(CMR) A farewell photo taken by the Compass and shared on HE The Governor's social media pages has gained a fair amount of criticism by some. Included in the photo is a framed map of Grand Cayman created with words and phrases being presented to Matthew Forbes by Governor Martyn Roper.
The photo captured a farewell moment for Matthew Forbes, the outgoing head of the governor's office and subsequent photos welcoming Forbes' replacement, Christine Rowland. However, the words in the word art piece caught the attention of some critics claiming that terms like “The Plantation” and “It's all going to sh*t” were inappropriate and even offensive.
Some took to their own social media pages demanding an explanation and tagging local politicians in the post. Other critics took to WhatsApp conversations claiming that the phrase actually reads, “The Plantation, it's all going to sh*t” and that The Plantation is now up for sale because of his pending departure.
Apparently, The Plantation refers to the residence in South Sound where Forbes resided during his tenure in the Cayman Islands. Ironically there's another property called The Plantation 14 which is now up for sale for CI$998,000. However, CMR sources have confirmed this is not the residence that Forbes lived in as a rental unit for the past 22 months.
Others commented on the governor's Twitter post inquiring as to the offensive nature of the same phrase, sharing that it was “very offensive”. Cayman Linda also thought it was name-calling the people of these islands when we have important issues that need to be addressed. However, the governor explained that it was referring to an amusing boat incident and that he was in agreement the country had more important things to focus on. However, his explanation that it was an inside joke did not satisfy Linda as she responded it was still insulting and she was:
“Disappointed you don't acknowledge how this is very insulting to the general public who are not privy to inside team jokes.”
Another commentator,Marva Reid, took to her social media page tagging local politicians stating that she was “DEMANDING” an explanation from the governor. The same phrase appeared to have caused her great concern as she noted that:
“I find it very insulting and I demand to know the meaning behind those words. Shame on the one that created the picture without questioning this sentence and shame on the Governor and politicians for allowing it to be printed. There is no reasonable explanation for this sentence”.
The governor has enjoyed a high public rating since his arrival on the island and in particular during the COVID-19 crisis. However, since his announcement that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office would be mandating the Domestic Partnership Bill (DPB) into law and amending additional legislation he has come under extreme criticism from some including members of the Opposition. Someone went as far as defacing his image that was used on the front page of the Cayman Compass making the announcement in relation to the DPB.
HE The Governor will be making some media rounds shortly in an attempt to directly address the concerns of the people. It is unknown if he will be addressing this particular matter.
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