(CMR) In a power move, Minister Hon. Jay Ebanks confirmed with CMR that Speaker of Parliament William McKeeva Bush has stepped down after a sexual harassment scandal at the CTO conference rocked the senior politician earlier this week. Ironically, Ebanks made the confirmation whilst in La Ceiba, Honduras, on official business with Bush.
The pair was spotted at the La Ceiba Airport Friday evening, traveling together after departing from Grand Cayman earlier in the afternoon.
Despite this latest development, it appears that there is evidence that his resignation was already in the works by Premier Panton, and this latest development is not entirely as it appears and may be a ploy to garnish favoritism with irate voters.
In fact, late Friday evening, many were questioning why Bush continues to be central to Minister Ebank's ministry and has traveled with him to several countries to broker various agriculture and trade deals. CMR is working feverishly to obtain this evidence ahead of Tuesday's The Cold Hard Truth.
Other members of the PACT government have spoken to CMR over the past two days and indicated that they were not in support of Bush continuing as House Speaker. They expressed that this was his last chance, and unfortunately, he was not able to make good of it.
Despite that, the Premier's hands were tied without the Code of Conduct which was promised when the PACT government took Bush on board after the general election.
Ironically, it does not appear that Premier Panton would be aware of this latest development since he is in the United Kingdom for the official funeral of The Late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and was unavailable for comment at the time of this article. CMR sources have also confirmed that in order for Bush to resign, he has to follow the legal process pursuant to section 65(2)(b) of the Cayman Islands Constitution Order, and there is no indication that has been.
The Minister, who is said to be the closest PACT member to Bush, was beginning to come under extreme scrutiny himself. On Thursday's The Cold Hard Truth, Sandy Hill called on Bush to “do the right thing and step down for your country.”
Alric Lindsay, a freelance contributor for Loop Cayman, broke the resignation story shortly before 10:000 pm on behalf of Loops News. Lindsay is said to be favored to be slated for the position of House Speaker by Minister Jay Ebanks.
In the brief statement, Bush confirmed that after speaking with Ebanks, he decided to step down and avoid any further political fallout. Whilst not admitting to any wrongdoing, he shared:
“I have considered all my people, my constituency, colleagues and my family. Enough of this is enough and the accusations aren't going to stop as long as I hold a post in government. I know the PACT government is a government for the people and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the group in any negative light.”
Ebanks explained how the latest development came out in Honduras:
“I had a talk with Mr. Bush tonight. I emphasized the fact that the PACT government just can’t “talk” about accountability but must be seen to be accountable. While the police investigation is not yet complete, the allegations are serious. In this case, the first step is to relieve Mr. Bush of his duties as Speaker. Mr. Bush understands this and has therefore agreed to step down as Speaker.”
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