A document released by the Ministry of Finance Tourism and Development (MFTD) under a Freedom of Information request submitted by Independent MLA for North Side, Ezzard Miller, revealed the Nation Building Fund (NBF) [Promotion of National Building and Church] paid out $3,055,885.09 to recipients of diverse needs.

The Christian Heritage Park Monument – a Bell Tower – on the site of the old Tower Building in George Town, received nearly $8,000 and 11 churches benefited from well over $420,000. The UCCI received $15,000 for their observatory and the rest went to scholarships including $3,000 to a Caymanian to get on the X Factor USA Simon Cowell TV show.

The main criticism of the NBF is the actual administration of it. There is neither criteria nor reasons for granting one application over another.

I am not suggesting, of course not, that the criteria could have political leanings, but it would seem then that all the applicants are placed on iTunes and selected in random order.

Attached are the pages from the spreadsheet supplied by the MFTD from July 1 2011 to June 30 2012 including all payments, payees and amount of each payment.

The NBF was created by the former premier, McKeeva Bush and administered by his ministry.

Various community leaders have called for government to drop the controversial NBF from the budget, given the tough times we live in but Bush repeatedly made it clear the UDP government would make sure the NBF stayed.

Miller called it a “slush fund” and was there “to influence votes.

“I believe most Caymanians would prefer to use one third of your Nation Building Fund to fight crime rather than give it to churches to build edifices unto themselves at great cost to our local social environment,” he stated.

Squash player, Cameron Stafford, the 2011 Caribbean under-19 squash champion and Island Games silver and bronze medalist, received $11,500 (not included in the financials disclosed) in September 2012 from the fund in a widely publicised event by the Government Information Services.