Rebutting the attack dog

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June 6, 2012

Dear Sir,

Jonathan Smith has become the attack dog of the PLP. He literally spits and fumes every time he speaks about the people opposite. I suspect it wouldn’t matter if those people were OBA, UBP or Ojibwa, he has his role to play.

Senator Smith’s latest salvo (June 4) accuses the OBA of misleading people over the plan to build new housing at Ireland Island.

In doing so, he shows no hesitation about practising the very distortion he accuses the OBA of doing.

He rejects the OBA’s observation that Government’s announcement of a summer start for project was electioneering. Wedco, he says, announced the project in October 2010. Then why, I wonder, did Works Minister Weeks take to the microphones a few weeks back to announce the summer start. Why him? Why wouldn’t Wedco make that announcement?

Come now Senator, Mr Weeks’ announcement was clearly part of the government’s pre-election build-up.

Senator Smith distorts what the OBA said about renovating the Victoria and Albert Row houses. The OBA, as I recall, said the Minister needed to explain why renovations were rejected in favour of an overseas solution. Senator Smith ignored that relevant question and said the OBA had taken a definitive position that the houses be renovated.

The issues the OBA raised about Ireland Island are fair. I’m still waiting to hear answers to three important questions they posed. Why was the $36 million project never put to tender? How was the US company chosen for the project, and who chose it?

Senator Smith could have used his newspaper space to answer those questions, but he didn’t. Instead he used it to play politics.

The good Senator likes to position himself as the voice of rectitude, but it doesn’t hold up. He’s just way too partisan. People want an end to the BS. I would recommend he dial it back. It will help his credibility.

JUST WATCHING

Paget

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