Ostrich Of The Week
This week's award goes to Labour and Home Affairs Minister Randy Horton for this comment in the House of Assembly on Friday (emphasis mine).
“Bermuda’s sterling reputation as an international business and financial services jurisdiction results largely from our superior regulatory structure and our zero tolerance stance towards financial irregularity of any nature”
Perhaps someone should remind the Minister of the "unethical" behaviour at the BHC?
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If there is a any PLP memeber of the legislature that has even the remotest understanding of the financial services industry on this island I would be astonished.
Posted by ruby tuesday on 07.12.04 at 08:24
You can't tell whether financial regularities exist if you don't have audits and transparency!
Wasn't Randy Horton himself the subject of financial irregularities a few years back?!
PLP hypocrites.
Posted by Tiger Bay on 07.12.04 at 08:40
International companies do business here to avoid regulation in their own countries, as well as avoid taxation in the countries that they do business in.
They consider that regulation and taxation is punitive.
Otherwise they wouldn't be here.
Posted by shipstones on 07.12.04 at 15:38
Randy left his job at Tourism after financial irregularities were discovered in his personal reimbursements.
Of course, in true Bermuda fashion, the episode was allowed to drift uninvestigated and unenforced.
And now he's a minister. No more petty stuff. Gone big time.
Posted by Cedar Hill on 07.12.04 at 20:48
I thought Randy was cleared of any wrong doing at Tourism...I'm pretty sure no charges were ever made and that it was just one big confusion of mis-understanding. Hmm maybe I'll phone my good friend Gary Phillips to clear up these posted claims.
Posted by big bad wolf on 07.12.04 at 22:42
That statement by the Minister truly amazes me. Especially in light of the fact that Bermuda’s first money laundering case was tried in court this week. For laundering over $130,000 of drug money, the sentence handed down was suspended with a good measure of community service thrown in. If that is “Zero Tolerance” Mr. Minister, let me sign up for laundering money, myself.
Posted by Morgan's Rum on 08.12.04 at 08:04
Dare we say it? This type of stance is what the PLP's base support wants to hear.... 'White collar' workers getting their own! Only thing is they forget that just because it has the word 'white' in it that people other than white people can be affected.
Posted by Slowhand on 08.12.04 at 09:19
I thought money laundering was strictly a green thing! ^..^ Gotta get back to my washer its full of money.....as a Naughty wolf I'm a bit of a bounder! Where did I put that last stack of clean 100 dollar bills? Yep Xmas is around the corner.
Posted by big bad wolf on 08.12.04 at 23:08
Another Ostrich award should go to Minister Minors for her "politicing" comments today in the news.
Just so that she understands....she admittedly phoned the BHC and e-mailed the housing Minister to "let them know" that her father hadn't heard back from the BHC. THAT is how the issue got politicised.
Doesn't she realise that her actions directly resulted in her father being given preferential treatment? One phone call and a quick e-mail and BAM...her dad is living in a new place. I very much doubt that anyone else gets that sort of quick response.
But no...blame the media for politicising the issue.
Posted by ace on 09.12.04 at 09:30
Answer: Two wrongs NEVER make a right. I thought the PLP were supposed to be different from the UBP...not the same.
Posted by ace on 09.12.04 at 09:43
Indeed, the Minor minister's actions deserve investigation. This type of interference is strictly prohibited in most Government systems around the world (including our own).
A current example can be seen in the case of David Blunkett, the UK Home Secretary. He is under investigation for allegedly making a call to boost the immigration status of his honey's nanny.
Of course, he did not go on national TV to admit to it like our raging ninny.
This is another peek into the PLP's own "friends and family" plan.
Posted by Tiger Bay on 09.12.04 at 09:47
you are all right. She should just let her father rot in anchorage.
What she did was not wrong in any way. She was acting as an individual and not a Minister. Ministerial position does not mean that you are a paralysed in dealing with the Govt. departments. It means you have to put up with Sherri Simmons, wife of UBP MP Jamal using her VSB job to pursue a UBP agenda. But that's right, THAT is not using a position unfairly.
Please.
Posted by jake on 09.12.04 at 11:19
I already answered your question in advance Jake, knowing full well you would respond in the way you have.
Posted by ace on 09.12.04 at 11:24
Jake,
Sherri's job and her husband's job do create a problem, I agree.
But to say that what Patrice Minors did was wrong in no way is absolute and utter nonsense.
Did she inquire about the other residents? Nope, just pops. If she had used her influence for all Anchorage Rd residents then she would have a leg to stand on. But she didn't.
And you are well aware that even if she was acting as an individual that her Ministerial position would carry sway and almost certainly trigger an immediate response ... which it did surprise surprise.
These Ministers, after all, like to remind us that they're Ministers 24/7.
Posted by replicator on 09.12.04 at 11:36
Frankly, I don't see any evidence that Ms. Minors did anything other than what any concerned daughter would do for a parent. Just because she is a Minister doesn't mean that she should not be allowed to act like a normal human being. I have not seen one iota of evidence to even remotely suggest that she tried to obtain preferential treatment or that she misused her Ministerial position.
Posted by loki on 09.12.04 at 12:26
Loki, I disagree. Anytime a Minister calls another one for action on a matter they have a personal interest in it is a problem.
She could have called the BHC property officers but she went straight to the top and called a Cabinet colleague.
Sure she was concerned as a daughter, but the only person who seems to have had action over there is her father.
Posted by replicator on 09.12.04 at 13:25
Jake,
As you can quite rightly point out UBP did a lot of that too!
Two wrongs don't make a right.
Posted by shipstones on 09.12.04 at 18:42