Minister: Testing Ensures MPs Lead By Example

August 4, 2013

In response to recent commentary regarding Members of Parliament and the proposed introduction of mandatory drug testing, Minister of Public Safety Michael Dunkley said it is “another means of strengthening our democratic institutions and ensuring that Members lead by example.”

The introduction of a policy for the random, mandatory drug testing of Government members of the Legislature was promised in February’s Throne Speech.

On Friday, 26th July the Minister of Public Safety Michael Dunkley indicated that the policy had been drafted and that it was supported by Cabinet and the OBA’s Parliamentary Caucus.

“The policy was not tabled in the House of Assembly but will be accessible on the OBA’s website. This drug testing policy was drafted with the expert assistance of the Ministry Headquarters and the Department for National Drug Control,” a statement from Government said.

Today, Minister Michael Dunkley said, “The policy has not yet been circulated beyond Government members of the Legislature but I have given an undertaking to share it with the Opposition and the Independent Members of both Houses.

“As we indicated at the time, all Members are welcome to participate in the testing. This is another means of strengthening our democratic institutions and ensuring that Members lead by example.”

Following the Minister’s statement last week, a PLP spokesperson said, “The OBA would better serve our people if they would willingly submit to random lie detector tests.

“Since being elected they have repeatedly been caught breaking promises, exaggerating their accomplishments, claiming achievements that aren’t theirs and flat out lying to the people of Bermuda.

“We would achieve more by testing our MPs for greed, lust for power, dishonesty, and stupidity, than engaging in superficial photo op politics.”

Also speaking last week, Terry Lister — the lone Independent MP in the House — said, “I believe that all MPs should be drug tested and have been willing to be drug tested for many years.

“However, I have privately spoken with MPs from both Parties over the years and told them that properly drafted legislation should be placed before the House for consideration and voted upon. Such legislation should apply to all members of the House if passed.

“I am very disappointed to see the Government suggest that legislation would be presented to the House that applies only to the Government members. This legislation can not go forward. All legislation must apply to all members.

“Legislation can not be brought that has the leader of the OBA disciplining Ministers and the OBA Disciplinary Committee dealing with backbenchers. Carrying this to its logical end it implies that the OBA Disciplinary Committee would deal with PLP MPs and myself! This is a nonsense.

“Instead the Speaker of the House should deal with any disciplinary matters relating to Members of the House. I am disappointed that after eight months the OBA, having considered the matter, would bring forward a policy that should be within the OBA caucus.

“I am strongly against this moving forward and ask the OBA government to withdraw this foolish idea and replace it with a motion to be tabled in the House relating to all Members. This motion can be debated and legislation follow the motion.”

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Comments (32)

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  1. Come On Man says:

    Mandatory and Democratic do not go together. More miss use of the word Democratic by nonsensical politicians.

    • William says:

      What’s next Gov workers or the economy, Mr. Dunkley?

  2. Nuffin but da Truth says:

    yeh and pigs might fly before MP’s agree to be tested for drugs…gimme a break!

    • Black Soil says:

      Aren’t all OBA MP’s and Senators tested??

  3. Raymond Ray says:

    I wonder who it is/was from the P.L.P. attempting to throw a curve ball at the O.B.A. about having random drug test done and they’d suggested that the O.B.A. should be made to take lie detector test as well for,(according to that individual)telling so many lies. Well, excuse me but, isn’t this a perfect example of, “the pot calling the kettle black”?

  4. Rockfish#2 says:

    Polygraph tests?
    Brown,Cox, Burgess, DeSilva,Roban, Burt,and a few others should be prepared to take them also!

  5. Triangle Drifter says:

    I’ll bet there will be shaking in some seats now. Mandatory testing should have been introduced long ago. All we have had is dancing around the issue as Lister continues to do.

    I don’t mind if somebody smokes a little weed or has a few drinks. I don’t want a hard drug user or a full blown alcoholic in any position of decision making on my behalf.

  6. Sparky says:

    All I can say is
    “We had to deceive you…..”

  7. Real Talk (original) says:

    What is the point of mandatory drug testing. To be perfectly honest what an individual does in his/her own time is of no concern to me. I would be more impressed with some sort of performance based appraisals for Government Ministers… any drug or substance abuse issues should be handled internally by the party the member represents.

    • Paradise Reclaimed says:

      Whole lotta puffin over nuffin! My OBA koolaid might look a little weak this morning. So much good work, let’s not muddy the waters with trivialities please.

  8. Sandy Bottom says:

    The opposition’s response to this is consistent with their nonresponse to Burt’s illegal alcohol business. They’re quite happy to implement laws that others have to comply with, but they don’t feel like they personally have any obligation to follow those same laws.

    • Raymond Ray says:

      Don’t worry Sandy Bottom, the P.L P. will acknowledge this fact, “that they are no-longer the Leading Govt. Party” :-(

  9. Watching says:

    And they can reduce the size of parliament at the same time…good thinking…lmfao!

  10. jt says:

    PLP spokesman: “We would achieve more by testing our MPs for greed, lust for power, dishonesty, and stupidity, than engaging in superficial photo op politics.”

    ……how precious is that?

    • Navin R. Johnson says:

      If they did that before the 1998 election we would not be I the mess we are in

  11. Union member says:

    All members of the Senate and House Of Assembley should be tested!

  12. Victor says:

    Deep down inside, Michael is a reactionary – a sensible drugs and rehabilitation policy would be far more meaningful than this kind of posing. I should add, neither is he a very deep thinker – his vision is some pastoral Bermuda Never, Never land that never actually existed except for a wealthy (white) post war clique…

  13. Tea totalled says:

    Can you imagine,hitting the crack pipe and then making laws telling us what to do?

  14. Youkiddingme says:

    Micheal Dinkley is the right man for this job. He seems like the type of individual who would put cameras on and in every citizens home. Read George Orwels ’1984′.

  15. Common Sense says:

    This is a very sensible and much needed move on the part of the Government, but it needs to be strongly supported by the PLP who should insist that it includes all members of the Opposition, no matter which Party is in power. Now that would show true leadership on behalf of the PLP.

    I have a query for the Oposition spokesman who said, “The OBA would better serve our people if they would willingly submit to random lie detector tests.” Yes, an excellent suggestion, but would you make it retroactive for, let’s say the past two administrations, or do you just want it to apply to the OBA now they are in power?

    After reading this morning’s news articles about the 2010 AHDT conference and Keetha Lowe’s allegations of Henderson Associates being given a contract on the instructions of Premier Brown despite having no significant work to do, and Ms Kokasky’s allegations that safety procedures were sacrificed when work started on the new Court House Building so that the PLP could claim that it “was moving the project forward prior to the election”, it would be an excellent opportunity for PLP Ministers to lead by example and take these lie detector tests and demonstrate to be public whether or not they were, in the exact words of the PLP spokesman, “exaggerating their accomplishments, claiming achievements that aren’t theirs and flat out lying to the people of Bermuda.”

    It’s high time we saw leadership by example. Come on PLP. Do the right thing.

    • SoMuchMore says:

      Pee l pee do the right thing? Keep dreaming.

    • Be Real says:

      Common Sense, reading your posts I always thought you were more sensible. The Court building was a fiasco, we all know that. It’s also old news, and makes a great smokescreen so no one talks about the $750 million the new Government has borrowed, which doesn’t seem to be getting any airtime. The PLP is out, and looking backwards just stops people from looking at what is happening now.

  16. Amused says:

    When is Mr. Bean doing his? Still awaiting that

  17. Raymond Ray says:

    @ Common Sense 2:14pm. In reference to all you’ve written in your letter I would personally love to hear more about the, who…whats and where’s. I further don’t believe the former Govt./P.L.P will ever,(willingly) tell us the people of Bermuda of all the skullduggery done under their leadership. Please keep digging O.B.A. and remember,”under most rocks there’s a worm”

  18. SoMuchMore says:

    Dunkley continues to work
    While CannionAir joins a float in remembrance of him. Smh

    • Tony Stark says:

      I’m starting to believe we have hired a mascot and not a Premier.

  19. soreloser syndrome says:

    somuchmore,

    No Cannonier, No OBA !!!

    OBA couldn’t win without him.

  20. Common Sense says:

    @Be Real: I generally agree with your comment about not looking backwards but it would be ludicrous NOT to look backwards as to why the new Government has been forced to take drastic action by borrowing $750,000 million in order to bridge the huge debts that were created during the PLP Government’s time. Surely it is impossible to even suggest that the OBA Government is borrowing such a huge sum just to spend it on pie-in-the-sky capital projects.

    It is also quite bizarre that rather then agreeing to random drug tests for our politicians, an anonymous PLP spokesman suggests that members of the OBA Government should be taking random lie detector tests. That is, without doubt, one of the most hypocritical statements ever issued by either of our political parties. Even a quick glance over the shoulder would reveal that hypocrisy!

  21. This program was created to make sure that Government officials and members are free of illegal drugs and does not support substance abuse. If all goes well, the reputation of the Government will be boosted up due to their credibility.

  22. Common Sense says:

    Well said Matthew Elliott. That’s what this policy is all about, plain and simple, but it’s amazing how some folks wriggle and squirm and try to change the issue rather than give the policy their full support which, as you rightfully say, would boost the credibility of our politicians.