Tara Rivers first impression on winning a seat in the Legislative Assembly in Cayman’s Election and breaking the West Bay Bush cartel was one of delight and a lot of people were singing.

Unfortunately in a matter of a few days Rivers didn’t go singing along with any of the people who actually voted for her and whom she represents – she strung them along and acted like someone who was strung up herself – tied to a Coalition for Cayman (C4C) that I have never believed for one moment was actually independent.

Rivers received a massive mandate from her constituents in West Bay on Monday night whom overwhelmingly advised her to accept Alden McLaughlin, the Progressives’ (PPM) leader and next premier’s offer of a Cabinet seat with NO strings. She was offered the Cabinet seat without having to join the PPM and had been given the option to choose from a range of portfolios. Since then she has been pushing for both her C4C colleagues to be given Cabinet posts and then reluctantly pushed for just one – a seat for Roy McTaggart who stupidly said right up to election day he would not join a McLaughlin led government.

The C4C even had the temerity to send out an email just before the election saying their so called ‘independent’ candidates would only embrace the PPM candidates who they said were unhappy with their leader. What a nerve! And believe me that cost them TWO votes that I know about!!

Rivers, McTaggart and Winston Connolly, along with North Side MLA Ezzard Miller, had even signed an agreement to work together to prevent McLaughlin getting the majority he needed. Arden McLean was also present but he has denied saying he would not work with McLaughlin despite leaving the party he was once a minister of.

In view of this McLaughlin has been very generous and gracious in his offer of even one seat to the C4C and even asked all of the elected members, excluding McKeeva Bush and his other two United Democratic Party elected members, to sit on the government bench and work alongside with him. There was much to be done and many committees he would like them to join, he said.

He extended his deadline to Rivers from Monday until Tuesday morning at 8am and Rivers accepted but we understand, with undisclosed strings.

Once again McLaughlin delayed his announcement of his Cabinet to accommodate her.

On Tuesday she finally cut those strings and sang out loud and clear she had accepted a post in the new government. She announced she will take the job of Labour Minister that includes the new National Workforce Development Agency plus youth and gender affairs.

So, why did she behave so contrary? Is it because she had signed some form of binding agreement with the C4C to obey some mandate? The C4C have hardly been behaving as a committee they repeatedly described themselves.

For Rivers to say at her West Bay meeting she was “disappointed” that McLaughlin had publicly announced his offer to her before she had decided, as it put her in a “difficult position” adds more weight to my theory the C4C is NOT an independent group they have claimed. They managed to convince some of the electorate but not me!

McTaggart said he was aware “that Tara has been offered a cabinet position by Mr McLaughlin. To the best of my knowledge, she is considering the offer and will make her own decision whether to accept or decline the offer. She is under no obligation to seek the advice/counsel of the C4C.”

I quite frankly do not believe him. Read what Connolly said in his short statement:

“It is my duty to the people of the Cayman Islands to work in a strong PPM-led coalition government which puts independents in roles that are meaningful and allows the views of the people to be properly expressed and duly considered.”

Note the word ‘coalition’.

Well one thing can be said for Rivers is that she tried very hard to get a deal for her comrades. And she might have achieved something for them. Some junior positions? Chairmanship of some BIG committees?

Let us hope so. I much prefer singing that being strung along.