Airport: PLP Call On People To Gather At House
The PLP called on Bermudians to join them at the House of Assembly starting at 9am today [Dec 2] to “let the OBA know that they cannot move forward with this secret deal without having an independent review by the Auditor General.”
The debate on legislation regarding the redevelopment of the L.F. Wade International Airport is set to take place in the House of Assembly this morning, after being delayed from Wednesday in order to give MPs time to review newly released documents relating to the proposed airport agreement.
In an email sent out to members, Opposition Leader David Burt said, “Minister Bob Richards and the OBA will attempt to force through a secret deal that will privatise our airport to a Canadian company for 30 years and give away hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.”
“Recent history has shown that though the OBA can ignore the PLP, they cannot ignore the will of the people. When it came to furlough days the OBA wouldn’t listen and the people forced them to listen.
“When it came to Pathways to Status, the OBA wouldn’t listen and the people forced them to listen. Now it is time for the people to demonstrate our strength yet again.”
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Bob Richards said, “There is no satisfying the Opposition on this project.
“They are opposed to it for empty political reasons. It is shameful that they are prepared to put naked politics before the interests of the country and job opportunities for hundreds of unemployed Bermudians.”
“The Opposition is looking for another assessor of Value For Money because it does not like the conclusion reached by Steer Davies Cleave – that the Government has indeed received value for money in this transaction.
“Steer Davies Cleave is a large international firm with offices around the world that provide this type of advice to governments and industry. They are experts on project management, not accountants.
“The Auditor General does not have the appropriate skill set for this assignment. The Auditor General’s role is to provide an audit opinion on public accounts on an ex post facto basis, not provide the type of service that the Opposition is conjuring up.
“This is a complex transaction, but Government has provided more information on it than any transaction in Bermuda’s history,” added the Minister.
The full text of the email sent out to members last night is below:
Friday, December 2, 2016 will be a pivotal date in Bermuda’s history.
Minister Bob Richards and the OBA will attempt to force through a secret deal that will privatise our airport to a Canadian company for 30 years and give away hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue that could be spent on education, seniors, healthcare, economic development and on training and retraining our workforce for job opportunities.
The PLP knows that we need to do something about our airport, but we must make progress while obeying the law and adhering to the principles of good governance.
As your political representatives, the PLP have exercised and exhausted every political option at our disposal to bring openness, transparency and reason to the conversation surrounding the OBA’s Airport Scheme and the government in their arrogance continue to refuse to share the full details of this airport privatisation.
The PLP has put forward a common sense compromise, that will request the Auditor General to review this deal in advance, and provide MPs with an independent assessment of the cost of this secret deal to the Bermudian Taxpayer.
This would allow the Auditor General to look at the deal before we are locked into a 30 year contract that will cost the country hundreds of millions in lost profits. The OBA has rejected our proposal, and tomorrow will ask Parliament to approve an agreement that MPs have not seen.
Tomorrow’s proposed debate flies in the face of good governance and should offend all Bermudians as a yes vote by the OBA majority will give a blank cheque to Bob Richards and the OBA.
That is why the PLP are calling on all Bermudians to Stand Strong for Bermuda’s future and join us at the House of Assembly tomorrow December 2nd starting at 9am to let the OBA know that they cannot move forward with this secret deal without having an independent review by the Auditor General.
Recent history has shown that though the OBA can ignore the PLP, they cannot ignore the will of the people.
When it came to furlough days the OBA wouldn’t listen and the people forced them to listen.
When it came to Pathways to Status, the OBA wouldn’t listen and the people forced them to listen
Now it is time for the people to demonstrate our strength yet again, because you know, as we do, that “the power of the people is far greater than the people in power”.
It is vital that we all come together tomorrow to show our people power and demand that Premier Michael Dunkley and the OBA request an independent review of this 30 year secret deal by the Auditor General.
Let’s make sure that December 2nd will be remembered as a day the people earned a victory for our children.
Makes sense, send it to the Auditor General!
The auditor general is already busy trying to find out how the PLP lost so much of our money
SSSH they don’t want to talk about that.
AG will also need a look at the BIU books.
Stop it Burt. There are no hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. Profit and revenue are not the same thing. Revenues have expenses to be matched against them, while profit is the bottom line figure. For example, if the airport takes in 100 million in revenue and pays out 110 million in expenses…that is a loss. Somehow you see the 100 million as profit. You are either totally inept or you are lying.
The airport is as good a deal as we can get after the rule bending that lead to our huge debt problems.
“PLP calls on mob to bring proceedings of country to a halt”.
PLP did a Pack
Now OBA is doing a Pack
Vote UBA ~ United Bermuda Alliance
“Make Bermuda Great Again”
Hope they don’t use that slogan! It has bad juju
David Burt, whilst I understand your disruptive agenda, it is clear that you are the epitome of stupidity. When I hear a PLP member apologize for the financial hole we are in then I might consider listening to you. But for now, you really make me puke!
by any means necessary! Go ahead take the wheel…by the way do you even know how to drive? Recent history says you dont,but hey as long as you like the football team in charge who cares…that is until you do care…when its to late to fix.
would love to be there to protest for BUILD IT but as I have no respect for the plp or its recent shephards leading a flock of un couth disrespectful blind protesters i have suceeded anyway. PLP cant be an oposition unless it involves pure negativity
P.S. it is not that I am against a protest it is more against the manner and decorum and respect it is carried out with. not loud rude and disrespectful as has been shown in the past
Get on with this t! Build the airport and for Christ’s sake lock up anyone who tries to deny you entrance to conduct the people’s business!
Totally irresponsible call by PLP. Bermudians are again being held hostage by the Union and its sheep
well said! it is time to act.
if the project is that great of a deal, let the Auditor general review the terms.
That is not what an auditor does !!!! sheesh
You can dislike it all you want, but it ain’t going to reinvent the role of an auditor globally or here.
You would have though Burt would have known this…there again , Burt knows very little, as proven by him complete lack of understanding of finance,despite his stage act.
Their Campaign slogan should read “Make Bda 3rd rate Again!”
Don’t worry skinky…….
After the AC is turned off you better have a ticket and a visa…..
TURKEYS VOTING FOR CHRISTMAS !!
Once again – PLP/BIU/PC showing their selves again.
Memo to PLP – this is not a good look.
BTW – The Auditor General is too busy looking for $800M and another $18M that the CoH “lost”. Her schedule is just too full to take on more work.
Well Burt, you got your wish. Is this what you wanted? You should be really proud of yourself. Way to go, high five. You’re a real hero, pal.
Apparently it seems by the calls, that just about EVERYONE and their Brother was pepper sprayed today. All of the PLP MPs, VIPs, BIUs, PCs. You name it they got done! And you did not even have to be there – but you still got pepper sprayed!!!
For a moment even I thought I was pepper sprayed and I am at a desk! But then I realised it was mould from next door at T.N. Tatem so that was ok.
hello? hello?….hello? is that you Donald?
what’s that about being elected fair and square ? Democracy? pish!!
Listen up dude – If we don’t get who we want by ballot box then we just revert to Plan B which is mob rule to get what and who we want. Simple. Really…. it is honestly. And I am honest………….
Oh, OK Derek, thanks………..
You should also be charged with inciting a riot and blatantly disrupting the (public) people!
You lost the last election because you don’t have a clue! So then you get your mob of dumb bumbs to protest?
Stuck on stupid! I’m sooo tired of it all!
Burt what type of leader do you think you are making everyone walk off there jobs. It’s alright for you lots you will still get a nice pay check at the end of the week. Your party has no right talking about money when they are a bunch of Liars. The called the commission a bunch of Lynch mobs these people are a bunch of Lynch mobs. God help the hard working people of this country. Stop hurting your own people and grow some balls and go and talk to the OBA who are try to pull this country out of a hole and get your people back to work. Once again it turns to a black and white thing. Really very sad I hope none of those people never. Red the police. And if they weren’t there to make trouble why have sticks.
Has anyone actually read the independent value for money assessment of the released 2 weeks ago? People are saying there has been no independent analysis and it’s right on the govt website if you want to read it…
https://www.gov.bm/sites/default/files/VFM-final-report_v1-0.pdf