Mac takes credit and attacks Alden
Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush delivers his response to the Budget in the LA, May 2015
(CNS): The increasing animosity between Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush and the Cayman Islands premier was on full display Wednesday when legislators returned to the parliament for the debate on the PPM government’s third budget. Bush took aim at Alden McLaughlin, criticizing him for the personal attacks he said the premier made about him in his policy statement. He also claimed that McLaughlin was trying to take credit for the UDP policies which had led to the surplus.
Bush spent much of his two-hour response berated McLaughlin and the previous PPM administration. The opposition leader spent a significant time reminding McLaughlin of the 2009 deficit and the problems relating to the high schools.
Answering the criticisms of him in McLaughlin’s address, in which Bush said the premier had gone “off the deep end”, he said the last PPM government gave a lesson in how not to conduct fiscal affairs and poor tendering processes. He said the premier wanted people to think his administration had participated in bad procurement but that he had never got anything started because of sabotage, while the schools under McLaughlin’s leadership were a mess, he said, and accused the premier of an “overactive imagination”.
As Bush attacked the current leader, he took credit for all of the current success, from tourism to the surplus, as he said the PPM had only followed his policies anyway. He accused the premier of “sneaky, dirty, evil talk” and misleading the public about the facts. “I always know when they are getting licked as they stoop to lies.”
He said that as long as the premier continues to “speak evil” and “distorted facts”, he would correct the propaganda, as he accused the PPM of distorting history in their favour. He said the truth was the 2005/09 PPM government presided over “severe, reckless mismanagement” and “wanton spending” and had broken the Public Management and Finance Law.
Bush said it was his efforts that kept Cayman afloat in the worst financial crisis the world had ever seen, as he wondered exactly what terrible state Cayman would be in now if not for the UDP. Bush said McLaughlin could not take credit for the surplus because it was the UDP’s policies that led to the improvement in public finances, and he could “heave a sigh of relief” as the damage done by the earlier PPM government had been corrected because of what the UDP did. “He can’t take credit,” Bush said.
Bush also took aim at the premier for bragging about the significant tourism successes. He said he had created the policies and laid the foundation with the right strategies but McLaughlin had the “audacity to claim the credit and beat his chest”, adding that “amnesia seems to be in abundance”.
Despite accusing the PPM of stealing his policies, Bush said those same policies had been “far superior” to what government was trying to pursue now. But at the same time he said they had done an about-face on the projects that had happened when he was premier, such as the Dart deal, the Shetty hospital and the special economic zone.
“They attacked all my policies … but today the PPM have seen the light and the common sense I used and they are wonderful projects today,” the opposition leader added.
Bush said the PPM was blaming his UDP government for increased fees but the PPM had not reduced any except for the duty on fuel, which he said he had raised to cover the PPM’s deficit. “We said we would reduce it and I brought a motion and now they are taking it all off, yet would not do it when I asked,” he said.
Bush argued that the PPM had balanced the books at the expense of people. He said government had cut scholarships and benefits and was leaving people in need without utilities and losing their homes. The opposition leader said government “was looking down on these people” while lauding it as fiscal prudence but he added it had a “moral responsibility” to help those in need.
“We are winning the battle to meet the FCO requirements but Caymanians are losing the war,” Bush said. “The economy is still in the doldrums.”
Bush briefly touched on possible policies he would like to see government pursue, including a tech city to support medical tourism. He said that in the future the country needed to invest and encourage more expenditure in research and development. Cayman, he said, needed to take more advantage of global opportunities in the financial sector. “We need to be more pro-business and welcome cutting-edge businesses.”
He said he had tried but could not get anything done as people don’t want things to change but still want everything. “Cayman should be a global centre of excellence like Hong Kong or Dubai,” he said, adding people invested there because they wanted to be in those places.
“Cayman can’t be the dishwasher destination to the world,” he said.
Anything involving this bloke is getting so old. The country has moved on. No more “thems gives us licks and we gives thems licks” – for goodness sake, time to grow up.
Your country will always be messed up because your leaders have tiny brains and are self serving. Your country is dying and being over run by third world refugees quickly becoming a slum with no future. Sad but true crime is out of control corruption is all over the place
and those people you keep bringing in from the ghetto of Hondo and Jamaica are just speeding up the demise of cayman.
and don’t say tourist arrivals are increasing they may be up because Cayman has become a cheap destination to visit, white trash coming to the beach
Neither governments policies differ significantly. Both are avoiding the real issues. Cayman’s political situation needs a real shakeup.
For as long as fridges are available wholesale from AL Thomson
If McKeeva took over a country in dire economic condition like he claims then why did he allow such lavish expenses and remuneration for himself and others in government? Why did he divert tens of millions into the NBF? Why did he not clamp down on abuse in the civil service like the Gasboy cards? Why did he allow so many duty waivers? He certainly wasn’t running the country in a way that suggested any shortages.
Thanks for telling it how it is Mr. Bush!
Is it true that Alden is going to appoint Mac as Cayman’s Ambassador to Las Vegas?
Mac already appointed himself.
It is time for bush to keep his mouth shut. Of course he is aggrieved. He has had to watch a new government achieve everything his did not, and he is having to live with the knowledge that he will never again be Premier. If he wants to retrieve any credibility, he should show his willingness to work constructively with the PPM – for the good of the Country.
He won’t.
Al like he touch a nerve.
If, as Mr Bush said earlier this week on the radio, the country was left is such a dire financial situation after the government before his, what made him think it was OK, even without a policy disallowing it, to use some of those meagre funds to finance his gambling? Ie what made him think that a Government, that was to all intents and purposes bankrupt, could afford to give interest free loans to Ministers et al? The meagre funds perhaps even funding interest built up by late payments of credit cards on which “unauthorised” loans were taken.
No matter how you spin it or try to detract from the truth, it was many of Mr. Bush’s policies set in motion during his administration that have brought the country back to stability. All the PPM had to do was not over spend again as they did before.
Look at how much the PPM spent on the schools when Bush got in, and then how much more Bush spent on them by revising the plans and the contractors, then tell me again that the entire cost is the PPMs fault. Not defending the PPM, but you cannot say that the entire overspend was their fault. Whereas sure as shooting the spend on the Nation Building Fund, the overseas travel jollies, the costs of the Cohen deal, the repaving of half of Cayman Brac including private property using government equipment that then meant that private companies owned by government members had to be hired to do public works in Grand…. all that is 100% at the UDP door, and at a time when Mac said he knew the economy was in a desperate state.
Exactly Pogo, these UDP dimwits avoid the fact that yes there was a shed load of money spent on these schools by the PPM, but look at the cost of them after the UDP got their hands on the project and it cost more than double.
So, if the PPM had not started the schools, and the UDP did, we would be f**ked same way.
All the while the country was in dire straits “thanks to the PPM” when Bush took over and he saw no problem gallivanting around the world with an entourage bigger than Obama’s gambling at each and every slot machine he came across, whilst bringing no revenue into the Islands. Shall we also revisit the botched contracts that cost us millions?
Problem is Politicians prey on the needy and uneducated to get the majority of their votes, so the truth could be in black and white but what Mac says is good as gold.
Mac is a master at exploitation.
Maybe Mac doesn’t look as sharp because he is an actual worker who personally attends to his constituents and does not send his minions to go and meet with the poor neighborhood constituents. Heaven forbid Alden should mess up his hair!
Yes he personally attends to his constituents alright….and now that drunkeness is an established defense for a public figure attendance may well increase
U all should go get educated ..
U just write rubish ..ppm supporters ..get life and senes
What are you trying to say? You same to be very angry,is it because PPM is running the Island the way it should? Or because your Premier the Mac was unable to balance the books? Let me know which one it is, I await your reply.
The PPM left the books in the red if you recall so Bush was too busy putting out fires and trying to keep the country from going bust to worry about balancing the books! Helloooo! The PPM had their chance to do it before him too so why didn’t they? Kudos to Ezzard Miller for keeping the topic always alive too and for Mr. Archer who has done an awesome job. If the PPM should get back in next elections I sure hope it will be with Mr. Archer as premier. Otherwise bring back Mac the man with the innovative ideas seeing as the PPM has none besides bringing daylight savings. Who needs that? Actually, just occurred to me, how about a combo of Mac and Archer in a coalition govt???? Any thoughts?
I do not think some-one of Mr. Archer’s caliber and abilities should join in a government with McKeeva. I agree that Mr Archer would be a great Premier. If the PPM spent $ on schools, that is capital expenditure and the expenses in connection with the schools would be interest expense, incurred after completion of the project and depreciation on buildings over their “expected life”. Also there may need to be a write down of the value of the buildings if fair value is less than book value. UDP spent about $
50 million on Boatswain’s Bay for buildings which costs seem excessive in respect to value received.
Hopefully you’ll be able to decipher the usual uneducated mis-spelled gibberish that comes from the gamblers clan. “U all should go get educated” What a joke!.
This rant was prior to him falling asleep correct? Or did he wake up from his dream and then spout this BS? Photographic evidence from today’s session shows him fast asleep on the verge of drooling down his jacket. What a fine example of a “Leader”.
He was asleep dreaming that he had retrieved the Government check book and it was in his back pocket, and all he could see was the flashing lights of Las Vegas. One could see the disappointment on his face when he awoke and realised he was in the LA listening to Aldin bragging about all their accomplishments. Rub it in good Aldin.
Or dreaming about getting other “foreign inwestas” of the likes of Stan Thomas and Michael Ryan.
Personally, I don’t think the Dart deal, the Shetty hospital and the special economic zone were much in the way of value for money for the citizens of the Cayman Islands. Maybe some of the ones involved got richer, but not us.
For your information traffic has improved considerably to and from West Bay and the road is so beautiful and modern. The Shetty employs lots of Caymanians and is attracting local and international patients as well as much attention so either you live in a coffin or are just a blind PPM supporter.
Let me assure you that I do not live in a coffin, am not blind, and I am not a PPM supporter. It’s just that I don’t believe Caymanians are getting “value for money” for these “deals” which Honourable Premier Bush “negotiated”. The road, etc. are nice but the price paid was too much. Same for Shetty. Where are all the hordes of patients from all over the world that we were led to believe would come? And the Special Economic Zone…… Someone please tell me about all the good that it is doing for me!
The funny thing is that everything Mac said can be proven…….
Funny.
When will Cayman grow tired of these two blow hards?
There is no difference in their temperament management style or egos. They are two sides of the same coin who will say or do anything for power. PPM talks about the 50 cents fuel duty imposed by the UDP due to a deficit but neglects to mention that it was a deficit left by the PPM’s outrageous spending when they were last in power between 2005-09.
The Minister of Finance and Premier neglected to mention that the FFR was put in place by the UK was due to the PPM’s excessive borrowing. I am No UDP fan they were a mess who sold out the country with status grants and many questionable deals that failed the value for money test but don’t make it seem like the PPM does everything right and is so much better. They are doing some of those same things they complained about today. Pot cussing kettle!
As for as the surplus, we seem to hear this every year, I’ll just wait for the true picture to come out but won’t hold my breath. Where are the audited accounts? A surplus is no surplus when you still owe millions above that number, over all that makes it actually a deficit!
Alden McLaughlin and McKeeva Bush are fully aware of this and have failed the Caymans repeatedly.
“Cayman should be a global centre of excellence like Hong Kong or Dubai”. Say WHAT??? How many Caymanians would rather live in Hong Kong or Dubai? Not me!
This man has no shame! The surplus is the result of getting Mac OUT of power. It’s from shutting down the NBF and all the other murky schemes we never heard about, getting Mac and JOCC and their entourages off their first class world tour and not treating public money like it was their own. If you believe we would have ever had a surplus with McKeeva Bush in power you are a fool.
HELLO do you realise JOCC is now a ppm member who was integral in helping them form the government? Her reward for wasting our funds on the world tour for her entourage was being named Madam Speaker. Political expediency or simply lacking a moral compass the ppm equally have no shame!
Yes but with PPM managing the finances she can’t sail off on $30,000 junkets whenever she needs to do some shopping.
She is the Speaker of the House with full control of the LA which is a very important position in Caymans 2009 Constitution.
She was given a promotion and does not answer to the PPM on any matter. Try to understand the constitution before following blindly and attempting to justify utter nonsense and political skullduggery. PPM sold to their enemy who the accused of corruption and abuse of office to secure power! It’s the same thing the UDP and their leader would do. So how are the PPM any different?
It is really so good to see the whole world finally catching on to this man’s abominable fifth grade politics.
Fifth grade with lots of common sense and yet he sometimes seems to run circles around the bunch of so called lawyers and accounts in Govt.
not run circles, just run over them like a wannabe dictator. I added the tator to be kind
Well if you can call ending up in court as the country’s Premier for gambling out the country’s money and giving millions of the country’s money to his church lots of common sense then I suppose Mr. Bush is the man.
Pot calling the kettle black. Typical B/S from this man.
For how many more years will the people of West Bay continue to burden us with this pariah?
Don’t worry about West Bayers, the next generation, the next set coming out of the UDP clan is where we need to worry my friend. Mr Bush can get re-elected in WB but if he gets 3 from GT and 3 from BT, we’re all doomed. So educate ALL voters from now or we’ll sink for sure with all the anti-white, pro-Jamaican members looking to take over this island completely.