Government will run a $7 million deficit by the end of June because of loss-making companies and statutory authorities, Premier McKeeva Bush announced last night, although central government was likely to break even.

Speaking at a Bodden Town political rally, and heckled by two dozen local “anti-dump” protestors, Mr Bush and other UDP officials addressed a range of subjects, including budget deficits; Opposition PPM corruption (see accompanying story); the George Town Landfill and the Dart-government ForCayman Investment Alliance (FCIA) and others.

While protestors lined Bodden Town’s main road, wielding placards and jeering district UDP MLAs Dwayne Seymour and Mark Scotland, also Minister of Health, a 200-member audience filled seats outside the local post office, shouting political support.

The tone was set early by Pastor Richard Christian, who told the assembly that “when they act against the government, Father God, they act against You.”

Heavily critical of the PPM, Mr Bush described the $81 million deficit ”mess” left by the PPM in 2009 and said “while we are still getting the documentation together, it looks like we will end up the year, as it looks now, by breaking even in the central government.

“There will be a $7 million deficit, though, because of government companies,” he said, “but $7 million is better than $81 million.” He referred to earlier, now-superceded, predictions of a $25 million to $30 million surplus, but all things considered, he said, “a $7 million deficit is not bad.”

He accused protestors, opposed to closing the George Town Landfill and creating a new waste-management facility on 110 acres east of Bodden Town, of being led by the PPM, but invited the group to join him on US visits to similar facilities.

“We will organise tours of waste-management facilities in the US, with the Bodden Town coalition and the people of East End. We will organise these trips soon, and not just for one or two people. We hope to take 100 people from the two districts overseas and we’ll see the facts,” he said, without elaborating on schedules, costs or itineraries.

Mr Bush was preceded at the dais by Mr Scotland and Mr Seymour, who acknowledged his previous low profile, and sought – vainly — to placate demonstrators who assailed him as he spoke.

“We want to put the right solution in place,” he said, rejecting “the reckless and irresponsible people of Bodden Town” who were unaware of the facts. “I’m quite ashamed of the people being so disrespectful. This is not about development, but about some underlying thing that is going on,” he suggested darkly, declining, however, to elaborate.

Mr Scotland said he agreed that Bodden Town should not host a dump, explaining that the costs of retaining the George Town Landfill and starting waste-to-energy and recycling programmes would cost $100 million in capital outlays, a boost to import duties and between $18 million and $23 million per year to operate.

“There will be no dump in Bodden Town,” he said, exhorting “you “politicians and would-be politicians“ to “stop misleading the public. This [new facility] will have waste-to-energy and recycling components, a full environmental review and be properly engineered, built and operated. All standards will be in the best interests of the people of Bodden Town. There is no sinister effort to put anything over on you.”

Mr Bush defended his $200,000 grant of FCIA funds, announced last week, to East End independent political candidate John McLean Jnr, saying it was for community improvements, and declared “not a chance” to talks with West Bay groups opposing ciosure of the road near Public Beach.

“I can’t sit down and listen to them because they have nothing to put on the table,” he said, anticipating today’s protest motorcade, starting at 2pm at the George own cricket pitch.

Lodging a plea for patience and tolerance as he confronted infrastructure and economic issues, he declared that “nobody on this platform is going to do you any harm.”