Turner: Bush using me to settle scores with Panton
(CNS): Sabrina Turner has accused McKeeva Bush of targeting her to settle political scores with former premier Wayne Panton. The MP for Prospect, one of three Cabinet members who resigned last week, also said on Monday that Bush is extremely influential in the UPM caucus and acts like the premier, with no checks on his disrespectful behaviour. Making it clear that he had a lot to do with her departure, she said that Bush became intolerable after he was acquitted of rape in July.
Appearing via video link on Cayman Marl Road on Monday, Turner described a “toxic environment” after Bush’s case had been resolved, when he announced he had scores to settle and she would be political damage. In April last year, Panton lent Turner over CI$1.6 million to help her buy a new family home.
While Turner had declared the existence of a bridging loan, she failed to reveal that Panton was the source of the cash. Panton, who was premier at the time, had not declared the transaction as the law doesn’t require members to declare loans they may have given, only those they have received.
The issue raised eyebrows, given the perception of potential influence. However, it did not stop Turner from being part of the coup that ousted Panton some six months after the deal was made, suggesting that the loan did not unduly influence their working relationship. Nevertheless, Bush had planned to bring a motion to parliament to censure them both over the deal.
Turner said that while the loan may have made her a particular target and the subject of Bush’s bullying, she was not the only one, and accused him of attacking anyone in caucus who did not agree with him.
In their initial explanations, the four who resigned — Turner, Andre Ebanks, Kathy Ebanks-Wilks and Heather Bodden — said they objected to certain policy proposals and legislative changes, such as the attack on the National Conservation Law. However, as this was not the majority view, they had no choice but to either accept what the other Cabinet members wanted or resign.
Turner said that anyone who stood up to Bush’s outbursts would be disrespected, and it was not uncommon for him to throw tantrums. This meant that some members of government were simply too scared to speak up. Turner said she had told the premier she was not prepared to put up with his behaviour.
Turner explained that Bush had apparently decided to go after Panton using the loan agreement because she had opposed the changes Bush and other Cabinet members wanted to make to the National Conservation Act — changes that the government had no mandate to make.
Turner, who is now expected to campaign for re-election with Ebanks, Ebanks-Wilks and Bodden, said the country needed leaders with a shared vision.
“Caymanians need to decide for themselves what kind of country they want to live in because we cannot continue on this trajectory… We need a set of shared visions; we need a list of priorities, not an ad hoc approach or deals lurking in the background,” she said, stressing the disunity and individual priorities that the remaining members of the UPM are pursuing.
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Category: Politics
they all snakes…elected by a poorly educated electorate…
welcome to wonderland….
Looking at what’s happening with the US election right now I wouldn’t say we’re that bad.
He needs to be put in jail and left to rot there. He is a narcissistic abuser. How he has been allowed to remain a part of government or an elected official is beyond me. And Julianna holds a lot of responsibility for it at this point. Shame on her, all she wants to do is spend money for her gain. Both of them need to be retired at this point.
Bush is reelected on the platform of what he knows about who he knows.
But times have changed, now everyone knows about the Bush he thinks no one knows..
And the people who vote for him simply dont care. After all, if you can watch the video of him assaulting that female bar manager and still support him, guess you have already sold your soul for whatever advantages or little handouts Mac gives you.
Yup, people don’t care about that stuff. Look at the US electing a criminal again. No one in the world seems to care about these corrupt politicians.
Like the people illegally quarrying out east.
This looks like just another attempt by minister Turner to jump ship because she believes it might improve her political position. This is the third time.
In her ineptitude, she thinks she’s being clever.
It might be, but that doesn’t erase the very valid points she has raised, as the behaviour described comes as no surprise to most of us. He won’t always be able to bully and buy his way out of trouble. Karma will one day bite him hard in the ass.
1:56, it’s mindboggling that so many people are overlooking the crux of the matter(s) that has caused this and instead making these 4 to be the bad parties. It truly illustrates that people would rather have a bunch of useless idiots and criminals run this country into the ground and destroy it, over actual leaders with morals, integrity and a duty of care.
Our islands are full of brainwashed f**tards that cannot process anything and we allow them to vote.
This government was born from deceit and double dealing. You sow the wind you reap the whirl wind. Maybe some good can come of it if people finally realize we need a two party system but that is probably to much to expect.
We elected an immigration consultant with a staff of one. We asked her to run a Ministry with an $80m budget and 300 staff. Then we asked her to take on home affairs with 600 staff and a budget of $90m. Do you see anything wrong with this. Turner could possibly be a decent Parliamentary Secretary along with travelling Kathy and Heather. They should never have been appointed Ministers. Panton is responsible for his debacle.
Hopefully next year Turner will be submitting work permit Heather will be in a hammock on her land and travelling Kathy will be a travel agent.
And @ 12:44 she blames her own civil service staff for everything that does not go the way she and her former cronies wanted it to even if it was contrary to laws and regulations that they were trying to prevent her from breaking. A third grade intellect with second grade personality traits.
@ 12:44 pm who is responsible for this debacle is Sir Alden who gave us single member constituencies.
Single member constituencies is along with OMOV ithe true democratic way to govern.
Rubbish!
That is where you are wrong. The Chief Officers is who run the staff.
Wrong! That’s how it’s supposed to be, but in reality the Chief Officer does what the Minister says. Ministers tell staff what they do or do not want, and they let Franz Mandersen know who they will and will not work with. They just don’t put it in writing to leave a paper trail.
So, the women could be PS’s, and the men could Ministers?
Sabrina should not have paid the money out,if the work was not completed. she is who should be held responsible bet if it was her money she would not have paid for work not done…shame on her
Listening to Sabrina speak she does not seem to be very educated..
very poor command of the English Language.
female Kenneth
Firstly, with all due respect, ST is a Minister more powerful than MB in his role as PS, who is all over the place and an opportunist.
Sure, I know that he’s also a hothead and misogynist, but ST should have shown strength with so much at stake, including her ministerial responsibilities that include health one of the most important responsibilities for our people and the stability of the Cayman Islands’ government and political system, which are the gold standard that the Cayman Islands are known for.
Secondly, I don’t believe that she voted against Panton which shows that the ‘deal’ didn’t impact her as I’m sure that he gave her permission to stay in the government that might still keep him in the loop and influence. It’s hard to believe that she couldn’t stand up to MB but stood up to WP which had a financial leverage on her.
I wish she had joined the MUGOTO movement (Make Us Great One Time Only) and used her Chief Medical Officer to declare McKeeva as mentally ill and a danger to society, and have him locked up.
There’s another half dozen of her colleagues at least that the same would apply to.
In one last act of courage and sacrifice she could also declare herself insane.
now enough wit dees lightweights we da people need a real heavyweight Dwayne da Rock Seymour to go like vin Diesel turn dis ship on the right path I tell you
Put the pipe down son.
I guess the people who elected M Bush have a fitting representative— a tug and a bully who graces them with one embarrassment after the next. We need to move to OMOV with a national vote to uproot him and other sub-standard candidates. (SMH)
Lets all gloss over the fact that she owes Panton $1.6M and will very soon not have a job. Seems like she is trying to work off her debt because she cant pay him back. #Fraud #sheisnotsupported #savemyass #nomorals #noclass #loveofmoney
Listening to this person’s complaints about her situation is quite sad; it’s always about “me, me, me.” They don’t like me.
McKeeva was Trump before Trump!
Big difference. Trump used the money his daddy gave him to buy people’s silence and bribe others to escape punishment for his crimes. Mac uses government funds.
World class? Bullying and harassment. It’s rife here and no one does one thing.
You all have known what Mcbully bush was like and chose to keep letting him off the hook. Now he is biting yet again you want to all cry like you didn’t expect that kind of behavior? Please someone wake up and take the reins who can do a job for the people and not just themselves. Please?
Sabrina lacks credibility. No way I could ever see Mac losing his temper and being disrespectful to women.
Mac is just a big lovable teddy bear.
Sabrina should apologize. The people want one more term from Mac.
LMAO
A 100% loan from Panton. No down payment. Great deal. Nothing to see. Move along.
BTW, Bush is mean.
She voted to remove him as premier. What more proof do you need that the loan did not influence her professional relationship with him?
To Anonymous 6:42 am:
Actually, according to another media outlet, this is how they voted on the no confidence motion:
YES: Roy McTaggart, Joey Hew, Dwayne Seymour, McKeeva Bush, Moses Kirkconnell, Barbara Conolly, Alden McLaughlin, David Wight
NO: Wayne Panton, Kenneth Bryan, Sabrina Turner, Jay Ebanks, Bernie Bush, Heather Bodden, Isaac Rankine
ABSTAINED: André Ebanks, Chris Saunders, Juliana O’Connor-Connolly
Panton resigned later that night, once the parliamentary meeting ended.
@5:29- that sounds like desperation on both sides! He was desperate to be Premier and she was desperate to get a fancy house above her pay grade. Birds of a feather!
McKeeva Bush has not changed n 40 years. He is not going to change. You and the others knew only too well what you were signing up for and yet you went ahead and did it anyway, all in the name of power and self-gain.
Da wha ya get.
Well done Sabrina. I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg. McBeater has gotten away with his skullduggery much too long. It is him who needs to be censured and kicked out in disgrace.
cry baby, you knew what you were getting into
Whatever other reasons, not wanting to be in the same room as Bush, Seymour and Kenneth would in itself be more than enough reason to walk out.
Add to that the alleged incessant bullying behavior of a common street lout, which she revealed on radio this morning, nobody can blame her.
Hey Sabrina, when is Poinciana opening?
Ask Jay and Eric Bush..it’s their ministry.
Minister of health is responsible for it’s operation once it is handed over.
Strike one.
If the funding comes from your ministry, you have an obligation to the public to ensure it is spent responsibly. Sabrina failed, facts.
Unna get bak to ya!!!