Kim Swan On PLP Leadership Contest

Opposition Leader Kim Swan spoke on the PLP leadership contest and how “it appears the candidates are trying to distance themselves from the significant failures of their government, that they were an integral part of,” and asks the question “where were you when all this mess was going down?”

Mr Swan says the PLP Leadership candidates are having an “all you can eat media buffet” as the 7 week countdown continues for the PLP to select its next Leader and by extension Bermuda’s next Premier. His statement follows below:

Each of these leadership candidates have collectively more than 30 cumulative years of cabinet experience under their belts. Essentially, they and the mindset of their Party have been a major part of the problems Bermuda is now faced with (crime, economic woes, debt, racial polarization etc.).

In the last 5 years this country has seen its debt grow out of proportion 5 times to a Billion dollars to the point where future generations are now saddled with a tax burden passed on to them by an irresponsible PLP Government.

All three PLP leadership candidates, as all being present or former long serving Cabinet Minister are “Cogs in the PLP wheel” for the challenges Bermuda face – they had a big hand in making it happen.

Our Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards has delivered three budget replies calling into question PLP overspending, fiscal indiscipline, untendered contracts and the chorus of support for Ms. Cox’s budgets came from all of her Parliamentary colleagues.

Ironically, Mr. Lister lead the chorus supporting Minister Cox’s budgets in recent years and to now be criticizing his colleague in this prolonged leadership bid is opportunistic and disingenuous at best.

There can be no doubt that the PLP’s failed policies make a good target even for internal friendly fire. But we must not fall into the false sense of security of being hoodwinked by those who also permitted wrongdoing and careless spending under their noses.

All three Leadership candidates are complicit as they and their Party wholeheartedly endorsed Plp spending and repeatedly defended PLP fiscal indiscipline. Notwithstanding, Minister Cox as Finance Minister had constitutional authority to control the irresponsible spending of her colleagues Ministries but failed to do so.

We know that the discerning people of Bermuda will see through the media circus this extended leadership contest is turning into – with 3 of the 5 parliamentary seasons completed we are well passed the halfway point heading towards the conclusion of the PLP’s mandate.

However, the biggest loser is a country on “automatic pilot” at the worst time – the most vulnerable period – since World War 2. There are questions whether the Cabinet has been meeting regularly since the House Adjourned in July 2010.

The irony of this leadership media bonanza is that we continue to have unprecedented murders and prolific shootings taking place whilst potential PLP leaders posture and the outgoing Premier says very little at a time when the morale of our people is at an all time low.

#BermudaPolitics #KimSwan

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