MINISTER for Commerce, Industry, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs, Bradley Felix has responded to the ‘empty promises’ jab Opposition Leader Phillip J. Pierre took at the 2018/19 Estimates of Expenditure.
In an exclusive interview with the VOICE Newspaper, the Choiseul/Saltibus MP was calm in his response, stating: “That’s what you expect from the Opposition, obviously.”
The Commerce Minister intimated that that kind of attack of the Budget by the Opposition should be expected, given the nature of the Opposition in a Democratic Society where there’s a need to keep party loyalists fired up for the next General Elections.
“When you’re in Opposition you have to ensure that you do everything to keep your base charged…to always give them that hope.”
“The Opposition is doing what they have to do but we must just remain civil (and) respect the rule of law. We are a democratic country and five years will be here very, very soon and the people will speak again when that time comes.”
He also said: “I believe the Opposition is very aware that the plans of this Government are moving this country in the right direction and obviously there would be the concern that; if (they) don’t apply the pressure, if (they) don’t ensure (that their) people think otherwise, obviously when it comes to a reelection, (they’re) going to be in a tight situation.
Felix further defended his position that Pierre’s attack on the budget was politically motivated, stating that many of the projects mentioned in this iteration of the Budget, are very similar and even the same as the ones under the Labour Government.
“Many of the things that we are implementing right now, we have found evidence to suggest that the Opposition was planning similar or even the very same programmes.”
Last week, Castries East MP Phillip J. Pierre dismissed the EC $1.4 billion budget as “nothing more than a list of aspirations with no strategy to achieve anything” and “told legislators that the tax-free package contained a ‘list of the usual empty promises’…”
