Activists demanding accountability from MPs

| 22/01/2021 | 53 Comments
Cayman News Service
Minister Tara Rivers and Speaker McKeeva Bush at the name changing ceremony of the House of Parliament

(CNS): Local activists who have increasingly been engaging in the public space are holding a meeting this weekend in order to urge more people to become actively involved in the democratic process. Most of Speaker McKeeva Bush’s political colleagues remained silent following his conviction for a violent offence against a woman, which many see as indicating their tacit support of him keeping his prestigious job, something that has outraged a large section of the community.

As more voters become aware that simply casting a ballot once every four years is only one tiny part of a successful democracy, constituents are now demanding more of MPs.

“Our islands continue to be challenged by the words, behaviours and actions that elected representatives take towards our people, within our community and on behalf of our constituencies and islands, and there is a growing concern for the way in which we are represented,” said Taura Ebanks, one of the organisers of the meeting. “We should no longer be expected to vote once and sit silently, as elected leaders make decisions for us but without us, speak abusively and with threats, or act criminally and abhorrently.”

Ebanks said the “standards of leadership should not be lowered because those elected in the past fail to understand what the definition of accountability is”.

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She urged MPs to do the right thing, and for voters to do the right thing if they don’t. She called for the people to make changes to ensure there are opportunities for meaningful accountability by MPs to the electorate.

“The people deserve full honesty, consistent and proper engagement with their elected MPs during the four years they are paid to represent us,” she said, as she outlined the theme for the first meeting, which she hopes will spark a more engaged voting community ahead of the forthcoming general election.


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Category: 2021 General Elections, Elections, Politics

Comments (53)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    In other, late breaking news, activists demand blood from stone.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Ozzie…WTF…wasn’t he charged/conducted/carried out “Cultural Abuse” of a lady in the government.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Cayman is morally bankrupt.

  4. Elvis says:

    Good luck with that one lol

  5. Anonymous says:

    Corrupt, Lazy, and socially retarded. Is this really the best representation of the Caymanian culture?

    • Anonymous says:

      Ok 7.06, enough about the honwobble speaker.
      What are we going to do about him.?

      • Anonymous says:

        If Mr. Bush had resigned from the Speaket of the House from day one, ( he would probably kept the Speakers wages) and Step down to just a M P, this whole thing would went away, but no he would not resign, and the Government did not have the balls to remove him, due to you know what, now it has become embarrassing news all over, Speaker oF THE HOUSE in Caymanian Islands convicted woman beater keeps the Speaker job.

  6. Anonymous says:

    As a woman, what offends me the most is the silence by JC, Tara and Barbara. The support for Mr Bush from his lodge colleague was expected.

    Fellow Caymanians, I am begging you to stop selling your vote for a little envelope of cash/ gift cards. We cannot afford another 4 years of this current Government. Alden and his self serving bunch needs to go in May!

  7. Anonymous says:

    Well there is hope on the Horizon. Chris Saunders has joined Ossie, Wayne and Heather !!

  8. Anonymous says:

    The concept of having to ‘demand accountability from MP’s’ is incredible, does it say in the oath when elected that one discards common values and principles, if it doesn’t they should be sent outside and made to wait for the Headmaster 🤦🏻‍♀️

  9. Anonymous says:

    Bush knows about a lot of skeletons in clothests

  10. #Removethegag says:

    Franz, Alden: Government and civil servants are voters too. Do not force us to be complicit with this embarrassment anymore; we want this delinquent ousted from the Speaker chair and we should not have to fear losing our jobs for admitting it publicly.

    • Anonymous says:

      Removethegag

      Join the private sector and then ask permission to publicly criticise the CEO’s of the company. You will be fired in 5 mins.

      • Anonymous says:

        With all due respect, you can’t compare the two. Private companies spend their own money and not the peoples. They get to dictate the future direction of their own company, not a nation and its people. Private companies are accountable to their shareholders whereas politicians and public authorities are accountable to US, the people. Government money comes from all the duties and fees we pay, they are under a duty to ensure our money is spent prudently and for our benefit to justify how much they make us pay. In this so-called democracy, WE are the shareholders and they answer to us. Remember that next time you wote.

  11. anon says:

    It’s an insult to British democracy to rename the LA as the “House of Parliament” when it’s more like a House of Horrors.

    • Anonymous says:

      I am calling on all Caymanian voters NOT to vote for anyone that ever dealed in drugs, beat women an did shady deals with kick backs and any thing that’s not honorable, remember tiger’s cant change its spots, come voting day in May 2021 vote for honorable people that’s part of their title. So vote for honourable people only. And remember the people that’s supports those people are just as bad,

    • Anonymous says:

      Anon. Why are you still here?

  12. Anonymous says:

    Time to reduce the salary, tenure, and pension of these ‘MPs’ and let’s see how many continue to run for election. I would be VERY interested to see how many would be offered a job in private industry that had any substance.

    Who would employ JonJon and what position would he be expected to fill?

  13. Anonymous says:

    May 2017 saw a phenomenally corrupt seizure of power by the two arch-rival parties discarded and rejected at the voter booths. The Independent non-party affiliated candidates, who largely prevailed, could not agree amongst themselves to form an operational government, and were led and betrayed by the corrosive sleaze of the old guard. Consider that the public doesn’t even know the full terms of the power-sharing deal reached with the Speaker. Consider that the PPM spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on public misinformation campaigns to convince a suggestible minority that they were given a mandate to resume their political manifestos and opaque personal ambitions. The hardest part for voters to come to grips with in the four years since, has been the emboldenment of that Unity-binding corruption in the Cayman Islands. It is no longer a vague rumour blowing around in the background; we must all pay for, see, hear, smell, and touch it now…and it can touch back, with impunity, it seems.

  14. Anonymous says:

    The fact that he’s beaten up a woman and carries on like it’s water off a ducks back is truly appalling.

    And the politicians with no backbone should be ashamed of themselves. Especially the women.

    • BeaumontZodecloun says:

      Respecfully, no. The women have no more or less of a responsibility to speak out than the men; to say so is to give the men a bit of a pass, and they deserve none, except Mr. Ezzard, who has been properly outspoken.

      I gave you a thumbs up because the crux of you post is right on.

  15. Anonymous says:

    I am saddened that I am not be able to attend this meeting tomorrow.

    I do hope there is a good turn out though!!

  16. Anonymous says:

    I can’t wait for Tara Rivers to speak up about women in the community again. She is going to get blasted. Shameful that our young women on this island have to not only deal with abusive men in power but watch women refuse to stand up to them. She was a terrible education minister. I remember she was supposed to attend Redbays graduation, she showed up an hour late just to tell everyone there she couldn’t stay

  17. Anonymous says:

    Let the voters decide Mr Bush’s future in May. This issue is not worth taking out the government especially during these difficult times. Mr Bush was tried and convicted and sentenced. With all the government is doing to help our people it would be a hard blow to our progress to now do something to remove them. Let’s be patient and have faith in the democratic process! I have a feeling our faith will be restored come May !!

    • Anonymous says:

      That will happen, but he should NOT be the Speaker of our Parliament. If HE decides to bring down the government because HE is too selfish to be an ordinary MP for a few months then the resulting chaos would be on HIM and no one else.

      • Anonymous says:

        House Rules dictate that no member is not allowed to remain-on if charged and convicted of serious violent crime. We’re way past that here. He hould have been voted out as an MP, which automatically disqualifies him as Speaker. Plenty of other Deputies can step in for next remaining sessions. Further, the government is not supposed to have an entrenched caucus cabal which rubber stamps and slam-dunks all their preferred legislation and changes in private chambers. The purpose of the people’s House is to openly debate and collaborate on the development of our legislation. It’s been so wrong for so long, we can’t even remember the purpose and intention of the building, or the meaning of having a fully-salaried Opposition and back bench. What is their job supposed to be, if not shadowing the government and holding them to account? If the actual membership doesn’t know what they must do, they too are disqualified.

    • Marx me wrong says:

      You obviously don’t realise that democracy is under threat in the western world. And if we had true democracy here, the scoundrel we have for a Speaker would have resigned in shame due to public outcry. Likewise all MPs who immediately opposed his assault should have publicly condemned them and motioned his immediate removal from office. Obviously this did not happen so we are quite far away from being anywhere akin to a democracy.

    • Anonymous says:

      Are you on crack again? This guy needs to be booted from the Speaker’s seat at the very least!!!!
      And sadly, WB will vote him in again, just watch.

    • Anonymous says:

      Utter nonsense as has been said before even if Bush and his lapdog Eugene leave the government benches that still leaves the Government with 10 members, even if one of those 10 was then made speaker the house would be 9-9 with the Speaker breaking votes for the government, meaning the government would survive until March when the House is dissolved

      There is also the option of the PPM to appoint someone outside of the house as Speaker which would allow them to maintain their 10-9 majority

      The idea that removing Mckeeva will collapse the government is nonsense only spouted by persons who have no idea what they are talking about
      not to mention a piss poor defence “we can’t remove the convicted criminal because it could bring our government closer to collapse” is really not the rallying cry you think it is

    • Anoymous says:

      Our so called democratic process has brought us to where we are now. Leaving bush’s fate to a bunch of borderline retards, drug heads and punks as mckeeva calls them, isn’t a chance I am willing to take. This man is unfit to represent the people of these Islands and should be removed from office as speaker. If those elected members had any respect for the people or the honourable house they would act accordingly.

    • anon says:

      11.30am The sad truth is for reasons nobody can fathom the horde in his constituency will continue to vote for him no matter how many times he assaults defenceless women whilst drunk.He will never be voted out until these people die of old age.

    • BeaumontZodecloun says:

      ….. because the voters have done such an excellent job of judging his works in the past. 🙁

    • Mac is a convict says:

      To 11:30 am: The Elections Law states that anyone convicted of a crime is not eligible to hold public office. In other words, when he goes to pay for his declaration, the Elections Office should send MacBeater a letter saying “Subject to section X of the Elections Law, your application to run for public office cannot proceed. Attached please find your cheque # X in respect of your application. Regards”

      CNS: Wrong. The qualification and disqualification of candidates and MPs is not in the Elections Law; it is in the Constitution.

      The link to both the Elections Law and the Cayman Islands Constitution is easy to find in the CNS Library so you can check up on these things.

      Section 62.—(1) No person shall be qualified to be elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly who—

      (e)… is serving or has served a sentence of imprisonment… exceeding twelve months imposed on him or her by a court in any country… or has been convicted by any court in any country of an offence involving dishonesty.

  18. Anonymous says:

    No idea why they actually thought they could get away with not removing Mckeeva, every single member of the PPM should be confronted and forced to respond to why they did not remove him at the public meetings and events that they will soon start holding

    Film there responses if you can, although most of them will probably try to weasel out of the interaction

    • JTB says:

      Every single member of ‘Parliament’ bar McKeeva should be out on their ear.

      Why they think tolerance of violence against women is consistent with a career in public life is beyond me. Hopefully the voters will educate them come May.

    • Anonymous says:

      …and not just the PPM affiliates. There is a largely complicit and silent back bench as well. They are all now coated in the same slime of inaction, and there is no scrubbing it off now, or pretending it isn’t there.

      By any measure, the events and details were well beyond our typical widespread corrosive cultural misogyny: ie. this wasn’t just a drunken lady-beating at a bar (like that would ever be okay), this was a targeted, multi-phased attack, and unrepentant hate crime, with victim intimidation, gas-lighting, public-naming, and repression – by a greaseball who believed himself so powerful that he would never get in trouble for it.

      We need to call-out each and every silent member that presided over this atrocity and they should have to wear their shame.

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