Premier Dunkley: ‘Behaviour Was Unacceptable’
“The behaviour on Wednesday was unacceptable. I was particularly disturbed by the fact Opposition Members of Parliament encouraged the protesters inside the Senate Chamber,” Premier Michael Dunkley said.
This follows after last week’s protest at the Cabinet grounds, which saw people make their way into the Senate chamber to protest immigration policies.
The Premier said, “In light of my constitutional duty as Premier to uphold the ‘good management of the public affairs of Bermuda’, I feel it necessary to comment on the events of last Wednesday when an unruly crowd disrupted Senate business.
“People will recall that crowd noise and words interfered with debate and prompted the Senate President to temporarily adjourn the proceedings. Later, we heard Senators from all sides expressing concern for their personal safety.
Small slideshow of Wednesday’s protest
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Premier Dunkley continued, “While all of us appreciate that politics can get emotional, especially when it comes to immigration, the behaviour on Wednesday was unacceptable. I was particularly disturbed by the fact Opposition Members of Parliament encouraged the protesters inside the Senate Chamber.
“It is very important for all elected officials to uphold standards of behaviour that enable the mechanisms of government to function for the public benefit. There is a lot of room within that simple rule of thumb for the expression of people’s views on any issue, but Wednesday’s events crossed a line.
“In terms of the push for collaboration on immigration policy by MP Walton Brown, the Government has no problem with collaboration in principle. But we do question its sincerity given the statement in December by his Party Leader that ‘There will be no collaboration’ with the Government.
“Who do you believe?
“That statement is an example of the constant insults, threats and extremist language coming from Opposition Leader Marc Bean, reflecting a mindset that has no room for collaboration. There is a big gap between Mr. Bean’s words in the House of Assembly to ‘take you all out’, referring to the Government, and Mr. Brown’s call for collaboration.
“I would urge Mr. Brown and his leader to work out their differences before any further initiatives.
“I also have to question on two counts the sincerity of the Opposition’s actions on Wednesday.
“The first was the protest triggered by Government legislation to stimulate real estate sales by expanding the number of properties that could be purchased by PRCs – a step taken to help Bermudian families with properties whose value had fallen below what they paid for them.
“Opposition Senators spoke against the Bill, and their colleagues outside the Chamber encouraged the protesters, but when it came to a vote the Bill was passed without anyone objecting.
Video of the crowd singing outside the Senate chambers last Wednesday
“Given the ‘outrage’ by the Opposition, one has to wonder, again, about their sincerity. To me, it looks like political gaming is the most important thing,” added the Premier.
“The second action I question relates to Mr. Brown during a Wednesday meeting he asked to have with me. In that meeting, which included Home Affairs Minister Fahy, Mr. Brown said he had no problem with the proposed legislation and that he wanted to avoid an escalation in political rhetoric. Yet hours later, he raised the spectre of civil disobedience if the Opposition did not get its way.
“Bermuda does better when there is trust between the Government and the Opposition. Trust depends on consistency and we just haven’t seen that from the Opposition. We need to see one face, not two.
“I want to assure the people of Bermuda that their Government will maintain steady progress toward the job-creating recovery everyone wants. The Opposition can help make it happen, but its leaders need to be on the same page and be aware that their actions can help or hurt that recovery.
“The Government is working in every way possible to ease the pressures on struggling families. The reform Bill put forward last Wednesday is designed to help homeowners within a policy framework established by the PLP Government. It is one of the many levers we are pulling to make the economy work better for people,” concluded the Premier.
Who the heck would trust Dunkley’s side of the story on this subject, especially when its backed by Fahy’s role as a witness?? No risk of bias there!!
PRC: Posting Regular Crapola
And who would trust the flip flopping PLP/UBP?!
If the plp is a flip flopping party what do you call the OBA/UBP? I’ll tell you what MY People call it. A party that changed it’s name just to win black votes is what My People call it.
MY People = racist. Who are MY People? My “My People” are all of the people of OUR Bermuda, does that count as My people? Lets think progressivley. Thank you.
Young Half-Cup-Full Paget Bie.
I didn’t realize YOUR people were so much different than MY people. We are all Bermudians working for a common goal, get out of the politics of the situation and move forward.
and I’ll tell you what MY people call it…
PATHETIC and TYPICAL of people that have been brainwashed for many years!
By a vote of 22 to 2 people trust Dunkleys side of the story
Unacceptable like “What a waist off F@#$ing film”
Waste
Moron..
Moron…
Dunkley one problem, your policies keep causing Bermuda to lose jobs and for the population to shrink.
Examples or ST*U
No need to be rude!
I know, kinda sick of statements such as that with no attempt to justify, qualify or reinforce with example.
They cant provide examples. Thats the laughable part. And the one thing they will never ever admit to is that fact that it is their fault (plp) that so many companies up and left due to their xenophobic rhetoric on a constant basis. Who in their right mind would want to come here and set up shop when the entire country hates them just because they are from somewhere else? The sense of entitlement in this country is disgusting. Hilarious tho cause at the exact same time bermudians will go to england to live and work thus stealing employment from an english native. But thats cool tho right? Plp is a joke and will stop at nothing to interrupt progress. Newsflash plp. You are NOT in charge. Wait your two years and then take over as we all know thats what is going to happen. Then you can take credit for the progress that will be just getting underway thanx to the pittiful state u left us in upon your ousting in 2012.
Yep. No class.
Its their way. Do it by force until we get what WE want.
If they ever win election again (God help us) I’ll bet my last dollar the marches will come to an end.
In case anyone of Bermudas voting public hadn’t read what Premier Michael H. Dunkley said to the press.
…Wednesdays events crossed a line.
“In terms of the push for collaboration on immigration policy by MP Walton Brown, the Government has no problem with collaboration in principle. But we do question its sincerity given the statement in December by his Party Leader that ‘There will be no collaboration’ with the Government.
“Who do you believe?
“That statement is an example of the constant insults, threats and extremist language coming from Opposition Leader Marc Bean, reflecting a mindset that has no room for collaboration. There is a big gap between Mr. Bean’s words in the House of Assembly to ‘take you all out’, referring to the Government, and Mr. Brown’s call for collaboration.
“I would urge Mr. Brown and his leader to work out their differences before any further initiatives.
“I also have to question on two counts the sincerity of the Opposition’s actions on Wednesday.
“The first was the protest triggered by Government legislation to stimulate real estate sales by expanding the number of properties that could be purchased by PRCs – a step taken to help Bermudian families with properties whose value had fallen below what they paid for them.
“Opposition Senators spoke against the Bill, and their colleagues outside the Chamber encouraged the protesters, but when it came to a vote the Bill was passed without anyone objecting.
“The second action I question relates to Mr. Brown during a Wednesday meeting he asked to have with me. In that meeting, which included Home Affairs Minister Fahy, Mr. Brown said he had no problem with the proposed legislation and that he wanted to avoid an escalation in political rhetoric. Yet hours later, he raised the spectre of civil disobedience if the Opposition did not get its way.
Now my fellow countrymen/women you pick the bones out of that…Sad yes, but true
What does it mean “the Bill was passed without anyone objecting”.
It means nobody objected to the bill being passed…none were against it.
Nicely said Mr. Premier.
I guess any behavior which runs counter to doing as told and sitting on sidelines is unacceptable to our esteemed Leader.
You didn’t read the article.
He did not say that. He is asking for consitency and professionalism. If you behaved that way in an office environment, you would be fired.
When you get an article like this, it comes down to ‘he says’, ‘she says’ …. so who do you believe?
And how many people care anymore? How many people have been turned off politics or lost patience with their MPs because of the behavior we increasingly see?
I wrote this almost exactly a year ago: https://jeremydeacon.wordpress.com/2014/02/24/ceo-of-bermuda-inc/
seems nothing has changed ….
The issue is simple to me. Are we governed by the spoken word, or by bullying? Bean and his crew are problems and that is why I will never vote for him.
The matter of what Mr. Brown said at this meeting may well be ‘he said she said’ but the examples of inconsistencies in message delivered by Mr. Bean are on record. There is certainly no hint of a desire for collaboration stemming from the PLP leader….and he is the patty leader after all (isn’t he?).
You’re absolutely right Premier Dunkley.
Hold firm!!
The Progressive Labour Party modus operandi will always be,”We had to deceive you.” They continue doing absolutely nothing for the betterment of this Island and its citizens. Instead of assisting and being “productive” they continue being just, “a thorn in the side of progress”.
I couldn’t agree more that the PLP under a certain Premier wasn’t what we had hoped for and like most political parties WORLDwide and previous local governments, they promised a Lot and fell way short of the mark. I would even agree with you that we were deceived. BUT, let’s be honest, the OBA have been equally as disappointing:
> Jetgate Scandal
>No Referendum on Gambling
>No bid contract for the proposed new airport
> No bid contract for AC 35 Village in Dockyard
>Allocation of significant legal work to Friends and Family!!
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>No bid contract for the proposed new airport
Who else has the financial backing to pay for an airport and then manage it ? Nobody in Bermuda.
> The petition re: the referendum was out and advertizsed through the media for a long time…. wasn’t supported byt the people…so the Govt were right.
>Jetgate … I’m not happy about that.
> AC35 no bid contract? First I’ve heard of it.
> Legal work? Surely that has gone to Law firms
I suppose it depends on your perspective. The list you mention might be considered missteps to some, but to compare them to grave errors that the PLP made is without merit. The financial missteps of the PLP is the very reason we are where we are today. Any missteps by the OBA could only be considered minor in comparison. The PLP made some very poor moves that we are all paying for and those most affected are more than likely their own supporter, out demonstrating on a regular basis.
So we are still bringing up that phrase after 12 years?
The attempt to divide and rule is an old time tactic deployed by a certain mindset. The people are tired of your lying, deceptive government Mr. Dunkley, hence the outpouring of anger. You will reap what you sow.
CC: We are currently reaping what was sowed by the clueless, ignorant, incompetent PLP.
@Concerned Citizen…I was convinced you were talking about the PLP mind games until you mentioned Dunkley
I dare people not to comment
Who am I kidding? Let me get the popcorn ready!
Fair enough.
Wow Brown sounds like a sneak
What’s unacceptable is the way oba is handling the people of this island let’s talk bout that Mr.milk man
Fallout from terrible decisions and abuses made by the PLP.
Put the blame where it fits Chips.
Explain please
Be specific, then tell me what the opposition would do differently and how it would create jobs for locals.
The only jobs this smiling clown has created are 4 work permit holders.
The person infront of the cameras and performing on stage is Walton Brown. There is your side show star !
@ Oh cry me a river,
If you are too lazy to type “for” you may need to look inwards as to your lack of employment prospects.
That would be the same as saying that the only jobs lost due to 6,000 foreign people leaving were permit holder jobs.
Cry you a river for sure if you are too stupid to comprehend this. I doubt you’ll be hired any time soon in such a case.
Specifically Chip what do you mean?
The fact that our leader feels it is ok to get into a he said she said press release is very concerning. The fact that he attributes any opposition from the opposition party as due to them not being able to accept that they lost the election is just incredible. Why would we need an opposition party if they are only going to agree with the ruling party? What he could have done was to take time to explain the merits and benefits of his governments decisions instead of trying to deflect.
What we’ve seen and come to the conclusion about the UBP / OBA team is that it is by nature a perfect example of an agglomeration of the most unholy principles of peoples ever to sit as government of this fair island .
Continuing to use immigration as a weapon to stir up the emotions of people , all people . They haven’t created one job for Bermudians , however , the fallacious policies of Dunkley and CO. will result in a seriously divided state of affairs in Bermuda .
When the PLP regain the government , reversal of almost every immigration policy put in place by this anti Bermudian government will surely be reversed .
Coffee: Because PLP getting rid of 6,000 foreigners really worked for us right? HAHAHAHA
Talk about wake up and smell the coffee!
And if you thnk it is bad now if you get what you want it be worse beyond your imagination.
This I just had to forward, to he people that may or may not have any idea when “it” comes down to Bermudas economics.
Either way I want to quote my friend,”Phil Potts”
1. Bermuda does not make its own money, it has to attract foreign money.
2. To attract foreign money, you have to attract foreign people and businesses.
3. O.B.A. understands this.
4. P.L.P. does not.
5. Bermuda is circling the drain. The PLP turned off the taps and then pulled the stopper out. Time to let the One Bermuda Alliance try to fix it, because we cannot afford to allow the Progressive Labour Party incompetence to continue.”
Now, if “Phill” hasn’t hit the proverbial nail upon its head then what or who can?
You know the old saying “your known by the company you keep”.
Brown and Co. is really expanding.
Shalom.
where are the job makers….are they hiring from the pool of discontented PLP supporters? will there be satisfaction once they are hired? will they be happy….ever?
“When the PLP regain the government , reversal of almost every immigration policy put in place by this anti Bermudian government will surely be reversed ”
This policy was put in place by the PLP, you supporters are just too stupid to realise it.
I shake my head in disbelief at these folks sometimes. They have so much disdain and contempt for the oba(ubp) that they fail to understand that much of what they are complaining about is the direct result of the plp policies, shortcomings and failures. Heck, even the oba being in power right now is a direct result of plp failures. SMH
@ reefs
I thought you were going to point out that his sentence didn’t make sense… “REVERSAL of almost every immigration policy put in place by this anti Bermudian government will surely be REVERSED”
what?
Really dont understand why it is such an insurmountable task for the two sides to come together on immigration reform. On the OBA’s end, what the heck are you afraid of in doing so??? And on the PLPs end what is it you would possibly do to derail truly collaborative efforts if that approach were committed to??? This crap just creates more uncertainty going forward. If the opposition wins the next election, its just more for them to change/adjust. How the hell do you guy,s as adults, not get that others are processing things this way?!
The OBA aren’t afraid. They meet with the PLP on a regular basis and had extended public consultation periods on new policies.
The problem is that the PLP’s definition of collaboration involves having the OBA hand power to the PLP.
I guess the OBA have a few more bold moves to make in regards to immigration and the PLP would only halt their progress, if they agreed to a Joint Committee approach. In order for the Govt. to get the economy going again they need to have the flexibly to act without the burden of an Opposition that up until now has proven without a doubt that they are obstructionists.
The opposition gets it – they realize that we need foreigners. However, some of their supporters will believe just about anything they are told.
If they were told that OBA officals eat young children for breakfast they’d believe it. So they are told that OBA only cares about foreigners – which is a lie, they know it – but their supporters clearly believe it. Or at least the wtenty or so who went to Cabinet last Wednesday.
Walton is feeding his supporters a line of emotional BS yes – and he knows it very well. He knows the secret to getting re-elected is to get the stupidest people possible to believe what you say.
If he succeeds we will still need foreigners. We’ve been here before and it wasn’t pretty. 1998 – 2012 never forget.
Of course the debacle at the Senate is just another bit of PLP scaremongering with power their only aim.
Having seen the news clip when Mr. Brown and the crowd are told that there are only X amount of seats available and that there would be NO standing why allow more people in when they knew they would have to be removed? He should have waited at the door and counted off all who entered until the X amount was reached? He then should have told the rest to wait outside as they had promised.
Of course someone with leadership ability would do that but not these jokers.The Regressive Labour Party couldn’t lead a thirsty horse to drink, however they sure can lead gullible people/island to probable financial self destruction in their quest for power. SMDH.
LORD HELP US if the PLP/UBP ever get back in. Ain’t even about a race thing no more…its about policies and regardless of color OBA’s look far better than the PLP/UBP’s! Besides what businessmen are actually on the PLP/UBP?! And they want to run a country lmfaooooooo! What ideas do you have to get back Bermudians to work?!
Now how about all these JOBS for Bermudians ??????
Were are these Bermudians to fill the 11,300 jobs that 11,300 work permits have been issued.
What is wrong with those who complain about no jobs applying for any of those 11,300 work permit job available ????
better stop your nonsense
Amazing the standard of living that we have in Bermuda which the OBA are trying to maintain for all Bermudians as the average Haitian in HAITI live on $2.50 PER DAY.
The Westminster form of government creates Tyrants. They essentially have unchecked power which they intend to exercise. No one could have objected if they wanted to. The PLP had a opportunity to make change and did not. Justice is and will continue to be the victim – we all lose.
Quo Fata Ferunt
Two groups of people:
Those who follow the the OBA/PLP and do as they are told, even when there is no evidence and,
Those who read the article, find out the facts and make informed opinions, sometime you agree with the government and sometimes you don’t. In this case the OBA and the entire PLP agreed with the legislation and moved it back to the house for the third reading with zero objections because they know this improves the value of homes owned by Bermudians.
In stead of blindly coming in these forums and complaining about the OBA government, take time to read the information and, if you are a PLP supporter, ask your own party why they themselves supported this particular piece of legislation.
#puppets
The PLP Senators did not object when asked by the Senate President at the end of the debate. One has to wonder why? Did they only want to stir up the emotions of the people but not put on record their objection. It sounds like they understand the importance and by their vote support what the OBA did but they want their followers to believe that they didn’t for future political gain…but, we can see through that.
The PLP dislike foreigners
Who would trust the PLP with so many UBP member who are they these days anyways ?