Following the issue of a release from the Governor’s Office this afternoon stating that Mr. Choudhury would not be returning to his post as Governor here in the Cayman Islands but would be re-assigned to another diplomatic post in London, the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Ezzard Miller, has issued the following statement:

“It was disappointing to learn this afternoon (Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018) that Governor Anwar Choudhury will not be returning to the Cayman Islands.

“This is particularly disconcerting as Mr. Choudhury had won the hearts of the people of the Cayman Islands in the three months he was here, achieving a level of comfort and acceptance that the previous governor had not managed in five years.

“Because of the affinity he had struck with the people of the Cayman Islands and their concerns, I had held out hope that Mr. Choudhury would have been afforded the opportunity to continue to serve his term and make the changes that are so necessary to improving governance and to reducing corruption.

“We must also express our concern about the high-handed, autocratic tone of the release, which communicates a lack of respect for every fair-minded Caymanian.

“The FCO seems to have forgotten that we have advanced since the early 20th century when dictates from our colonial masters were accepted without question.

“In a modern, democratic approach, the FCO would have, for example, sought to communicate, however obliquely, a reason for Mr. Choudhury’s recall.

“Instead, the FCO disclosed that Mr. Choudhury would be continuing in a diplomatic post in London, from which, not incidentally, we can only infer that the “allegations” against the Governor could not have risen to any very serious level.

“I also take much umbrage at the plan to replace Mr. Franz Manderson as Acting Governor with a temporary Governor.

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IMAGE: Governor Anwar Choudhury -FILE