The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

Opposition leader Michael Pintard yesterday described the Davis administration as one that does not comply with laws and suggested that he was beginning to see seeds of “arrogance” grow in the new day government.

“This is not an administration that is big on complying,” Mr Pintard said of the government yesterday. “It’s big on pursuing others to comply and no doubt finding legal remedies if they do not comply, but they themselves are unwilling to comply.”

While making his contribution to the 2022/2023 Budget debate, the Free National Movement leader outlined what he viewed as the government repeatedly acting outside of the confines of the law.

He said: “I seem to remember that the member (Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper) called fairly consistently for an accounting on COVID spending.

“The member for Exuma and Ragged Island called on the government to follow any commitments we made inclusive of the law and speaking of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“This administration was obligated by law to lay the Fiscal Strategy Report in the House and refused to do so and had a senior public servant tell the rest of us who are elected that we’re not going to waste time with bringing that to the House for discussion although the law required it.

“That same report committed this administration to signal what they intend to do, what measures were put in place in terms of creating greater fiscal space so that we’re not spending much of what we earn on servicing debt. It committed this administration to come up with a strategy on how we’re going to grow the economy, how we’re going to address critical issues - what their strategies are around diversification.

“This administration has come in, changed the projected numbers inclusive of what deficit we are going to be operating at under their first budget. All changes that they consider it is required by law for them to come to this place and let’s have a discussion.

“As I said before there is one rule as it relates to complying with the law for the Progressive Liberal Party government and there is a rule for everybody else.”

He continued: “They ought to comply with the law. So, every financial document that they can identify, a second one that I’m talking about, they seem to have a problem with complying with it.”

Mr Pintard said the FNM requested that the government publish all of the contracts that they issued, especially those that exceed $25,000.

“We also wrote the Prime Minister and again we got no response.

“We have through the Shadow Minister for Finance through the Public Accounts Committee, made a request of all the various government agencies, so that process has started and again given the track record we are not optimistic about their willingness to comply.

“This is not an administration that’s big on complying. It’s big on pursuing others to comply and no doubt finding legal remedies if they do not comply, but they themselves are unwilling to comply.”

Speaking further on his views of the government, Mr Pintard said it was becoming apparent that representatives were showing signs of arrogance.

“The arrogance, administrations tend to get infected and so we are now in opposition and some say that was a part of our affliction and already I see the seeds of arrogance growing,” Mr Pintard said.