Alden warns Mac to talk
(CNS): The opposition leader has once again demanded answers from the premier over the police probes and in particular the letter sent to Stan Thomas before he says he will tell what he knows. Alden McLaughlin warned McKeeva Bush that if he did not step aside or offer a full explanation to the country about his demand for $350,000 he would reveal more to the public during a planned outdoor session of the LA on Wednesday, where the opposition intended to debate the no confidence motion. Speaking at a PPM meeting on Monday evening, the opposition leader asked Bush to explain what he had done for the money and how much was previously paid to him and for what.
Stating that Bush may be presumed innocent in a court of law and have a right to silence because of his position, in the court of public opinion he was obligated to answer the many questions surrounding the three police investigations into financial irregularities and the illegal importation of 32 tonnes of dynamite.
“Mr Bush, you are our premier, elected by us and accountable to us, the people who sit in court of public opinion,” he said, adding that the 'court' had evidence of what appeared to be wrong doing as he pointed to the infamous Stan Thomas letter.
He listed a number of questions that he said Bush had to face in the public arena, which he must have already explained to his party colleagues to convince them that he had done no wrong. McLaughlin said he continued to be bemused that if Bush had enlisted their support by demonstrating the letter was a legitimate business transaction, that none of Bush’s party his colleagues had chosen to reveal what he’d said in his defence.
McLaughlin said his failure to explain was increasingly problematic and the people needed to ask why, if “his hands were clean and heart pure”, he had not offered a reasonable explanation to either the police or the people.
Despite the premier’s claims, the opposition leader said the investigation was nothing to do with the governor, the FCO or the opposition. He reiterated the fact that it was a member of the local judiciary that discovered the letter and passed it to the governor, who called the police in. “It wasn’t Alden, or Ezzard, or Arden, or the FCO making up some story on you,” the opposition leader told the premier. “This investigation was initiated by a Grand Court judge.”
McLaughlin explained how the land owned by Thomas in Cayman was already going through the zoning application when the Texan developer bought it and that the CPA had already recommended the re-zoning be completed to the minister of planning back in 2003. When Thomas bought the land in 2004, he found that that the Cabinet approval was suddenly being deferred as Bush was said to be absent from the meetings. According to government records, for some unexplained reason the zoning on the Thomas land was repeatedly deferred until July, when it was eventually passed.
The opposition leader also pointed out that the letter in question, written by Bush, was sent to Thomas demanding the balance of outstanding funds only a matter of weeks after Grand Cayman was devastated by Hurricane Ivan. This, McLaughlin said, showed clearly where Bush’s priorities were in the midst of a major national crisis. “So, Mr Bush, so much for putting the interests of the country before your personal matters,” McLaughlin declared. “Your fellow Caymanians may have been desperate, hungry and homeless but that was not going to keep you from demanding from Mr Stan Thomas the payment.”
He said Bush was compelled to explain and provide answers to what rezoning issues he had ensured were dealt with by Cabinet; if it was a government transaction, why it was on his company letter, and why he charged Thomas for assistance. He pointed out that MLAs and ministers are not allowed to charge for helping the public as that is part of their job. The opposition leader asked Bush, if it was a private transaction, why had he used his position to further the interests of one of his clients and why did it take eight months to approve the re-zoning. He queried how many times it was deferred and questioned what he had told the planning minister.
Pointing to the fact that the letter asked for a balance, McLaughlin questioned what amount had been previously paid. In the face of continuing speculation about the details of the deal, McLaughlin also asked the premier if he had met Stan Thomas in Las Vegas in March 2004. He said he knew much more than what he had said but it was up to Bush to tell the people what happened. “Stand aside McKeeva or the worst is yet to come,” McLaughlin warned.
The questions had to be answered, the opposition leader told the crowd, and if the premier would not debate the lack of confidence motion where these questions could be asked and answered, the opposition would be debating the motion, no matter what, outside the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. The opposition leader called on everyone to come out and join the debate on the streets of George Town and show they wanted the premier to explain or stand aside.
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Bush need to go. But Alden? Not at all sure he's got it. Maybe Kurt thinking he went too early?
A Concerned Caymanian
"My hands are clean none of my finger or plam prints on anyting." "My heart is pure I wasn't even anywhere near the scene". "So take that". "I'm not that kind of person"."I love my people".
Here's what he will say "I'm not responsible for anything that I'm accused of becuse I suffer from jet-lag from travilling all over the world for my country'. I ask any and all concerned to be easy with me because I'm your First Premier and I can do no wrong. I have rights that no other person has and that's just the way it. That is why I wanted this Premier job in the first place. It is not my fault that many people are jelous but they could have run for it but they didn't and that's to bad. I'm a good person and many people know that so what is the problem? God forgives people for their sins and you should forgive me. Thank you and please get over it".
Revealing information during a police investigation is both unhelpful and counter productive. Why tell the other party what you know, why don't you just let the police run their investigation and search through the evidence in a professional, appropriate and timely manner? This is typical of politics on these islands, continual name calling and petty threats, its the policy of the play ground and it should stop. If you really want a full and unimpeded investigation that finally gets to the indemic and systemic corruption that is apparent every day, then let the police and other authorities do their job without pressure or interference from petulant politicians who are only out to grandstand their own cause. Sometimes it makes you wonder if these self proclaimed guardians of Cayman really want the truth to come out, after all, why would you deliberately set out to interfere with an ongoing inquiry if it weren't to spoil the outcome? Of course it may just be that these people are as inept as the rest of the political 'elite' and don't understand the sublties of effective investigation and prosecution of the evidence.
"If you really want a full and unimpeded investigation that finally gets to the indemic and systemic corruption that is apparent every day, then let the police and other authorities do their job without pressure".
That approach has not worked in the past. Investigations have simply been buried by the police. There has been virtually no pressure re the affordable housing scandal where the Chairman of the Committee was arrested, but nonetheless on what appears to be a simple case no charges havebeen brought after 7 months of investigation. We are not confident that the police and the DPP are in fact doing their jobs.
I can hear Hurwood now: "Mac.., you gonna make him WARN you like dat??"
Alden is not assertive enough to bring the PPM to victory again……he is just another KT.
Arden's heart obviously isn'twith the PPM any longer and he is now issuing joint statements with Ezzard and appearing on Super Tuesdays with Ezzard. Alden is bad mouthing Ezzard at every opportunity he gets but still calling him his friend and colleague. Alden obviously realises that he needs every vote he can get if he has any hope whatsoever of getting re-elected ! So he criticises Ezzard but still he won't let ago of Ezzard's coat tail.
Arden perhaps it is time for you to take the step that The Chuckster took 2 years ago ! The UDP is not the only sinking ship in the sea !
Alden McLaughlin will be Alden McLaughlin, Bush will be Bush, Dr Frank will be Dr Frank, and the Voters will still be the voters. Under educated but full of pride. This is playing out just as it should with all involved doing their part to make sure the rest of the world sees just what happens to fools when they they try to imitate the educated. the world has seen this play too many times to not know the inevitable outcome.. All involved will live to see everything they have built taken away and given back to those who are yet worthy.
Alden, excuse me??!! Where were you ALL this time when Ezzard and Arden were pushing this issue and raising the public's awareness to the matter? They were doing your job Mr. Leader ofthe Opposition! Now you wake up, come out from behind them and start waving your fists and raising you voice? Blustery & pompous. Reminds me of the runt of the school yard who let the big boys do his fight, then start taunting after the vanquished has retreated.
Well, Mac has not retreated yet, so perhaps you should go back and hide behind Ezzard and Arden until it's safe to come out. You are a joke.
Now he is threatening?? Guess he is trying to prove Rolston right that he is immature..
He is a lawyer and witholding information as a ransom…What is this world coming to?
Perhaps Rolston should be making comments about his beloved leader's level of maturity instead.
Who said that the information has been withheld from the police? Notice Alden said that he would make it public, not that he would turn it in to the police. If the only argument you have got is built on a false assumption then you have no argument at all.
Last time i checked it was McKeeva withholding information, or are we in another universe?
As a supporter of the PPM, concerned with the many issues facing our islands I would ask that you stay on point with the issues and leave the comedy show for the UDP. They have a full circus with an able ring master!
Alden, you are indicating in public that you have information on this matter and you are promising you will reveal more if the premier does not. The way this whole situation is playing out is becoming increasingly more troubling.
if you have relevant information, lets hope you have provided it to the relevant authorities in a statement to help the investigation. You should confirm this publicly.
You really suggesting the authorities know nothing? They don’t know about refrigerators? They don’t know about driveways? They don’t know about FCB? They don’t know about status grants? They don’t know about nation building funds? They don’t know what the original payment was of which the 350k was just the balance? They don’t know about condos? They don’t know about sweetheart deals for certain supporters and friends?
Most of the public know these things – and have known for years.
Feigning ignorance when it suited us to allow us to sleep at night while many benefitted ( and others suffered) is what got us here.
The PPM is finally shining the spotlight on much that we have pretended we didn’t see. Better late than never. Sorry if it hurts your eyes, or anyone elses!
Judgement day a comin!
Isn't a US senator on his way to jail being dragged through the courts for
mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds being campaign funds?
This is very serious. He had a baby by his mistress who mocked his wife that
was suffering from cancer!
The tables have turned!
Not a good idea to label Lord Blencathra, "Lord Cripple"!
Be careful who you makake fun of, the tables will turn on you.It's guaranteed.
Your right! All this happened and is happening because the people of Cayman see this and say "O tay" the failure of Cayman leadership is a reflection of the Cayman peoples ability to take resposibility for themselves. As history has taught those who went to school to learn this will not end well for "Caymanians but it will end.
there will be one more scandal in the near future regarding the road cleanup, I hope all of that money wasnt spent in Vegas!
Thank goodness someone finally has the guts to stand up to McKeeva and demand answers. the public should all be there because we have a right to know what is going on. Whether you like McKeeva or not, whether you support him or not, you have to know that having these matters hanging over the Premier's head is not good for Cayman. This is not local. It has gone international. We must all be seen to be doing the right things. These are very serious allegations. I do believe you are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. However, if no wrong has been done, prove it and prove it quickly so that what is left of our reputation can be saved. If the Police have not approached McKeeva, then he should approach the Police and do whatever he can to cooperate fully with them and bring this matter to a close. If he cares about his country and his people he must do the right thing. Step aside and let the investigations be concluded.
Alden, you are brave, tell the whole story, the truth and nothing else but the truth on our spineless Premier. Let the world know the devil within.
Just come clean and face the consequences. Afterall, what is there to fear if your hands are clean and your heart is pure.
To ask is one thing. To belive Bush will actually explain himself would be like asking Osama bin laden to turn himself in. Perhaps if you tried putting your energy into something that has a chance of success? Or is the talking about it the point?
I went to that meeting last night and if I were Mac I've be very, very worried today.
There are some very intelligent people out there with good character who are very upset by what is happening to Cayman and will find a honest and legal means to deal with Mac.
Sounds like a threat Alden!!
Do it Alden. That is the leadership the PPM has been lacking.
I can't help recalling Bush's public response to the PPM's request for details on the Cohen "deal" that cost this country half a million dollars, quote "A hope dey trip up n pop dey mout" with enough gall to state literally in the same breath that he would "do it again" what a darling educated gentleman of a premier we have running our country.
What time do i need to be there?
9:45 am
POWER HUNGRY Alden, you are so stupid that you would think that Mr. Bush would get up and speak? He is not quility until proven, and that has not happened. You want his seat and this is the only was that you could get it. Mac we are behind you all the way. They want to say that West Bayer have a short memory but we remember all that he has done for the people of West Bay.
Alden and his PPM team needs to find something to do for the monies that they are paid monthly and you was to talk about Mac, at least he work for the country something you all do not do. You just there causing trouble amount the LA and the Islands as a whole.
Help get this country back up to where is was, only Mac cannot because you keep making same like he is a liar and thief. All I have to say is that we do not need you to be Captain of the Ship Cayman. You cannot sort anything out and I pray that in the next election you will get VOTED OUT.
LEAVE MAC AND THE UDP TEAM ALONE.
MB heart is pure and his hands are clean, yet he was removed from exco after the First Cayman Bank fiasco. Was that a part of the conspiracy too? I have never trusted him since that fiasco and plenty people lost plenty money! ANYONE is better than McKeeva.
"we remember all that he has done for the people of West Bay". The rest of Cayman remembers to my friend. He gave half of them new fridges in exchange for a chance to screw this country, and he turned half of them into deadbeats living on welfare at the expense of the rest of the country.
How many appliances came your way, for this generous and everlasting support?
The Compass story today outlining what purportedly occurred with the explosives importation, is another example of Bush’s total lack of understanding of the word “PERCEPTION”. Assuming that there has been a bit of “getting heads together” to ensure that everybody’s story is the same, and that they now feel they have a credible case to present, WHY didn’t they do this as soon as the public announcement of the Police investigation was made. Delay in response in such circumstances invariably leads to a public PERCEPTION, that there is some sort of cover-up going on.
What does not quite gel is the overall time frame. If Bush was asked to help expedite the release of the cargo all those weeks ago, surely he would have been chasing Customs on a regular basis to determine the status of the matter – and surely must eventually have been told the matter was now out of their hands. I don’t see Bush as a person who would allow his personal requests to remain unanswered for any length of time. Perhaps, aware that something WAS going on, he decided, for the time being, to let the dust settle.
Not only that, Mac has not received any "official notification" from the police about this investigation yet he is providing to the public lots of letters that he believes explains his actions. However, it only begs the question WHY HAVE YOU NOT DONE THE SAME THING IN THE STAN THOMAS MATTER? Is it because your letters and documents won't provide any lawful explanation of your actions? Did your lawyer advise you that it was OK to release these letters and give an explanation but to stay silent on the Stan Thomas letter?
Was the letter dated 15th Jan really produced on 15th Jan?
re the Compass story on the dynamite. I am an ex civil servant. How Mr Bush acted (trying to interfere and get the civil service to do what he wanted because he thought it made sense) in the dynamite case is exactly how ALL, repeat ALL, politicians of whatever party/group/association/even independents have acted in the last 30 years. (Mr Bush has always been one of the worst but Frank McField was close and any one of the Sister Islands MLAs of the last decades were always interfering to get their (mainly) Brackers fixed up with jobs, business contracts etc.) It does not make it right but it happens because our politicians see themselves as elected to get things done and they see the civil service as being there putting silly regulations in their way. How to fix it? I don't know. But please don't suppose it is anything new.HOWEVER, the Stan Thomas letter is a very different affair.
There is a difference between intervening on behalf of your constituent where a discretion is involved and interfering to compel a civil servant to commit a criminal offence to benefit your associate. Please don't confuse the two.
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes,Yes, OH YEAH, mm hah, ah yah yah yah yah, GASP….. Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes…….. YESSSSS!!! Awesome… Excellent… Fantastic… Superb… Muy Bein…
That's what im talkin about Alden… LET IT RIP!!!
Thank you in advance your Honerable Mr Alden McLaughlin for all your work on behalf of the People.
JUST LET IT RIP!!!
Mac, you have until High Noon.
Alden
Is anyone else sick to death of party politics!?! Honestly, if I can't find a truely independent candidate to vote for next year I won't be voting at all. Let's all get together on this and stomp out party politics!!!!
Hilarious!
IF Alden knows more -why hasn't he taken that information to the Police.
These politicians really think Caymanians are stupid.
Who told you that the police don't already know?
Don’t worry. There is a good reason WHY!
You people never stop surprising me.
Do you realise these people come by information often that they can not speak of because of legal reasons or the information is privileged.
You really need to get off the Mac Coolaid.
It really saddens me to know that you could be called a Caymanian also. You really need to wake up.
Hilarious!
Who says he DIDN'T take the information to the police, and who says the police didn't already HAVE IT? Some of us really give these politicians reason to think the way they do.
Does anything else happen in the Cayman Islands except car accidents, robberies, political threats?
nope, the place is falling to sh!te, thanks to megalomaniacs-r-us.
Suresh Prasad and MAC were doing consulting business together from Bostwain beach days. Check Dan Duguay's scathing report in 2007 http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1023418
Cambridge and other MAC companies keep showing up for 10 years now in various deals while MAC is in power… 'dynamite' players are the same. No surprise there.
Oh Goodie. We have a candidate for investigation number 4. That will than lead to investigation number 5. And who was status recipient number 2064? The coincidences are more explosive than the dynamite!
Wow!
Investigation Number 4 soon come…
This is possibly the most damaging portrayal of how Bush has operated since he came to power. It is a dreadful indictment of ALL OF US that, at the time, and subsequently, nobody demanded an enquiry into what had occurred, and by whose authority. There is no doubt in my mind that the then Governor, and the FCO, were completely delinquent in what, in a Corporate context , should have been the proper excersise of their “Fiduciary Duties”. The Auditor General of the day must have felt like the proverbial Prophet – “Crying in the Wilderness”.
If you want an even more detailed account, see http://www.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=1142,2188399&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
More than 10 years . Mac and Cambridge and Prasad all got together from when Britannia was built.