Produce the long overdue financial statement as to ministerial travel within the last year.
Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne is calling for that, saying it was the least the Government could do after bragging how it has spent more than $7 million on fisherfolk after Hurricane Beryl.
“I think that the taxpayers are obligated to know how much is spent on these luxuries. Convince the public that ministerial and prime ministerial travel is more important to this country than the needs and obligation to support those persons among us who need social and financial protection.”
Yesterday during the House debate on the Sustainable Fisheries and Management and Development Bill, 2024, he took the opportunity to ask Government to re-look if they need to spend on these luxuries.
“A government must not be allowed to go on these expeditions without the scrutiny of the public . . . and that is why we have checks and balances
in place on Government spending,” he said, calling out “happy folk who were ingesting champagne in the skies on private jets at the expense of the people”.
He said sometimes the travelling delegations “are quite large” and every trip must be justified because the country is in “the grips of the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and an austerity programme”.
“The people of this country will never be tired of making this plea for the disclosing of every last penny of spending. There is an unemployed lady with six children getting only $649 from the Welfare Department monthly, who is being disadvantaged,” he said, adding that no one should be judgemental and pointing fingers at her state because she decided to have six children. ( NS)
