‘Speak up or shut up!’ Sinckler tells Opposition BLP

“IT is time for you to speak up or shut up.” A message from Finance Minister Christopher Sinckler to Members of the Opposition as he wrapped up the debate on the Appropriate Bill 2017, which was passed 15-12 in the Lower Chamber on Wednesday night.

According to Sinckler, “We are going to continue to put this case to the public of Barbados and we are asking, not begging, we are saying to members of the Opposition, let the public know what your position is on these critical issues, because the DLP is going to be allowing the public to know what our position is on those issues.”

Mottley rebutted by saying that the BLP has placed on record the approach that should be taken to cut government’s expenditure, which she said is the only thing over which government has control.

“The BLP had said let us reprofile 1.7 billion of our debt, If you can do that, that is four times what we spend on social protection, twice what we spend on social protection and education. That is how we would get out of this hole.”

However the Finance Minister argued that the BLP did not present a plan to rescue Barbados, but rather picked up the term ‘reprofiling’ as a strategy to be used.

“We have presented Estimates; we believe that gives us a platform to do the things that we need to do, have the conversations we need to have about the serious issues, to bring everything into focus, to work our deficit down even further, and to bring finally some level of sustained discipline to the public finances of Barbados.”

“This government is going to continue to present a concerted plan... We will present the facts to the public and have a mature conversation with them. It is clear the Opposition does not intend to have any conversation with the public other than to bully and harass them into an election. When the time is right, we will join you in that election and we will fight you every step of the way,” he said. (JH)