As the leadership of the Cayman Islands hangs in the balance with the sudden exit Deputy Prime Minister André Ebanks, Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Minister of Health Sabrina Turner and Parliamentary Secretary Heather Bodden, the Cayman Compass looks back at the events that led to this point.

April 2021

Wayne Panton engaged in a fierce battle to form and maintain his PACT government, in the hours following the elections of April 14, 2021. After a long night of negotiations with independents who had won seats, Panton announced that he had the support of 10 members, sufficient to form a government.

However, in fighting back, the progressives, late on the night of April 15, issued a letter to the media showing 10 signatures from members willing to form a government – ​​including Sabrina Turner and Isaac Rankine, who were initially part of the PACT group.

Then, the next day, at a public meeting in her district, Turner said she is staying with PACT after all. Rankine also returned to PACT, and Juliana O’Connor-Connolly left the Progressives, further strengthening Panton’s majority in the House.

In a strategic but risky move, PACT also welcomed into its ranks McKeeva Bush, who returned as Speaker of the House in the new government. The move was controversial because progressives had called for early elections after the previous opposition said it planned to hold a vote of no confidence in Bush following his term in office. conviction for common assault on a bar manager.

November 2021

Panton’s government saw its numbers increase on 30 November 2021, when Bodden Town East MP Dwayne Seymour walked down the aisle and joined PACT, bringing it to 13 members.

April 2022

Panton dismissed West Bay North MP Bernie Bush on his role as Secretary of the Interiorand placed him on two weeks of unpaid leave after it was determined that comments he made about the Cayman Islands Fire Service violated the Constitution and the Ministerial Code of Conduct. Bush, however, remained a member of the Cabinet, retaining his position as Minister of Sports, Youth, Heritage and Culture. Turner took over as Home Secretary.

October 2022

McKeeva Bush’s continued presence as president has rocked the House, with the opposition boycotting a parliamentary session on October 7 after its members were denied a request for a vote of no confidence against her. Bush had announced that he would step down as president, but not before November 30. Unusually, the House, in the absence of the six progressive members, instead debated a “motion of confidence” in government, which was deposed by Seymour. A few days later, on October 12, Bush, in a speech to Parliament, announced that he would withdrawwith immediate effect. West Bay Central MP Ebanks-Wilks was chosen to replace him.

March 2023

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chris Saunders left the PACT government on March 21, 2023. While Saunders said he resigned, Panton said he was asked to leave. Saunders cited differences with the prime minister to justify his departure. A cabinet reshuffle placed Education Minister O’Connor-Connolly as Deputy Prime Minister, and Panton took over Saunders’ role at the Ministry of Finance. This reduced PACT’s majority to 12. Seymour was elevated to Cabinet rank, responsible for the Department of Border Control and Labor.

September 2023

The stability of the government suffered another blow on September 22, when Seymour tendered his resignation in a speech to Parliament, citing “disorganization” and “lackluster leadership” within the PACT administration. Seymour’s departure left PACT with 11 members, including 10 voting members and House Speaker Ebanks-Wilks, who could only vote when the Legislature was deadlocked.

November 2023

McKeeva Bush resigned from PACT governmentleaving the House deadlocked 9-9, with Ebanks-Wilks holding the deciding vote. Bush’s resignation prompted the progressive-led opposition to introduce a vote of censure in the Panton government.

On 14 November, MPs voted 8-7 in favor of the motion, with two government ministers – André Ebanks and O’Connor-Connolly – and Saunders, from the opposition, choosing to abstain.

Panton later resigned as prime ministerpaving the way for O’Connor-Connollythen deputy prime minister, to become the new leader of the new United People’s Movement coalition.

Former Prime Minister Sir Alden McLaughlin was later elected unopposed as President of the House.

In his inaugural address as president, McLaughlin advised the new government “it was time for a reset.”

June 2024

Reports of continuing unrest within the Cabinet Reports of possible changes to the national conservation law have surfaced, although the government has remained completely silent on the proposed amendments.

The Cabinet, according to several sources, was deeply divided over proposed changes to the law, which protects environmentally significant land and species.

Although some Cabinet members supported significant changes, a number of ministers favored a more conservative approach.

There was talk of multiple resignations or a cabinet reshuffle if the changes were to go ahead, but no such action materialized as further reviews of the changes were eventually agreed.

Controversial revisions proposed at the time included removing the National Conservation Council’s ability to delegate powers to the director of the Ministry of the Environment.

October 2024

McKeeva Bush, government backbencher launched a new political group, Organization for a Better Caymanwhich aimed to present a list of candidates for the next general elections.

The 40-year political veteran, who remains a parliamentary secretary in the UPM administration, called the current coalition a “mess” and said: “I don’t believe independents can run this country.”

In launching his re-election campaign, Bush took aim at his colleague Turner over the Poinciana psychiatric facility, which had suffered numerous delays.

He also confirmed rumors that infighting within the Cabinet would continue.

Border Control Minister Seymour spoke to government radio defend the administrationsaying the Cabinet remained united as he dismissed allegations of infighting within the United People’s Movement government as political misdeeds.

“The UPM government, like any family, people have their… quarrels, but we are there in caucus; we laugh and we agree and we disagree, and we agree to disagree, and we continue to move the business of the country forward,” Seymour said in an interview with Radio Cayman.

O’Connor Connolly, two days after this interview, calling Cayman to free yourself from “economic handcuffs” imposed by the United Kingdom and have more control over its own finances.

She said more spending decisions should be made at a local level rather than politicians having to go “to the UK”.

Ministers Ebanks, Ebanks-Wilks and Turner, as well as Bodden, presented their resignation with immediate effect on October 31.