I almost couldn’t believe my ears when I heard our new opposition leader, McKeeva Bush cry “foul” when he not only spoke to CNS and said these words:

“The Commonwealth of which the Cayman Islands are a part — and are told we must adhere to all their and other international standards of proper conduct, its conventions, precedents and parliamentary procedures. And once our Constitution as we have it now had been changed, we, the UDP [United Democratic Party], agreed to adhere to those principles also.”

Bush is referring to the temporary swearing in of two members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as Cabinet ministers. Bush claims it is inappropriate or even a conflict of interest.

He is particularly concerned about Roy McTaggart’s position as McTaggart is the PAC Chairman.

If it were anyone but our former premier I would take much more notice.

“I will not be opposition for opposition sake,” he told CNS. “I will do my duty as the opposition leader.”

I never expected he would. The problem is he has been bending and flaunting the rules of “international standards of proper conduct, its conventions, precedents and parliamentary procedures” the whole time he was premier.

Bush as expected continued on in his theatrical style of anger and posturing:

“The appointment of McTaggart as chair while being what is basically a junior minister is totally against the propriety, good governance and openness and transparency that the current government has most vehemently and in every public meeting, advertisement in all media and their manifestos said they would adhere to. Are they so doing? No! Far from it.”

Premier Alden McLaughlin has issued a statement defending the situation for the short term.

“The Public Accounts Committee,” he said, “for the foreseeable future, will be considering the accounts of the previous administration. For that period there will be absolutely no conflict of interest on the part of Councillor and temporary Minister McTaggart irrespective of what role he has in the current Government. When the point comes where the Public Accounts Committee is turning its attention to consideration of accounts of the Progressive Administration, I will reconsider this issue of chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee.”

Enough said I think.  There are much bigger storms to come.

And bigger mountains to climb.