Mac in PAC attack
(CNS): The opposition leader took aim at Auditor General Alastair Swarbrick during last week’s Public Accounts Committee hearing, telling the committee he was not prepared to take Swarbrick's findings at face value. McKeeva Bush, the UDP leader, said PAC needed to call more witnesses to get to the truth of the auditor general’s claims, many of which are directly linked to the UDP’s time in office. Bush also raised objections to closed door meetings to approve payments to the auditor and asked to see more evidence of what the office had done. During the two day meeting members scrutinized three reports from Swarbrick’s office that pointed to inappropriate board and political interference, and Bush questioned the right of the office to “besmirch” people without given them a chance to defend themselves.
PAC was examining three reports by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) that had raised concerns about inappropriate board and political interference at several statutory authorities.
In turn, Bush raised his concerns that board members, particularly at the airport, had been criticised and claimed the auditor was not always right as he did not do his research properly. The opposition leader said that directors were often serving as volunteers but unfounded allegations were made against them and they were not given a chance to defend themselves.
He slammed the OAG for not interviewing all the people involved before issuing reports that point the finger and criticise.
“If you look at the reports, the people are going to think there is no control when there is,” Bush said after questioning witnesses about the air ambulance services. However, he stressed that the PAC needed to have someone from the boards present when they addressed the OAG’s reports on statutory authorities and government companies.
“We have human rights in this country and this committee cannot do its work and clear the air on matters when people are not interviewed and only one side is given by the audit office,” he said.
He said the auditor wrote things about people without finding out the facts. “We can’t continue in a democratic country not adhering to human rights and writing something about somebody without given them chance to give their side of the story,” he said.
It was not clear why the PAC had not called any of the board members, and the team from Cayman Airways was the only group of witnesses from a statutory authority or government company that came with the board chair.
Bush, who has in the past referred to the auditor general as "a hit man", was on the attack through much of the hearings and said PAC was supposed to manage the audit office and it could not be allowed to carry on as it had. “You need to understand you can’t run ramshackle over everybody,” he told the team from the OAG.
Swarbrick defended his work, however, and pointed out that the PAC had oversight of the office but anything more would be political interference in the work of his office, which is meant to be an independent watchdog on public spending. He said the office followed best practice when compiling the reports and everyone was given a chance to submit comments on the reports.
Bush continued his criticism off the office and said the PAC needed to find the factual basis for Swarbrick’s findings and so needed the board members because the civil servants and authority employees could not answer all the questions, and he demanded proof of the allegations made in the reports.
Shouting at the new PAC chair, Roy McTaggart, Bush told him that while he may take the findings of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) at face value, he (Bush) was not prepared to take everything Swarbrick said "as Bible”.
“People’s names have been besmirched and I want to see proof,” he said, accusing the auditor of making assumptions and that the good governance and transparency everyone wanted was one sided.
“Why must I come here and agree to this?” he demanded.
Category: Politics
This is great material for "Run Down".
I can't wait for the next show.
This "show" brings nothing but shame to all of us, and in the recent past ruin to our reputation.
Just go away Mac…pease, just go away.
The empty drum makes the most noise
Is this the same guy that the UK had to stop from signing a deal with CHEC?
The Forever Honerable One.
That's Onwobble if you please
Throw a rock into a pig pen and I guarantee you it's the one that squeals that got hit.
Correction, When you throw a rock into a pigpen, The one that squeals is the one you hit. And the Mac can surely Sqeal, and always says he never do anything wrong. Anyway, thumbs up to your comment.
It wasn me.
Mac, you want the other side of the coin? We have been waiting for a long time for it too. Tell us about the Stan Thomas deal, tell us about the Chinese Port Deal, tell us about the Turtle Farm loan deal, show us the reports made by those two guys you had the Port paying for as supposedly Stingray City guardians, or whatever they were and tell us about the secret deal you were trying to make to sell CAL to the businessman from the Phillipines. And while you at it, tell us why you really fired Stefan Baraud as Chairman of the Port Authority Board? An Pilar Bush from CAL's Board? Yes Mac, we have been waiting for answers for a long time from you. Will you answer them now?
And please, oh please our dear beloved mad…er mac, do tell us what on earth were you THINKING about in the "for cayman" deal, and in the cohen 'deal' and when you had the respectable and dedicated Mr. Brian Tomlinson fired, and when you gave away all those statuses, and when you gave your church two million of our hard earned money in the name of something else, and when you got rid of our last gentleman of an Auditor General, and when you were spending those hundreds of thousands of our hard earned money trotting the globe in style, and when you used those credit cards for…oh forget it, and when you…oh forget it. WHY ON GOD'S BEAUTIFUL EARTH do we still have you participating in the running of this country? Can you please tell us that, mad mac?
A hope y trip up n pop y mout.
What are facts??? Besides..er…facts!!! Facts don't take into account the stories some people might have. It isn't fair to besmirch these folks before they have had a chance to cook up er fabri er explain themselves. We live in a democracy!!! That means whoever can yell the loudest and be intimidating gets their say!!! The AG is looking into things that shouldn't be looked into!! I've already looked into them!! Along with the people who were closest to it! There's nothing there!!! Nothing went wrong!! And there is no money missing!!! What kind of name is Swarbrick anyway??? And Alastair??? Ever heard of Alastair Crowley??? I rest my case.
What a stupid post.
When he cant win the argument with facts and logic, the standard tactic of an unethical person is to attack the man that has the facts and logic on his side.
He keeps opening his mouth very wide in order to defend himself. However, his entire foot end up in his mouth preventing him from saying anything logical. One would wish he would learn to keep quiet for a change since every time he speaks the more of a fool he shows himself to be.
If Bush wants to shout, they should toss him out in the hall.
Is Alden taking note of problems re boards and political appointments and possibly causing political interference??? Many of us are sir….. so far looks like only PPM and C4C people are being 'appointed' to jobs
What nonsense. A lot of UDP appointees have remained in places as CHAIRMEN of the Boards – Cayman Airways, CPA, ERA etc.
" you need to understand you can't ride ramshackle over everybody " Mac told the OAG's office at the PAC meeting. What marvellous entertainment he provides with his colorful mangling of the English language – for future reference he might want to make a note that the word he probably meant to use is, " Roughshod ".
Or "ride side-saddle" for hat matter
LOL. Mac knows what he is talking about – Angela Martin, Deborah Drummond, Diane Montoya. Didn't he run roughshod, I mean ramshackle all over them? But that's ok by his standards, as long as no one takes aim at him and points out his misdeeds. Lord knows ther must be somewhere other than Hell for him.
I just love his mixed metaphors and malapropisms. The straight unfiltered stuff is just as amusing: on being reminded that gay people could as well fly to Cayman as take "gay cruiseships" McKeeva responded " Well nobody's going to sneak in MY back door"!
That was his brain expressing itself.
Pot calling kettle black.
Tis amazing how this man continues to cry foul especially now that the various reports are being dealt with by the PAC group.I do agree with another blogger on here that Mac should not have been a part of this group. but having said that we need to get to the bottom of the many "problems"that the UDP Gov created as far as finances were(are) concerned.Keep up the pressure Mr.Swarbrick and maybe just maybe we will get the truth about financial irregularities that seem to be everywhere and more coming to light each day about our former Government.
"run ramshackle over" – The AG committed vehicular homicide using a delapidated vehicle? Perhaps he meant to use the expression "ride roughshod over".
“Bush questioned the right of the office to “besmirch” people without given them a chance to defend themselves.” – – Well Mr. Bush, proof is in the pudding (or heavy cake, your pick). Take yours out of the oven and lay bare the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Can you handle that? – – Remember the mitts, it could be hot.
Shoot the messenger and baffle 'em with BS. Why should Mac change tactics when it has worked so well in the past?
Sqqqquiirrrrrmiiinnggg
Squirming so much he jaw is squeaking
We need all the facts revealed in this sorry case i.e
Nick back Paddy Mac and give the Pac a bone.
Because untill you present the evidence you talk about, it is just talk,
you were there you know what happened, hand over your facts and prove the
AG wrong. Stop the talking if you do not have the proof of your ever accusations.
I blame Alden McLaughlin for this sad state of affairs. Why would Alden put McKeeva on the PAC to scrutinize reports against McKeeva's own administration ???? That is not good governance Alden that is bad governance and with the fomer Deputy Premier/Premier promoted to the Speaker's Chair by you one has to wonder just how deep this corruption runs !!!!!! This is a disgrace and it undermines the work of the Auditor General, especially having newcomers like Roy McTaggart at the helm…..he cannot control McKeeva. But there were much better options available in all districts for the people to choose from last May but you all are who they chose. They say that a country gets the government it deserves but I know we don't deserve this. The fact that after just barely 100 days in you all are facing a level of civil unrest and public protest never before seen in this country speaksvolumes about this government and your leadership Alden !!!!!!!! Unna betta tighten up because the people are fed up and its about to boil over !!!!!!!
Looks like the Olive Branch Alden handed Pac Mac has turned into a Prickly Pear!! This entire Government is going to implode on the Premier- just a matter of time now.
It just struck me that one political reason to put Mac on the PAC is to goad him in to continuing his histrionics so his manners are not forgotten. A quiet 4 years would have been in Mackeeva's (UDP's) interests so they could come back again with a new slate of 'nice guys' asking to be given a chance as the 'only other option to the PPM'. It worked before, remember.
McKeeva shouldn't be in government period. It's the people of West Bay and the courts system you need to blame for that, not Alden McLaughlin.
"…facing a level of civil unrest and public protest ***never before seen in this country*** speaks volumes about this government and your leadership "
Now that is partisan nonsense. The new govt. has yet to be able to point to any major accomplishments but it is far and away better than McKeeva's govt. which did have REAL civil unrest and public protest and for good reason, not made up UDP partisan nonsense.
Thats it 19.07!! You are a genious! Lets put the 2000 unemployed to work as protesters against unethical and possibly fraudulent behaviour by certain members of the community! Wonder how many will actually turn up?
Mac didn't like the last Auditor General either. I wonder why that is?
Audible Generals typically don't like Auditor Generals.
McKeeva isn't going to like anyone, who is going to post the truth on the notice board. Read my lips, don't listen to his rhetoric. The glass ceiling is falling down on him.
Sweet cufflinks for a 6th grade educated gardener. We dont need no stinking audits.
besmirched, huh
people have been run ramshackle over, even…
Mac's only defence is attack. He makes me laugh. I was wondering when he'd be ranting again, as the news was getting boring. But seriously, thank the Lord (& decent voters) that he is out of Government.
Mac's hypocrisy is unbelievable. His UDP administration refuse to provide any accounting records, then accuse the auditor general of not doing proper research when he calls them out. If he really wanted cared about accountability he would provide evidence showing where all those hundreds of millions went while he was in office.
A cornered rat can put up a very ferocious fight.
You just insulted all rats
So shall we all just say – screw the facts and the evidence?
It all boils down to who can shout the loudest and who can cuss and blackguard the most…
That has worked well in Cayman politics for the past three decades…
Naaa.. I wouldnt recommend that we take anything that Mac says 'as Bible' either – no matter how logical he sounds, or how loud he shouts…
Call the fire truck. We have another Bush fire.
Mac wants transparency!!!! Give it to him the day he comes clean about all his "closed door" meetings. Too much for a monday morning…
The forever honourable Mr. McKeeva Bush, JP has now earned himself a new nickname:
"PAC Mac".
PAC Rat sounds more like it!
That's Onwobble if you please