And speaking immediately after Barrow was co-deputy leader for the PUP Godfrey Smith. Known more for his newspaper columns than he is for oratorical flourishes, Smith took on the task in a workmanlike effort in which he dismissed Barrow's grand declarations as just more UDP talk.
Hon. Godfrey Smith, Pickstock Area Rep.
"Obviously Madam Speaker members of this Honorable House, it is crystal clear that the Leader of the Opposition as well as those on the other side are doing what they do best which is talk, talk, talk. If their talk had been backed up with action, they would not have been wiped out 26-3 in 1998.
Again he wrongly states that public officers will enjoy no increments, no increase in increments under this budget for 2007/2008. Again Madam Speaker and members of this House, that is a very serious misrepresentation. In fact a look at the budget book will indicate that in fact a $15 million increase is there by way of increment to public officers.
Again Madam Speaker the Leader of the Opposition in an attempt, well he spent considerable time trying to paint a picture of doom and gloom and how bad things were, going so far as to do something that I am assured by the economists on this side is some sort of garbled economics when he tries to add up the inflation rate every year and come up with this so called accumulated inflation of 17%. (Its) totally trumped up and has nothing to do with economic reality and again a shameless attempt on the part of the Leader of the Opposition to paint this picture of doom and gloom.
Madam Speaker I listened to the Leader of the Opposition again attempt to say that there will be no relief from the debt restructuring exercise. Again that is a misrepresentation. This new debt service profile provides Belize Madam Speaker with cash flow relief between this year and 2007 and 2015 amounting to close to five hundred million dollars.
Were we not already accustomed to his ways, were not already accustomed to his habit of melodrama and painting a picture of doom and gloom, we would sincerely believe that nothing is going right in Belize and that there is nothing to look forward to when that is actually a far cry from the truth.
The arrogance of the Leader of the Opposition, Madam Speaker and members of this Honorable House, is displayed in the fact that they have already assumed wrongly that they will form the next government, that they do not have to work for it, that they do not have to present policy papers - all they have to do or can do is talk, talk, talk. Madam Speaker we on this side of the House are here to say that talking will not be enough to get the United Democratic Party into office."
