Governor Martyn Roper has urged all elected representatives to ‘fully respect the separation of powers’ in the aftermath of Minister Bernie Bush being stripped of the Ministry of Home Affairs following breaches of the Ministerial Code of Conduct.
Roper and Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, in a joint statement issued the night of 11 April, expressed their support for Premier Wayne Panton’s decision to reassign the Home Affairs Ministry to Health Minister Sabrina Turner after Bush breached the Constitution and Ministerial Code of Conduct.
The governor, commenting on Panton’s decision – which was announced late Sunday night in a statement – said he understood the premier’s reasons for taking the measures that he did, including sending Bush on two weeks no-pay leave, starting 18 April.
“It is crucial to the good functioning of our democracy that Ministers respect the constitutional boundaries and separation of powers. Section 55 of the Constitution states clearly that public service appointments and civil service issues are the Governor’s responsibility, a power that is largely delegated to the Deputy Governor as Head of the Civil Service,” Roper said.
Bush has retained the Ministry of Sports, apologised for his comments and accepted the censure, according to Panton’s statement.
“Ministers have a responsibility to act with integrity and to uphold the highest standards of behaviour towards everyone in our community, in particular, our civil servants with whom they work closely. For its part, the civil service will continue to do its utmost to implement Ministers’ objectives and policies.- Governor Martyn Roper
Observance of Constitution key to good governance
The governor pointed out that Cayman’s good governance rests on full observance of the Constitution.
“Ministers have a responsibility to act with integrity and to uphold the highest standards of behaviour towards everyone in our community, in particular, our civil servants with whom they work closely. For its part, the civil service will continue to do its utmost to implement Ministers’ objectives and policies,” he said.
Citing an example, Roper stated that ministers “who use their position to influence which individual is selected for public service roles would be infringing on the Constitution and represents political interference”.
Bush was penalised following recent “infringements of Section 55 of the Constitution and breaches to two sections of the Ministerial Code of Conduct”, Panton stated.
Manderson, in the joint statement, added his support for the premier as he pointed out that as Head of the Civil Service he has responsibility to ensure all staff feel respected and valued in the workplace.
“I take these responsibilities seriously and when concerns are brought to my attention, as in this case, I will take action as set out in the Public Service Management Act. It is also my duty to ensure that the civil service remains apolitical. Now that action has been taken to address the serious concerns raised by civil servants, I will ensure that the Civil Service continues to serve the Elected Government and work to make the lives of those we serve better,” he added.
The Opposition is yet to issue a statement on this latest development.
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