Deputy PM Says G.O.B. Still Paying for U.D.P. Furniture

Cordel Hyde,

On the other side of the House, Cordel Hyde, Area Representative for Lake Independence and Deputy Prime Minister, said that Central Bank’s twenty million dollars allocation is necessary. Hyde countered that the budget for furniture in the office of the Prime Minister is to cover a bill the Briceño Administration inherited. According to Hyde, while he was tempted to dismiss Barrow’s entire presentation, he enjoyed listening to what he labeled a campaign “stump speech.”

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister

“You know that is the beauty of being in Opposition, you can say anything you want, any way you want–even if you know better. The truth is the Leader of the Opposition should know better, that the twenty million dollars for the capitalization of Central Bank is absolutely necessary, and if he doesn’t know better, he should ask the member for Albert. I am sure she knows better. He should also know that the budget in the office of the Prime Minister for furniture is not for furniture for the Prime Minister’s office, it is actually to be a bill that this government inherited to pay for a contract signed for furnishing for the Eleanor Hall fancy building on Lake-I Boulevard. I hear that building cost twenty six million dollars, twenty-eight million, and thirty nine million. I don’t know. What I know it is a very fancy building where they could have taken some of that money and shared with us. But the budget in the Prime Minister’s office is to fulfill a contract we couldn’t get out of. I’m tempted to dismiss much of what the member for Mesop said, because it sounded like a campaign speech for the leadership contest this Sunday. I totally understand. If I was in your position, I would do the same. I am a political animal, so I enjoy listening to stump speeches. But, the matter is that this is serious business and in talking serious business and dealing with the budget there has to be some truth telling. The truth of the matter is the former Prime Minister, and perhaps it was only the former Prime Minister and his inner circle, who knew what a bucket of slop they were leaving for us.”