Election ‘not fair’, Bush claims
McKeeva Bush announces his private member’s motion at the Legislative Assembly, 14 April 2015
(CNS): The opposition leader has suggested that there are serious question marks over the outcome of the 2013 election. McKeeva Bush has implied that the “powers that be” may have undermined the integrity of the democratic process in their efforts to ensure that not only did he lose the leadership contest but that he also lost his hold in West Bay. Falling short of calling for early elections, Bush said it was still something for government to consider, as he queried why any true democrats would support a result when the process was flawed.
Bush has filed a motion in the Legislative Assembly calling for an independent public enquiry and accountability for what happened to him following the allegations over the misuse of his government credit card, which he used, along with his own personal cards, to draw cash in US casinos where he was gambling on slot machines during both business and personal overseas trips.
Bush spoke about the well documented investigations, arrest, charges and ultimately a trial, in which he was acquitted, and the impact on his family and his political fortunes.
He said he wanted to trigger a debate that will allow him to reveal what he described as “the irrefutable evidence” that a democratically elected government of the people was brought down via the misuse of state powers, the judiciary and the law. The opposition leader said the debate would reveal the depth of the conspiracy against him during the 2013 campaign and the role played, not just by the governor’s office, the FCO and law enforcement agencies, but the current premier and other unnamed people.
Bush is calling for government to establish an independent enquiry about his removal from office and the impact the false criminal allegations had on the outcome of the election and the democratic process.
Speaking at a press briefing in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday morning, as he revealed plans to table the motion, Bush raised the issue of the fairness of the election against the backdrop of the charges against him and the conspiracy to bring him down.
“I don’t believe it was a fair election,” he said. Bush claimed that the governor at the time, Duncan Taylor, was far too involved in the process, that he was “a more than prominent presence” in the election and made it clear Bush should not be re-elected. The leader of the opposition claimed the governor had told his former UDP colleagues who supported the no confidence vote in the wake of his arrest and booted him from office that they “must get rid of McKeeva Bush”. But while the UDP lost one seat in West Bay, they did not succeed in completely removing him, as he said the people “could see and were not blind”.
He questioned the role of election observers who came to Cayman for the first time in 2013 and implied that this was an attempt to give credibility to the result, when it was him they had come to watch, he claimed. “There was something not right … I don’t believe the last election was above-board. They brought people in to give credence … but they were told to watch me.”
Bush described a systematic attempt by the governor’s office and the UK authorities to remove him, starting with a smear campaign against him and then onto the trumped-up charges in time for the election campaign.
“They were trying to make me out to be the worst person in this world,” he said. “Too many things have gone on that are not right and I can’t just sit back and allow them to do this.”
Bush has filed the motion in the LA but it will be up to the speaker and then the government to decide if and when the motion will be tabled and debated, or if it even can be tabled, given the allegations made by the opposition leader.
Bush was not entirely clear on what his next step will be if the government will not entertain his private member’s motion but he confirmed that he was still pursuing legal action. He made it clear that he would not be giving up the fight to expose what he believes was the interference by the UK authorities to circumvent the democratic process and bend the rule of law in order to end his political career.
Here we go again! It took him 2 years to come to the conclusion that the election wasn’t fair? Heaven help us! I always thought he was “slow” but yikes!!!
This man needs to grow up, act his age (I mean he’s like 55 or so right?) and yet my 2 year old grandson is more mature that him!
What I see happenin’. . .
I am still waiting for Mr. Bush to follow through on a key statement he made a couple of years ago. That he was going to quit politics after this term. I request he follow through with that statement and even move it up a couple years.
Alden ,please do not let him use parliamentary privilege to further his political aims;if he has irrefutable evidence ,then let him release it to the media .That way he will have to show his proof and tell the truth,and not be able to accuse individuals in the LA ,where he can avoid being sued for any libelous statements.So Alden ,don’t let him use the LA to avoid repercussions for any false statements on this matter.Force him to publish it in a forum where he can be held accountable,then we will see just how irrefutable his evidence is.I believe this matter is being raised at this time because McKeeva is worried that Alden and the PPM are not getting enough negative publicity,hence he is going to create some.
Alden should be happy to allow Mac to debate his motion if he has nothing to hide or defend himself against allegations that may be made against him.
Take a quarter million dollars from the public purse and use it for gambling and take another 10 million to build the nation ?
I don’t blame this politician, because they are all like that.
The people I blame for destroying this country are the caymanians that voted for him.
For once, they cannot blame anyone else for that one. Try shifting the blame for that one on a furriner!
I quote Potter Stewart, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1958– 1981. “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is the right thing to do.”
Mac, you may have been found Not guilty in your court trial. But that was not a vindication of your lack of ethics. Regretfully you were not in a court of ethics just of law!
It’s official everyone, McKeeva has officially lost all his marbles. He speaks with the eloquence and education of a 5 year old spoilt brat, he has gotten away with stealing from Cayman for too long now but we can do nothing because of the privileges he is bestowed as an elected official. Let’s all make a pack to ensure this man is never given a heroes status no or ever!
If there is any truth to what he is saying then I as a voter would definitely like to know it. Too many odd things happened during that election that make me wonder.
Nothing odd happened during his free(to him) reign of the country but the election was odd? And now we know why he still has followers here.
I almost gave you a thumbs up for the use of definitely instead of definately. You’re not the typical Mac supporter.
We also have “irrefutable evidence” that Mr Bush abused the use of his Government issue credit card, yet he repeatedly claims “he has done nothing wrong”. How on earth can we have a man with this standard of morals as premier of this country??.
If you have to ask then you really won’t like the answer.
In my opinion, as there was no policy for the use of credit cards then, it may have been bad judgement but it was not illegal so I’m not sure he is right in a sense that he didn’t do anything wrong. His jury of peers also thought so.
Not illegally but ethically it is obviously wrong. Any private company, he would have been fired immediately. Lack of judgement or oversight from whoever drafted the conditions of use for a government credit card is the only this that saved him.
Regardless if the legality or not, who would want a man with of with is lack of ethics running this country. This is one of many many many things he has done over the years which have been forgotten. What about the Stanley Thomas land deal? Everybody has forgotten about that. Or the church funding he handed out to obviously gain votes, with the largest percentage, by far, going to his own church!! The churches, by the way, are a completely different subject when it comes to ethics and being above board also.
It would have never happened in a private company because they have rule unlike the free for all of the CIG..
He has as much “evidence” as the “intellectual property” that he sold to recoup the funds paid out in the port fiasco due to contractual breach.
Mac, do us all a favour and please go away and stop wasting our time.
I believe that i may have under estimated Alden. You see I seriously believe that he has tricked or goaded McKeeva into bringing this motion. Why else would Mac want to remind us of all the negativity that was associated with him during his 2009-2013 time in charge.This has got to be one of the biggest political miscalculations of all time.I thought that he would prefer that we forgot about Casinos and gambling,travelgate, land zoning fiasco,Dynamite story, etc. I guess not. How about the question as to whether two of his teammates were elected according to the constitution. if they were not ,then it might bring in to question the legality of any contract or agreement signed by either of these two gentlemen. Is this what Mr Bush wants us to think about in the lead up to the next election?
The PPM media machine is back in full force again. Too funny!
Political miscalculation and Mckeeva don’t go together. Just saying…in terms of pure politics he is the master in Cayman so I would watch this space carefully.
Mr Bush I have one question about the 2013 election ,and that is ,How did you manage to get re-elected?.
Cause unlike you he got sense.
Cause unlike you I got a fridge
Cause Cayman is full of the type of people who don’t trust anyone smarter than them.
Why can’t bush accept that his day is done. No thinking people have any interest in what he believes he can, in the future, offer as a leader of a Cayman Governent. And this present Crusade is doomed to failure. All he can hope to achieve is to use Parliamentary Priviledge to make malicious verbal attacks against individuals, and/or groups, who have no recourse at law.
” All he can hope to achieve is to use Parliamentary Priviledge (sic) to make malicious verbal attacks against individuals, and/or groups, who have no recourse at law” .. But that is exactly his intention, surely, along with thinking he can use it to avoid a contempt of court sanction for breaching the undertaking under which he received the material in the first place.
you got to be kidding, right? you got away with it, but XXXXXX, and you did used government money to gamble, even churches gave the money you gave them back. you know this motion wont pass, so, what are you trying to do?make a point? really? dont waste more time, retire and write a book, show some respect for this country.
Write a book? Heck he can hardly string two sensible sentences together! He should just go away.
He could do a colouring book. All of his supporters would buy it, and they would only need one green crayon.
I miss the LOL button.
We really need a secure facility to hold these types of people. It is driving him crazy knowing that he doesn’t have possession of the government check book so that the looting and the pillaging can continue. His supporters are starving to death since all the handouts has ceased.
The blind could see that election was influenced and unfairly carried out by those in power. Cant wait till all those holy ones are exposed and what they did to bring down our first premier.
You are the blind one, Anonymous 10:20 pm. Don’t hold your breath while waiting on the exposure.
Better blind than dilluded
But your first premier was in power. Until his colleagues came to their senses and sent him packing.
The holy ones have always been exposed to those with eyes that see and 99% of all people would agree that he did it all to himself. But you do get some points for loyalty.
Wow Just because he lost the election??Sore loser?
This guy should have been banned from politics several times over. Retire already.
The problem is that he is the tribal leader of a great many like minded individuals who hold his way of thinking in high regard. Its the way they have survived for so long. Bush would be nothing without his loyal followers.
Haha. He is not much with them.
Excuse me, Anonymous 10:29, but did you mean “stupid” instead of “loyal”?
I stand corrected. My bad.
Possibly not stupid, just easily led. A little like when c3po was mistaken by the ewoks for being a gold