Debate on the Opposition’s motion of no confidence in the government is set to begin Friday, 7 Oct., when Parliament resumes its sitting.
However, with no formal letter of resignation from House Speaker McKeeva Bush submitted, at least at the time of publication of this article, it looks likely the West Bay West MP could be in the Speaker’s chair for the debate.
It is an ironic state of affairs since it was allegations against Bush and calls for his removal that spurred the Opposition’s attempt to oust Premier Wayne Panton as head of government.
The motion, which was filed last week, was approved by the House Business Committee on Thursday, the Cayman Compass was informed.
It is expected to be the first item on the agenda. The sitting was originally set for Wednesday, but was moved to Friday.
Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart, through the motion seconded by his deputy Joey Hew, sets out 14 reasons why confidence in the sitting government has been eroded, with “the Premier’s lack of effective leadership” topping the list.
The motion also takes aim at “Cabinet’s collective lack of collaboration, cohesion, and competence; the lack of any progress in bringing forward a Parliamentary Code of Conduct that would provide an effective means of holding Members of Parliament accountable for their behaviour and the lack of any substantive legislation being brought to Parliament in over a year.”
Also flagged as grounds for no confidence was the contravention of accepted conventions and norms where “the Premier allowed his Ministers to involve the Speaker of Parliament in government business at home and at official meetings overseas”.
Panton has dismissed the motion saying, “It’s a tiny little storm in a tea cup.”
Governor’s stance on Speaker unchanged
Panton, in an interview with the Compass this week, renewed his call for Bush to resign as Speaker, adding that his position remains unchanged.
Parliament has confirmed that no letter of resignation from Bush has been submitted to date.
Governor Martyn Roper, in a statement last week, said, in light of the police investigation into allegations of assault on two civil servants at the hands of the West Bay West MP at a government cocktail reception, that “it is right that Mr Bush resign from his role as Speaker of Parliament as he has confirmed to the Premier and to the press. I had urged him to do so in private correspondence.”
Speaking on the Compass Facebook talkshow The Resh Hour Wednesday night, Roper maintained his position.
However, he said the next step “is now a matter for our elected parliamentarians”.
Roper’s statement last week elicited the ire of former legislator Arden McLean, who in a telephone interview with the Compass on Thursday, suggested that the governor was “out of place” to intervene in such a public manner and call for Bush’s resignation.
“He is within his rights to comment, but he cannot ask the Speaker to resign. It is the Parliament that put him there [as Speaker] and [it is] for them to deal with him,” McLean said.
He added that there is a separation of powers and, as such, the governor cannot and should not get involved in the inner workings of the legislature.
“His job is for good governance, peace and order… he is causing strife,” McLean argued, adding that he should let the “duly legally elected” MPs do their jobs.
He noted that the governor’s office is a “creature of instruction” from the UK secretary of state and if Roper were asked to make such a pronouncement on instruction, then it would mean the autonomy of the Cayman Islands was being taken away.
“The Constitution is very clear; he needs to stay out of the [Parliament]…. he is ‘too fresh’,” McLean argued.
Roper declined to comment further during his interview ion The Resh Hour, but said he had the right to issue the statement.
“I am responsible for good governance under the Constitution. We were also talking about two civil servants and I am responsible for the civil service through the deputy governor who is the day-to-day head of the civil service… We were also in a period of national mourning for her late Majesty the Queen and so I believe I had the right to comment,” Roper said.
He pointed out that since arriving in Cayman he has been very consistent in private and in public in urging people to be treated with courtesy, dignity and respect at all times.
“I strongly believe that people in public life need to maintain the highest standards and that was why I felt it was necessary to speak out,” he added.
He added that he would like to see agreement on the Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians, which is up to MPs to finalise and approve.
“I think it’s important, but again, that’s a matter for Parliament,” he said.
Roper added that he thinks the premier is fully committed to good governance and is “a man of integrity”.
He said, under Panton’s leadership, a Cabinet manual and a ministerial code of conduct had been created and adopted, and the outcomes of both Cabinet and National Security Council meetings have been published for the first time.
“So, I think, under this premier that there’s been a strong push to enhance good governance in the islands and I pay tribute to him for that… I hope he is successful in ensuring there is a Parliamentary Code of Conduct,” he added.
Regarding the Opposition’s motion of no confidence, Roper said he has been reporting to the UK on developments on that issue, but “in terms of what happens next, that is a matter for our elected elected representatives, and it’s for them to deal with those issues, not me as governor”.
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