Former Premier Wayne Panton has declined the Speaker of the House post, saying that it “is in the best interest of the people of my community of Newlands, my country and my family”.
Panton, who resigned as premier last week after a scathing no confidence motion in the Parliament, issued a three-page statement Tuesday morning outlining his decision and his plans.
“My willingness to resign my position as Premier was a clear demonstration of the love I have for my country and my willingness to always put it first. The decision to decline the position of Speaker is made in the same spirit,” he said.
He thanked his family for being by his side, saying, “it has been challenging for them; this decision is best for them as well”.
Asked by the Cayman Compass if he will be a government backbencher, Panton said, “Wherever I sit I will be supporting the Government where it is in the best interests of our people and our country.”
Panton was offered the Speaker’s role by the newly formed United People’s Movement administration, led by his former Deputy Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly.
The Cayman Compass has reached out to O’Connor-Connolly for comment on Panton’s decision and is awaiting a response.
O’Connor-Connolly, speaking on government radio Monday, said should Panton not accept the Speaker’s role she had a ‘Plan B’.
She did not expand on who else was being considered to take on the Speaker’s job, but said, “I think the country will be happy with either plan A [Panton] or plan B.”
Decision taken after ‘serious consideration’
The vacancy in the Speaker’s chair was created when Katherine Ebanks-Wilks resigned from the post to accept the role of minister of sustainability and climate resilience, a portfolio Panton held in addition to his minister of finance post.
Panton, in his statement said, “after serious consideration” he decided to decline the offer.
“The Speaker Of Parliament is an important and prestigious position. It is also a position that requires the holder to remain neutral. At this time, it is clear that where I can best be of service to the people of Newlands and to our three islands is from my MP position,” he said.
He said being a member of Cabinet and heading a ministry “certainly has its place and comes with a great degree of responsibility and privileges” which he was humbled to have been able to serve as a minister.
However, he added, “we must always remember the people that elected us and the importance of ensuring they have full representation in Parliament”.
Environment high on MP’s agenda
Panton, in his first official statement since announcing his resignation, did not state implicitly if he was part of the UPM backbench.
However, he said, as MP he plans to advocate for and will be promoting the faster adoption of renewable energy and making it accessible to everyone in the Cayman Islands.
“This is crucial to lowering and stabilising our energy costs,” he said.
He said he will be continuing to find ways to help those struggling with the high cost of living as well as “championing the need for urgent attention to the severe risks to our economy and quality of life identified in the Climate Change Risk Assessment.”
Panton, who got elected on an pro-environment platform, vowed to continue supporting a more sustainable Cayman Islands with managed growth and balanced development “where our quality of life is protected and not eroded in the name of progress”.
He said he is now in a position to direct more of his attention to the Newlands community and is looking forward to continuing and jumpstarting several projects.
Among the initiatives he is working towards, he said, is expanding the community programming for seniors that has been led by MP Heather Bodden, and enhancing existing and creating new youth-enrichment programmes including leadership, public speaking, community service and life skills.
He also said he will be “continuing my mission to create spaces for children and families”.
“I am in the midst of improving three existing parks with new playground equipment and basketball facilities, as well as creating a new park at Newlands Dock,” he added.
Panton said he will also be working on delivering a community transport service to help seniors and children get around more easily.
“I love my country and I love my community. There is a saying: “Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can.” This is exactly what I intend to do for the rest of my days,” he said.
Record as premier
The former premier also used the opportunity to highlight some of his accomplishments as premier of the PACT administration saying that “as a government we created more accountability and transparency”.
He pointed to the publication of the Ministerial Code of Conduct, the Cabinet Manual, and the Parliamentary Code of Conduct as evidence of that work.
“We were the first government to publish a weekly summary of Cabinet decisions for the public to know what the executive branch was doing,” he added.
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