Mather questions government ministers’ silence
Territorial At-Large Representative Stacy ’Buddha’ Mather has expressed concerns that government ministers are blindly supporting Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley, withholding their opinions on crucial issues facing the territory.
During a recent Opposition-hosted forum, Mather expressed disappointment that only two ministers had spoken out on important matters while others remained silent.
“When you bring a motion of no-confidence to the House of Assembly, the hope is that the ministers on the other side and the junior ministers will become more vocal about things that maybe they have said privately,” he said.
One of Mather’s main concerns centred around the government’s spending priorities. He questioned whether funds allocated to certain areas, such as entertainment, could have been better spent on urgent needs like education infrastructure. “There’s no catchment unit there,” Mather said while highlighting the lack of essential facilities at the Elmore Stoutt High School. “No cistern… Could we have used that money to build the remainder of the wall? [Currently], every time it rains too hard the school floods?”
The first-term legislator also pointed to the roughly $930,000 invested in clearing land behind the government complex for a failed concert earlier this year, noting that the area is in disrepair. “We’re not using it. Is it a parking lot? But yet the bush surrounding that area… it needs fixing,” he stated.
Mather further criticised the Premier’s approach to leadership, urging for more consultation and transparency. He suggested that the Premier should engage with stakeholders before making decisions. “Had you gone out to stakeholders in the business community and had conversations about what you were planning, maybe then they could go into the public domain and have a conversation,” Mather reasoned.
The Territorial At-Large Representative also expressed frustration over the handling of agriculture and fisheries, pointing out that Premier Wheatley has held that portfolio for the past six years.
He criticised the lack of progress on projects like the reservoir for farmers and the fishing complex in Paraquita Bay.
“They talk about the fishing complex… but what fish will they bring when they don’t have ice? They don’t have vessels. They don’t have wire. They don’t get trained,” Mather stated.
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Speak up and represent us please!
You’re silent whenever independence talk it brought up. No comment from you on if you support it or not
Independence has NOT been put to the people via a national referendum. So stick a sock in your rhetoric. You guys want to go from level 0 to 12 in one fell sweep without the intermediary steps put in place.
We the people want and must have a say in this our future and for generations to come. The recent escapee from TBL Airport is a prime example of why we aren’t even close to ready for independence under these politically immature regimes.
where you been ❓️ you thought you were walking into heaven ? your intentions may be good but YOU ain’t got the POWER TO FIX ANY OF WHAT IS GOING ON HERE BEHIND THE SCENES , ITS AN UPHILL BATTLE AND YOU WILL BE INFURIATING SOME PEOPLE BY PROBING INTO OUR DEN OF HIDDEN
SECRETS / WALK CAREFULLY MY FRIEND
The VIP, being the party in power, bears the responsibility of governing, and it is the minister’s duty to execute the established processes and procedures of government while offering support to the Premier in doing so. Any internal dissent or disagreement ought to be confined to private discussions. This is the essence of responsible governance. Now, the opposition, by its very nature, is charged with holding those in power to account. They have every right to be vocal—indeed, it is their role to be so. However, were the political tables turned,would the same individual be quite so eager to endorse such openness within his own ranks? unlikely. This, of course, reflects a rather predictable irony in politics: the vociferous calls for transparency and dissent so often evaporate when the responsibility of governing shifts to the critic.
@ Ole’ shoe:
Nonsense because the incumbent government backbenchers have been silent in the way their captain has been steering SSBVI ship into rogue seas and heading to the rocks. They Aiken e on important matters is deafening to the populace. D1 & D4 seem to be underrepresented as their representatives have no voice at all! We can clearly see that the ministers whom qualify for the GREEDY BILL do not give a hoot about transparency, accountability and integrity as evidenced by their silence in matters.
We need u
Dont get sidetracked by power
Fight for the people we are behind you
The others are all related. Don’t want to piss off the family