Don’t discuss politics or religion if you want to keep friends. It’s a wise and old saying.

However, if you are a politician you are already in one of these intrepid waters and it is difficult not to sink. You can’t just say, “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree” and walk away.

The tension between Premier Alden McLaughlin and his former Cabinet and party member, East End MLA Arden McLean, has been building since immediately after the May 2013 general elections.

The once political friends and partners are now seemingly bitter enemies and poles apart.

Now it has involved a family member of McLean’s that has occupied the radio talk show airways and boiled over into the Legislative Assembly (LA).

The family member is McLean’s 22year old nephew, Caymanian Darren McLean. Darren Mclean went abroad and trained as a helicopter pilot and when a job opportunity came up as pilot of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service helicopter, Darren McLean applied for the position. He was turned down.

This provoked an outrage from Arden McLean who brought it to the floor of the LA during the Budget Debate claiming that it was another example of jobs being given to foreigners and not to Caymanians. He said his nephew had been “disregarded”.

McLaughlin claimed Darren McLean was not qualified for the job as the position required at least 1,000 hours of multi-engine turbine helicopter flight. Darren McLean, the premier said, had less than 200. He also was annoyed he had to deal with the matter on the “floor of the house”. This was the “last thing I wanted to do.” Arden Mclean said young Caymanians go to university abroad, receive training and when they come back they often find the job they could do was now filled by non-Caymanians.

This has resulted in a torrent of calls to the radio talk shows and media blogs with nearly all siding with Arden Mclean.

Finally McLaughlin gave a long reply in the LA saying he was disheartened at the East End member’s attitude and angrily said:

“In addressing the matter in this manner in this House, in my view the member did a disservice to his nephew, the civil service and this House. In the almost 14 years I have been here, I have never heard any member of this House so openly and blatantly use their position as an elected member to seek to further the interests of their family. It is an abuse of the office and one that ought not to be condoned by this House.”

McLaughlin read out memos that detailed RCIPS and government officials’ efforts to assist Darren McLean with his training and job placement dating back to 2012.

“For the member to say that the government didn’t offer any assistance [to his nephew] is simply an untruth,” he said.

I am sure none of that is going to placate Arden McLean and has just fanned the flames but I cannot honestly blame the premier for putting the record straight even though his choice of words were not exactly going to calm things down.

It was only a few years ago both members were part of then Progressives (PPM) leader Kurt Tibbetts’ cabinet and both vied for the position of party leader that was overwhelmingly won by McLaughlin. Later Arden McLean resigned from the party because of differences he had with the leadership. He aligned himself fully with North Side MLA Ezzard Miller that had already become a close bond.

However, the PPM did not field a candidate of their own against Arden McLean and fully supported him in their pre-election campaign.

Their differences finally came to a head in the previous sitting of the LA over the One Man One Vote (OMOV) issue when McLaughlin did an about turn and although campaigning for it voted against it. The motion for OMOV had been brought to the House by Miller and McLean. McLean then claimed angrily McLaughlin had never been for the OMOV and had tried to do a deal privately with him in not backing it.

I am now waiting for ex-premier McKeeva Bush’s hand in friendship being offered to McLean if it hasn’t already been given. He must be very pleased with what has happened.

I cannot see the premier winning this at all no matter what he does. Jobs for Caymanians is a #1 topic and even if the numbers do not support the argument that non-Caymanians fill most of the jobs Caymanians are qualified for, the Caymanian public is not going to believe it.

McLean certainly won’t.

Let’s debate religion instead.