Categorized | National News

DPM fires back at Opposition’s Budget Criticism

Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest fired back at the opposition after PLP leader Phillip Davis described growth within the last fiscal year as “anemic”. 

Mr Turnquest says,  “It is laughable that an opposition that oversaw a massive run up in debt over the last five years would have the nerve, the gall to stand before the Bahamian people to talk about this current government that is taking the very deliberate and difficult decision to try and fix this runaway train that we have had over the last five years.”

“The fact of the matter is that they have oversaw and run up in the payroll, just the wages of the government, by $266 million.”, he added.

The opposition leader also noted last Sunday that the new budget will induce recession and   that expenditure levels have not decreased over the FNM’s first year in government. 

The Minister of Finance also called the previous government’s spending irresponsible.

He said, “In the last year alone you know the amount of people who have been sold a dream in giving three month contracts and six month contracts to try to win an election.”

“We now have to pay. You hear the crocodile tears about letting people go when they know full well what they did to try and deceive the Bahamian people.”, he added.

The deputy prime minister also said that that the previous administration left them with very limited options on how to address this “structural problem”.

Mr. Turnquest assured the public that the difficult decisions made by the government are necessary to ensure a brighter future for The Bahamas.

He said, “I don’t know about you, but I have children. I want them to grow up in a Bahamas that has a better opportunity than I had.

“I want them to be able to live their dreams in safety, in relative stability, and we have an obligation as a government, as a people to ensure that there is a stable Bahamas, a safe Bahamas, a progressive Bahamas for them to inherit.”, he added. 

Mr Turnquest continued by saying that not acting on this issue is not an option.  

Written by Jones Bahamas

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