Mac’s card use ‘unethical’
(CNS): While the premier has made little comment on the revelations from the trial of McKeeva Bush, who was acquitted last week on charges of abusing his government credit card, two of government’s back-bench MLAs have raised their concerns about the use by the opposition leader of his CIG card to gamble. Winston Connolly has said that Cayman needs to review its laws and policies on corruption and, at the same time, educate the people about how damaging such unethical practices can be. Alva Suckoo said it was inappropriate and unethical and no elected officials should need to be told it was wrong to use the card for gambling.
Following Bush’s acquittal last week, questions about his gambling and the of use the government credit card as well as his own cards to boost his line of credit for the slot machines are being raised about how appropriate that behaviour was for a premier.
However, the two main issues that have arisen from the trial are not just about the former premier’s apparent gambling problem.
Many people accept that what Bush did with his government credit card was probably not a crime but many believe it was wholly unethical. The trial also highlighted the problems that remain between the UK and Cayman and the power that the governor’s office still has, and which some believe was abused during this case to oust Bush from office via the backdoor.
The PPM’s Bodden Town MLA, Alva Suckoo, said he was very concerned about Bush using the card for gambling and not seeing that it was an inappropriate and unethical thing to do in the absence of a written policy.
“I guess it now boils down to each representative’s moral and ethical code,” he said.
Not wishing to comment on the jury’s findings in relation to the case, he did however say that Cayman must now find a way to move forward and continue working in partnership with the UK after some of the revelations in the trial.
“The only way this can be successfully done is to thoroughly examine the elements of this trial that have provoked some to question the legitimacy of our relationship with the UK,” Suckoo stated. “We must move expeditiously to address the conspiracy concerns and examine if anyone acted inappropriately, and if they did, ensure that corrective action is taken. We cannot leave this situation festering as no good will come of it, and the sooner we close this chapter in our history the better.”
He said it was necessary to spend some time on this matter to assure the country that there were "no national concerns, no conspiracy to bring us down and no threat to the lives and livelihood of all Caymanians".
He continued,"I hope that the UK would welcome such an approach and I certainly think that after the recent events we owe it to the country to follow through."
Winston Connolly, the Coalition for Cayman George Town MLA, who said he had run on a platform of anti-corruption, was disappointed that the jury had not understood what corruption really is and expressed concerns that there needs to be much more education about the problems and far reaching implication of corruption.
“I came into politics because of my personal opinion that corruption was rampant and I ran on a zero tolerance platform to help stamp that out,” he said. “Parliament and parliamentarians are supposed to be the primary expression of the people’s will and have a primary duty to fight corruption. Parliamentarians need to lead by example. The actions brought out in the case are not actions of a statesman, especially the premier, in my view.”
The back-bencher made it clear that he believed what Bush had done was wrong and people needed to understand why it was wrong and help put a stop to corruption.
“If people don’t have an issue with this then I feel sorry for us all and where we are as a country,” he said about the former premier’s use of his government credit card in casinos. “We also need to educate our citizens on what corruption is and how it has a disastrous impact on economic growth and development. The sad part of this all is that the people being hurt the most by these types of actions are the people singing the loudest praise.
“The process has highlighted several larger issues,” Connolly added, pointing to the questions about behaviour in public office. “I look forward to the day we have a zero tolerance for corruption in this country and that we hold those in authority accountable for any such like actions.”
Connolly said he believed the governor had a full view of what was happening and he too had wanted to see corruption stamped out. But he accepted that some of Duncan Taylor's comments on the case were unfortunate but not a conspiracy.
“I don’t believe for one second that a conspiracy existed,” he said.
Bush was found not guilty on Thursday after a jury took more than five hours over two days to arrive at their decision.
Although the opposition leader did not take the stand during the trial, his defence attorney, Geoffrey Cox QC, had accepted that Bush used his government credit card to get approximately $50,000 in cash advances at casinos in Florida, Las Vegas and the Bahamas between July 2009 and April 2010, which was used largely in slot machines.
The argument in the court was a very narrow one. It rested on whether or not Bush had knowingly misused his credit card to such an extent, given his high office, that he had abused and breached the public trust and mis-conducted himself in that office.
However, as there was no formal written policy at the time prohibiting the personal use or cash advances on government the cards, the defence team argued Bush did nothing wrong.
Although almost $10,000 of the money was outstanding for more than two years, because Bush had, according to witnesses, generally paid back any personal use on his card promptly and handed over blank cheques when the office system to recover the money collapsed, the outstanding debt was portrayed by the defence as an oversight rather than any intentionally dishonest attempt not to pay.
Along with the exposure of the then governor’s eagerness to see Bush charged with something and removed from office, the trial also revealed the extent of Bush’s gambling. In the period of time under scrutiny over 11 trips encompassing around 45 days, Bush was revealed to have put more than $460,000 into slot machines and suffered in that period a net loss of more than $260,000.
At the time Bush was earning around $170,000 per annum. According to the register of interests he had no other income from any previous business interests. He began drawing his parliamentary pension, in what was described at the time as “double dipping”, partway through the period in question, in January 2010, but it is not clear how much of the retirement money Bush had taken as a lump sum or how much he was taking each month.
Category: Crime
Clean Hands! Pure Heart! Mr. Bush, please retire and don't rise again. We need stablization in these Islands. You always thinks the Government money were yours and you have successfully convienced your supporters that its theirs too. Go fishing please and stay out there fishining! We now have a young breed of honest politicians running these Islands, leave them alone and let them get on with the business of doing so. We are TIRED of you PERIOD!!
"You always thinks…" I stopped reading at this point! Hello?
Something tells me your elevator doesn't go all the way up. OR
You're not working with a full deck. OR
The lights are on, but no-one's home.
(you can't make this stuff up)
Personally I believe there should be a spending limit on these cards per day. If hotels and airline/transport tickets are pre-booked and paid for then food, transportation expenses (e.g taxi, limo) should not exceed $1000 per day. If they do then the card should 'decline' -simple. Politicians need to realise these so called business trips should not involve casinos or shopping. Personal expenditure has to rely solely on each individual's pocket whether through personal credit or debit cards, cash or travellers' cheques etc. Gov't should have nothing with this kind of expense.
It is time to think intelligently and unbiased about this whole matter.
While many polititians talk and do little, Mac is an action man. Unfortunately he does not always do right.
Although the court let him go, any right thinking person cannot help but feel that the thngs he did, were totally unbecoming and inppropriate.
As a leader of the country, he should have set good examples instead of acting so irresponsible, that it has caused inelligent people to lose respect for him.
For a man who complained about the country's financial state, to use his Government credit card so extavagantly, should make people realize, that they would be bigger gamblers than him, to ever put himback in such a powerful position.
To be such a world traveller at great public expense on trips that were little or no benefit to the country, indicate reckless handling of the country's limited resources and inapropriate
behavior.
Dd he realy need body guards in Cayman or abroad?.
While Govenor Taylor may not have done everything right, he was right in advising his superiors about what was happening.
Should we cut ties with the mother country, we would have no recourse if future leaders betray our people.
I don't think anyone is saying anything about cutting ties with the mother country. Its a matter of respecting the people's democracy processes and striving to better the economy. Now I think what the Caymanian people are disgust about is when commenters here and elsewhere come and exalt the Uk as if they are righteous and mean the people well. Many Caymanians I speak express to me the behavior of the Governor and Uk officials as clearly seen unbecoming to the people of the Cayman Islands. So …. to set the record straight (if you really are a Caymanian) know well and don't be gullible to the fact that McKeeva is not the only rotten apple in the barrell.
Well said, independence is what Mac wants, independence from scrutiny of all the deals behind closed doors.
Best comment here: Mr. Bush declined to take the stand because he would have been forced to testify under oath. The question then could have been: "Did you, or did you not use these funds to hire bodyguards?" Smart move on his part.
I would have thought the cash and barter payment of these "bodyguards" might be illegal in Florida, as it raises fiscal compliance issues. Maybe Mac is not going near Miami for a while.
What continues to bemuse me is how on earth can the courts possibly find McKeewa not guilty for using OUR money to gamble with if our laws say gambling is illegal, no matter WHERE he did it. Let me repeat: If our laws say gambling is illegal then it is very clearly illegal to use our money to gamble with.
Particularly under the guise of spending it on security guards and medical costs, and while travelling at our expense under the guise of doing something worthwhile for his country.
And this is coming from a man, pledged, more than anyone on the face of this earth, to uphold the laws of this country.
he didnt break any law.
Perhaps they should make kool aid illegal.
you are a moron just because gambling is illegal in cayman doesnt not make it illegal in Vegas (baby) AND he paid it all back so it was not YOUR money !!!
Thing is bobi, it IS my money.
It was the peoples money he 'borrowed'. So up to the point he paid it back it was the peoples money
Congratulations, you spelled moron right this time. But you do need an upper case Y in 'you'. and a period after moron, an upper case J in Just, an upper case C in cayman, an apostrophe after n in doesn't, and a comma after (baby). Or it just might be better if you did the whole world a favor and stayed the f'ck off the air for a change, or at least until you learn to write a sentence, Einstein.
You are the moron. If he took cash withdrawals on a govt. credit card to gamble as a means to enrich himself then he obviously used govt. money. And if he had won anything that would have been govt. money too. Did he even pay the interest or late payment charges?
Only a moron gets beat up as much as you do on CNS. How much do you get paid for that?
Mr Winston Conolly talking about unethical? I totally agree that it is. Unethical does not make it illegal so even with that said, anyone calling for imprisonment of a person because of ethics is also unethical in their thinking. Just because I drink too much rum and then go to church on sunday does not make it illegal – all it does is makes it unethical or immoral. Should I be sentenced to jail? Think about it you robots who just follow the opinions you like without thinking for yourselves. Now they want to blame the jury who followed the law. The jury proved they have more reasoning ability than even some lawyers and some politicians.
I am not a fan of McKeeva but you cannot use the law to punish someone for being unethical. You have to follow the law or change the law in which case, you cannot use a law that you want to introduce for a case that takes place before the law changes .
Talking about unethical, can someone ask Winston Conolly how the education report was leaked to Arden, Ezzard and even the same McKeeva Bush and who leaked it? I am sure it was not Tara!!!!! So when you speak of ethics, it comes in all forms.
Agree, and the best Winston could come up with was that the Governor's comments were "unfortunate". What about his actions in orchestrating an arrest on trumped up charges that were eventually thrown out but got the desired effect of having the democratically elected Premier ousted from office, while he celebrated with bubbly?
The FCO now knows that they have other sheep in the Cayman Islands. That, is a sad day in Cayman.
"Trumped up charges"? LOL. Whatever spin you want to put on it, McKeeva did those things – he used govt. money to gamble and lied about because he knew that use would never be approved by CIG. The Governor did not charge him, the DPP did. He is a gambling addict who is unfit for public office and ought to have been removed on that basis alone. All the while he was saying the country was broke and pretending to be travelling to promote the interests of this country but his real goal was self-enrichment hanging out in casinos all night and using government funds. Disgusting.
I agree it is a sad day for Cayman but not for the reasons you say.
UDP Blogga up Early!!!
Drinking rum is not unethical, perhaps you should check your definition.
Unethical conduct in an elected official should be punishable, if its not we need to change that. As our representatives they are supposed to be held to a higher standard than the average citizen.
Cops too, though worldwide that seems to a big failure too.
I don't think there is anyone in the Cayman Islands who believes what Mr. Bush did was ethical. We are all saddened by what he did and we all realise that the man has a serious gambling problem. However, there is a difference between ethical, criminal and corrupt.
Both Messrs Connolly and Suckoo need to go back and read the Judge's summation of the case. He was very clear in his instructions when it came to talking about ethics and morals. He knew that the evidence that had been put forward was one of morals and ethics. There was no corruption. What is corrupt is the fact that the Governor and the Police Commisser used their positions to strong arm the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to put forward a case that had no basis in fact.
For those who would have preferred to see Mr. Bush convicted of corruption, you can take solace in the fact that his reputation has been besmirched and that the chances of him being elected Premier of this jurisdiction are slim to non-existent. However, as we have seen with politicians the world over, the electors tend to be very forgiving of their transgressions so who knows.
What should be of more concern to Messrs. Suckoo and Connolly is the Cayman Islands' drop in the Global Financial Index as reported in this morning's news. That is not a good sign and the fact that we are still being seen as a bunch of theieving pirates. That kind of perception of these Islands needs to stop.
We have wasted enough time and energy on McKeeva Bush. It is time for the news cycle to go on to something else and fast. The will of the people has been heard far and wide and it is time to shut the door on this issue.
Issues that need addressing are: jobs, education, health (Chik-V and Ebola) among many other things. Time to get back to work people.
CNS: FYI – Cayman's drop in the most recent GFCI was reported on CNS Business three weeks ago – Cayman loses ground in global index. The follow up is here – GFCI 16 methodology questioned by Cayman Finance
Thanks for the clarification on the drop by the Cayman Islands in the global index. That is something that is deeply worrying to me and should be to many others. Clearly, whatever it is that this Government is doing or has done to restore Cayman's credibility on the world stage does not seem to be working. The pulling out of HSBC and the loss of jobs by workers in the banking sector is something that needs to be addressed. Not McKeeva Bush and his shenanigans
And CNS, just what contributed to this loss? Mr. Governors comments he blurped out the other day about these islands; moreover the arrest the former premier without evidence that went no where. What a waste of time and making us look like we are a bad placeto invest!
Mr. Bush continues to be popular. Be very careful. This might just come back to bite all of you in the next election. Just stop talking about him so that he can fade out.
He's like a balloon already tied shut. He not gonna fade out. He gotta pop!
McKeeva was not found innocent. The jury did not convict him of these particular charges – big difference!
God Bless you Mr. Connolly. So proud of you that you have the Ba… To stand up and speak the truth. Where have all morals gone???. Why the silence from all the churches and Christians, they have nothing to say about our past Premier gambling. Suddenly it's ok with the church's for him to gamble, especially with our money. Nation Building dollars is a wonderful thing. Hope a few more of the people we elected will find their Ba… And be able to speak out on this immoral behavior.
Nothing will happen, cost of living will go up and we just pay the bill for the rich.
One thing is clear from the trial. Mac has a serious gambling addiction. We all know the problems associated with additions whether it be to drugs, alcohol, sex or gambling. Addicts are not reliable. Their addictions often leadthem to other illegal acts i.e theft and corruption.
Do we really want an addict running our country?
Yes, absolutely correct, and an inescapable reality, even for his most ardent of supporters. It is what it is, an addiction, with all its attendant characteristics, including untruthfulness, as the revalations in court so pointedly demonstrated. His family and friends need to encourage him to seek the professinal help he so clearly needs.
Like Lindsey Lohans friends and family? Problem is, a LOT of these people, for one reason or another, are along for the ride.
You don't but the the voters who rely on people like Bush for jobs, handouts, getout of jail gifts, personal nation building credits etc. do. And yes there is a LOT of them.
Has anyone asked Charles Whittaker how he feels about it?
He thinks it was a punch below the belt that resulted in a technical knock out.
Corruption is what has destroyed many Carribbean countries. We must have zero tolerance for it here. Well said Winston.
Well done Winston and Alva! Thank you for being leaders we can be proud of.
So what would have happened if Bush had a net gain of $260,000 – do you think he would have paid it back to the Cayman Islands coffers? I think not. Glad to finally know the real reason why work-permit fees have sky-rocketted. Well done Winston & Alva… well done.
I too would like to commend Mr. Suckoo and Mr. Conolly for voicing their concerns on the unethical standard and percedent being set in this trial. I also want to say that there is a huge difference between Justice and Mercy/Grace. Last week Thursday was truly a sad day in our Beloved Cayman. I cringed to see and hear The Name of God being invoked in the manner it was. The God I serve is a Just God but most times we are shown mercy and grace instead of justice. Very few of us could stand up under his justice and we should be fallling to our knees in prayers of thanksgiving for his mercy and grace. In the King James Version, justice is mentioned 28 times, grace is mentioned 206 times and mercy 262 times. Justice is getting what we deserve, Grace/mercy is getting what we do not deserve. Mr. Bush should be thanking God for his Grace and Mercy towards him instead of pumping his fist in the air rambling on about justice being served. The Courts showed him mercy and he should also humble himself and ask the people of the Cayman Islands to forgive him fo what he has done and also tell the people, especially the younger generation that what he did was wrong and that they should never emulate such behaviour.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! NO MORE ABOUT MCKEEVA!
Yeah, just make sure the “Ethical” applies to everyone else. So you don’t wind up with MLA’s buying jewelry on government credit cards as of that was anymore ethical….
Messrs Suckoo and Conolly are getting lots of praise today, and let me offer another perspective to that praise: people in Cayman generally dont want to rock the boat, and up to now the reaction to this verdict amongst people I've spoken to has been muted (including myself).
But now that people see Al and Winston speaking up we are coming out of our shells! More and more people are speaking up about their disgust either at this verdict, or Mr. Bush's behaviour, or both.
Thank you Suckoo and Conolly for giving us all a bit of courage.
unethical ? so is buying a $ 3,500 watch or
carwashes ort other things
if you are FREE of wrong doing , then throw the stone
otherwise ….
GOT OVER IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
except gambling is illegal in Cayman, would you have the same belief if Mr Bush had bought $200, 000 of marujana in Colorado, or paid for a Gay weeding in New York or at a brothel in Holland?
What you are missing is that he took cash withdrawals, used it for purposes which are contrary to the public policy of the Cayman Islands, lied about it to cover it up and failed to pay in full until after he was charged. Big difference!
Here is a question: How is a civil servant, earning less that $200,000 a year coming up with $460,000 to lose?? This is before his regular expenses.
And then petitioning his poor constituents to raise money for a legal fund!
Thank elio salamander for dat
Mac has other sources of income.
Have they been fully declared as required? Or arethey "commissions" as in the Stan Thomas affair?
I too applaud you Mr Connolly for taking a public stance. I am not your biggest fan but credit where it is due and you may have won me over. The silence from our premier and others in high office is deafening.
Get over the Mac case for a while and look at yourself for a moment; just be assured that the Law Suits are piling up. Mr. Bush may have already made peace with his family and his God regarding his gambling habit. The big question is, what is/are your immoral habits Holier than Dow? Porn, Wife Swapping, Drunkenness, Adultery, Unauthorized Leaking of Reports, etc. There may just be a greater need for you to get over your immoral habit than Mr. Bush – Twit!!
Wife swapping here. But I'm not in charge of the country.
Thank God. There are some people around with morals. I was beginning to wonder.
Thank you Alva and Winston!
I'm so dissillusioned that so many in Cayman do not see anything wrong with what Mac did. Cayman surely is looking more and more like a Banana Republic with this state of affairs….combined with "no sunday trading" laws.
The managers of certain departments of govermentent are allowing their employess to record overtime that has never been worked as a means to boost their pay every month. I don't suppose there is legislation against this either? Theft occurs from the government purse at all levels and it needs to be eradicated from the very top down.
How about those in government who get car allowances (rightly) but continue to use government cars which is strictly against the rules if you are an expat but clearly not if you are Caymanian
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone…
You do realise that was in reference to a sexual act? But if it had been gay sex, then even sinners are allowed to throw stones.
I have my false beard ready, just tell me the time and the place.
NOT TODAY BOBO!!!!!!! The fact remains he NEVER BOKE ANY LAWS so therefore he could not be found quilty now you all need to GET OVER the fact that he has won his case and wait for the next step thats what you all should be concerned about BUSH was n will NOT be the last MLA to use gov cards for personal use!!!
FYI Y is it ppl is saying its small minded West bayers that is celebrating this verdict a little info for you its ppl from all over the island not only West bay ppl
You all need to worry bout your PPM that you all voted in that aint doing a THING for this Island… think about that n what have they done in the last couple years that they have been in house????? lets hear
Pardon me BOBO!!
Read the article. We all agree there was no law to convict him (sadly) but you cannot say that morally he did not breach ethics and our trust. The man used our money to gamble and then lied about it saying it was for security guards. That clearly makes him a liar and crystal-clear a breach of our trust! He was not nationbuilding at 3 o'clock in the morning spending over $400,000 in slot machines? Who paid for his staff and the hotels and the airfare for these excursions? We Did. The "interest" I want back for my tax dime is a pound of his flesh.
the article says his use was unethical- and it was. Mac is unethical. Got off jail due to no existing law, but completely unethical and a liar about it (unless you have $100,000 in security guard receipts?)
ONCE AGAIN, it was 50,000 spent on the Government card, over 400,000 spent on his PERSONAL cards. Do I need to send you back to high school so you can differentiate between the two?
What an Hysterical loser. Go back now to your rat hole bar and finish ya Heineken!
It's not just Mr Bush. Senior civil servants at the time must have known what was going on, due to the extent of the withdrawals, as did all those travelling with him on these "business" trips. Despite this, these withdrawals were officially sanctioned at the highest level – what does this tell us about the Civil Service?. Furthermore not a word emerged in the press about these activities until the current legal proceedings. What else has been swept under the Caymanian carpet?.
Any senior civil servant that might question his actions is not someone he can "wok wid" and immediately gets placed on "leave" when McKeeva takes the reins of power.
As a lawyer Winston knows full well that the Judiciary does not judge moral/ethical issues only criminal issues. No criminal offense was committed by Mckeeva but rather a severely ethical one. If we judge based on morals/ethics we would not be able to find 18 members to serve in the LA and that includes Winston!
Be careful of your wording young man. Use your outrage to bring something of meaning to the house to raise the ethical standards of those within. I look forward to seeing something of substance to elevate this issue from you forthwith.
"No criminal offense was committed by Mckeeva but rather a severely ethical one." I think it is more accurate to say that the jury considered that there was not sufficient evidence to establish beyond reasonable doubt that a criminal offence was committed.
Yes, I stand corrected.
It is so good to see some people with ethics in our government. No person in government should be allowed to use public funds for their own use. It doesn't matter if its gambling or if you want to buy milk. You are all paid, spend within your means. Then maybe those governing us can tell us we need to make sacrifices at times instead of abiding by these ridiculous double standards..
It amazes me that neither media house has highlighted the fact the Mac is on the record stating that he used the money for security guards when its clear he did not, this man got on the talk shows , spoke to the press and delibratetly lied to the people of the Cayman Islands to cover up his gambling , why are they not pulling these sound bites back up and demanding him to clarify to the people of these Islands whether he lied or not.
Well said Winston and Al.
This is why he refused to take the stand in his trial.
Yes, this is a bit of a puzzle for me, too. He has failed to substantiate this rather bizarre claim and yet nobody has pressed him on it, least of all his supporters who appear to be living in a world in which lying and unethical behaviour are somehow "okay". I wonder how many of them attend church, and if they do, do they believe in the Ten Commandments? Don't they have a problem defending Mr.Bush after learning of what he was getting up to? Do they perhaps imagine in their confused state that when Jesus gave the injunction "he who is without sin …." He was forbidding anyone from being held accountable for any behaviour, however reprehensible? Mr.Bush's supporters have an urgent need to reevaluate their moral compasses, surely?
I fully agree with both Al & Winston, but they must take into account that even though it was unethical to use the card to gamble (& I'm at a loss to understand how anyone can't see this), there was a conspiracy taking place & Bush was being forced into the casinos & was being forced into using his government credit card to pay for his pleasures, NOT Cayman's good. LOL
Any time now Expect to see pants on fire…!
Bacause not enough people care, unfortunately.
I do enjoy the way the "Honorable" Mr Bush appeared to have plenty of money to fund all his losses from Gambling, yet asked his mainly poorer Caymanian supports to raise money to pay his legal fees of a top UK sitting member of parliament as his attorney.
Losses, poor math, greed.
Winston and Alva, I applaud you for having the moral ad ethical fortitude to all a spade a spade. Proud of you. You are the type of politicians we need.
Good to see and hear we have have some MLAS willing to take a stance.
It is great to see two fairly young Caymanian politicians stand up for what is ethical amd moral. I hope legislation can be put in place with respect to legislators' use of Government credit cards. There is no reason why legislators, who are fairly well compensated, should use Government cards for anything, and especially for actiivities deemed illegal in Cayman though it may have been legal in the jurisdiction where the cards were used
I was surpried at Winston's comments being a Lawyer, however I really was not surprised by Al Suckoo's comments.
Havng politiians of type,is one thing, but I prefer the ones who I can trust. with standing their belief.s
So what are you trying to say ?
You prefer the ones like McKeeva. Enough said.
Winston and Alva , I applaud you for such a great comment posted . I wish , and hope, and pray , that the about 60,000. Caymanian all think the way me and you do , then next election we will have politians that will hold to the OATH that they swear to . I spoke to all of our deceased founder fathers of CAYMAN ISLANDS about this kind of conduct that some politians are going on with , they all rolled over and cried .
The MLA oath is a joke. Only 2 lines long, essentially promising to faithfully serve to the people and QE2.
Credible, ethical gentlemen indeed.
Mr. Connolly and Mr. Suckoo, I am proud of you both for taking a stand against corruption and not being afraid to speak out! We need more MLA's in office with a backbone! Having good morals and Christian values and ethics which can assist with making right decisions and not being afraid to apply those much credible qualities in your career paths and personal lives are very important. You did not run and hide when asked the question from the media of what your thoughts were. You stood and spoke! Some bloggers have quoted scriptures in the Bible "Judge not, that ye be not judged" Matthew 7:1. However, what they fail to realize is that it is also written in the Bible that "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" Matthew 7:20.
I strongly think that the Cayman Islands deserves a public apology from the former premier of his irresponsible behavior and lack of regard for the Caymanian people. This would certainly work in his favor to acknowledge that his actions were wrong.
I also pray that there will be civil discussions within the LA in the near future, which will allow the government to move forward in peace instead of constant unrest and turmoil. We as the people need to see professional leadership by our elected members instead of a reflection of ranting pre-school-aged children.
May God continue to bless the people of the Cayman Islands
Mr.Bush has been strangely silent regarding the fact that he used the public's money to gamble with. I wonder if he will be man enough to admit that what he did was wrong and ask the public's forgiveness, as well as understanding of his chronic gambling addiction. Let's see if he does either.
He did not gamble. He just hung around casinos all night handing out crockery to invisible armed guards while mysteriously earning masses of comp points.
Couldn't give a damn, he should not be in public life any more. Whilst all of us have no doubt made mistakes and sinned, and forgiveness is commendable, the man has been a blot on the Cayman landscape for far too long now..time to say goodbye
14:31, please enlighten us all on who we can replace him with? What options do we really have?
TELL US!
My butt. Just try it for one term.
Hear Hear and thank you Alva and Winston for your moral compass. It does not take a law to say what Mac did was completely WRONG. If the charge was misuse of office, then I would say he certainly breached our trust and took advantage of his position.
Anyone defending this man's immoral actions is a fool. This was nothing to celebrate West Bay, this was shameful behavior and nothng less. Don't try to pin this on the UK, no one forced you to lie to the people about security guards and go gambling on my dime with airfare and hotels and slot machines! Clearly $420,000 was not spent "Nation Building" Big Mac. You are a disgrace and we can only hope that you seek help and do not try to win the people over again. Go silently into the night please.
Our own Rob Ford.
I note that in Schedule 2 of the Standards in Public Life Law 2014 defines Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership in only a financial context. There are no moral or ethical burdens imposed that would inhibit future reprehensible indulgences by a travelling head of state or MLA.
The actual oath of office as an MLA is fairly obtuse: "I, <state your name>, do solemnly and sincerely affirm and declare that I will well and truly serve Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, her heirs and successors, and the people of the Cayman Islands, in the office of Member of the Legislative Assembly, so help me God".
There should be an additional standard of behavior imposed, and given other things the world has seen, regular drug testing should probably be inserted into the employment contract.
Actually, Rob Ford earns approx. 129,000 CI as Mayor of a city of close to 3 million people, and he didn't use the people's money to support his crack habit. So as far as investing in politicians with addiction, Rob is still abetter "bet".
What the heck? comparing Rob Ford to McKeeva Bush, chalk to cheese, crack addict/junkie vs. recreational gambler when in gambling meccas Las Vegas and Bahamas where gambling is the main attraction…. smarties go figure!
Exactly! I think we can all agree that when you start comparing a crack addiction to a gambling addiction you really are in unchartered waters (so to speak). SMH.
Ignorance is bliss aye.
I will debate you any time on that
I would trust Rob Ford more. I would have trusted Rob Ford more when he was on crack. And I don't trust Rob Ford.
A huge moral issue here. Although no written policy, Bush should have known better. I guess he has to live with his consciousness on this for the rest of his life
To live with a conscience you have to have one
Is it possible to purchase conscience? I am not sure if that is sold in casinos.
When we go to one man one vote, me and my wife are going to live in seperate households so one of us can vote for Winston and the other for Al! Love those guys!
It's one man one vote, not one house one vote!
You are correct Fred. I mean of course that we will have to live in 2 different constituencies.
You missed the point. Winston and Al represent different constituencies.
He/she meant voter districts: one is in BT, the other GT. I wish there were better choices for WB!
One in GT one in BT
Different locations.
How do women get to vote in a one man one vote system?
OK. 11:16.
With this comment one really wonders how intellectual the voting public really is.
Please tell me how 'One man, one vote' is going to help these islands? Tell me how only having ONE vote is democratic?
If I came into your house uninvited and took your TV without your permission, would you have a problem with that?
What if I brought it back in 30, 60 or 90 days? Would you still have a problem?
What if the Governor of these islands said nasty things about me in emails? Would you still have a problem?
Yes, of course you would! Its irrlevant if I brought it back and had powerful people against me. I stole your TV!!!!! For no reason other than I wanted to use it for a while.
While I can accept the jury's aquital of Mr. Bush, I CANNOT accept what Mr. Bush has done.
He did wrong, period!
The jury may have been confused, as are many others in Cayman, people who i respect and think have high intelligence.
The fact that so many people think it is perfectly okay for Mr. Bush to do what he has done says that Cayman has very serious problems. Our morals, ethics, and understanding of the law are severely lacking.
People actually celebrated after this verdict. I mean they had parties. Really? This is something to celebrate? Even if you love Mr. Bush you cannot celebrate the fact that, according to a jury, it is perfectly legal and acceptable to spend the people's money in this way.
McKeeva has the best supporters that money can buy.
Party on dudes and dudesses.
Mckeeva is loyal, as are his TRUE supporters. Seems to me the war still exists between George Town and West Bay. #Food for thought.
Is Mr. Connolly suggesting that Mr. Bush should have been found guilty even if he did not commit a crime because it would have been in the best interest of the Caymanian people. I don't think that is the case but this article would seem to suggest otherwise.
Most people that I know do have an issue with how public funds have been spent by politicians over the years and would like to see controls put in place to prevent any further abuse of the system; but no right-minded person would ever suggest that someone be sent to prison if they have not committed a crime.
Mr. Bush he was judged by a jury of his peers and found 'not guilty' and that verdict should be respected.
11:05, we can see you and all his supporters have no moral compass, and that is very scary. You are all too blind to even fathom the damage done by that verdict, beacuse you all continue to bury your heads in the sand and look outside that tiny box called West Bay.
Damage? Imagine if he was found guilty like the FCO and Gov wanted?
Mr. Connolly is suggesting that justice was not served whatever the legalities of the verdict. Just because a jury takes one view of the evidence does not mean you cannot differ. Remember the OJ Simpson murder trial? What's worse is that McKeeva is still saying that he did nothing wrong even though what he did was, on any sensible view, morally reprehensible. The man needs a moral compass. What is there to celebrate?
I agree with you and it should now be up to the electorate to render the final verdict and retire Mr.Bush. Unfortunately HIS peers will probably return him and others like him to office. I can only pray that he doesnt have enough support to return to power.
Judged by a jury of his peers? You sure got that right, Mack! Peers indeed!
Right, but such things should be illegal, so laws need passing…for next time.
If I was Big Mac's helper and took his wallet, gambled with the cash, bu reutrned it later I think we al know the outcome wouldave been different. That is not justice.
Tell them MLA Connolly you are also an attorney, please do us all a favour bring a good bill to the LA in a draft form that all government members will have to do is approve it and have the legal department just copy into law. Well done Winston, Cayman is in the mess that it is into now because too many good men and women sat on the sidelines and said nothing. Time to break the cycle speak up and out. Our country is fast becoming lawless we good people of these islands need to take it back. Make it Cayman again, a country known for law and order and a people of high integrity and morals.
Right on.