The Editor Speaks: Do our sitting LA members really care?
With the television cameras, lights and recording apparatus allowing everyone in the Cayman Islands with a television set to view every second of the proceedings going on in the Legislative Assembly, and with a general election just around the corner, I wonder if any of the present sitting members really care.
I am not asking if they really care to be re-elected? I am sure all of them do for a number of reasons; but from what I have been witnessing over the past few days, not one of the reasons is that they care whether the actual business of the day gets done or not.
Folks. This is the number one reason they are elected.
If you think this is me making mischief let me quote verbatim from an article in CNS that was posted on Monday 25th March under the title “LA business drags on”:
“The MLAs actually got going by 10:30 Monday, an almost record breaking early start for this administration, which has been notorious for very late starts, long breaks and late night marathon sittings when it suited the government’s agenda.”
The supposed rush to get business done was not evident in any of the proceedings I witnessed.
The 10:00 am start has NEVER been adhered to. The one hour lunches have been two hours. Adjournments that remind me of a televised American pro football match. Order papers swapped around and around so no one actually knows what the right order is. The Hon. Speaker of the House, jumping up and down as if she was sitting on a live fire ant hill.
Controversial, but very important bills that effect all of us, and would show us exactly where the sitting members stand on these issues, are delayed and will probably not be voted on as the time has run out.
Long speeches that drone on and on, especially by George Town MLA, Ellio Solomon, that even drove the patience of the Speaker to complain, and contribute exactly nothing.
There is no support to sit late. The business they were elected for and the reason why they get paid can wait.
Their reasoning seems to be, “Let’s get re-elected for another four years. LA business soon come.”
Well I won’t be voting for them. Re-elected? Huh. Soon come? I don’t think so!
