Up Front
Capt. Mabry to step down;former Speaker Sybil McLaughlin takes up the mantle
Switch of Speakers
(left) Capt. the Hon. Mabry Kirkconnell, OBE, MBE, JP,(right) Mrs. Sybil McLaughlin, MBE, JP
Former Speaker of the LegislativeAssembly and National Heroine, Mrs. Sybil McLaughlin is soon toreturn to preside over the business of the House, replacing interimSpeaker, Capt. the Hon. Mabry Kirkconnell, Cayman Net News haslearnt.
It is understood that this change couldtake place after the current budget exercise and will be in effectby the beginning of May.
Capt. Mabry, who served in the previous administration as Speakerof the House, was recalled as interim Speaker, following the 8thNovember Elections last year, though he retired from public office.
'Miss Sybil', the long-serving Clerk of the Legislative Assemblyfrom 1959 to her retirement in 1984, was named as Speaker of theHouse following a motion passed in 1990 and was appointed in January,1991. She served until November 1996.
Father of the House and Deputy Leader of Government Business,the Hon. McKeeva Bush, confirmed to Cayman Net News that the changeof speakers was imminent.
"The decision to ask 'Miss Sybil' to consider coming backto the House as Speaker was based on who better to ask,"Mr. Bush said.
He cited "her experience in parliamentary procedures andas Clerk of the House for many years and the facts that she hasalready served as Speaker, and that Capt. Mabry did indicate thathe had come to this new Government as interim Speaker," asbases for the decision.
"It is likely that he (Capt. Mabry) will serve through thebudget session, and that 'Miss Sybil' will take up the post inMay," said Mr. Bush, who is also Vice-Chairman of the CommonwealthParliamentary Association (CPA) Committee.
Confirming knowledge of the impending change, the 69-year-oldCapt. Mabry, who was recognised with the award of Order of theBritish Empire in the 2001 Queen's New Year's Honours List, notedthat when he agreed to return on as Speaker for the present Government,"it was done with the understanding that I will not serveanother whole four years, because I am not in the best of healthand I feel as though I am getting on in years. "
He, however, said he could not confirm when the change would takeeffect.
"I will work with whomever the Government of the day appointsto be Speaker," said Capt. Mabry. He added that he "certainlywould be working very closely with 'Miss Sybil', whom I have thegreatest admiration for, to help her resettle back in the jobshe knows so well."
Responding to questions about her forthcoming appointment, 'MissSybil' said: "I feel honoured, that in spite of the gap,I'm considered suitable."
Capt. Mabry, a pillar of the Cayman Brac community, whose "longand distinguished career to the public sector," earned himthe Order of the British Empire, was born in Tampa, Florida, toCayman Brac parents Capt. Moses and Mrs. Alvernie Kirkconnell.
He served as the elected representative for Cayman Brac and LittleCayman for five consecutive terms.
"I've always believed in the motto, 'country before self,'"Capt. Mabry said recently. "I'm also forever grateful tofriends and family and the people of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman,who elected me five consecutive times. That's a long time to stickwith one person."
At the time of his award on the Queen's Honour List, a GovernmentInformation Service (GIS) release referred to Capt. Mabry's visionof "fostering respect for the Legislative Assembly, and improvingthe facilities."
"I don't think enough respect is shown to the LA and thestaff who work there, from the justices in the vestry straightdown," he was quoted as saying. "It's easy to criticisewhen you don't have the responsibility.
"We all owe a great debt to all the former Governors whoserved the country as well as the politicians. Everybody madecontributions, and we are still in the process of building; ifwe don't have a sturdy foundation we can't put on the roof,"Capt. Mabry said.
He also identified a "crying need" for additional space."I had hoped that by now we would have achieved that, eitherby renting or building on to the LA. That is my biggest disappointmentas Speaker of the House - we didn't accomplish that," Capt.Mabry said, at the time.
'Miss Sybil's' appointment in 1991 began a new era when the title,'Speaker of the House' replaced the former designation of thepost-holder as 'President', which was held by Commissioners andlater, sitting Governors, appointed by the Queen.
Later this month, 'Miss Sybil' will present two papers at a seminarof the Cayman Islands branch of the Commonwealth ParliamentaryAssociation to be held at the Legislative Assembly Building on19th-21st February.
The forum will examine 'Parliamentary Practice and Procedure'and 'Miss Sybil' will make presentations on the topics, 'The Relevanceof Our Standing Orders on Form and Contents of Speeches to Today'sNeeds' and 'Committees in Small Parliaments'.