You can’t keep a big bird quiet for long and our ex premier Mckeeva Bush is no exception. He is even now speaking all the time to the media house (CNS) he wouldn’t even send a press release to when he was the headman.

Such is politics. Who said, “Politics can be likened at times to a love story”?

So, Bush made the most of his time in the spotlight when he was a guest speaker at 59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month. He had a good audience for his speech too, with over 600 Parliamentarians and Parliamentary officials worldwide in attendance, although not all of them were present to hear him.

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, is Patron of the CPA but was not at the Conference.

The theme of the Conference was ““Effective solutions to Commonwealth developmental challenges,” to spotlight the central role parliaments are expected to play as champions of real change and instruments for accountability and development.

Hmm. “Accountability”? The word did not appear very much if at all in his presentation.

“The Cayman Islands have no mandate for independence nor has the question arisen publicly. Although the older I get, the more I realise that it ought to be debated,” he charged. “While the UN points to the rights of self-determination, when the matter arises with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Overseas Territories’ governments get a mixed bag of answers.

“We do get a constitution of sorts from the FCO but it always contains wording that gives the governor much leeway, to say the least, that can stop self-determination efforts and can kill self-sufficiency efforts. Self-sufficiency is, as far as I am concerned, the main ingredient to make it possible to be self-governed.

“In my experience in government, more and more pressure is put on the territories to kow-tow to the views and standards of those with whom we would be negotiating our self-determination. What kind of fairness and equality could we expect, where we compete for the same business? How would we be self-sufficient?”

Warning the delegates that the territories are often manipulated he said, “At one time or another, all colonial territories are used as pawns.”

From the time Bush was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly he started ranting on about independence for the Cayman Islands and when he realised it was too hot a potato he stopped and tried to convince his constituents he did not think the time was ripe for it.

Privately he told all his ‘friends’ he would one day get independence from the United Kingdom. I know, I heard him.

The problem with Bush speaking at these conferences with his personal vendetta against anyone in authority above himself is that it tarnishes our reputation and attracts the very persons we do not want to do business with.

As for accountability? It would seem everyone should be accountable to Mr. Bush. However, Bush would like to be accountable to no one. He once said, being the premier was making it difficult for him to be a Christian. Actually, whether you are a premier or not it is difficult to be a Christian because you are accountable to God.

And God, you are not.