politics that has dominated government leadership in Cayman for much of the 21st century.
There were other changes, too, as veteran politicians like Ezzard Miller, Arden McLean and Captain Eugene Ebanks – ever-presents on the political scene for several decades – were unseated. Anthony Eden retired from politics and did not contest his seat.
A new wave of independent politicians, including André Ebanks, Jay Ebanks and Sabrina Turner took their seats in parliament and found themselves immediately thrust into leadership roles.
Amid all the upheaval, McKeeva Bush, the island’s first premier, remained a central figure, proving pivotal in the power struggle, even as controversy swirled around him.
The year kicked off with a continuation of the political pressure for then-premier and Progressives leader Alden McLaughlin to remove Bush as Speaker following his assault conviction in December 2020.
Bush was handed a suspended sentence for his conviction on three assault charges levelled against him following an altercation with the female manager at a local bar in February 2020.
Opponents both inside and outside parliament – including the #Sheissupported movement – kept the pressure on, saying Bush had no place in the House.
Early elections after public pressure
The then-Opposition, led by East End MP Arden McLean, sought to bring a no confidence motion against the Speaker in January ahead of the 26 May general elections.
McLaughlin said no further sittings of the House would be held, keeping Bush out of the Speaker’s chair. This led to the failure of the motion, as the McLean and Miller failed to get the necessary numbers to call a special sitting of the House.
The matter did not end there, as the public anger against the Speaker continued, leading McLaughlin to call for elections six weeks early, on 14 April.
A small protest was held outside Government House objecting to the dissolution of Parliament.
That move to trigger early elections unleashed a political campaign like no other in Cayman. The battle for power unleashed a fiercely-contested campaign among candidates, with unfounded allegations of vote-buying to the destruction of candidate posters.
McLaughlin found himself targeted for his campaign pledge to increase the tourism stipend. A police investigation found allegations made against the former premier to have no merit as it was a normal feature of campaigning.
Most candidates openly campaigned against working with Bush and articulated the same during political debates.
U-turn as Bush retains seat
When the dust settled, all the Progressives’ candidates had been reelected under new leader Roy McTaggart, but they lost alliance member Austin Harris. Fellow alliance member Dwayne Seymour retained his seat.
Though the Progressives were confident they would be returned to government with apparent agreements in hand, that was not the case and thus began a week of tumultuous horse-trading.
Newlands MP Wayne Panton mobilised a group of independent MPs as the PACT government, hours after the polls had closed and took a signed letter to Governor Martyn Roper announcing the formation of the coalition.
However, the Progressives also had signed agreements enlisting MPs Isaac Rankine and Sabrina Turner, representing East End and Prospect, respectively.
That arrangement fell through after Turner rejoined the independents’ coalition and Rankine was urged to “come home”.
Protesters showed up at Rankine’s home, as he sought to meet with constituents, leading to the meeting’s cancellation “due to safety concerns of my East End constituents based on the various social media posts inciting violence,” he wrote in a statement.
There was a brief meeting between Panton and McTaggart, with the Progressives stating it was designed to “discuss the possibility of forming a coalition government” and Panton suggesting it was to give the party an “opportunity” to have representation in his government.
Two days later, Panton announced a deal to form a government that would see McKeeva Bush return as Speaker of the House. He appeared confident that his partnership with Bush would secure the route of his PACT coalition to government.
The alliance with the West Bay legislator represented a U-turn for Panton, who had cited the Progressives’ failure to break its partnership with the Speaker as one of the reasons for his decision to leave the party and contest the 2021 election as an independent candidate.
On swearing-in day, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly accepted a ministerial post in the PACT government and Rankine also confirmed he was re-aligning himself with the Panton-led team.
And, more recently, the PACT government was able to further shore up its numbers, after MPs Chris Saunders and Jay Ebanks openly called on Bodden Town East MP Dwayne Seymour to team up with the government during the budget debate in Parliament on 30 Nov.
Seymour had held on with the Progressives for seven months, admitting that the government had continued to lobby him to cross over, since the election.
However, enticed with a Parliamentary Secretary post under three ministries – labour, housing and transport – Seymour crossed the aisle, formally departing the Opposition at the 1 Dec. session of Parliament.
Seymour’s departure may have been another disappointment for the Progressives, but it has succeeded in uniting in one government the former United Democratic Party members McKeeva Bush (former UDP leader), O’Connor-Connolly, Bernie Bush, Saunders and Seymour, a point George Town North MP Joey Hew made in his contribution to the budget debate.
Related Videos
