William McKeeva Bush, OBE is a Caymanian politician and the former Premier of the Cayman Islands that was born in West Bay. Bush, the leader of the United Democratic Party, is the first elected member for the district of West Bay, and has served seven consecutive terms in the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands representing that constituency. He is the country's longest ever serving political figure with service spanning over 30 years. Bush made his first venture into politics in 1980, running for the West Bay seat in the Legislative Assembly. He was unsuccessful that first time, but achieved victory when he ran again for the same seat in 1984. He served as Minister for Health and Human Services from 1992 to 1994 and Minister of Community Development, Sports, Women's and Youth Affairs and Culture from 1994 to 1997. In 1996, he took a position as a non-executive director of Qatar-based Gulf Union Bank. He was a founding member of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in 2001, and served as Minister for Tourism, Environment and Transport from November 2000 to November 2001 and served as the Leader of Government Business and Minister of Tourism, Environment, Development and Commerce from November 2001 to May 2005 during the UDP administration. Following the Cayman Islands general election 2005, he served as the Leader of the Opposition from May 2005 to May 2009. Bush was elected Premier during the Cayman Islands general election in 2009, and in addition to assuming the post of Premier, he also served as Minister of Finance, Tourism & Development for the former UDP administration. He is currently the longest serving member of the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands and is referred to as the "Father of the House" and "Big Mac". During his political campaigns, he is also known for singing Bob Marley's "Lion of Judah" which has become a trademark ending to his political speeches. #WilliamMcKeevaBush #CaymanIslands #islandpeeps #Premier #UnitedDemocraticParty (at Cayman Islands)
