Housing Minister David Burch yesterday sparked a blazing row by accusing an Opposition Senator of “rewriting the truth” by failing to declare her interests during a Budget debate.

Speaking in the Senate, Sen. Burch claimed Sen. Gina Spence-Farmer had been untruthful by not mentioning connections through her husband and father to topics debated earlier this month. It provoked an angry response from Opposition Senators, who branded Sen. Burch’s remarks “malicious”, “disgraceful” and a smokescreen to detract from Sen. Spence-Farmer’s with residents at the Club Med dormitory.

Sen. Burch also claimed he had been misreported in a Royal Gazette report of a Senate meeting earlier this month, which said he had appeared to call some Club Med residents “monsters”.

He alleged he had in fact said Sen. Spence-Farmer had “created a monster” by encouraging Club Med residents to break the law. During yesterday’s Motion to Adjourn, Sen. Burch said: “I’m a little annoyed when people who sit across this table go out and rewrite the truth.

“You encourage people to break the law, you are creating a monster — I’m not calling anybody a monster.

“I have some real difficulty with folk who need to be encouraged to be truthful. “We had a debate on Corrections, and Gina Spence-Farmer looked at me as though I was speaking gobbledegook. At no stage has she indicated that her husband was employed by the Department of Corrections, that’s called declaring your interest.

“Senator Spence-Farmer talked about how she helped at the Canadian Hotel. In all of those discussions, she never once again declared her interest, which is that her father lived at the Canadian Hotel and is now housed by us at Southside.”

At a Senate meeting on March 9, Sen. Burch said he would have liked to arrest Sen. Spence-Farmer for allegedly helping squatters move into the abandoned Club Med building.

He suggested illegal activities were going on at Club Med and Sen. Spence-Farmer was trying to help residents break the law.

On March 10, this newspaper’s report on the meeting stated: “The Senator (Burch) also appeared to call some of the residents ‘monsters’, telling Sen. Spence-Farmer ‘If you ever expect to govern those very same people you have turned into thinking Government will be my mamma, my nanny and change my diapers and do everything for me will be the same monsters that we are having to deal with today.’”

Speaking in yesterday’s meeting, Sen. Burch said: “The reporter heard what I said and wrote what I said. I’m well aware that the editorial staff have reported what I said. I didn’t call anybody a monster.

“You can paint me a monster all you like because I take a firm line against people who break the law. “The day this country surrenders to people who flout the law and break the law and others encourage them to do so, we will have total anarchy. You will have people doing just as they please and we will not have it. “I’m not a monster. I do everything I can to help as many people as I can.”

Leaping to Sen. Spence-Farmer’s defence, United Bermuda Party Sen. Kim Swan described Sen. Burch’s comments as “malicious”.

He said: “I found the Senator’s opening remarks to be offensive. My colleague takes the issues very seriously and represents the people of Bermuda who are challenged.

“It was done to provide a smokescreen, to deliberately discredit any contribution my colleague makes as a Senator, helping people in need.”

His colleague E.T. (Bob) Richards added: “Sen. Burch made what really was a disgraceful personal attack on my colleague, someone who goes out into the community to help people.

“I want to remind him that he made an allegation that people are operating protection rackets down in Club Med. If so, it’s the responsibility for him to arrest those people and put them in jail. The criticism belongs on him.

“All that speech can be summed up in one word, and that word is ‘Ouch’”

Sen. Wayne Caines spoke up in defence of Sen. Burch.

“I was present, I did hear the leader for the Government, Senator Burch, say nothing about these monsters,” said Sen. Caines.

“I was horrified to read in the newspaper that he called these people monsters.”

His colleague Sen. Kim Wilson said of Club Med residents: “They are there illegally. It is trespass. There’s strong evidence of criminal damage. If persons are there unlawfully, for anyone to suggest they will encourage these people, there’s a provision under the criminal code that says aiding and abetting.”

Senate President Alfred Oughton gave his own view on Club Med. “I have an idea that might solve the whole problem,” he said. “Put a bulldozer through the whole lot. Take it right down to ground level and then go and see a developer.”

When asked to comment on Sen. Burch’s comments after the meeting, Sen. Spence-Farmer said: “It’s untrue. I don’t have to respond to untruths. We suffer for righteousness’ sake and I will stay focussed on the issue.”

When asked to expand on his remarks, Sen. Burch said: “Are you going to misquote me again?” The Senator refused to comment further.

See Page 7 for Sen. Burch’s comments on the Club Med situation