The One Bermuda Alliance has launched a stinging attack on the Opposition for its ‘misguided and mischievous criticism’ of a new website detailing Government travel expenses.

The site was launched this week and relayed Premier Michael Dunkley’s expenses on a recent trip to New York.

But Zane DeSilva, the shadow tourism minister, poured cold water on the new site accusing Government of concealing information about the trip.

Last night OBA Chairwoman, Senator Lynne Woolridge, rounded on the PLP saying that the Opposition had 14 years to show transparency on travel expenses and had failed to do so.

She said the launch of the expenses website was a ‘promise made and a promise kept’.

“The One Bermuda Alliance is committed to transparency and accountability,” she said. “One of the promises we made was to provide details of Ministerial travel expenses. No Government had ever made this promise, or made any effort to allow public scrutiny of how their tax dollars are spent in this regard.

“The website launched this week shows the Premier’s travel expenses for the recent trip to New York. Other Ministers will soon post the details of their travel expenses to the website.

“Going forward any official travel taken by any Government Members of Parliament or Senators will be posted as soon as possible after travel has been completed.”

The new site shows that the total cost of the Premier’s New York trip between September 23-25 came to just over $3,200.

The figure includes just over $1,000 on air travel, $840 on ground transportation, $1,220 on accommodation and $93 on meals.

“The former administration had 14 years to show transparency on their travel expenses but failed to do so,” Ms Woolridge said. “The only way the public knew what their costs were for travel was for Members of Parliament to ask Parliamentary questions.

“Members of the opposition have repeatedly said they support travel to promote Bermuda and attract business to the island.

“So when Government officials do travel to spur economic growth, why do they complain so vociferously? And when travel expenses were posted online for all to see they complained even louder.

“The recent trip to New York was highly productive and we expect to see tangible results in visitors and businesses coming to Bermuda.

“This Government has demonstrated our commitment to transparency not only on travel, but in other areas such as the tabling and passing of Public Access to Information legislation, something the former Government promised for many years, but failed to act on.

“The Opposition’s misguided and mischievous criticism on this subject shows the desperate lengths to which they will go to try and score cheap political points.

“The people of Bermuda are not swayed by these needless attacks as we work to move Bermuda forward.”