PLP: Derrick Green Contracts Are “Concerning”

July 22, 2014

“The revelation that OBA political consultant Derrick Green has been linked to lucrative contracts with the Bermuda Tourism Authority should concern all Bermudians,” Shadow Finance Minister David Burt said.

“Considering Mr. Green has no experience with tourism and is the former college roommate of Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell, the news that Green has pocketed thousands of taxpayer dollars is even more disturbing.

Mr, Burt added, “Minister Crockwell has refused to answer questions, refused to be held accountable for his involvement in the JetGate scandal, and now finds himself wrapped up in what appears to be yet another OBA friends and family scheme. Minister Crockwell must be held accountable and clarify:

  • How the contract to his former college roommate was awarded?
  • When did contract begin?
  • When did contract end?
  • What was the scope of responsibilities?
  • What was the financial remuneration?
  • What is the relationship between Minister Crockwell, Derrick Green and Cosmic?

“Bermudians desperate for work and with experience in tourism have once again found themselves pushed aside in favor of a non-Bermudian with questionable experience.

“Bermudians demand to know the truth and, while we expect that Minister Crockwell will continue to duck to avoid questions and refuse to be accountable, as his former Premier was forced to learn, what is done in the dark will eventually be revealed in the light, ” added Mr. Burt.

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Comments (62)

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  1. Justin says:

    For years the tourism industry was in a tailspin under the PLP and finally the tourism industry is looking up under the OBA. What else is there to talk about? This just sounds like more PLP spin to me.

    • Kunta says:

      If you cant handle de heat get out of de kitchen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • Black Soil says:

        Crockwell needs to GO.

        • BETTTY TRUMP's FACT CHECKER says:

          What happen to Transparency and Openness of the OBAubp? They seem to be falling on their swords… Really !!

      • Peace says:

        If there was less heat, maybe someone could cook something!!!!!

    • Help says:

      Transparency is what the OBA ran on. Ask yourself if they have been totally transparent. If you say yes, please tell me if the Director is really making $1 or $750,000?

    • 32n64w says:

      This is a misnomer as Mr. Green wasn’t a BTA contractor. Unlike Dan Coleman’s outfit which directly billed the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in fees and ensured we overspent ad buys inxs of 100% compared to industry rates.

      Where was the PLP’s concern with overages and excess spending when they were writing the cheques? At least the OBA are holding people accountable while the PLP insiders continued with unabated access to the public purse.

      PLP – betraying Bermudians since 1998, one no bid insider contract at a time.

  2. coolieh says:

    PLP, again making sure Bermuda goes no where!

    Smiths

    P.S. Where is your plan to get us out of this mess? Sorry, too much over your head? I guess slinging mud is much easier and more fun… Accountability…what a joke!

    Do some real work Burt!

    • Noncents says:

      @ coolieh: you do realize that their job as the opposition is to hold the current government accountable? I am no fan of a lot of the things the PLP do but your response above isn’t particularly productive.

      • coolieh says:

        Really? Look in the mirror. Only full of HOT air!
        Smiths

    • Know it all says:

      It’s a valid set of questions. Replace OBA with PLP and the vultures would be out like a pack of werewolves on a full moon screaming for heads to roll. When it is OBA, the commentary is its fine, sit down PLP. To have a Premier and the Chairman of the party resign is signs of a very serious issue and the opposition is well in its right, along with the people of Bermuda, to know what it really going on here.

      Let’s hope that OBA are open and clear about what happens next.

      • Triangle Drifter says:

        “Let’s hope that OBA are open and clear about what happens next.”

        Unlike the PLP which told its members to sit down & shut up. Remember, “Thou shalt not criticise the PLP.” A much higher standard is expected of the OBA, particularly from PLP supporters who know that the OBA is Bermudas only viable hope to clean up the mess that their party, the PLP, put Bermuda into.

    • drunken ursula says:

      you so clueless…friend and family plan at its best……OBA blind supporters accused the PLP of such things so where is the ‘ CHANGE’????????

      • Kunta says:

        Ooohh Chheesshh, for the last F!@#ing time, when a white establishment gets caught out its a misunderstanding and when a Black establishment gets caught out its a scandal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Raymond Ray says:

      Thank you coolieh…As oppose to making accusation answer the numerous unanswered questions put forward to the Progressive Labour Party in reference to the $800:000 the 4 smuggled from Cuba …Shall I go on? I will, but before making it too complicating Mr. Burt, please answer the two question we all want to know the answers to…

      • Coffee says:

        Hey Ray , be honest for once and answer this question . Whose dime are you living on ? Even Emelda Marcos had to give back the shoes bought with some else’s money !

        So stop throwing stones cause indeed you live in a glass house with a shaky foundation .

    • Inspector Gadget says:

      So… you are ok with the fact that some foreign business man has been caught in a scandal and has gotten away with your hard earned dollars and has dipped his hand in the BDA cookie jar?

      • SMH says:

        No not OK. Derrick Green is the common denominator in ALL this and needs to go. How else did the PLP ger so much insider information….. Bermuda now has it’s very own Benedict Arnold. Derrick when is your plane leaving?

  3. somuchless says:

    Burt, you forget things like this happened when the PLP was in power? The PLP had lots of family and friends schemes.

    Politics is nasty and no party is better than the other.

  4. swing voter says:

    try showing up for work Burt, then I may listen to your unfounded accusations

  5. Heavens says:

    the PLP wouldn’t know concerning if it bit them in the putootie

  6. Kim Smith says:

    We need to be judged by the same measures as we would judge others.

    • Kunta says:

      Ok we judged P.L.P by bringing in Scotland Yard !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      LMFAO

  7. Kangoocar says:

    While I do agree with Burt in this case!! But I do have to ask were HIS concern was when his plp government were involved in many dubious government contracts, global hue and faith base tourism come to mind instantly!!!! And there was many more to be concerned about as well, such as the Berkley school contractor and Heritage Wharf etc….. What say you Burt????????

    • Kunta says:

      Ya, Ya, Ya Scotland Yard already investigated P.L.P, why don’t we bring Scotland Yard back for this Bull S—, then you will brick street !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      LMFAO

      • GOD1ST says:

        Kunta, I see a lot of people turning red in the next few days .

      • furby logic says:

        ya boy Ewart brought Scotland Yard in to investigate sum nonsense about forged cheques, but I don’t think they ever investigated the plp. If so, what did they find?

    • Tricks are for Kids says:

      The Than OPPOSITION should have raised an issue if there were concerns back then…..Please don’t hate because the PLP are doing exactly what the OPPOSITION is supposed to do……

  8. GOD1ST says:

    Yes it is a concern .I smell rats in a hiding place.

    On another note Thad Hollis did the right thing and resigned.Call an election .

    • Kangoocar says:

      @god1st, why on heavens earth does an election have to called when a non publicly elected member of a political party steps down??? Total nonsense and you speak from a position of desperation!!!!!

      • GOD1ST says:

        The OBA/UBP are history take you poison and get going.It is over this spell demise.

        • Kangoocar says:

          @god, the OBA demise actually means YOUR demise, you are just not intelligent enough to know it, I guess the saying ” ignorance is bliss ” confirms you are bliss!!!! Have fun when you are digging up your yard to make a garden to grow your food!!!

          • Digging a garden is a very good thing, at least you know what your eating instead of this forced grown vegetables!!! Steroids n all

          • GOD1ST says:

            I don’t eat food from the enemy ,that is poison.And you know how i feel about dairy products ?

          • GOD1ST says:

            All that other food is processed garbage and causing people to die of all sorts of diseases.

      • GOD1ST says:

        By the way heaven is an essence not a reality.

      • Kunta says:

        Like non-publicly elected members handling millions of tax-payers money and are not accountable to de public, keep on blowing smoke up their @$$ and watch de rats run !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        • Kangoocar says:

          @kunt.a, so, let me get this straight, it is ok to have global hue, which is definitely not publicly elected members that BILLED us way more $$$$ than the TMA and we continued to see declining numbers of tourists as opposed to the TMA which is showing an INCREASE in visitors for us at a MUCH lesser cost??? And you have a problem with that??? And we wonder why the plp supporters complain about being chastised???? You are a prime example of why the plp got away with the things they did for way to long!!!!!! Also don’t forget the fact that global hue was a FOREIGN company and all our money just vanished and you still think that was the right thing to do???? Ok, I tried to be nice but I have to say, YOU ARE STUPID!!!!!!

      • drunken ursula says:

        no desperation on the opposition side …OBA going to implode…

      • coolieh says:

        Just pure nonsense; and proves the PLP is NOT fit to govern!
        Smith

      • Ace Boy says:

        Speaking of non-publicly elected…we have a new premier.

    • Unbelievable says:

      Thad is not a ember of Parliament. He is a party official. Thad resigning does not warrant an election being called.

    • Rockfish#1 says:

      Do you actually believe an election should be called simply because a party official decided to resign?

      I suggest you pray about this again!

  9. Build a Better Bermuda says:

    I too would like more details answered, as they should be. But I find it very hard for anyone in the PLP to demand accountability, when they have never offered any… it’s a credibility issue, and the PLP has none when it comes to accountability. I am also quite curious about how ling the PLP have been asking for these answers, as this is the first time I’ve heard them ask the questions.
    OBA, these questions deserve answering… PLP, learn humility as your motives in this are 100% selfish and your sins still far out way any from the OBA.

    • drunken ursula says:

      PLP just doing the same thing OBA did to win the election…get over it…

  10. Rockfish#1 says:

    I’ve voiced my concerns re the BTA since it was formed. Therefore I am in complete agreement with the questions raised by Burt.

    Crockwell must call a press conference and answer them immediately!

    • drunken ursula says:

      that guy to proud …but the mighty shall fall….just wait the boy is poison

  11. Double Standards says:

    Agreed with Burt.

    It smells like a Global Hue deal, but albeit on a much smaller scale that didn’t negatively affect Bermudian jobs.

    Come on Crockwell don’t follow the lead of the former Government and duck these questions!

  12. Dreary says:

    Please Lord,help my children if we have a change of govt!

    • GOD1ST says:

      You are looking for the Lord to help your children ? Do you even know where what gave birth to the term ‘Lord” ?

  13. Allspice says:

    So much for a considered, balanced and intelligent debate.

  14. fried onion says:

    somebody needs to come up with concrete information that unethical behaviour was commited by a current member of our government. Be specific. put up or shut up!!!

    • Coffee says:

      Dept.of Prosecutions have a blow by blow account on file FYI .

  15. Alvin Williams says:

    The former PLP government was often accuse of operating a friends and family cartel when it comes to government contracts? Now we know who wrote the book; the OBA political elite who don’t even feel it has to advise their party about the decisions they have undertaken; but of course this is not unethical behaviour; it is the political era of the One Bermuda Allegiance.

  16. Justice For All says:

    1. Bermuda Tourism has been in a tailspin since the days when the UBP decided that Tourism should be #2 in favor of Int’l business.

    2. It continued to decline during under Mr. Dodwell’s leadership when he used a weather cone as our sales image.

    3. When the UBP decided that college kids were not worth promoting. They, the college kids returned when they got married, had children and grandchildren, etc. and so we had repeat visitors to the island. That is a done deal now!

    Stop trying to place ALL of the blame on the PLP…It started way before that!!!!

  17. Need Peace says:

    All your answers lie within the BTA! Ask OBA about it! It baffles me how anyone with even half of a brain thinks that the OBA are a better government! What have they done for you lately? I’ve heard promises! I see an individual power hungry to be Premier but doesn’t have a clue. Talking through both sides of his mouth. They have screwed up big time now it’s time to go! One by one by one! Or do you really want to see what else they are capable of? Talk is cheap OBA now get off the stage!

  18. Coffee says:

    The roof , the roof , the roof is on fire … We don’t need no water let the……..burn!

    Got Milk !!!!

  19. coolieh says:

    To the PLP from a former supporter:

    There is something very sinister about “behavior” under the new leadership. Unfortunately, I have to point out the bad behavior, particularly mean spirited discourse by PLP politicians, only results in worse discourse by the general public; and therefore the younger generation. Race baiting at all cost is not acceptable for any side… Except for continuous chaos, what is the new leadership’s philosophy? How can they ever be trusted to operate “above board”?

    I’m really ashamed of the PLP’s behavior over the past months. Personal attacks and innuendo (half truths) as you see in this article, ARE the worse form of leadership. Making accusations where this is no fire or evidence; and worse before any facts are known is reckless. The Terry Lister attack was most shameful! I can only imagine how the founding fathers of the PLP would view the party! Frankly, they are acting like children (no thought or substance) and NOW refuse to show up for work? If I refused to go to work because I didn’t like what the boss said, I’d be fired! (and particularly if I tried to blame my boss for the issue). Crazy!

    Not a statesman with integrity left! Few God fearing either by the way they behave and misrepresent facts! What a shame! Joke!

    Blinded by money and power – no longer are they concerned for the welfare of all Bermuda, just themselves. Don’t mention their screw ups in their last 7 years as government… Yet, they accept NO responsibility and don’t mention or focus on the gravity of Bermuda’s financial status. Lost me then and are continuing the same…

    God help our small nation!

    Smiths

    • Concerned Citizen says:

      I think coolieh Is one of those persons who get angry and take their ball home when they can’t eat from the govt of the day. Any bets coolieh was running up behind Craig for the last two years, looking for crumbs? coolieh?

  20. aceboy says:

    Still waiting to hear what the former Chairman of the BHB earned, why he was on admin leave for well over a year at full pay and what the investigation into that matter revealed.