Opposition Deliver Reply To The Throne Speech

Opposition Leader Patricia Gordon-Pamplin delivered the official Reply to the Throne Speech in the House of Assembly, saying the “relentless pursuit of power” by the PLP “denigrated the entire political process to a level perhaps unprecedented in Bermuda politics,” and it is “unfortunate that the same approach is being perpetuated through the Throne Speech in an attempt to negate the positive things that were done for our community by the OBA administration.”

Ms Gordon Pamplin said, “Our responsibility today is to respond to the Throne Speech, delivered last Friday, which was short on real solutions and long on studies.

“Government has said their Throne Speech outlines a vision for the future, but a vision without a plausible plan is merely a dream. Governments must be doers, not dreamers. The tenor of the speech suggests that government has either purposely elected to disregard the country’s tenuous economic position or has chosen to continually misrepresent the achievements of the former OBA government.

“This deficiency was made manifest in the relentless pursuit of power by the PLP Opposition which denigrated the entire political process to a level perhaps unprecedented in Bermuda politics, resulting in their leader being subject to the criticism from his own membership that he operated with subterfuge and deceit.

“It is unfortunate that the same approach is being perpetuated through the Throne Speech in an attempt to negate the positive things that were done for our community by the OBA administration, cynically claiming that the OBA believed in trickle down whereas the new administration will focus on a so-called ‘ripple effect’.

“The record will show that the OBA government restored much-needed confidence in Bermuda. Due to the unprecedented debt and looming deficits created by the former PLP government, the OBA moved quickly to rein in government spending and did so without the massive layoffs seen in other jurisdictions.

“The reference to crumbs from the table may appeal to the PLP base, however the reality is that when the OBA assumed government, there were no crumbs, the cupboards were bare, the table and floor had been swept clean, and little, if any had been made available to the people for whom they now profess to have concern.

“Good governance and accountability were also in short supply, as dramatically highlighted by the Auditor General in her various reports on government operations and finances.

“We saw the misinformation machine in full view when the stories grew like fish tales to cause the airport project to be depicted as some kind of sinister arrangement.

Audio comments from Ms Gordon Pamplin, who spoke with Bernews yesterday

“We heard the challenge to the Desarollos group and the untruth that they would take the beach away from St. Georgians.

“We saw it yet again when the OBA government was accused of pepper spraying seniors, when it is known that constitutionally, the government neither gives direction nor orders policing policies.

“We saw the cowardice when the leader of the PLP encouraged through robo-calls and blast emails for protesters to attend Parliament, then some of the attendees proceeded to push seniors into the line of fire when the police department determined that law-breakers should be challenged.

“We therefore wholeheartedly support a committee to investigate the occurrences of that dark and unfortunate experience that will surely highlight the substantive part played in the debacle by those now calling for an investigation.

“We saw the vilifying of the America’s Cup, an event that rejuvenated our tourism industry and helped a significant number of our people and businesses to obtain work, not for the short duration of the event, but during more than two years preceding, and the time following the event. We heard gross misinformation being perpetuated on a daily basis.

“It is said that politics make strange bedfellows. We will watch closely the developments of the questionable New York trip that was planned by an unlikely quartet with would be gaming operators to determine the purpose of their meeting at the Four Seasons, and the benefit to Bermuda, if any.

“The Bermuda government continues to live on borrowed money. The electorate is not the only people to whom the government must answer. Bermuda’s creditors are expecting us to follow through with plans established by OBA administration to balance the budget by 2019 and thereupon pay down the debt.

“We note the government’s immediate plan to increase personnel in the transport division, and their implication that the OBA failed to staff that department. Again, the stark reality is that this was the legacy of the previous PLP administration and the limitations on finance.

“The electorate has made it abundantly clear that some of our policies were disappointing to them, and we take full responsibility and apologize for those disappointments. We note the new administration has decided to approach governance differently, and has determined that people will be better served by consultations and studies and rehashing of things that have already been completed. It is important, nevertheless, to recognize that courage to define and implement policy must be a goal for effective governance.

“Subsequent to the election, the new administration has adopted a rather ‘Trumplike’ approach to undo many of the actions initiated under the OBA government. In respect of civil recoveries and some of the ensuing criminal investigations that have been initiated in rather high profile matters, we note the Attorney General’s decision to delist at least one of these cases.

“Failing to recover money that legitimately belong to the people of Bermuda is a dangerous precedent, and to fail to hold to account those who have perpetrated such injustice on our people is not just unfortunate, it sets a dangerous precedent and can be interpreted as tacit approval. This hardly puts Bermudians first.

“The government has promised to eliminate conscription. The OBA administration ended the annual conscription process, and the Royal Bermuda Regiment was successful in attaining a fully voluntary intake for the 2017 recruit camp for the first time in its history. We believed it be prudent to maintain a conscription option in the event of national emergencies should the numbers fall short, in order to truly enable safety and security of our people should the need arise.

“We are fully supportive of the introduction of regulations for debt collection agencies and their aggressive practices,” the Opposition Leader added.

“The OBA believes that it is right for the Government to continue to work with Bermuda College to support the trades and STEAM programmes which are internationally recognized.

“We also share the Government’s view that programmes of this nature should also be introduced in all of the primary schools, as they are already in the middle schools and senior secondary schools.

“While not surprising, it is disappointing that the government did not acknowledge that the process had already commenced for the implementation of wi-fi services to our schools.

“Both of our senior secondary schools have wi-fi services, and fully functioning IT infrastructure. One middle school is fully equipped, and another middle school, has been adopted by one of our larger telecommunications companies, who has agreed to provide wi-fi at that campus, free of charge.

“Further, it should be noted the OBA government had entered into an agreement with a new wireless internet company to provide wi-fi services to all of our schools. As a part of the remuneration package they would receive the rental of an arm on one of government’s communications towers, and the placement of their antennae on the top of our school buildings.

Ms Gordon Pamplin concluded by saying, “In summary, this Throne Speech proposes many initiatives that were well underway. In our view, a ground zero approach to implementation is costly and time wasting. Many of the committees that have been proposed to examine topics can utilize the work already done to move to the implementation stage.

“We have expressed concerns with proposed legislation with which we have reservations, and have committed our full support for those that we deem to be appropriate and which enhance the good of our people, business partners and investors.

“We wish this Parliament success with its deliberations, because Parliament’s success is Bermuda’s success. We are committed to a collaborative approach, and trust that the pettiness of politics takes a back seat to cooperative and constructive debate.”

The full 2017 Reply to the Throne Speech is below [PDF here]:

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