Mac threatens to sue over NBF report
Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush
(CNS): The opposition leader threatened to sue the auditor general and anyone else who publishes the details of the Nation Building Fund audit report when he was granted permission by the speaker for a second time this week to make a “personal explanation” to parliament. The audit of the controversial fund is now expected to be made public Friday. McKeeva Bush also made it clear Thursday that the delay in the release of this report was down to his objections and took the opportunity to preempt the public disclosure of what he described as a “toxic report”.
Despite an attempt by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, Roy McTaggart, to prevent Bush, under Standing Orders, to make the address, Speaker of the House Julianna O’Connor-Connolly disagreed and permitted the opposition leader to make the ‘personal explanation’ statement.
Part way through Bush’s long attack on the report, PAC member Winston Connolly also interjected and pointed out that the opposition leader, who is also a member of the same committee, was going well beyond a personal explanation, criticizing the report ahead of the PAC’s work. But again the speaker dismissed the concern and allowed Bush to press on with his criticism of the report and claims that none of the of the civil servants involved with the fund, or Bush who established the fund in 2010, were interviewed about the audit.
In an almost hour long speech, in which he berated and condemned the audit report of the NBF, the opposition leader went further than ever in his accusations against the auditor general’s findings, which will be made public Friday, and called it a “witch hunt”. Bush said the “so-called report” was “utterly wrong” and could be described as a “fraud”, as it slandered civil servants without giving them an opportunity to respond. Bush said none of the civil servants accused in it were interviewed before it was sent to members of the Legislative Assembly.
Defending the NBF, which he had created but which, from the onset, had caused wide public concern and significant criticism, Bush insisted that the fund was about helping churches and young people to go to college instead of jail.
“The report glosses over the truth,” Bush said, as he berated the auditor general’s office for accusing, trying and finding the people involved with the fund guilty without even talking to them.
Seizing the opportunity to hit back at the report before the public had a chance to see the findings of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), having successfully delayed its publication, Bush said the report was “worthless and biased”.
Bush said the office should apologize for the audit as he said there was no evidence to support the claims but the OAG’s modus operandi was to paint civil servants as incompetent and politicians in a bad light.
“This toxic report should be struck from the record or he should withdraw this report,” Bush stated at the end of one of his most outrageous condemnations of the work of the independent auditor who is tasked as the watchdog of the public purse. “This is meant to damage myself and other civil servants and other politicians … he is not far off … from being sued and there are those who want to join me in putting forward a formal case of defamation and slander against him and anybody that publishes the report in the way it is. We cannot allow him to wrongfully influence public opinion without rebuttal,” Bush said.
The opposition leader then went on to attack Swarbrick with regard to the recent announcement that he was taking a position at the OECD in Paris where Bush said he would be able to take documents and accuse the jurisdiction. However, the speaker began to intervene to curtail Bush’s so called “personal explanation”.
The auditor general will be holding a press conference Friday morning to release the report. Check back to CNS for full coverage and to download a copy of the audit report.
Category: Government oversight, Politics
The people of Cayman should sue Mr. Bush for all the money wasted during his time as Premier. For all the law suits he caused to be brought against the government. There was one item on the criteria for the national building fund. Must have voted for Mr. Bush/UDP. Some of us are not as stupid and blind as he may think. He is squawking now because the truth is coming out. Keep up the good work Mr. Auditor General. Very sorry to see you go. Let’s hope whoever replaces you has the same high standards as you.
Have someone read this to you Mac:
The purpose of audits of the PUBLIC sector here would be the same as those done by the National Audit Office in the UK:
“The NAO’s financial audits give assurance over three aspects of government expenditure: the truth and fairness of financial statements; the regularity (or statutory validity) of the expenditure, and; the PROPRIETY of the audited body’s conduct in accordance with parliamentary, statutory and PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS”.
You Caymanians keep voting these Bobo the Clowns back into office. Is it any wonder mental illness ranks high in the Cayman Islands.
Bernie and Capt. Eugene: please do the right and honorable thing and have nothing more to do politically with Mac. Just walk away from him and leave him alone in his corner of the House of Assembly.
Eugene couldn’t do this because he has been an MLA for about 12 – 14 years mainly by hanging unto Mac’s pants and shoes laces.
they haven’t got that stones to do something like that…
Is Eugene capable of walking? He seems unable to talk.
I only walks macs talk, folks.
Doesn’t sound likely! It would be like walking out without your crutches! Anyway, why give up a salary you don’t have to work for, when did anyone hear a comment in the LA from either of them?
I look forward to this audit report, and I bet it has been resisted by the awful Bush!
Two Crocodiles were sitting at the side of the Rideau Canal
The smaller one turned to the bigger one and said,
‘I can’tunderstand how you can be so much bigger than me.
We’re the same age, we were the same size as kids, – I just don’t get it
‘Well,’ said thebig Croc, ‘what have you been eating?’
‘Politicians,same as you,’ replied the small Croc.
‘Hmm.Well, where do you catch them?’
‘On the otherside of the river near the car park at the capital mall’
‘Same here.Hmm…..How do you catch them?’ asked the big Croc.
‘Well, I crawl up under one of their big Lexus, BMW or Mercedes cars and wait for one to unlock the car door.
Then I jump out,grab them by the leg,
shake the shit out of them and eat ’em!’
“Ah!” says the big Crocodile,
“I think I see your problem.
You’re not getting any real nourishment.
See,by the time you finish shaking the shit out of a Politician, there’s nothing much left but an asshole with a briefcase.”
I think this applies anywhere there are politicians…..
You just made my day 4:43 with a big roaring laugh.
Thank You !!
A cowardly self-important bully threatens from a place that cannot lead to him being sued for saying what he says.
Agreed. As I have said on numerous occasions the man hides beside parliamentary privilege.
Having just read the AGs report in detail it is very well prepared. Part describes the findings and part the audit process. Mr Bush ought to read both parts and inwardly digest. Of note it describes the interview process which Mr Bush overlooked or ignored.
Mr Bush you have become a vexacious litigant similarly to your friend Michael Misick who was recently described as such by Chief Justice Margaret Ramsey- Hale in TCI.
Congratulations to the AG and his team for a well presented and meaningful report.
So Mr. Premier (yes you, the current one with your treason nonsense).
Willing to reconsider your views on entrenched corruption again?
“Lawless Caymanas” must be an endemic breed…….
His ‘Honourable’ title should be taken from him!!! He has never deserved it anyway.
Just go away Mac for your country’s sake. Every time you open your mouth it is either to sue or to deny. You are an embarrassment now so just take your millions and just go the hell away.
He’s going to get more confused soon and accidently sue himself
He’ll probably be acquitted.
That’s OnWobble if you please!
The NBF was Mac’s personal piggy bank and everyone in the Cayman Islands were invited and allowed to partake.
He is now blowing a lot of steam from inside the walls of the LA about suing the OAG after they discovered his enterprise to garner votes in the last election. In the end, he still ended up not getting the UPD back in office and in control of things.
Mac’s credibility is like a candle in the wind……… whew it got blowed out !!
Not everyone in the Cayma Islands was invited to partake!!! Only those who would stroke McKeevas ego and meet his approval, and only the ones who have no shame and pride are the ones who have happily partaken!
Not sure how much the AG spoke to those who were involved in NBF but I’m sure he would have gotten evasive and irrelevant blabber.
The good thing about this report is that money leaves a trace. It’s pretty simple. Money comes into the NBF and then out again. What Mac is really concerned about is the simple fact he knows exactly where that money went and the paper trail will soon enlighten the rest of us. I have a feeling this is once again going to tarnish Cayman’s reputation in the international community to the point that our reputation as being a corrupt country is probably warranted.
The Speaker is in no position to rule on matters connected to a government of which she was an active leader. It shows how poor Alden’s judgment was in putting her in that position.
This is fabulous news. Thank you so very, very, very much Mr Swarbrick.
We must have nationwide voting, recall provisions and TERM LIMITS. Otherwise we end up with THIS.
Tawdry Americanisms. These are not necessary or democratic. Just don’t vote for jerks people.
Let’s hope he does sue everybody – his continually mounting legal fees will eventually leave him with nothing.
Why is bush always allowed leeway by the Speaker to perform one of his personal “rants” when surely he is out of order under the rules of the LA. To whom is the Speaker answerable for her behavior.
Not to worry. Very soon they will both be out of our lives forever.
how?…the idoitic voters of west bay and the brac will vote them back…..
PPM get what they paid for. JuJu is a disgrace as a public figure and a worse Speaker of the House than even Mary Lawerence. Never forget the PPM were glad to have her in the position and gave her protection as Speaker because she guaranteed them the majority to form the PPM government by becoming the 10th PPM member per the 2009 Cayman Islands Constituition.
The speaker cannot vote to form the Government or for Premier.
I suppose she is answerable to our Premier. Too bad she is being allowed to walk all over him in support of XXXXXX.
Thank you, Mr. Swarbrick. This country is hugely indebted to both you and Mr. Duguay. Signed, a born Caymanian.
What is toxic is the presence of William McKeeva Bush in the annals of history of the Cayman Islands. What is toxic is the cancerous presence of one whose litany of scandals and much worse is a constantly and exponentially debilitating force upon the Cayman Islands. Despite his now completely expected pontificatory blatherings to the contrary, this recent outburst is nothing more than his well known tactic of deflection whenever held even remotely to account. The leader of that which is effectually the garrison community of West Bay has always had issues with Auditor Generals because they expose him for what he is and that which him and his posse have done with the publics monies. It is that which is now of public knowledge yet as of now unprintable that the Cayman Islands should be even more concerned with, that which is the underbelly of the burgeoning toxic iceberg of an institutionalized XXXXX of the Cayman Islands and her people. That which is as of yet unrevealed, yet the presence of which is obvious, should be of vital concern to all Caymanians of conscience regardless of whether or not the previous captain devoid of moral compass wishes to take issue or not.
Well if it ain’t the boy named Sue. I knowed it. “Toxic report” doesn’t necessarily mean untruthful report, bush. Hopefully this report will finally signal the very long overdue removal of the most crippling, non relenting, disgusting plague this country has ever known from all of our lives.
There must be some good stuff in this report, if Mac is so rattled by it
I’m not surprised that JuJu allowed him to make a “personal explanation” as she has a few of them to make herself.
Throw under bus sounds familiar!
You are implying a conflict of interest. Treason!
Well seems like Mr. Bush isn’t too worried about his documents against Alden being fraudulent, I believe his words were “we get the documents, we use them” with no regard to their accuracy or if they are forgeries so why is he whining about the audit report?
If he knows his hands are clean and his heart is pure, he has nothing to worry about, according to him he has done nothing wrong regarding the NBF so I say release the report to the public just as he so eagerly wants to introduce “evidence” against the Premier. What is good for the goose and good for the gander unless one knows their goose is cooked once that report becomes public.
It won’t matter to the majority WB voters anyway they believe in “king BUSH” and will always vote for him no matter what so what is he worried about?
governor must come out and support the ag……we await your response helen.
How long you got?
Hopefully this will be the end for Mr.Bush and others of his type. He needs to go home, drink a glass of lemonade, play some online poker, and then go for a nice long nap.
this is cayman….he will top the polls next time in west bay and is in with fair chance of becoming premier again…..welcome to wonderland.
Tara’s court ruling allowing dual nationals to hold political office might have 19 new Jamaican-Caymanians in power in the next election!
Everybody knows that there’s enough of them to lock down the the vote now!
Thanks, Mac!
And that includes Alden, they both need to retire and put and end to this personal feud.
It is not Alden’s fault you’re no longer feeding at the trough.
Not to mendtion the wonderfully delightful madam speaker.
Drink a glass of lemonade? I thought he liked carrots and milk.
Mac can play as much on-line poker as his clean hands and pure heart desires, provided it’s not done with my personal credit card or the country’s credit card.
Mac should be sued for his continuing abuse of his parliamentary privileges and legislative authority to advance his personal adgenda. Stop focusing on yourself and try to help repair at least your constituency by getting people back to work and off welfare and those afflicted by drug abuse; assist the police, NGOs and other partners to make WB a safe place to live, work and do business – encourage early education and interventions that will break the generational cycle of criminality. You are paid well now get on and do something good. But I doubt it will happen in the same way that WB will keep voting you into office!
OMG – can’t he go to Vegas and stay there…. Painful…
Actually China would be much better.
Jamaica would love to have him. He could make good use of his “degree” there too.
You mean his degree of ignorance?