The Editor Speaks: Petitions
We now have two rival petitions circulating in our country both concerning our governor.
We published the former “Bring Back Choudhury‘ petition” that I supported but now we have a second one we have published today advocating our very own (and Deputy Governor) Franz Manderson for the top job of Governor.
That in itself is going to negate any hope the first one had of succeeding, and I doubted if the UK Government would have taken much notice of that.
This latest one has even less chance of succeeding and although the persons behind it, Good Governance, are well meaning they have probably killed any hope of Governor Anwar Choudhury.
Even if the inquiry goes in his favour, why would Choudhury want to come back here unless he was assured the large majority of the country wanted his return?
Especially with the opening paragraph in the Manderson for Governor petition saying, “WE, the People of the Cayman Islands, write to you express our desire for the appointment of The Honourable Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, Cert Hons, JP, MBE to be appointed as Governor of the Cayman Islands, preferring this appointment over the return of the currently appointed Governor, His Excellency Anwar Choudhury as the time and opportunity has come to have a child of the soil as Governor of the Cayman Islands.”
According to the petition writers they claim it is “no longer necessary” to have a British governor.
They certainly have no idea or understanding of the United Kingdom Government and how it operates. For a start the appointment comes from Her Majesty The Queen!
The UK requires someone who will ‘toe the line’ and can be recalled to London if he is not executing his duties to their liking. Can you imagine the uproar if Manderson was appointed and he did something not in accordance with their mandates and they sacked him.
The British Gun Boats would be in George Town Harbour to quell the uprising.
And God help the next Governor who came.
There is absolutely no way the British Government and The Queen would entertain that maybe scenario. It would be like a cooking pot waiting to boil over.
With our Premier Alden McLaughlin going to London soon to try and negotiate changes to the 2009 Cayman Islands Constitution., the last thing he wants is this firework demanding the appointment of a true born, man of our soil, Caymanian for Governor.
I hope this last petition is abandoned immediately.
If we don’t get Governor Choudhury back we won’t get anyone better that is a certainty.