And if you maybe nodded off or started scrolling through comments during the budget presentation, well, you're not alone. Today, the Leader of the Opposition said that this reading was the most boring he's heard in a while.
But he went on to say that the rest of the presentation was expected, especially the PM continuing to place blame on the UDP for the state of the economy. He also added that he it was no surprise that PM Briceno simply skimmed over the wage cuts, despite those being the hot topic on the table for the past few weeks.
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"The most boring budget presentation that I have listen to in my 18 years in this honorable house. That is certainly the case."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"The man was flowing, he had teleprompter."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"It proves that he can't read on camera either, even the scripted he can't pronounce the words and all of that, but that's on a side. I think that his presentation was what we expected given his earlier recorded statement that he gave to the nation that if fact it was the usual blame game - blaming of the UDP and blaming of the former prime minister and his administration that we are in this hole. Very little blame if you listen to him is ascribe to the pandemic at all and the truth if the matter is that we are in tough times, but he knew what he was signing up for. You know what the difference would be between a Briceno and a Faber administration? Because he was the one who said despite all the trouble that we are in they can fix it and so now people are looking to them to fix it. They don't want to hear you crying and moaning and giving all kinds of excuses. This budget signifies pain for the public servants as we have seen and we stand one hundred percent with the unions in this matter. It's not always that you know our party stand with the unions, but in this instance we do, because there are many other ways in which this could have been avoided and in fact we have maintain that ensuring that our public servants get their full salaries is a way of ensuring that the economy can bounce back, because it is that the population that is in this workforce is very productive, they will spend their money and they are not great savers. These are people who work and spend and so it will help to recover the economy."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Are you surprise that the wage cuts were only skimmed over, it was only mentioned, I counted if you could actually pull it out of the text - it was only skimmed over like 3 times."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition
"I am not surprise that that happened, but what cannot be overlooked is what is happening especially as it relates to the public service union and the notice for industrial action that has now be given and so while the prime minister will try to diminish and try to paint a pretty picture in his budget presentation the reality on the ground is that there are so many people who are suffering as a result of his practices and his new budget is going to be pain and punishment all the way."
