Housing Minister David Burch last night refused to take back an accusation that his fellow Senator Gina Spence-Farmer behaved in a way that “bordered on criminal” regarding squatters at the derelict Club Med buildings.

Sen. Burch first criticised her in the Senate on Friday, saying during the motion to adjourn that she should have been arrested for allegedly helping down-and-outs to move into the abandoned Government-owned property in St. George’s. She denies the claims.

Yesterday, he issued a statement, following a call from Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert to retract the remarks, which said: “There have been calls for me to recant remarks made in the Senate this past Friday. I cannot do so in the face of such blatant hypocrisy on the part of the Opposition.”

Sen. Burch said yesterday that Sen. Spence-Farmer had castigated Government for allowing people to trespass at Club Med and remain on a site deemed a fire hazard. But he added: “Sen. Farmer is taking furniture and encouraging more people to move into the same premises. In my opinion, this is simply outrageous.”

Sen. Spence-Farmer told The Royal Gazette his accusations were untrue and all she had done was take food and water to people there at Christmas, along with members of her church.

“It’s unbelievable that you would be condemned for helping your fellow Bermudians,” she said.

She added: “I’ll continue to fight for their cause. Whatever comes with that, I’m willing to deal with that. I would really like to see the Minister do something to help. This isn’t helping them. This is just bickering.”

Sen. Burch’s statement said: “The Opposition has taken exploitation for political gain to a new low by this action. As I am sure most right-thinking Bermudians know, housing is a symptom of many of the issues that relate to what has come to be known as the housing crisis in this country.

“It is crucial for us to devote our energy to helping not just those to whom this pertains but also to those hard-working men and women who, in spite of good jobs and incomes, cannot secure financing and cannot afford to buy homes.”

Sen. Burch said the Club Med situation “cannot and will not be allowed to continue”.

“My work as Minister of Public Safety and Housing is challenging enough without someone who should know better playing politics and feeding the precise mindset we are trying to reverse,” he said.

Sen. Spence-Farmer said: “I don’t know if he’s just angry and upset because they don’t have a plan and I’m the only person bold enough to say it. In the heat of the moment, when people get emotional and upset they say lots of things. I don’t take it personally. I just stay focused on the objective and that’s to make sure that every Bermudian has a place to live.”

She said a comment made by the Minister in the Senate about his Ministry having to deal with “monsters” was very sad.

“Are we so above the law that we can call people monsters? There are children there, there are women, there are seniors. We can’t be doing that. Everybody should be respected. People should be at least, even though they are in that predicament, made to feel that they are still human.”

Kim Swan, Opposition Leader of the Senate and the party’s housing spokesman, agreed. He said: “The persons he (Sen. Burch) really needs to apologise to is the Bermuda people. These are the people who are finding it difficult to make ends meet.”

He added that the Island was extremely fortunate to have in the Senate a member as committed as Sen. Spence-Farmer. “She’s a voice for many people,” he said. “She tells it like it really is.”

Mr. Furbert urged the Premier to have a disciplinary talk with Sen. Burch after his outburst but Ewart Brown told this newspaper on Saturday: “I have not heard what Minister Burch said but surely I do not need the advice of the Opposition Leader on these matters. I am sure he has his hands full in trying to stabilize his party.”