In light of revelations that McKeeva Bush is at the centre of 3 police investigations, should he step down as premier?
Posted on Sat, 04/21/2012 - 17:36
Yes
85% (973 votes)
No
15% (172 votes)
Total votes: 1145
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I see caycompass finally
I see caycompass finally decided to have a poll on whether the Premier should resign but split it three ways whether he should resign both as Premier and MLA or just as Premier no doubt to make it appear that those who wish for him to remain are the largest segment.
As of 7:28PM Sat 5 May, on
As of 7:28PM Sat 5 May, on the Compass poll there a totalof 444 votes for McKeeva Bush to resign from the Premier post and MLA or to step aside from being the Premier. That trounces 372 voting for him to remain in post.
...and UDP headquarters are
...and UDP headquarters are using every computer at their disposal to try to get the majority in support of him remaining.
who will cast the 1000th vote?
Step right up please..
To: on Wed, 04/25/2012 -
To: on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 02:36. Child Molestation is the wrong anology my friend. When a child is molested there is evidence. With Mac there is no evidence that is why he cannot be charged.
The fax is very strong
The fax is very strong evidence. Unfortunately, Stan Thomas will probably get 20+ years in the pokey if he admits to paying bribes to a foreign politician.
Does that clarify why he hasn't been charged?
Actually his approach I
Actually his approach I believe is that he was unaware of what the money was for. I believe he took his "friend" to court for just that reason. I could be wrong but the fax document was a major piece of evidence in the case.
What does baffle me though is how his friend got the initial funds from him. Did he present something to him or did he take his friend on his word.
However, the fax does not
However, the fax does not prove that he used the transaction for political gain - that is the question, because many politicians have their own businesses, does it mean because transactions are done, these politicians should be charged for corruption?? So... "political gain" is the key, and so far they have no evidence it seems to pin it on him.
Um, no dear. Better go back
Um, no dear. Better go back to your law books. If he made any gain, political or personal, he up shit creek without a paddle, and I sincerely hope that turns out to be the case coz there's nothing more damaging to Cayman and its people than McKeeva - fuh real.
Either you are a complete
Either you are a complete moron or you are deliberately trying to confuse the issue. The issue has nothing to do with politicians having their own businesses. It has to do with whether the $350,000 demanded in the letter was a bribe or extortion for "ensuring" Cabinet approval of rezoning - a PUBLIC function - since that is the only service that the letter mentions. The letter also alludes to a previous payment.
Obviously a politician may have their own business so long as they do not abuse their public office for private gain. And the issue here is financial gain, not political gain. The Hurleys' complaint may possibly involve abuse of office for political gain or benefit.
What is wrong with you people - don't you know right from wrong?
It is clear that neither the
It is clear that neither the Governor nor the Opposition can force the Premier to step down.
Therefore the only folks keeping him there are:
Julianna O'Connor-Connolly
Rolston Anglin
Mark Scotland
Mike Adam
Ellio Solomon
Dwayne Seymour
Cline Glidden
Eugene Ebanks
These are the people who stand with him through thick and thin, who must be just like him, who will go down in the ship with him and who put themselves first instead of putting the people of these islands.
Next elections, if the Premier is still there, please remember who kept him in a job, contrary to popular Caymanian opinion.
This is the list of who NOT TO VOTE FOR.
Even the Hon Mary Lawrence,
Even the Hon Mary Lawrence, who might have compelled the Premier to stand aside for the good of the nation (even if only temporarily), has remained silent it seems.
She is also the mother of
She is also the mother of Cayman's Ambassador to Florida, or maybe it's just Tampa.
What do you know about this
What do you know about this Honourable Lady's past and modus operandi?
Why would Mrs Lawrence do
Why would Mrs Lawrence do anything contrary to Mr Bush's wishes? He appointed her to the first real job she's had in 40 years and one that carries a huge salary plus pension benefits.
She is a useless patsy who
She is a useless patsy who has constantly caved into Mac's pressure.
So true. Birds of a feather
So true. Birds of a feather FLOCK TOGETHER ! Cayman remember that at the next election.
My friends we must put aside
My friends we must put aside partisanship and be real about these issues. Just as a person suspected of child molestation should be removed from working with children pending the outcome of any investigation, so should a finance minister who is under criminal investigation for financial misdealings.
PREMIER IS INNOCENT "PLEASE STOP THIS POLITICAL STUNT"
UPD has done a great job and it is evident. Uprooted economy has being replanted getting this country ahead and now the time is nearing have new elections: Get over it. Penny wise pound foolish. Keep up the good work Mac.
Has someone let Ellio and
Has someone let Ellio and John John on the internet again?
Muppet
You muppet anonymous, open your eyes and get real. What economy, exactly where do you think this country is going 'ahead'?
I expect you also believe that the UK Civil Service in the FCO is out to get the Cayman Islands? If that was the case they'd just take it, stop the subsidies and put a real leader in place, get over it.
what economy has been
what economy has been "replanted"??...surely you mean "Buried"!!!
I voted 'No', even though I
I voted 'No', even though I am definitely no fan of Mr. Bush nor his self-serving, hair-brain, ill thought out, uneducated, economic suicide, foo-foo (i could go on with 500 more adjectives) policies.
I am, however, a fan of free thought, speech and the democratic process.
By the same standards that the PPM seek to impugn big Mac, Arden should have resigned... even though Arden did no wrong.
It would be too easy for political rivals to make false allegations to force an adversary out of office if that was all that was required to oust them. If every person subject to investigation, baseless or not, was forced to resign than to whom would we give power?
Doing what is fair is more important than anything else, even if it hurts, and makes us gag. We are not North Korea (I hope). And knowing and proving are two very different things.
"By the same standards that
"By the same standards that the PPM seek to impugn big Mac, Arden should have resigned... even though Arden did no wrong. It would be too easy for political rivals to make false allegations to force an adversary out of office if that was all that was required to oust them".
Nonsense. I am glad that you understand your second statement since this clearly applies to McKeeva's allegation against Arden. Everyone knows that this was just a political ploy by Mac. If he had really thought that Arden was involved in corruption based on not paying his bill for a year would he have waited for 4 years to report it? But this has nothing to do with the investigations against the Premier which were not initiated by the Opposition and are very serious. The first one came from a Grand Court judge having found the letter in a court bundle.
The investigations against McKeeva were not based on mere allegations but on evidence, but evidence which I accept is not conclusive as to his guilt. A letter purporting to come from McKeeva to a real estate developer demanding $350,000 and mentioning only that he has ensured rezoning approval needs an excellent explanation to show that it does not involve corruption. So far we have not heard one. We have also seen witness statements which appear damaging to Mac.
Arden is simply an Opposition MLA. He is not the Premier of the country. He is not in a position to thwart the investigation through intimidation etc. He is not making decisions on behalf of the government which may be tainted. He is not representing Cayman abroad.
Arden was very open about the matter and offered his assistance to the police. He didn't stonewall and offer no explanation. It was all over in one month and did not drag on for years.
There are now thee investigations against Mac.
That's a great sentiment, but
That's a great sentiment, but it only holds if there is a fair and transparent investigation process that we could count on to prove or disprove the allegations. "Innocent until proven guilty" is of no use unles "proven guilty" is a real things that either happens, or doesn't happen thereby exonerating the accused and showing the accusers for what they are. It's a vital organ in a functioning democracy and here in the Cayman Islands it doesn't exist. Where swiftness and transparency are urgently required the police give us a two year investigation without conclusions and then cite some tired line about not commenting on ongoing investigations that they probably heard on TV when they should have been studying the rule of law and public interest. The politicians here know that they can line their own pockets and then obfuscate, manipulate and mislead their way out of trouble because all they will face are rumours, and because the people whose job it is to find out the facts couldn't find water from a boat. In that setting, the right thing to do when you're under investigation is to step aside and pledge that you will return after you've help the police to clear your name.
The US dosn't care about
The US dosn't care about Cayman Islands, and our Premier under investigation, or not. They are still busy trying to determine if Obama is American.
I would be in a better
I would be in a better position to vote if somebody could explain more about the three investigations.. One could possibly be a bill for real estate services or a bill for what you might call a bribe. Would anyone be foolish enough document the latter? What are the others about.?
Documenting might be
Documenting might be necessary at the US end where there tends to be more need to keep auditors happy.
One has been characterised by
One has been characterised by the Premier as a real estate bill. I'll leave you to judge whether that is credible in light of the fact that it does not name the property in question, does not state any real estate services rendered only that he has ensured rezoning approval, does not state the deposit paid although it is apparent from the letter that there had been a prior payment, does not resemble other real estate bills, and the witness statements we have seen say that neither the Premier nor his companies were involved in the sale of the land.
There is another possibility other than real estate bill and bribery: extortion.
If you believe that the letter is private and you write vaguely hoping that the letter is open to interpretation and if you are arrogant then you just might write and send the letter.
Not sure about the second.
The third involves the illegal importation of dynamite where apparently the Premier is peripherally involved but not as the importer.
you lots are jumping the gun.
you lots are jumping the gun. there is no proof of premier wrongdoing until police and court find him guilty.
he should resign due to
he should resign due to general incompetence over the last 3 years....
Because this is the 3 Ring
Because this is the 3 Ring Cayman Islands where nothing is as it appears
BUSH RESIGNATION
It will be interesting to see how the foreign Press, and particularly our chums to the North, handle this issue.
BUSH RESIGNATION
We have a saying here in the "North": "The only thing YOU have to fear is SOMEONE finding out what you have done."
It is beginning to look like "someone" is doing just that and these public revelations are beginning to look like the fiasco in the Turks and Caicos. Deja Vu anyone?
US media doesn't care.
US media doesn't care. Doesn't know where Cayman is exactly. Might report it if premier arrested unless Chavez does something that day too.
The Chicago Tribune and
The Chicago Tribune and Reuters say you are wrong. They do care.
I say we draw the line at
I say we draw the line at seven investigations.
Good number - I like 7. If he
Good number - I like 7. If he comes under investigation the 7th time he HAS to go. If no 7, he stays!
God bless the Premier. You still got my support Bobo.
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