Topic: McKeeva Bush
CarePay trial: Webb hid CarePay profits from ex-wife, says Defense
Caymanian businessman Jeffrey Webb tried to cover his involvement in the company that won the Health Services Authority’s patient swipe-card contract because he was trying to hide his profits from his former wife during divorce proceedings, defense attorneys in the CarePay trial alleged.
Bush raises questions over vehicle licensing center
Cayman's opposition leader asks the governor to look into the construction of a vehicle licensing facility in Breakers.
Constitutional Commission: 9-member government bench possible
Cayman's Constitutional Commission weighs in on the Legislative Assembly numbers debate.
The shifting sands beneath the government’s feet
With about a year-and-a-half to go until the 2017 elections, the ground is once again trembling beneath Cayman’s elected government.
Penalty flag: Putting a price on patriotism
In the Cayman Islands, patriotism doesn’t come free of charge. According to our government, the cost can range up to $5,000 per display.
West Bay seniors celebrate the season
With close to 600 guests in attendance, it was a packed house at the annual Senior Citizens Social.
A month-by-month roundup of Cayman’s 2015 news stories
Top stories of 2015 in the Cayman Islands
How to address unemployment (Hint: Education)
Cayman’s unemployment problem is not the result of anti-Caymanian employers. It is a symptom of an underlying condition among large segments of our society.
Top stories of 2015: One man, one vote approved
The approval of 'one man, one vote' in 2015 marked a "sea change" in Cayman Islands politics.
Alva Suckoo resigns from PPM
Bodden Town representative Alva Suckoo resigned from the ruling Progressives party Wednesday, saying he believed the country’s Christian foundations were “under attack”.
Christmas at Belford
Bodden Towners enjoyed a festive Christmas party at the Belford Estates Community Emergency Response Team annual family fun day.
Top stories of 2015: Bush, McLaughlin take legal action
Both Cayman's premier and opposition leader got litigious over the 2013 general election during 2015.
World records: Cayman's open data flaws
Typically, a letter grade of "C" means "average." But when it puts your country on par with the likes of Pakistan and Russia, what it really means is "unsatisfactory."
South Sound home for Enterprise City
The recent approval of the master zoning plan for Cayman Enterprise City's campus is positive news.
CarePay trial: Contract was 'highway robbery,' witness says
Fees that were expected to generate more than US$2 million a year for a Jamaican company providing services to the Cayman Islands public hospital system under the CarePay contract were called “highway robbery” by a Crown witness who testified Thursday in an ongoing criminal trial.
Cayman cemeteries face grave problem
Two Cayman Islands districts face looming problems with cemetery space, with the problem in West Bay district being the most severe and East End looking to close one of its cemeteries next year.
Thoughts on the sensitive subject of cemeteries
Intertwined with culture, religion and public health, the practice of burial is a defining characteristic of the human species.
CarePay trial: AIS contract was 'not going to be stopped,' says ex-medical chief
The former medical director of the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority said that he was “not comfortable” with either the CarePay patient swipe-card contract or a subsequent contract for a pharmaceutical tracking system being awarded to the local operator of a Jamaican-St. Lucian company, but admitted he did not formally object to either deal.
'Aunt Julia' laid to rest
Family and friends gathered Saturday to remember Julia Hydes, Cayman's oldest resident, who passed away Nov. 30.
Police theft: Missing drugs, missing answers
The recent revelation made by Police Commissioner David Baines — that suspected corrupt police officers are under investigation over the theft of $1 million in drugs from the George Town Police Station — could be cause for greater confidence in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service or, potentially, the reverse.
McKeeva Bush: Rest in peace, dear 'Aunt Julia'
McKeeva Bush says farewell to his cousin, "Aunt Julia" Hydes.
MLA Alva Suckoo silent on future plans
Bodden Town MLA Alva Suckoo declined to discuss on Monday any future political plans he may have with regard to political party membership.
CarePay trial: 'Everyone' supported CarePay system, claims defense
Defense attorneys in the CarePay trial say Canover Watson was made the scapegoat for the failures of many.
Eden's Progressives departure sets off political uproar
The departure of long-serving Bodden Town MLA Anthony Eden from the Progressives-led government last week sparked a behind-the-scenes political scramble and was viewed by some Cayman politics insiders as a potential foreshadowing of others leaving the Progressives party.
Mr. Eden said he would sit on the other side of the Legislative Assembly when the House next meets in the new year.
Boarding bridges cost debated
An earlier plan for the expansion of the Owen Roberts International Airport included three passenger boarding bridges at an estimated cost of $4.65 million.
Government sets plans for 18-month budget
The Cayman Islands government will enter uncharted financial waters Wednesday as the planning document for the upcoming 18-month budget is released in the Legislative Assembly.
Brac focuses on Remembrance Day rather than pirates
This year, the Cayman Brac Pirates Weekend and Heritage Week Committee is choosing to focus on remembering those who died in war and in celebrating the island’s culture and history rather than on pirates.
Development bank restarts loan program
Having just refinanced nearly US$37 million in debt held over from previous government administrations, the Cayman Islands Development Bank is back in business.
The government-appointed entity had shuttered its loan business for nearly two years at the start of the Progressives-led government’s term.
West Bay fishermen oppose marine zone expansion
In a second meeting to present the new marine parks plan in West Bay, about 100 people showed up Monday night to voice their opposition to the plan to Department of Environment officials.
'Save the mortgage' loan repayments lacking
Government loans that doled out US$2.5 million to financially distressed Cayman Islands homeowners during 2011-2012 cannot reasonably be called “loans,” auditors concluded after a review of the Save the Mortgage program.
Bush demands meeting on drugs stolen from police station
Cayman’s opposition party leader is demanding a private meeting with the police commissioner and deputy governor to discuss the status of a criminal investigation into the theft of large amounts of cocaine and ganja from a police storage bin earlier this year.
Chamber of Commerce: Government must not 'blame business'
The Cayman Islands government must stop “blaming business owners” for the social problems that successive governments have “failed to prevent,” a Tuesday statement from the Chamber of Commerce’s executive council declares.
Progressives seek to revive 'Christmas cleanup'
The Progressives-led government is seeking to revive a holiday season roadside garbage pickup program that began in 2009 under the former United Democratic Party government.
Minister: Glass House cannot be reused
Cayman's planning minister says the old Glass House government administration building can't be saved.
Police chief denies Bush conspiracy
Commissioner of Police David Baines has denied being involved in any conspiracy to unseat former Premier Mckeeva Bush as the elected leader of the Cayman Islands.
Opposition Leader Bush sues former governor, police chief
Cayman Islands Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush has filed a lawsuit against Police Commissioner David Baines and former Governor Duncan Taylor alleging they conspired to depose him as Premier of the Cayman Islands.
In a writ of summons, filed with the Grand Court on Wednesday, attorneys acting for Mr. Bush claim the criminal investigation and charges laid against him were politically motivated.
Good governance works best in the sunshine
Transparency is a first step toward accountability.
Design mishaps boost school work cost
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work at additional classrooms at North Side district’s Edna Moyle Primary School went nearly 30 percent over budget largely due to design flaws, the Legislative Assembly heard last week.
'Fundamental change' for Cayman politics
Not all lawmakers support 'one man, one vote,' but all agree it will profoundly change Cayman Islands politics.
Jetways off table for airport
Boarding ramps and portable “box tunnels” will be used at the Owen Roberts International Airport as an alternative to the passenger boarding bridges, left out of the $55 million redevelopment plan for Grand Cayman’s airport.
Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said Friday there were no immediate plans to add boarding bridges, known as jetways, which he said would cost an additional $20m.
Bush threatens legal challenge over new voting maps
Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush said Friday that he is weighing a potential legal challenge to the new voting maps that will split the electorate into 19 single-member constituent districts ahead of the May 2017 general election.
Bush: Public Accounts Committee removal motion ‘hypocrisy’
Replacing the opposition leader on Cayman’s Public Accounts Committee and leaving what he termed a “junior minister” on the committee amounted to government hypocrisy, West Bay MLA McKeeva Bush said last week.
One man, one vote: Two sides of the issue
Two Cayman Islands politicians, one of whom is a strong supporter of one man, one vote, single-member constituencies and another who is perhaps its greatest detractor, gave their views on the subject during a Legislative Assembly debate Friday afternoon.
Premier: Government ‘out of patience’ with fuel companies
Legislation that will require Cayman’s two major fuel distributors to reveal specific pricing information on gasoline and diesel shipments was approved in a key vote last week, but certain details of the bill remain to be hammered out in a Legislative Assembly committee Monday prior to its final passage.
Suckoo topples policeman Peart
Not every boxing show can boast a politician fighting a senior policeman, but that fight was one of the best of many entertaining bouts at the Lions Centre on Saturday night.
Legislators approve ‘one man, one vote’ for 2017
Cayman Islands lawmakers have approved a long-debated change to ‘one
man, one vote’ for the British territory’s next general election cycle.
Divided house boots Mac from PAC
A majority of government and independent Legislative Assembly members
voted late Thursday in favor of a government motion to remove Opposition
Leader McKeeva Bush from his position as a member of the assembly’s
Public Accounts Committee.
Legal aid reform bill approved
Changes to Cayman’s legal aid system, which have been debated for more than a decade, were approved by a majority of Legislative Assembly members Wednesday amid concerns that the government was blurring lines of separation between elected politicians and the judiciary.
Miller: Two-year government budgets lack transparency
A move to a two-year government budget process, approved late Wednesday by Cayman Islands lawmakers, will lessen scrutiny and transparency around public finances, independent and opposition lawmakers said.
More revelations on police station drugs theft
Opposition lawmakers took the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service to task Thursday for what they alleged was an attempt to “hide” and to “lie” to the public regarding the theft of drugs from the George Town Police Station this summer.
Woman accused of $27,000 permanent residency scam
A woman helped con expatriates out of more than $27,000 by pretending the cash was required for legitimate permanent residency applications, Crown prosecutors alleged in Grand Court Thursday.
Bush backs Afghan Special Economic Zones
Cayman Islands Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush recently promoted the transition of military bases in Afghanistan to Special Economic Zones.
McKeeva Bush: Government ‘undermining’ Public Accounts Committee
The Progressives-led government is making a “direct attempt” to undermine the functions of the Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, weakening good governance standards in the Cayman Islands, Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush said Tuesday.
Government seeks to force Bush out of Public Accounts
An effort to remove Cayman Islands Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush from the Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee is under way.
Crown: Pines theft case took two years to file
It took two years from the time a former manager of The Pines retirement home left the Cayman Islands for Crown prosecutors to receive a “full ruling file” on a police investigation into her alleged theft of more than $300,000 from the charity.
MLA: Lawyers law must address Caymanian hiring
The Legal Practitioners Bill must promote Caymanian hiring at law firms, a George Town lawmaker says.
Bush: Permanent residence system ‘not helping’ Caymanians or expatriates
Cayman’s immigration system is helping neither local workers nor the economy, Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush said.
Cayman issues poised for 'prime time'
From the standpoint of sheer numbers, we cannot recall another point in time where Cayman faced so many reputational threats of our own creation.
Kimpton hotel aims for November 2016 opening
Building work on the Kimpton hotel on Seven Mile Beach is on schedule, project managers say, and the hotel is poised to open on Nov. 1, 2016.
Audit slams Nation Building expenses
A report by Cayman's auditor general is highly critical of the former Nation Building Fund, but the country's former premier defends the program.
Anti-Corruption Commission: Party of one
We don't disagree with the objection that the Anti-Corruption Commission has the wrong people on it. But our primary concern is more fundamental: The commission doesn't have enough people on it.
Premier says conspiracy evidence fabricated, signatures forged
Evidence intended to be used to disprove Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin’s case during the course of an upcoming civil trial is fabricated and, in some cases, contains forged signatures, the premier alleged.
Auditor General Swarbrick resigns, to remain in job until October
Alastair Swarbrick, the Cayman Islands auditor general for the last five years, announced his resignation Wednesday morning just as he was on the receiving end of some sharp public criticism from Cayman’s political opposition leader.
Seaman's son dedicates his call to the Bar
Cayman’s newest attorney, an aeronautical communications engineer and son of a seaman, was called to the Bar of the Cayman Islands last week.
'Nation Building' audit: Why is the AG delaying its release?
We understand our lawmakers are busy people, but how much time, really, do they need in order to review a report on the government's activities?
Release of Nation Building Fund audit delayed
A government audit report into the Nation Building Fund, initially set to be released today, will now be made public on Aug. 17.
Cruise berthing in Cayman: A history of starts, stops and controversy
A historical look at more than 12 years of starts, stops, controversy and failure in the effort to build cruise berthing facilities on Grand Cayman
Most MLAs not ready to take sides
The members of the Legislative Assembly are not yet revealing where they stand on the issue of whether a cruise berthing facility should be built in George Town Harbour.
Surveying the auditor general’s report on land management
The latest report from the Cayman Islands auditor general on government’s land management practices covers so much topical ground that we believe it may be instructive to provide some focused analysis.
Bush response: Ex-governor, premier in on removal plan
Cayman's opposition leader hits back at a defamation lawsuit against him.
Cruise pier report funded by Environmental Protection Fund
A report detailing the damage to coral reefs that will be caused by new cruise piers in George Town harbor will be funded, in part, through the Environmental Protection Fund.
Public health: Cayman's dire case of 'bad debt'
It is highly unlikely the projected $80 million owed to Cayman's public health system will be paid back without coercion. But coercion is precisely what has been missing from the government's approach to debt collection.
