Former Premier Sir Alden McLaughlin reflected on a “high stakes game of musical chairs” as the political merry-go-round continued on Thursday when he assumed the role of Speaker.
It came as Cayman Brac East MP Juliana O’Connor-Connolly piloted her first sitting of Parliament as premier Thursday morning as lawmakers gathered to elect the new Speaker and debate 10 bills.
McLaughlin, the islands’ only premier to serve two consecutive terms, was nominated for Speaker by Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart, which was seconded by O’Connor-Connolly.
He was elected unopposed.
In his inaugural speech as Speaker, McLaughlin advised the new government “it was time for a reset”.
“We will try again to give the country a mature and stable government,” he said, as he called on those in the O’Connor-Connolly administration to work together.
McLaughlin, speaking to the upheaval that marked the PACT administration, said he had seen an “unprecedented level of political turmoil”, with members changing sides and positions so many times that “an observer will be forgiven for believing that Parliament is engaged in a high stakes game of musical chairs”.
He said the music has stopped again, as the country now has a “new premier, new ministers… repackaged ministers, a rebranded government” and the third Speaker since the start of the new legislative term.
“My fervent prayer and, I believe, that of most of the people of this country, is that music will not be heard again until the next general elections, which are constitutionally due by May 2025,” he said.
Former Premier Wayne Panton, who resigned from his post last week, paving the way for O’Connor-Connolly’s premiership, was absent for the election of Speaker.
McLaughlin, in his address, used the opportunity to remind the voting public of the consequences of “trying a thing” when they elected an unprecedented number of independent MPs.
He said that there are still many in Cayman who believe that party politics is a bad thing, adding, “whether you call it a group, a team, a movement or a party”, governing effectively requires a set of people who agree on a broad set of principles and policies, and how to move forward with them.
Call for cohesiveness
He urged members of government to put behind them the events of the past two-and-a-half years, to “work assiduously and cohesively and achieve as many of the goals you have set before the next election cycle”.
McLaughlin’s election as Speaker is seen as a way to bring unity to the House since he is an Opposition member, not someone from the government benches.
He acknowledged this in his speech as he thanked the premier for her nomination and promised to maintain an unbiased approach in his role, continuing the independence of the Speaker.
“I wish to make something absolutely clear – the Speaker belongs to the Parliament. The Speaker’s allegiance is to the Parliament. The Speaker’s role requires him or her to be objective and unbiased in presiding in Parliament. I commend the premier having the confidence and courage to ask me, a founding member of the Progressives, a former leader and the current chairman of that political party, to sit as Speaker,” he said.
He added he was certain that the premier has done so because she knows that he is “deeply conscious of the importance of preserving the independence and respectability” of the office he now holds.
McLaughlin, who has been a legislator for the last 23 years, symbolically donned the Speaker’s robe after taking his oath of office, which was administered by Governor Jane Owen.
In congratulating McLaughlin on his new role, the governor reminded him that as he assumed the Speaker’s robes, that responsibility is “the representation of the highest form of democracy we have here in our beloved Cayman Islands”.
She said, “I wish you Godspeed and wisdom over the coming weeks and months as you carry out this really important role for us all.”
Across the aisle
McLaughlin, in explaining his decision to accept the role, said he did it for the same reason when he entered politics more than 23 years ago “for love of country”.
“My first loyalty has always been and always will be for my country and my beloved people,” he said, as he assured the UPM government that he will do all he could to facilitate their legislative programme and help them conduct the important business of the country in Parliament.
However, as he spoke to his constituents and party members, McLaughlin said he is not leaving the Progressives.
O’Connor-Connolly had called the special meeting of the House, the second in just over a week, to fill the Speaker’s chair and pass key amendments, including changes to the pension law to allow for increased withdrawals for such things as deposits on mortgages.
The first special meeting was triggered by the Opposition to debate a no-confidence motion in then Premier Panton and his administration after West Bay West MP McKeeva Bush left the government backbench. That move put the House in a 9-9 deadlock.
The Speaker’s Chair was left vacant following the resignation of West Bay Central MP Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, who stepped down to accept a ministerial role in the UPM government.
Initially, the government offered the Speaker’s role to Panton after he resigned following a no-confidence vote last week, which he narrowly survived.
However, on 21 Nov., Panton announced his decision to decline the role, saying that it “is in the best interest of the people of my community of Newlands, my country and my family”.
Panton said he would be focusing on his MP duties, adding, “wherever I sit, I will be supporting the Government where it is in the best interests of our people and our country.”
Thursday’s meeting was also the first for André Ebanks as the new deputy premier.
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