Petition to ‘Bring Back Choudhury’

The Rt. Hon Lord Ahmad,
The Minister of State
Foreign and Commonwealth and United Nations Office
London, U.K.

Dear Sir,
This petition is in relation to the recall of Mr. Anwar Choudhury the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) British appointed Governor to the Cayman Islands.

1. Whereas,  the FCO appointed  Mr. Anwar Choudhury Governor to the Cayman Islands who assumed office on 26th March 2018; and,
2. Whereas, upon his being sworn into office he expressed his interest in the security of the Cayman Islands and reduction in crime; and,
3. Whereas, within days he visited all  three islands comprising the Cayman Islands and continued familiarization visits to all districts; and,
4. Whereas, Mr. Choudhury visited multiple sectors of the islands society; and,
5. Whereas, at an early stage he stated various objectives and priorities evolved from these visits within the community; and,
6. Whereas,  he faced potentially prejudicial statements made in local print and electronic media regarding Cayman having its first Muslim Governor insinuating his management could be influenced by his religion; and,
7. Whereas,  he openly and transparently called on the Civil Service to deliver timely service and cut unnecessary red tape, setting timelines for reports and implementation where such has been the constant plea of the general public; and,
8. Whereas, Mr. Choudhury has been the first Governor by attitude and action to show equal respect and regard for all sectors and individuals in Cayman and not limited to a small elite and self-important few who wish to be given special treatment, including invitations to Government House; and,
9. Whereas, Mr. Choudhury openly spoke of looking into the Civil Service overall performance , possible conflicts of interest and value for money; and,
10. Whereas, his interest in finding solutions to rising crime in the island has seen greater presence of policing and enforcement action; and,
11. Whereas, there has been an increased public trust and belief that finally there was a governor who would listen and was not afraid to right the many wrongs in governance and administration, of complacency, ignoring complaints, lack of following practice and procedure, favoritism and overall malpractice to name a few; and,
12. Whereas, any  murmurs heard in the island against him were from those quarters that were displeased he was disrupting the complacent order of things; and,
13. Whereas, it came as a shock to the public to hear that the Governor Mr. Anwar Choudhury had been recalled by the FCO to investigate complaints made against him; and,
14. Whereas, to date the present situation is causing speculation, numerous rumors and uncertainty in the business community and doubts from investors and population at large; and,
15. Whereas, the feeling among the general public is that the one public figure who by his actions has shown he takes positive interest on the public’s behalf for true good governance has suddenly been taken away

In view of the foregoing considerations, We, the undersigned Electors of the Cayman Islands request: That if no criminal actions are found to have been committed by Mr. Anwar Choudhury that would warrant action as serious as his removal from office, but only consists of personal complaints by disgruntled individuals in whatever capacity, or displeased persons due to change in the order of things, that Mr. Anwar Choudhury be returned and reinstated as Governor of the Cayman Islands as soon as possible.