Opposition Leader Says the P.U.P. is Trying to Undermine Them

Barrow criticized the P.U.P. for what he thinks is making a mockery of the process and to push their political agenda using the Governor-General’s office in the person of the Acting Governor-General.

 

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“His concern was that there were three instruments to be signed and one instrument was to come after the temporary Senator Instruments were the instruments that were priority because the permanent Senator, due to the vacation of one of the senatorships that comes after we already have in train. There’s a budget debate. This is not a no Senate meeting is regular, but this is an extraordinary Senate meeting to debate the budget to debate all the people’s monies will be spent. And so that takes time for preparation that – so we made – I got last-minute notices that my senators wouldn’t be available, the permanent ones, and so we made the Letter of Appointment to the G-G’s office immediately on Friday. And again, it’s, if the G-G’s office had said at the time: “It’s Friday, it’s too late, we can’t do it, we need 48 hours,”  – cause that’s another thing they’re coming up with, this 48-hour rule, does not exist on the books. Does not exist. This is a protocol, a new policy that they have ad hoc, implemented. But what I’m saying is the purpose of the Office of the G-G is to facilitate these urgent requests. The PUP on one end tries to make a mockery of democracy when they do things like this. They always try to point out to who comes to host meetings and how many members of the opposition are there. When we have Opposition members eager and anxious to go to the Senate and having followed the procedures, everything should be done to facilitate our constitutional right. There are no favors being done here. There is no discretion in the office of the G-G. And if you look at this year’s budget, the governor general’s budget has increased, so they’re not short of staff. It is appalling the levels of which the People’s United Party would reduce themselves to in trying to undermine the Opposition, as well as democracy and we condemn it vehemently and we will take legal action to prevent these types of abuse.”