Temporary relief
That the UDP would let it all come down to this is not that much of a surprise. When I said in a previous viewpoint some months ago that the members of this group were much more likely to go down with a sinking ship, it was quietly hoped that they would at least jump before it truly sank. But the ship has sunk, is starting to rust and is full of seaweeds. And four members are still on it.
The actions of the entire UDP team before and during this recent debacle had proven that they were not of the character to act quickly and in a principled manner as is the expectation across the globe when a similar crisis occurs in political leadership. They were never being asked to incriminate the premier or suggest that he had done anything wrong, just to behave as any self-respecting politician (sorry if that’s an oxymoron) would in the circumstances.
If nothing else, this just cements in every voter's mind that the UDP has no place in the Legislative Assembly, has no business running for office next year and should go down in history as one of the worse political train wrecks this country has ever experienced.
Why Mike Adam, Rolston Anglin, Mark Scotland, Cline Glidden, Dwayne Seymour, and Jullianna O’Conor Connolly who, on the face of it (and despite one or two issues between them) seem to be reasonable individuals, failed to do the right thing on the Tuesday afternoon immediately after the premier was arrested seems inexplicable. Why Eugene Ebanks and Ellio Solomon failed to step up (and now remain at Bush's side along with Adam) is more easily explained; one does not do or say much about anything and the other is perceived by many as an inexperienced upcoming political opportunist who is apparently incapable of dealing with such matters of national importance.
The main issue that the UDP members face now is that they acted too late to save face or maintain any credibility. They should not have waited until Mr Bush had completed his questioning on Wednesday, they should not have waited for him to run off to Jamaica to "speak on integrity" while on police bail, and they should have remained as a group of eight in the LA a week later instead of toppling in the name of political cronyism.
The result does suggest that the man of the hour has ruled seemingly with an iron fist and had become so impenetrable and dictatorial that fear must have been the only explanation. Fear of political bullying, political persecution, fear of him abusing his office to their disadvantage and fear that his so-styled ‘coat tails’ would not be there for them to ride on during the upcoming election campaign.
And while none of this has to do with his presumed innocence, which is a matter for the courts, we can say, just based on his performance in office, that the country now seems immediately better off because of his removal. Because while we don’t know the number, the political removal of McKeeva Bush is very likely a huge relief for many, some for personal reasons and others for sake of country.
The governor must now act quickly because the prospect of five cabinet members limping along without a House majority does not bode well for Cayman. Call early elections and let the people sort this out.
In terms of politics and poor leadership, the curtain has certainly been drawn on McKeeva Bush because, while he has survived this type of thing before, he is unlikely to repeat a come back at this stage of his political career. At the same time, we must be wary of what occurs now as far as the formal case is concerned. If the RCIPS and other authorities are proven to be less than competent in their dealings on this case, we will certainly see the largest financial settlement ever in the country’s history because there should be no doubt that the former premier (as he has the right to do) will secure competent attorneys to handle his case.
So, as far as the ‘big man’ goes, the ‘fat lady’ has not quite sung yet, but at least the country is now certain that a political resolution will surface when the people go to the polls sometime between February and May of 2013. Too bad the UDP didn’t act quickly or responsibly enough to spare us the circus act.
Category: Viewpoint
We need full time permanent relief and we will all get that in may. Cant come soon enough!
Ok i just wasted 1 hour by the court house listening to dufus and his 3 minnions. I wish we had gone to early elections just so this could end. Seriously in one hour there was not one once of sense.
The next five months will tell whether the governor made a good decision. It gives the remaining udp a chance to prove that they are better than the man that led them.
Have you seen what bush is now doing? It will be a political farce and thats why they should have just gone straight to elections. Its going to be all politics from here anyway
Spot on. There is no reason to start celebrating yet because there will likely be more revelations. I am still not sure i agree with what the gov did today.looks like he setting them up to fail with a minority government. I didnt even know you could have such a thing.
We shall see how the 5 handle this but my vote would have been for the early elections.
30 years of physiological abuse and conditioning are difficult to overcome. Getting out of an abusive relationship is very difficult; the abuser makes the abused feel guilty and responsible.
All Caymanians felt the effect of either Mr. Bush’s generosity or a fear his vengeance. Reward and punishment are part of the abusive control mechanism. I’m sure that for the members of his party it is even more so than the rest of us. In this regard Mr. B is a grand chess master, the controller and builder of a self-serving political machine that has permeated and penetrated Caymanian life and culture for 3 decades.
Some people remember his favors, others his rewards and others his punishments. Even his opposition had to live with a constant expectation of his reaction that coloured their decisions and actions: I thank them for staying in opposition; it hasn’t always been easy.
No One Person Should Have Such Control Of A Country And Its People.
Regardless of all the analysis about the personal agendas for and against the 5 UDP members and how long it took for that process to unfold we should remember they had to overcome huge concerns about the consequences of their actions and overcome years of conditioning. I thank them for making the change. Hopefully Cayman will become a country where there are no strong men and demigods. A country with a lot of strong people who do a lot of good in the right way. Doing good is no excuse for doing it wrong.
Mr. B became confused, at the end he thought that everything was about him, his paranoia and his willingness to gamble everything on one more throw of the dice is what brought us to this state. Hopefully he can now settle down, relax and find some piece.
Caymanians must be on guard to never let this happen again. The next time that you ask for a favor or need help, don’t compromise a politician, use the system and the system has to open and transparent. Call you politician to fix the system, that’s their job. Protect them. Make them do it honestly.
When you say you want him to find some "piece" do you mean piece such as in "I hope he gets some piece of tail" or "peace" as in "peace bro!"?
The problem is that he will not settle down and find peace at all. He will wreak havoc and creat war. The man has gone bonkers to tell you the truth
Your comment really says what I have been saying along. A mad man can really control sensible people. He always brings out the emotions in the old people and absolutely convinces them that he is a saviour. XXXX
Great post. Completely agree.
Where your comment waxes a bit soft is that it fails to acknowlege that for a very long while now the people of the Cayman Islands have tolerated Mac's foolishness and, other than whining here and there like whipped puppies, the people of these islands did very, very little to try to stop the abuse of power and remove Mac from office.
Save for quite lately, there were no significant mass public demonstrations of dissatisfaction of the status quo and no mass public calls for early elections.. You criticise the UPD 5 for acting too slowly but they actually acted much more resolutely than have the people of the Cayman Islands who put up with Mac's foolishness for a time measured in years. Years! There were no consistent mass outcries at public meetings for Bush to change or for him to step down. Hell, it took his arrest for anything to happen and even then we did little other than whine for him to "do the right thing"! At least the UDP 5 had the courage to finally act, albeit somewhat belatedly; however, their reaction to the situation initially quite aptly mirrored the attitude of the Caymanian people – no more, no less. Thankfully, in the end, the UDP 5 actually did risk something and put an end to the untenable situation, which is much more than I can say for the Caymanian people in general. For the most part we bitch and whine but hardly ever are we willing to put something on the line even if it is to save our land.
You make reference to how this would have been handled in places "across the globe". I would proffer that in just about any other western democracy that ended up with so disgraceful a leadership, the people would have marched and demonstrated and gone on strike and in general made life miserable for the offender(s). That is why in most other places the shamed leader chooses to step down before things get out of hand.
I say put the blame where the blame is due! We have become a land with a lazy, complacent, whiney electorate that does very little but blow hot air in even the most serious situation. Unless the people have truly heeded this as a wake-up call, new elections will not change the fact that another Bush could crop up at any time. This is a dire and very sobering thought, so let it sink in! Think about it: unless and until we have a revamping of the framework that empowered MacBush – the Constitution – and unlessand until our people learn to cast their votes far more wisely, we could end up with somebody one hell of a lot worse than Bush could ever be. If things remain as they are it will not be "if" another Bush (or worse) will surface, it is simply a matter of "when".
I am for leaving things just as the Governor has allowed until the next scheduled elections so we can see the true character of our MLA's. If they are worthy statesmen, the government will not "limp along" as you put it. It could even begin to flourish. The MLA's can and should be able to put party politics behind them and in a spirit of selfless unity come together for the good of the country. There is no reason for them not to do so. I see this as a test and as an opportunity to get the Cayman Islands back on the right track.
True true the people really need to start stepping up in cayman
101 you only got one thing wrong on this one. mac is definitely coming back bro because he has what it takes when it comes to politics. watch and see what happens not only in west bay but also in GT. so dont talk abotu fat lady sing and curtains and all that yet.
did you really say try to save face? no one in THAT grouping can possibly save face now. we wil see them all in may 2013.
they could have acted about 2 years ago maybe then just MAYBE i woud have held some respect for them
CG gone way down in my rankings and so is mike. ellio was never on my ratings chart he couldnt make the worse on my list..
personally i think the governor made a huge mistake today by now calling the elections. we will just have a media circus for the next 5 months because trust me these jokers wont be doing anythin to avoid that
yes i am happier now for sure that this idiot is no longer in office. but i am also feeling good to see foolio on the sidelines as thats where he should be. i suggest he goes back to radio..would rooster take him back?
TO 1103
Would you please ask mark why he wants to sell off the indigents also?
true the circus act is one thing but to be honest they could have spared us the whole XXXX 3 and half years! what a complete waste of a vote.
not a fan of mac. not a fan of alden. lets see something completely new as a group of leaders. and governoer please just do the right thing for so we can say the FCO is on our side for once.
We need permanent relief and the only way to get that is for us to go to the polls. heck i dont even want to wait until feburary lets do it before xmas. remember that old tv commercial? how do you spell relief? PPM!
actually relief is spelled C4C.
They will do down in history as worse than a train wreck. i cant wait for some C4C and other independents run for office. we need new blood not these same old idiots. this not just udp fault it is also fault of the political parties. its al about greed and money not the voters. ask mark why he wants to put a dump in bodden town. so we can al remember what his legacy is to sell out to Dart and bring one district problem to another district.
How can this be "all the fault of the political parties"?
Just as Mr. Bush has thoroughly embraced all the trappings of the office of the premier, he must also accept all the responsibilities of that office and he should have stepped down whilst the investigation carries on for the good of our country. Just like any leader of any other country should do and probably would do.
How exactly would an independent be forced to step down in the same circumstances? The UDP MLA's eventually did what a real party would do and ousted Mac as premier. Who would force and independent premier to resign or be removed?
as we say in another island u does ramble a lot buoy.
"the ‘fat lady’ has not quite sung yet …"
You got someone in mind?
The one I got in mind … well she better hope Mac don't start singing too.
actually when mac starts to sing a lot of people will worry and not just fats ones. for that i do have a few names in mind too!
Mark my words don’t talk about curtains drawing on mckeeva yet. He has power to still get votes and watch and see how cg and rollie will get screwed during elections. Moves are already afoot to take them out of the politics in west bay and mac will have seats with him to negotiate a position in the next government.im not saying i support him just saying this could be what really happens.
Totally agree Mac is a genius politically, he will romp back to power in WB and Ellio and Mike will retain their seats in GT as the PPM and C4C split up the vote. The Mac Party will have 6 of the 18 seats and will either have some influence on forming the next Government or he will be Leader of the Opposition. Those who under estimate him will pay with their political careers. Where is Dr Frank, Linford, Truman, Benson, Gilbert, Roy, they all crossed Mac and he rose to conquer them.
Such hero worship! Check back this time next year and see if you are singing the same tune.
Bro I actual H@T€ THE MAN, but I am not naive, and I am old enough to remember this happened once before with First Cayman Bank. Less than 3 days after he gets ousted in disgrace he has a rally in town which attracts over 500 “worshippers”. My warning is simply he is down but not done and he will raise again. In May he will be either Premier or Leader of the Opposition.
I have lost all respect for mark and ms julie. They don’t need mac vote in westbay because they have their own strength in their district so they should never never have waited so long to speak out. Ellio is self serving coward just want something for himself.
actually if you say the words "ju ju" and repeat it over and over and put your hands like a steering wheel you would look like the premier on one of those tractors in the brac. just a random thought.
101 forget tuesday evening they should have made a statement asking him to step down by lunch time that tuesday. Even now the five that vote against him still saying stuff like we love him and this is not about his leadership etc
Think about it. If westbayers still want they could really screw the county. If they side with mac in early election then cg and cline would have to get a job. The country could still end up being ruled by big mac if he doesnt get put away in jail.
I think the problem is worse than some of us think. Politics stinks in this country.
Early election could cause a lot of confusion remember not everyone is ready to campaign and that situation will be better for incumbents so we wont get the change we really need. But i agree with writer otherwise this thing dealt with poorly by udp.
Will john john get mike’s ministry?
early election may be better . have you not seen the new allocation of ministeries? that is a disaster waiting to happen. the woman who spent to much on travel is now responsible for controlling govt finances. and a man called 'john john' is now responsible for gender affairs and social services. a wanna be accountant who never quite made it in the financial industry is now responsible for financial services and the man who was deep in there with Dart now has 'development'. at least the man who wants to put a dump in BT is still the same so we get consistency there
Very very well said. Now lets see what the uk representative does today and if cayman can get back on track after this foolishness by mckeeva and his boys.