The controversy surrounding House Speaker McKeeva Bush took another turn Wednesday afternoon as the Opposition filed a no-confidence motion in the PACT government.
They are seeking to remove the sitting premier and form a “coalition of the capable” to run the jurisdiction for the remainder of the current term.
Progressives’ and Opposition leader Roy McTaggart, who filed the motion, seconded by his deputy Joey Hew, appealed to all Members of Parliament to support the proposal, saying “the country simply deserves better”.
“We need an alternative government that is ready to step in and take the action our country needs. We hope responsible members of the government will be persuaded by the debate that we will put to Parliament and that they will support our motion of no-confidence,” McTaggart told the Cayman Compass in an interview.
The motion, if successful, may see McTaggart installed as premier. It is expected to be debated at the next session of Parliament on 5 Oct.
Premier Wayne Panton has dismissed the Opposition’s motion.
In a comment to the Compass, the premier said, “The Progressives filing a motion of no confidence at this time, immediately after the Period of National Mourning and while the country is facing the threat of a hurricane, is not surprising.”
“It is typical of the Progressives, they once again prioritise political power over the needs of the Caymanian people. While they are plotting and scheming, we are working to deliver results for the people and doing a good job of it,” said Panton, in his brief emailed comment.
Support for the motion?
Asked whether he has the necessary support for the motion, McTaggart said, “based on discussions, and what we have seen, we believe that there is support for it. But again, it comes down to what happens on the day when that final vote is taken in the House as to where people do cast their support.”
He said it will be down to whether the MPs will rally around “their premier and support him, or they will support the motion and call for a fresh new government”.
There is currently no indication that the Progressives have persuaded any MPs outside of their group of six parliamentarians to support the motion.
In order for the vote of no-confidence to be successful, it would require at least four current members of the PACT coalition to vote with the Progressives and against their government colleagues.
It is understood that the Opposition believes it has secured support from some on the government benches, though they have not revealed any names at this stage.
Only the five Grand Cayman-based Progressives MPs were present in Parliament for the filing of the motion on Wednesday. Apologies were given for the absence of Cayman Brac West and Little Cayman MP Moses Kirkconnell.
Motion targets ‘lack of leadership’
The two-page motion sets out 14 reasons why confidence in the sitting government has been eroded, uppermost being “the Premier’s lack of effective leadership”.
McTaggart, through the motion, pointed to the “Cabinet’s collective lack of collaboration, cohesion, and competence,” the lack of a code of conduct and “contraventions of accepted conventions and norms” such as allowing the House Speaker to be involved in government business at home and official meetings overseas.
This is not the first time a motion of no-confidence has been triggered by actions connected to the West Bay West MP. In 2020, then-Opposition leader Arden McLean sought to bring a motion against Bush, following his conviction on assault charges.
That motion did not get the necessary signatures needed to trigger a meeting of the House, before then-Premier Alden McLaughlin moved up the election date, dissolving Parliament.
‘Discontent, disagreement, infighting’
McTaggart argued that, before taking this step, the Opposition offered to assist with the management of COVID and provided a range of suggestions to help families facing the cost-of-living crisis.
“We have also brought motions to Parliament seeking to drive forward actions that will benefit our people. These have been ignored or at best taken up grudgingly and after needless delay, but ultimately with no real action to date,” he said, adding that the “business of effective government is proving impossible due to a lack of leadership coming from the current premier and the apparent divisions within the Cabinet and government caucus, meanwhile the cost-of-living crisis continues to escalate”.
Referring to detractors who may accuse the Opposition of using this motion as a publicity stunt, he said, “I am only responding to the discord and the general malaise that exists in the government.”
McTaggart said the convention in the Westminster system of government demands that a motion of lack of confidence in the government is a matter which “ought to be dealt with expeditiously”.
“Such a motion places the government in an untenable position, and one of uncertainty, and so we expect that this motion will be aired and debated when Parliament meets on October 5th, 2022,” he said.
McTaggart said he hopes he gets the votes he needs to carry the motion.
“Right now, it is clear that there is very little being accomplished in the government. There is general discontent and disagreement within them all… much infighting, and it does not bode well for the stability and the future of the government the longer that this continues,” McTaggart added.
He said Bush’s resignation would not suffice.
“That is another nail in the coffin,” he said.
Related Videos
