PLP criticises OBA's first 100 days in office

Statement by the Hon. Marc Bean, Leader of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party

Thursday marks the first 100 days of The OBA's term as government.  During this period we have been very concerned at how so quickly, things have seen to have gone astray.  Governing Bermuda requires vision, sober reflection and humility.  Attempting to govern without any or all of these elements creates mistrust, dissatisfaction and hinders our country from moving forward together.

The OBA made many promises to Bermudians, some promises we may not have agreed with, but promises that the people expect to be fulfilled.

It has been said that sometimes people don’t understand the promises they are making when they are making them.  They are promises made with every intention of being filled, but in the absence of vision and experience, goes unkept.  Whether the OBA was naïve in making these promises or attempted to mislead us, it remains for the people to decide.  Let us not forget, that our word is our honour and this applies to all of us, even the OBA.

The OBA's promise to suspend term limits for two years has been broken

The OBA’s promise to reduce spending and reduce the debt has been broken with spending skyrocketing, the deficit escalating and the debt ceiling pushed to 2.5 Billion Dollars The OBA's promise to cut the travel budget has been broken

The OBA’s promise to decrease the size of cabinet has been broken The OBA’s promise not to hire consultants has been broken

The OBA’s Promise to lower the cost of health care has been broken, with them raising health care rates by 20%. This will cost families at a minimum $1,300 more a year and seniors $2,600 more a year.

The OBA’s promise to immediately cut Minister’s salaries was delayed for 3 months while they pocketed the full salary with part time Ministers pocketing FULL salaries while still holding down their jobs in the private sector.

The OBA’s promise that “privatization is not part of our plan,” has been broken with their SAGE Commission now tasked with identifying which parts of government will be privatized.

100 Days of The OBA…. 8 OBA Promises Broken

While The OBA has been busily breaking their promises, The PLP has been renewing OUR promise as a Party with new leadership, new vision and a new direction.  We have been renewing our promise as a Party that recognizes our mistakes, acknowledges our mistakes and learns from our mistakes.  We have been renewing our promise as a movement that stands strong for Bermudians.

We have been in the community, humbly listening and receiving guidance from our people

We have been engaged in somber reflection on how we can use our experience and abilities to better serve our people as an effective Opposition and Government in Waiting

We have maintained our commitment to support the OBA when they operate in the best interest of our people, backing 5 out of 7 bills that the OBA has brought to Parliament.

When we opposed the OBA's plan to increase the financial burden on seniors by raising their vehicle licensing fees, we were opposing in the best interest of our seniors.

When we opposed Children of guest workers gaining employment we opposed in the best interest of young Bermudians.

We have rejected the idea that we must oppose for the sake of opposing by supporting the OBA where possible, providing suggestions where possible and standing firm for Bermudians when necessary.  We believe that the OBA still has an opportunity to move our people forward IF they will humble themselves, reflect and adjust their approach towards governing our people. 

Statement by Walter Roban, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs

The OBA in their first 100 days have repeatedly demonstrated a lack of commitment to Bermudians, repeatedly insulted our people and made radical, reckless changes to our immigration policies.

The OBA trashed term limits without toughening immigration laws and policies to protect job opportunities for qualified, hard working Bermudians

The OBA trashed term limits replacing it with a dubious waiver document that offers no credible guarantee that Bermudian citizenship will not be demanded and received by the thousands of non-Bermudians on work permits in or soon to be in Bermuda

The OBA attempted to relegate our children to second class citizenship by irresponsibly considering allowing the children of expats to work without a work permit

The OBA viciously placed profits over people by allowing BELCO to raise their rates driving up their profits, driving up your power bill and hurting countless Bermudians in the process

The OBA ruthlessly targeted our seniors, raising vehicle licensing fees and creating an additional financial burden on those who can least afford it

The OBA callously slashed college scholarships, creating another obstacle to our people gaining the qualifications needed to compete in our economy

The OBA maliciously refused to provide tax relief to Bermudian workers while easing the taxes on their business friends

The OBA recklessly abandoned the PLP's policy of protecting Bermudian land for Bermudians, opening up opportunities for fronting and for land to be lost to generations of Bermudians yet unborn

The OBA have referred to Bermudians as xenophobic requiring weeks of anger and a march on Parliament before being forced to apologize

The OBA have refused to stand up for Bermudians... They have stood ON Bermudians