Column: ‘Clean Up The OBA’s $165 Million Mess’
[Opinion column written by PLP MP Michael Scott]
By all indications, when the Dunkley Administration decided to gamble with $165 million in taxpayer’s money, they knew that the Morgan’s Point project was on shaky financial footing. That begs the question; why take such a risky high stakes gamble with so much of the people’s money?
One can only assume that the OBA, having broken so many promises, and been ensnared in so many deceptions, faced so many protests as a result of their anti-Bermudian policies and seen the defection of two of their founding members, found themselves in a state of desperation, and like all men drowning they reached out to whomever they thought could save them; a big announcement, a loud press event and a flashy photo op promises to Bermudians of a new hotel, new jobs and new opportunities, was an irresistible prospect for the OBA.
Slideshow of the now inactive development as it appeared in October of last year:
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In their desperation they put short and what eventually was shown to be unsuccessful political gains, over the public purse and the best interests of Bermudians. They gambled big and now we have all been force to face cleaning up the former non contrite Finance Minister’s mess .
The repercussions of the OBA’s irresponsible and reckless gamble are far reaching. First, there are Bermudian companies and Bermudian workers who are owed money. Second, our standing with Global Ratings Agencies have been threatened. Third, by backing a tourism project with so many problems, the OBA have also made the job of attracting more tourism investment to our shores even more difficult. A real mess right.
Yet former Finance Minister Richards, the author of the mess, has declared if he had to do it again he would do nothing differently.
In real terms though, they have made life more difficult for Bermudians. Just imagine where we would be if we didn’t have to clean up the OBA’s $165 million mess? Money that could have gone towards educating our people, training and retraining Bermudian workers, scholarships, building new schools, supporting our youth and providing relief to our seniors; all lost
The OBA paid the price for broken promises, deception and anti-Bermudian policies at the polls. Now they need to come clean about the Morgan’s Point deal and why they gambled with the future of Bermuda and against the best interest of Bermudians.
- Michael Scott
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Amazing how people come out of the woodwork, lets talk about all the PLP overruns that’s got us in the mess we are in before this,
Guess you have to seem like your earning your donation some how.
[Opinion column written by PLP MP Michael Scott]
Yup, stopped reading right there.
Plp has made life so much more difficult with all their new taxes!
12 dollars a month 70,000 people.
Sugar tax uppted groceries supermart on front Street had to install a defibulator near the cash registers….seriously…they had the decency and compassion to care….but govt keeps reaching into our pockets and theirs….I want a cold , cold winter…so they keep their hands in their own pockets.
What happened to the billionaires that came to Bermuda recently who had an interest in taking over the development?
They allegedly met with both the Opposition and the Premier.
Why did that opportunity fall apart?
It was undoubtedly ill-advised for the OBA to take on such a financial risk at a time when Bermuda’s economic recovery was shaky, even if it showed promise in improving.
However, it is quite amusing to see the glaring lack of self-awareness being demonstrated by PLP officials and their most sycophantic supporters in their outrage and finger-pointing.
Lest we forget all the wastage of taxpayer funds in projects spearheaded by the PLP, which resulted in Bermuda becoming economically crippled and that has indebted generations of Bermudians to come. Here are just a few to remind the voting public where the PLP has wasted their hard-earned money in overruns and incompetent management:
Grand Atlantic, KEMH, Port Royal, Berkley Institute, Dame Lois Brown-Evans Building, Sandys 360.
You know how the saying goes, “when you point the finger at someone, there are 3 fingers pointing straight back at yourself”. The PLP would do well to take that saying to heart and take a long hard look at itself in the mirror and acknowledge the irrefutable damage their party has done to Bermuda and all Bermudians.
If you had managed issues like immigration with greater wisdom, the economy would still be expanding like it did under the OBA. Tourism would be booming like it did under the OBA. Investment would be flowing in, like it did under the OBA. Instead you tout protectionism and isolationism.
clean up the OBA’s mess? Hahahahahahaha! Like the OBA cleaned up the PLP’s $2bn mess!
Is this serious or satire? It surely can’t be the former!?
I didn’t realize Scott was a comedian ….and a pretty lousy one at that …..I didn’t waste the time to read past the title …what a joke and some people actually voted for him….plp need to step down and let someone and I almost mean anyone with a brain to manage our country 25 -11 the combined smarts of those 25 would probably be beaten by a kindergarden class
USELESSPLPWILLSINKBDATODEPTHSNEVERSEENBEFORE
reality hurts
Barely read the first paragraph. Is he a member of the same group that left Bermuda so broke that there was no money to pay the Civil Service in January 2013?
Throughout our history Bermuda has taken a gamble on one enterprise or another. Bermuda started from nothing & became a seagoing Fed-Ex of the 1600s & into the 1700s. During the US war of independence Bermuda had a good relationship with the revolting 13 colonies, famously stealing gunpowder from Britain to be used against Britain. And so it continued, gambling on opportunities all the way through to the creation & building of IB.
All of it built with a stable government at the helm guiding Bermuda from strength to strength.
After a disasterous reign of ineptness by the PLP, version #1 from 1998 to 2012 the OBA was in the midst of performing an economic miracle. Business confidence was on the up & up. Surely the voters would not be foolish enough to vote the OBA out after only one term. After almost 15 years of promises something was about to happen at Morgans Point. Looked like an almost guaranteed success.
Then December 2016 rolled around & shut the HOA down. The smart money saw the writing on the wall & July 2017 proved them right. The voters WERE foolish enough to vote the PLP back in.
There are consequences to actions. Have any major projects been started since July 2017? Seen any new home building started since July 2017?
Seriously Michael?
Why did the PLP swap Southlands for the US Navy Annex without any compensation for the fact that the Navy Annex was more than twice the size of Southlands (37 acres compared to 80 acres)?
Why did the PLP Government introduce legislation in 2010 that prevented any proper assessment of the value of the Southlands/Navy Annex land swap?
Why did you and the PLP Government commit the taxpayers (me and others) to pay $38 MILLION to clean up pollution at the former US Navy Annex for the benefit of private developers when you had already given them 43 acres of precious Bermuda land?
And that’s just the land swap. I have said nothing about the Auditor General’s report, King’s Wharf, Port Royal, Grand Atlantic or other PLP Government projects predating the 2012 election!
Mr Scott you really got the peanut gallery talking like the oubpa were collectively thinking positive about all Bermudians . It was they who made sure that there is a difference between the two Bermudas.How come universal adult sufferage had to be forced and not naturally occurring . All the strikes for wages and benefits equality for all Bermudians . And to this day Aink equal .
I Really believe the then Government Should have Bought the old Sonesta property and swapped it for Southlands. The old Annex property should have been cleaned up for future generations of Bermudians……