West Bay West MP McKeeva Bush has tendered his resignation as House Speaker.
Bush confirmed to the Compass that he was stepping down from the Speaker’s role – but that he won’t leave the post until 30 November.
He said he had done nothing wrong, but was resigning in the best interests of the jurisdiction. He added that he would remain part of the government.
“I helped put PACT together and I think they have the best solutions for the country. They just need to get it done,” he said.
Bush added that he would be able to be more active in Parliament once he leaves the Speaker’s Chair. He said he aims to tackle a wider range of issues, bringing private members’ motions and other matters to the floor of the House.
He said he was committed to ensuring a national conversation about online media outlets, which he accused of smearing people before the facts are known. Bush said matters that are under investigation by police, such as the incident he was alleged to be involved with, were considered sub-judice and should not be debated in public or reported in any detail prior to the conclusion of an investigation or court proceedings. He suggested that many others had been impacted and he would bring a motion to Parliament to deal with it.
He will remain as Speaker for the next session of Parliament, which starts Friday.
‘Political nature’ of the issue
In an earlier statement aired on the 6pm news on Radio Cayman Wednesday evening, Bush said despite “constituents, colleagues, friends, among others who insist” he should remain in office, he has decided to resign.
“I’m very much fully aware of the political nature the matter has taken on and the negative impact and toll it takes and continues to take on my constituents, my colleagues, my family, the wider country and the diaspora, having emotional distraught to cause grief, mental anguish, and various damages to our well being,” he said, as he announced his decision.
Listen to the audio statement from Radio Cayman here:
Bush said he handed in his resignation to Premier Wayne Panton Tuesday and the letter would go to the Parliamentary Clerk on Wednesday.
Panton, when contacted by the Compass, confirmed Bush had resigned.
The details of his letter were not released.
The Clerk of the Parliament has confirmed receipt of the letter.
Bush, in his audio statement, said he had stepped down “in the interest of all parties”.
“My record of service and contribution to the Cayman Islands will stand the test of time and history will show that I have done as much for the growth and development of this country, taking care of our people as best as we could over the years as any other elected Member of the honourable House,” he added.
Opposition: Bush’s resignation ‘unacceptable’
Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart, in a statement responding to Bush’s declaration that he would be resigning effective 30 November, said it was “unacceptable to the Opposition and should be unacceptable to all members of Parliament”.
He said the Opposition was of the view that such a resignation will also be unacceptable to the majority of the public.
He questioned where the letter of resignation was as “this is the second pronouncement of the Speaker that he will resign.”
Bush’s resignation announcement follows a statement from Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne, issued by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, confirming that the investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the Speaker which prompted the calls for him to step down was nearly done.
The statement, which did not name Bush but referred to him instead as a “senior politician”, noted that an investigation file on the matter “is nearing completion, and will be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions”.
The allegations stemmed from an incident at a government cocktail reception at The Ritz-Carlton last month.
The resignation comes after Deputy Speaker Katherine Ebanks-Wilks’s decision to reject the Opposition’s motion of no-confidence in the House Speaker earlier on Wednesday.
McTaggart, in his statement after Bush said he would step down, contended that the Opposition’s motion was valid and there was no grounds for its refusal.
“We insist that our motion of a lack of confidence in the Speaker must be heard. It would be both an affront to democratic principles and a breach of good governance for our motion to be hi-jacked by the Deputy Speaker. It should be noted that the purported resignation of the Speaker will not take effect for another two months, if at all,” he added.
The lack of confidence motion, McTaggart said, will bring “clarity and certainty to this unfortunate situation” as well as ensure confidence in the Parliament.
He pointed out that, contrary to claims by one media entity, the lack of confidence motion against the Speaker was filed on Friday and was within the required “five clear days” allowed under the standing orders.
“Clear days exclude the day the motion is filed, and the day Parliament would meet… As such, counting from Saturday Oct 1, skipping Sunday, to Thursday Oct 6, provides for the five clear days necessary to be in time,” he added.
McTaggart said he has written to Deputy Speaker Katherine Ebanks-Wilks requesting a reason for the refusal of the motion.
He said she wrote him at 4:55pm Wednesday advising that “she has been too busy with constituents’ matters” to provide reasons for her refusal to approve the motion.
“She has said that she ‘will provide the detailed explanation for refusing the motion of lack of confidence in the Speaker no later than 12:00pm on Thursday 6th October 2022.’ We look forward to her response,” he added.
Additional reporting by James Whittaker
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