Premier Wayne Panton renewed his call for Speaker McKeeva Bush to step down as political hostilities ratcheted up in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
A brief entente cordiale that saw Cayman’s political groups put their differences aside to face the threat of the storm appears to be over.
And the political storm that was brewing, before the hurricane took precedence, still looms on the horizon.
Bush’s position, a subject of speculation since reports of his latest alleged indiscretion, is just one of the challenges. Panton also faces a ‘vote of no-confidence’ in his government, following an Opposition motion.
Parliament meets next Wednesday with all those issues still up in the air.
Speaking to the Compass, Tuesday, the premier re-iterated his stance that Bush should go and dismissed the Progressives’ motion as an illogical and embarrassing power play that would not succeed.
“In terms of any substance, it’s a tiny little storm in a tea cup compared to what we are doing and the real life issues we are facing,” he said, as he greeted a British Navy response team on island to help with the post-Ian clean-up.
Progressives leader Roy McTaggart denied the motion was ill-timed and insisted government was divided and ineffective. He said members would have to “vote their conscience” when the motion is considered next week.
“The entire country is aware of the discord and disunity that exists, resulting in significant governance issues, the result of which is that very little is happening in government and the country,” he insisted.
Speaker’s position unresolved
Panton acknowledged that political fractures, including the thorny issue of the Speaker, had taken a backseat to Hurricane Ian, which remains top of the government’s agenda.
And he insists he is keen to get them over with and renew focus on policy rather than politics.
He said he had no personal animosity towards Bush but hoped he would step down for his own good and that of the country.
“I have made it very clear to the country and I’ve made it very clear to the Speaker what my position is. That has not changed, and he is aware of that. But for now our concern is making sure that we address the needs of the country and any ongoing issues that have resulted from the storm.”
Panton, in an open letter to the Speaker, had called for him to step down by last week Friday. But while Bush had publicly indicated he intended to do so, no letter of resignation has been forthcoming.
And it is no longer clear what the Speaker’s intentions are. Bush, who faces allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards female guests at a government function earlier this month, didn’t respond to requests for comment Tuesday and in his most recent responses to the Compass, last week, he said his focus was on the storm.
Panton said he had re-iterated his desire for Bush to resign in a conversation with the Speaker on Friday, but was not yet clear on what the West Bay MP intends to do.
He refused to rule out the possibility of a vote of no-confidence in the Speaker, but said that would be a decision for the PACT government as a whole.
“The reality is that it is possible,” he said, “but I would hope that it isn’t necessary. Calmer heads will prevail and there will be a much more amicable resolution of the issue.”
Opposition motion ‘a storm in a teacup’
The premier added that he was confused by the logic of an Opposition motion of no-confidence in his leadership in response to the Bush situation.
“I have taken the position that for the interests of the country, and in his own interests, he (McKeeva Bush) should step down. The response of the Opposition to that is that I should step down, or I should be removed? It’s really ironic.”
He said he expects the Opposition motion to fail.
“I don’t think it has any chance of success. If you are prosecuting a government on the basis of performance, the reality is, if you look at all the metrics, we have performed very well.”
He said motions of no confidence usually stemmed from concerns about major economic or policy issues that were threatening the stability of the country.
In this case, he said there were no such issues.
“Our financial performance has been strong, our labour force numbers are looking very good, our unemployment is down to 5%, our GDP growth over the last quarter has accelerated to 3.8%. These are all things that people historically look at as far as performance issues are concerned.”
He acknowledged Cayman had cost-of-living concerns but said these were connected to “imported inflation” and his government had taken steps to protect the most vulnerable.
Asked if there were divisions within the PACT team that the motion may exploit, he said there were differences of opinion within the group, but they were committed to collectively working in Cayman’s best interests.
“Nobody’s perfect. No team is perfect. But I certainly don’t see anything you could successfully prosecute this government for.”
McTaggart: ‘Government is divided’
The Opposition motion sets out 14 reasons why it claims confidence in the sitting government has been eroded, uppermost being “the premier’s lack of effective leadership”.
Asked for comment Tuesday, McTaggart denied there was anything cynical about the motion, suggesting the discord in the government was leading to significant governance issues.
“The premier may view this as a power play, but we view it as a necessity in order to restore confidence in government and get the country moving forward over the remainder of the term.
“We will have a debate on Wednesday, and at the conclusion, members can vote their conscience. At that time, we will know where everybody stands. If the premier is happy with his government and his performance, then he has nothing to fear.”
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