Hon. Frazer displeased about Government’s

Attitude at SFC Meetings

By Mellica McPherson

Third District representative, Hon Julian Frazer said that the Opposition was not given enough time to analyse the Budget, and that he and other Members of the Opposition were not pleased with Government’s attitude towards the Standing Finance Committee meetings.

 Hon. Frazer announced at the 18 December Sitting of the Legislative Council that “the attitude that I saw or that we observed during the Standing Finance from the Government was one that tells us that this Standing Finance Committee exercise was one which was perceived to be cavalier. Based on my opinion—Madame Speaker—the Government wasn’t serious about the Budget, so how can we be serious about it. “

The Opposition Member told the Speaker of the Legislative Council, Hon. Inez Archibald, “I first felt that way when the Chief Minister took off while we were conducting a Standing Finance Committee meeting. Not only the Chief Minister took off Madame Speaker, but he took a member of his Government with him, and this was to go to London to a meeting of the UK Overseas Territories Consultative Council....Why schedule this at that time?”

The Third District Member asked: “Why did we have to come here, why did we have to go to SFC on the haste that we did, why did we have to come here today to debate this Budget, what’s the rush, that’s my question?” He alluded that the time of the debate “pushed the Opposition where it is almost impossible to put up a decent defense, a decent argument and a decent debate for the Budget. With all of the things that are happening at this particular time they just want to rush it through, they want to force it on us, and they want to rush the process. I’ve seen Budgets being debated in February, Madame Speaker, the country didn’t collapse. We did not get proper time to do justice to this Budget,” he opined.

“Then again, Madame Speaker, the very Minister of Finance who is responsible for the Budget took off, for over a week, while we are having SFC meetings. In his case he went to Virginia to visit an incinerator plant,” Hon. Frazer said.

The Third District Representative continued his examination of the Government’s commitment to the SFC process by questioning, “If the Government was serious about this Budget, will they leave a process in progress with the Opposition having the majority? The Opposition had the majority.” He went on to say that “the Budget process is something that should be taken seriously by the Government. When we take our time off to come here and sit and interview department after department we expect at least as a minimum to have the Chief Minister here Madame Speaker.  I can recall during the time that I was with the Leader of the Opposition and his Government, he was Minister for Finance as well as Chief Minister, and he didn’t even leave the room. Let’s hope it never happens again Madame Speaker.”