In a Press Release sent out by Deputy Opposition Leader Alva Suckoo the Cayman Islands Opposition have put in place a Shadow Cabinet. This is the first time I can remember this happening.

Ezzard Miller (East End) will shadow Premier, Alden McLaughlin, and the deputy governor, Franz Manderson,

Alva Suckoo (Newlands) will shadow Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, the Minister of Education, Youth, Sports, Agriculture and Lands.

Arden McLean (East End) will shadow  Commerce and Planning Minister Joey Hew and Deputy Premier Moses Kirkconnell, who is minister for tourism and transport.

Chris Saunders (Bodden Town West) will shadow Public Finance Minister Roy McTaggart as well as Tara Rivers, the minister for financial services and home affairs.

Kenneth Bryan (George Town Central) will shadow part of the premier’s portfolio that covers community affairs and Dwayne Seymour’s ministry, which includes health, culture, housing and the environment.

Anthony Eden (Bodden Town) will not have an official role following any Cabinet members. He will offer his advice and experience across all ministries.

The Opposition Members said they will offer solutions to assist the government to help Caymanians concerned about how to pay their rent or have a challenge finding work. They will also help senior citizens who are forced to decide between buying groceries or medication, and civil servants concerned about further job loss, pay cuts or reductions in benefits.

They also want to speak for business owners, who are seeing increases in government regulations and costs while experiencing a reduction in the number of customers.

They want a different approach to how government manages the parliamentary meetings.

The press release said:

“In order to address the many issues facing Caymanians and Cayman, as a first step, we invite the government to change the frequency that our Legislative Assembly meets from the required minimum of four times per session between May to April to instead meet once per week for one day with a rolling agenda. This we believe would greatly enhance our democracy and allow the Legislative Assembly to deal with issues much more timely and effectively.”

They have also asked the public not to be silent but to begin a discussion on the proposal. They also invite volunteers who want to contribute to the governance of the Cayman Islands to contact them and get involved.

The release also said the opposition’s role until now has not been fully developed. For local democracy, modelled on the Westminster system, to be most effective, there needs to be an informed alternative to the majority government, it added.

IMAGE: Alva Suckoo MLA