The Progressive Labour Party has called on Wayne Scott to resign from Parliament over his move to the Casino Gaming Commission branding it an egregious and untenable conflict.

The Opposition said that Mr Scott’s appointment as chief technical officer of the Casino Gaming Commission marked a “new low in ethical impropriety” for the One Bermuda Alliance.

“It is an affront to the custom and practice that has operated for decades and is yet another backward step for good governance by the OBA,” a PLP statement said this evening.

“The OBA has conducted itself in a manner which has demonstrated little to no regard for Bermuda and her people. Bermudians have displayed their discontent through countless demonstrations, marches and protests in response.

“The PLP can only conclude that the breaking of this tradition by Premier Dunkley and the minority OBA Government is to avoid a by-election in Constituency 27. Given the OBA’s record in bye-elections this is no surprise, but political expediency should not trump good governance.

“We call on MP Scott to resign his seat immediately. We must, as legislators uphold the principles of good governance and sound democracy. We must always be seen to be fair, just and free of influence. Premier Dunkley and the OBA Minority government must practice what they preach and demand that MP Scott resign his seat.”

The PLP accused the Government as showing a “blatant disregard for hard fought principles of constitutional democracy and good governance in Bermuda”.

The statement continued: “For the past 60 plus years clear precedent has been set where any person paid directly or indirectly from the public purse cannot be a sitting MP or senator.

“In fact, when government teachers, who were not civil servants, ran for office, legislation was enacted to ensure they could not simultaneously teach and hold public office. Many excellent educators left their callings to teach our children to respond to the call to serve our country.

“Never has a legislator been allowed to hold a full-time post that would directly place him in a position where he has direct influence regarding the legislation and policy governing matters falling under his remit.

“This longstanding practice has been abandoned with the appointment of sitting MP Wayne Scott as the Chief Technical Officer for the Gaming Commission, a role paid out of the public purse.

“The acceptance of this post squarely places MP Scott in a dubious position of bias. A real conflict of interest has been created; the very situation that policy and law regarding public office was designed to prevent.”