November 09th, 2011


MEDIA STATEMENT

The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, the Honourable Lester Bird, has received a letter from Mr. Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister, asserting that there is no need for a Commission of Inquiry into the fences scandal. The Prime Minister has repeated, in his letter of November 4 2011, the identical sentiments expressed in a television interview two months ago, and public assertions made by two of his Cabinet Ministers within the past weeks, that there is no need for a public inquiry. In fact, the Spencer letter was based on a Cabinet meeting held on July 26, 2011, ten days before Mr. Spencer received Mr. Bird?s request for an Inquiry.

Between 2007 and the elections of 2009, the UPP Ministry of Sports entered into more than one hundred contracts costing more than fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) to build fences, viewing stands, roundabouts, bathrooms, parking aprons and sundry projects. The unauthorized spending was never approved by the parliament. Further, virtually all the projects were over-priced and not one was approved by the Tenders Board or the Development Control Authority. Every effort was also made to conceal the source of the funding and the unreasonable cost of the overpriced projects.

The Honourable Lester Bird wrote to the Prime Minister on August 4 2011, requesting that a Commission of Inquiry be established to get answers to the many questions raised by the unearthed facts. The Prime Minister, responding more than four months later to the Opposition Leader?s letter, has repeated in writing his view that no Inquiry is required. The Honourable Lester Bird rejects Mr. Spencer?s response as callous and completely at odds with his UPP?s pledge to bring transparency and openness to government in Antigua and Barbuda.

On Thursday afternoon, November 10, 2011, the political party of the Leader of the Opposition will lead a massive white march through the streets of St. John?s. The objective of the march is to protest the cover-up and concealment of the thievery of millions of dollars of taxpayers? money from the Government?s Treasury. The march is also organized to demand the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry.
   
The white march will leave Michael?s Mount at 4:30 pm and end at the Dredgers Playing Field where a public meeting will be held. The organizers will ask participants to sign a petition addressed to the Governor General demanding a Commission of Inquiry. Every detail of the spending of tens of millions of dollars contributed by the taxpayers will become public when the Commission of Inquiry is held. The Prime Minister?s letter will be read aloud at the public meeting following the white march.