East End MP Isaac Rankine has been sworn in as acting Minister for Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage for a period of three weeks.
Rankine, in a post on his official Facebook page on Tuesday morning, announced his new assignment as he takes over from embattled MP Bernie Bush who was stripped of the Home Affairs Ministry after breaching the Constitution and Ministerial Code of Conduct.
Rankine was announced as the acting sports minister, in Bush’s stead, starting 18 April, when Bush begins two weeks of leave on no pay, as part of his penalty for the breaches that cost him the Home Affairs portfolio.
The Office of the Premier, responding to queries from the Cayman Compass on Tuesday about Rankine’s early appointment as acting minister said it was a normal procedure.
“As is the long-standing practice, an MP steps in to take over when a Minister is off on official business, which Mr. Bush is as of today [Tuesday,]” the brief emailed response stated.
It is unclear what that official business is at this time.
Rankine shared that he will be in the acting post until 1 May.
“During this time, my constituency office will remain open and fully functioning however my schedule will be amended to accommodate my ministerial responsibilities,” Rankine said through his post.
On Sunday Premier Wayne Panton announced his decision to reassign the Home Affairs Ministry to Health Minister Sabrina Turner after Bush’s “infringements of Section 55 of the Constitution and breaches to two sections of the Ministerial Code of Conduct”.
On Tuesday afternoon Governor Martyn Roper shared via Twitter that he had presented Turner with her amended instrument of appointment reflecting her new ministerial role.
I handed over an amended Letter of Instrument to Minister Turner reflecting her new responsibility for Home Affairs. Congrats to Min. Turner on assuming this important responsibility in addition to Health & Wellness. I look forward to working closely with Min. Turner in future. pic.twitter.com/5WcNXfyhXd
— Martyn Roper (@martynroper) April 12, 2022
The minister, in an interview with Cayman News Service this week, stated that he had put a stop to ‘unacceptable bonuses’ being paid to fire chief Paul Walker to train Caymanians.
The responsibility for civil service matters, under the Constitution, lies with the Governor but has been delegated to the Deputy Governor as head of the Civil Service.
Bush, in Sunday’s statement accepted his censure and apologised.
Rankine, in his post, assured, “under my leadership, the ministry will continue to operate and function in the carrying out of its duties, services and remit”.
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Why the secrecy about Mr Bush’s “official business trip”?. Given the current circumstances, the public should certainly be given an explanation of the nature of this 3 week all expense paid absence.