PLP bourgeois elitists :no accountability for public spending

by Sal | December 14, 2009 at 04:58 pm

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The Progressive Labour Party failed to show up at this week's meeting of Bermuda's Public Accounts Committee.

Chairman Bob Richards was forced to go it alone with United Bermuda Party colleague Patricia Gordon-Pamplin to investigate the spending of public money on initiatives like the Police/court building project.

According to Mr. Richards, veteran Sandys MP Walter Lister claimed he didn't think the meeting should take place, while backbencher Patrice Minors didn't attend after talking to Mr. Lister.

The PLP's third member, Zane DeSilva, can no longer sit on the PAC because he is now a Minister — with no replacement apparently in place.

Shadow Finance Minister Mr. Richards said the meeting was vital because the committee is still catching up on material brought to light a year ago by former Auditor General Larry Dennis.

He said the urgency was underlined Friday when the PAC had to add another item to its agenda: the "serious internal control deficiencies" in the handling of capital projects highlighted by Mr. Dennis' successor Heather Jacob Matthews.

Mr. Richards told The Royal Gazette: "I called the meeting; Mr. Lister said he was going to be off the Island.

"The PLP leadership refuses to allow the Public Accounts Committtee (PAC) of the House of Assembly to meet in public – an abberation among modern democracies.And, it appears that the PLP members of the PAC are stifling its work by not appearing at its meetings, with a senior PLP member deriding it as simply "a talk shop."
The PAC is the cross-party parliamentary committee tasked with scrutinising the spending of public money. Its work is vital … particularly given the Bermuda Government's spiralling budgets, skyrocketing national debt, and two years of audit Qualified Opinions." http://www.vexedbermoothes.com/

Bermuda's net debt nearly doubled in 2008/09 – growing by $205 million and standing at $485 million at the end of the year.

Economist Robert Stewart estimates that Bermuda's debt and deficits per person are around $58,000 and growing. Virtually all of that has been built up over the past 10 years, with a gross acceleration in the last 5 years. Next time you hear about how prudently, prosperously, and punctiliously the Bermudian economy is being managed by the PLP, look at the facts. Remember that the US national debt only works out to about $36,000 per person. PLP bourgeois elitists are a lazy useless tribe of incompetents,the only "work" they do,is jet around the globe,wine & dine and collect massive paychecks courtesy of the Taxpayer .

PLP Cabinet members have not shown accountability, ethical behavior, humility, transparency,or respect for the Bermuda Taxpayer .