Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart has called on the PACT government to honour the ‘T’ of its acronym and tell the public the reasons behind former Deputy Premier Chris Saunders’s sudden exit from the government.
“They preach transparency and openness. So let’s be open. Let’s be transparent with the people and have that discussion and reveal the information,” McTaggart said on Wednesday, when he appeared on the Cayman Compass’ weekly Facebook talkshow ‘The Resh Hour’.
McTaggart called on “either the Premier or Mr Saunders [to] address the whole issue as to the reasons” behind events which unfolded Tuesday, when the former deputy premier announced he would leave the Cabinet.
“I don’t find that very satisfactory at all. Our country deserves to know why and they are expecting to hear officially why that is the case,” said the Opposition leader.
Fresh elections?
McTaggart said he has noted calls in the community for fresh elections, adding that the Opposition is not, at this point, having those conversations.
“We are watching developments and we’ll see where things go with regard to that. But there are a number of important things that are coming up for the government that we need to get beyond,” he said.
Among those matters are the upcoming Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) which is legally due on 1 May and the upcoming referendum.
“Given the turmoil they are in, I think they are going to be severely challenged to deliver that [SPS] in the time frame in which they have left to get it done well,” he added.
Following the Cabinet reshuffle caused by Saunders’ departure, Premier Wayne Panton has now assumed the role of finance minister, in addition to his existing portfolio.
‘It’s not a healthy situation’
McTaggart also said a ‘press briefing’ hastily arranged following the Cabinet reshuffle, during which members of the media were prohibited from asking any questions, did not leave him feeling comfortable.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. You invite the press and then tell them they can’t ask questions? Then why invite them if you just want to get a message out? There are other ways in which they could have done that… and I think that just led to more confusion, more speculation, and that’s what it will do and has been doing. It’s not a healthy situation in the current state,” he said.
McTaggart said, while there have been persistent rumblings of discord in the PACT camp for some time, he was taken by surprise with the turn of events on Tuesday, especially the “suddenness” of it.
He said the Opposition has been aware of “all the factions and the disagreements and the dysfunction that exist within the PACT government” from almost from day one.
No confidence motion an option
Given the current climate, McTaggart said bringing another motion of no confidence in the premier and his government remains an option, as it is “another weapon any Opposition has”.
He added there had been numerous discussions with government members about potentially forming a new government, which led up to a no confidence motion in the House last August.
That motion, he said, was “thwarted” by the PACT government.
“We have not had discussions honestly with regard to having a no confidence motion at this point. To me it’s just too early days to even think about it right now. You have to see where they are, how things unfold over the next few days and in the weeks to come,” he said.
McTaggart said that the uncertainty does not augur well for the islands.
“I think the most important thing right now is the premier really needs to get his government towing the line and being far more cohesive than they are. It’s been a terrible two years seeing the division and the discord that exists. It is not healthy for the country… the people are crying out and saying nothing is getting done,” he stated.
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