OBA On Cabinet Shuffle: ‘No Clear Theme’
The Opposition has reacted to yesterdays’ Cabinet shuffle saying, “There is no clear theme other than the dictates of the Premier – in this instance the need to build up internal support for her leadership.”
Ministers moved to new portfolios in the Premier’s Cabinet reshuffle were: Derrick Burgess from Public Works to Transport; Walter Roban from the Environment Ministry to Public Works; Kim Wilson from the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry to the position of Attorney General and Minister of Justice; Patrice Minors from Business Development & Tourism to Economy, Trade & Industry and Michael Scott from the position of Attorney General to the Minister for Government Estates & Information Services.
Former UBP leader Wayne Furbert — who crossed the floor of the House of Assembly and joined the PLP last year — has his first Cabinet appointment under the current Government as Minister of Business Development and Tourism. And the PLP’s youngest MP Marc Bean — who won former Premier Dr. Ewart Brown’s Warwick constituency when he retired from the House of Assembly — is the new Environment, Planning & Infrastructure Strategy Minister.
Thad Hollis, Chairman of the One Bermuda Alliance, said “Cabinet shuffles are generally made for one of two reasons: 1) to put a stronger team in place for the sake of the country and its people or 2) to shore up a political leader’s position amongst her colleagues.”
“The Premier’s Cabinet shuffle earlier today appears to have been done for the second reason, not the first.”
“There is no obvious overarching principle that reflects a new Government commitment to meet people’s needs and to get Bermuda working again. There is no clear theme other than the dictates of the Premier – in this instance the need to build up internal support for her leadership.”
The theme seems pretty clear to me.
The newcomers to cabinet don’t have a nice cushy government pension yet, so this is their turn to get on the train and ‘grab the prize’, or at least their share of the prize. Everybody else has already had a turn in cabinet.
It’s all about looking after your own.
PLP look after PLP first, second and third. Bermuda comes last with PLP.
Well they surely aren’t gonna give any credit to the Government for the shuffle, so their statement is fairly moot.
If PLP are embracing the former leader of the UBP, doesn’t that make the PLP more like UBP?
Quick question or thought: in a game of poker, do you place a bet before you look at your hand, or after you have seen what cards have been dealt?
Now that Terry Lister has to give back his GP car, will he be riding the Paget/Warwick ferry at $5 a trip?
From the sounds of it, he won’t be going on any cruise that he has to pay for himself!
Wayne Furbert!! Hilarious. The PLP now is the UBP – Wayne was elected UBP – now he is heading up one of the most important ministries – he is calling for a tourism authority – an opposition proposal. HELLO – does anyone see the hilarity in this!?! PLP – Please Leave Parliament!!
That’s up to the voters, have you checked your party’s position recently? They seem to be loosing, not gaining voters.
YAWN!!! I mean you had to say something Thad Hollis, but this is pretty weak.
Is this really all you had to say, nothing substantive.
I’m sorry to tell you, but unlike your very fractured OBA with your 50% leader, the PLP Leader enjoys wide support from her membership and has no need to shuffle Ministers to maintain it.
Nice try, but you aren’t fooling anyone
What planet are you living on dude and why are you so defensive?? Cuz your party is finally being challenged? The opposition is doing their job… and their statement is absolutely correct. Since you know so much please tell us what experience Marc Bean has in Planning, Energy, Telecommunications and whatever else is in that ministry? AND what experience ANY minister has for that matter in the ministries that they have been placed in… I can think of hmmm Kim Wilson and Paula herself although her performance has been disgusting.
“Is this really all you had to say, nothing substantive” … reminds me of a PLP response to a recent By-election loss.
PS we’ll soon see if “her” membership supports her….
What’s really hilarious is that the UBP/OBA tried to run black leaders to front a white party and their still trying to do it by using Craig Cannonier. Lets go down the list.
John Swan = used
Pamela Gordon = used
Wayne Furbert = used
Kim Swan = used
Black members that left and were used.
Jamal Simmons
Brunson
Gwyneth Rawlins
Maxwell Burgess
Criag Cannonier = still being used and will find out first hand what they do after he losses the election for the white man. Criag you better ask Mr. Kim Swan about how the Milk Man thinks, cause your next. History always repeats it self.
Hmmmmmmmmm!
Jennifer Smith.
Alex Scott.
They were used as well when you think about.
And by Black People!
What a ridiculous post. You are a complete racist bigot.
Would you also agree that:
Z DeSilva = used
J Smith – used?
Or is it different that way round?
They are not being a racist bigot! Although I never set with the UBP aka OBA higher ups. I was a member of the UBP youth wing, Young United and the mind thought was to place a black face before a white party to attract the black votes. PLEASE SAY IT DIDN’T HAPPENED BECAUSE I WAS THERE!!!!
Now the OBA is doing the same thing with Craig.
I saw first hand how the whites in the party tried to control things and tell the black higher up members what to do.
Although this didn’t happend to much in the Young United we young people all saw this happening. In the Young Untited we didn’t worried up color, we worried about making Bermuda a better place for all.
The person who got me to join was Wayne Furbert, he was very kind to us and he listen to the youth group. When I saw first hand how the party treated him one of the parties strongest black members I was shocked. He tried is best to unit the colors white & black.
I will tell you this Wayne brought alot of black members to the UBP and when they kicked him to the curb many of us woke up and realized that the UBP aka OBA was only using the blacks in the party to secure votes. I left the party as a result of seeing first hand what happends when you don’t do as told.
Now I reading on here all the hate you have for Mr. Furbert. You people are so bad. The UBP aka OBA will never get my vote again.
Wayne thanks for your help. I wish I lived in your Parish come election day.
Former member of Young United,
Anyc hance you can give examples of your accusations?
Not that I don;t believe you, but all I ever hear are the same accusations with no actual examples to back them up.
So please clarify the following:
“I saw first hand how the whites in the party tried to control things and tell the black higher up members what to do.”
“When I saw first hand how the party treated him one of the parties strongest black members I was shocked”
You’ll never get an answer to that it election time PLP = republican tacktics which pander to the haters core emotions. It’s just there to ensight. Vote on concret information and real action has there been an improvment in the last five years, are you emploied, making more saving for a home, enjoying your retiree benifits?etc.
LOL just some questions to think about. Should I even mention social heath in this country.
This Former Young United post is a front, this person was never a member of Young United and it is so blatantly obvious. They are lying and trying to post false truths. If they were actually a member of Young United, I would be extremely worries as they cannot spell and write worth a Sh#t! Must be a PLP plant, they don’t like getting caught up in the details. Well, former Young United member how is the present job situation for the youth looking, especially the educated ones trying to get ahead? Pretty bad under the PLP!
How about this one; The PLP used (and is using) the future of all of our children to enrich themselves and their friends.
How does that sit with you?
Here we go with race again. Why only the PLP faithful always bring up race? Is it because their thought pattern & intelligence doesn’t go very far?
I can always count on Bernews comments to brighten a dull day. They really are quite hilarious… LMAO!
@ Clinton: I totalling agree with you.
Of course the race card is still alive and it’s amazing how people are “used” without their knowledge!
The political parties are all guilty of the same thing. Peolple should look around them and in the mirror before they open their mouth and speak.
Parties keep us apart and fighting over the past so that they can keep strong and keep our power. Face it we are being dupped. I agree with death to party politics it will not get the majority anyway but under thier heel.
LOL
What ever OBA. The Premier said that she would be making bold moves that some won’t be happy with. So said so done. I think she had good reason for making these changes. Like she said a year gives you a chance to the strengths and weaknesses and the weaknesses with in. Clearly this is a decision based on the result of those findings. She is doing what she was elected to do, LEAD. The OBA are weak as a party and now have a weak leader, They should be working on building their party rather then making worthless statements.
Red flag is there anything that comes close to a strong opposition to you? Keep repeating your party line to those in your choir free thinkers will weigh the resultes for them selves or do you not trust the voting public to do this?
LOL
Lol! So we wait another year to see how the new changes work out? Or does Paula keep making changes on a yearly basis, so no one really gets a grip on what they are doing? In the present Economic climate one day is a long time let alone a year! The last year was an epic fail by the government, we have no tourism strategy, a cruise line just cancelled and public transport costs twice as much and works half as good. So you tell me in the last year, during a recession if the cost of living in Bermuda has gone up or down!? That is what economic policy is supposed to do, aid us when we are up and aid us when we are down. Our economy on the other hand is a festering wound and our economic policy is only a box of band aids when it should be dose of penicillin
SMH… do you know for a fact that the OBA is “using” Craig in the way that you have described above? As an OBA caucus member I have been in the room, voiced my opinion and seen decisions be made and that is defiantly not the way the OBA operates. It must be remembered that outside of the MP’s the OBA is not the UBP. The MP’s alone does not a political party make. All other positions are filled with new people… The majority of them having nothing to do with the UBP of old.