Dear Editor,
The budget debate is the worst ever. It is totally unacceptable to have only a few parliamentarians taking part in a discussion that entails the running of the island. Listening to the debate, one would think that the meeting involved just MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, MP Cornelius de Weever, the Chairlady and individual ministers.
Forget about MP Tamara Leonard, who declared that she will not support the budget prior to it coming to Parliament. So, whatever she said during the meeting is null and void. As a matter of fact, she was absent in the initial stage of the debate, and so her comments add no value to something she has already condemned before acquiring the adequate clarification to her inquiries.
Can one imagine that for the past two consecutive days, Chairlady Sarah Wescot-Williams is the only MP who supports the government, asked questions regarding the budget? Then what purpose do they serve by being there? This is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. Whoever is the designer of this strategy needs to rethink this tactic, because it does not sit well with the public. And so, I will repeat myself, this parliament is worse than the previous!
Continuing, it is unacceptable that the Minister of Transportation would settle for the notion of bending the traffic rules just to reward irresponsible drivers. This is not a wise move at all. It is for this reason that crime continues to rise, because the rules always have to be broken just to please a few.
How is it that some of us can abide by the rules and not others? And, why is it that just 30 minutes away, in the Virgin Islands, motorists can adhere to the traffic ordinances by giving preference to bus drivers, when children embark and disembark from school buses? I will echo the sentiment of Commander Antonio Rogers, who stated that all crimes must become a priority. When will government take the lead and do the right thing?
It would be more suitable if the Minister of Education was present to handle the questions and answers that relate to her portfolio. In the dialogue, it became known that it is not a priority for the minister to start curbing the influx of students, who burden the school system. Yet, the minister’s substitute indicated, that bus owners would be paid per student and that four classrooms are expected to be erected later this year. I was hoping that MP’s would question, why is it necessary to construct the extra classrooms? Does this relate to the continual flood of students?
I also thought they would have requested a hard copy to view the sequence of this non-stop incursion, to measure the impact, but particularly over the last three years. The question is: Which Minister of Education has the fortitude to tackle this issue, which will then force the Minister of Justice to do his job. Teachers are fed-up of the constant disruption and the minister is well aware.
Are we to accept that it is okay for casinos to get a break on taxes, while the small man is hunted down and threatened all the time? Why is it that big businesses are allowed tax write-offs, while the small man is forced to even borrow money from the bank to pay arrears dated back to 20 years? This unfair practice of government is what’s causing a lot of friction within the community. I expected that the MP’s would have challenged the Minister of Finance to explain the difference between writing off taxes for businesses and that of individuals.
It is imperative that MP’s take some time to revisit the law on the restriction of locals visiting the casinos and get relevant feedback from the minister in charge. Here is where a lot of locals are losing their pay checks, which eventually causes a lot of conflict within the family and a burden to the social system of government.
Do we see why nothing much can get done in Parliament? Parliamentarians are too busy dictating to their ministers. The photo of MP Silvio Master on the front page of The Daily Herald on Wednesday, speaks for itself. Mind you, this is an MP who has a speech impediment ever since he announced his so-called departure from the UP Party, but found his tongue to converse with “his minister” during her presentation. Surely, I will come back at this another time.
In conclusion, the format that was used to conduct the budget debate was not as effective as it should be. It would have been more organized and easier to follow, if parliamentarians had requested that their questions be posed to the individual ministers to give them a better opportunity to exhaust the necessary inquiries as need be.
Joslyn Morton
