Media blocked from asking questions at PACT ‘press briefing’

The recent reshuffling of the PACT Cabinet, following the departure of former Deputy Premier Chris Saunders, ignited a firestorm Tuesday evening when members of the media were denied the opportunity to pose questions to elected MPs during a live broadcast.

Tuesday’s hastily called ‘press briefing’ was announced to members of the press via WhatsApp approximately one hour before its scheduled 5pm start, which was pushed back to 5:30pm with an eventual start time of 5:45pm – with no reason given for the delays.

While representatives from Cayman’s small press corps scrambled to ensure attendance, a media advisory sent via email advised in a note to editors that questions should be sent to the media team at the Office of the Premier “for responses following the briefing”.

When prompted by several members of the media about this change from press briefing to an ‘address to the nation’, no answers were forthcoming and no clarity was provided on why the media would be prevented from asking questions of the elected MPs during the live broadcast.

In a Facebook post, the address was subsequently referred to as a “special live video event”.

As viewers watched Premier Wayne Panton update Cayman on the moves in his government, the islands’ media sat in silence listening in a Government Information Services Zoom meeting. Journalists were prevented from asking the elected leaders for clarity on the potential impacts the shift could have on government projects, or to question whether the Bodden Town West MP’s departure placed the jurisdiction in a potentially politically unstable position or to address rumours of additional departures among the PACT ranks.

The PACT acronym stands for people-driven, accountable, competent and transparent.

By Compass records, cross-referenced with the archive on the Cayman Islands Government official YouTube page, the last press conference hosted by the premier was seven months ago, held on 19 Aug., 2022 during which it was announced the last remaining COVID travel restrictions would be lifted.