The ruling party yesterday demanded an apology from the OBA for stating Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert had little empathy for the families of murder victims.Within hours the One Bermuda Alliance obliged.“We apologise to Minister Furbert if he felt we were insinuating in any way that he did not have empathy,” said OBA Leader Craig Cannonier.In a formal press statement yesterday morning, the Progressive Labour Party described the former United Bermuda Party Leader, who is now its Tourism Minister, as “one of the hardest working members of Parliament”.“Day in and day out, he is in his constituency, meeting with people at their doorsteps and in their living rooms. He talks to them about their problems and what Government can do to help improve their lives,” the statement said.“Yesterday, the OBA struck below the belt calling into question Wayne Furbert’s empathy for the victims of violence. The OBA spokesman’s attack was offensive. Wayne Furbert and the entire PLP Government care deeply about violence and crime. It’s why we’ve passed a rash of anti-crime legislation tougher laws, prevention programmes, police training and much more to address the problem. And, while more improvement is needed, the last six to 12 months show that our reforms are beginning to work.“The OBA claims to represent a “new” way forward, but, these personal attacks seem to represent more of the same. If the OBA really wants to turn the page, we call on Craig Cannonier to publicly apologise to Wayne Furbert for his spokesman’s callous and inappropriate remarks.”Mr Furbert criticised The Royal Gazette for comparing Bermuda’s murder rate with the global average and leading with the story, saying such news could scare away the Island’s business.Jeff Baron, OBA Shadow spokesman for National Security, said Mr Furbert’s comments showed a lack of empathy for the murder victims and their families.