With dark clouds overhead and rain beginning to fall one can only hope that this is not a bad omen for the Cayman Islands new government. However, Alden McLaughlin in his speech said rain was a blessing and therefor “we are all blessed”.

The proceedings took place both outside the Legislative Assembly (LA) and inside where the 18 elected members and two official members of the LA were sworn in by Governor Duncan Taylor.

Taylor must have been pleased when he eventually had to do almost the same job again inside the airconditioned building as he looked decidedly uncomfortable with the heat outside.

Also sworn in was former Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly as Speaker of the House and Deputy Speaker Bodden Town MLA Anthony Eden.

Roy McTaggart decided to sit on the Opposition Bench with the leader of the Opposition, McKeeva Bush who was duly recognised as the Father of the House owing to he being the longest uninterrupted sitting member of the legislature.

It is customary for the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, McTaggart’s post, to sit on the Opposition bench although Cayman’s new Premier, Alden McLaughlin, said there are exceptions to that custom indicating he would have preferred him to sit with the government.

McLaughlin’s cabinet is:

Alden McLaughlin – Premier, Minister for Home Affairs

Moses Kirkconnell – Dep. Premier, Minister for Tourism and District Administration

Marco Archer – Minister for Finance, Development & Planning

Wayne Panton – Minister for Financial Services

Osbourne Bodden – Minister for Education and Sports

Kurt Tibbetts – Minister for Health, Works, Culture and Community

Tara Rivers – Minister for Labour and Gender Affairs