The PLP reply to the Throne Speech shows a “Jekyll and Hyde” approach to politics, according to OBA Chairman Thad Hollis.

Opposition Leader Marc Bean acknowledged in his speech the PLP would support an overwhelming majority of coming legislation and put forward constructive suggestions, but Mr Bean also alleged the Government is marginalising Bermudians.

Mr Hollis said: “They are prepared to say one thing to give comfort to those among their voters and potential voters who have a constructive viewpoint, and quite another to those who are more negative, not caring when the two voices in which they speak are contradictory.

“I think the PLP leadership owes it to Bermudians, not least those Bermudians who support them, to reveal whether they are a constructive party that puts the country first, or a negative party that puts its politics first. They can’t be a party of two faces forever.”

In a statement released yesterday Mr Hollis attacked the PLP’s record as Government, calling the results of the SAGE Commission Report a “blistering indictment” of how the Island was run under the previous administration.

“Bermuda’s enormous, crushing debt was created by legislators who were like kids in a candy store, buying and building anything they thought they could describe as benefiting the Bermudians at the centre of their vision, without any regard for whether Bermuda as a country could afford it,” he said.

“There is little doubt in my mind that to the extent they cared about where the money would come from in the end, they thought growth in the two pillars of our economy, international business and tourism, would provide it.

“Those were the geese that would lay golden eggs for us. And when their shabby treatment made some of those geese fly away, they found themselves in difficulty. Or rather, Bermuda found itself in difficulty.

“Let’s be clear. There will be no recovery from our economic troubles without repairing the damage that was done to international business and tourism. There is no point carrying on about putting Bermudians first if there’s nothing coming in to the Government’s coffers to do that with.”

Mr Hollis also denied Mr Bean’s suggestion that the OBA Government had attempted to stifle “voices of criticism” using intimidation tactics and ducking legitimate questions from the media, saying the claim was “complete nonsense”.

He said that both parties want to repair the damage done to the Island in recent years, finding work for unemployed and underemployed Bermudians, but that difficult choices will have to be made.

Mr Hollis noted that Mr Bean and the PLP had worked to submit constructive suggestions to help Bermuda, and he hoped the suggestions would be given all due consideration by OBA MPs if they have the potential to help the public.

“We all want to get Bermudians back to work and moving forward in a positive way, but we have some very tough decisions ahead of us,” he said. “The way Bermuda works needs some serious rearranging if that is going to happen.”