PM Browne Grilled on Loans, Judiciary Attacks and Deportee Deal by MP Pringle during PMQs

Prime Minister Gaston Browne faced a wide-ranging interrogation from Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle during Monday's sitting of the House of Representatives, with the Prime Minister's Questions segment touching on the $87 million Transport Board loan, the government's debt to the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) and Social Security, PM Browne's public attacks on the judiciary, the draft deportee agreement with the United States and other issues.

The exchange, which ran for roughly 20 minutes before a gallery that included grade-six students from Golden Grove Primary School, saw PM Browne concede on one contentious point that he has no evidence to back his claim that members of the judiciary are corrupt — while insisting the assertion is "a statement of fact that is well known within the society."

Transport Board Loan "One and the Same" as the $100M Road Programme

Opposition Leader Pringle opened by asking whether the $87 million Transport Board loan guaranteed by the government was "in addition to, in place of, or totally separate from" the $100 million loan announced for road rehabilitation.

"The two is one and the same," PM Browne replied. "Approximately 100 million. The precise amount is 87 million."

Asked how much revenue the Transport Board has collected from increased vehicle licensing fees, the Prime Minister said, "I do not have those specifics."

On the government's reported $30 million debt to WIOC, PM Browne told the House there is no loan to lay before Parliament. "There is no formal loan arrangement with WIOC," he said, explaining that the government had subsidised "the cost of electricity and for fuel at the pump over several months" at a cost of "over $30 million." He described it as "an ongoing trade arrangement in which payments have been made on a monthly basis. So, there is no loan document… that would have required filing in the parliament."

$400M Social Security Bond; Jolly Beach Transfer Shelved

Questioned on whether the government is current on its contributions and bond payments to Social Security, PM Browne disclosed that "there is a proposed new bond arrangement to be put in place for over $400 million. Terms are being negotiated and should be finalized hopefully before the end of the year."

He confirmed the long-discussed transfer of the Jolly Beach Resort to Social Security has not been completed, blaming opposition resistance. "Because [of] all of the noise that was made initially and the rejection of the proposal by members of the opposition… the government had chosen not to proceed to vest the said property… in Social Security," he said. "It doesn't necessarily mean that it may not be done in the future."

"I have NO Evidence to Send to Anyone"

The temperature rose when MP Pringle asked whether the Prime Minister stands by his broadcast remark that criminals should get rid of their illegal firearms however they can. PM Browne accused the Opposition Leader of distorting his words.

"That is what you call corrupting what I said," PM Browne fired back, saying such tactics were used "to score cheap political points but this is not the forum for that type of argumentation." He maintained his comment and described it as "a form of satire."

The Opposition Leader then asked whether PM Browne has submitted evidence or information supporting his declaration that magistrates and judges are "crooks and criminals" to the ONDCP, DPP, the Integrity Commission or the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.

PM Browne's answer was blunt. "If I had made a particular assertion about maybe a member of the judiciary… I'll be duty bound to provide that information," he said. "But on the basis that a general statement was made that they [are] crooks within the judiciary, it is well known. It has been proven time and time again. And I have nothing to justify. I have no evidence to send to anyone."

Pressed on whether it is acceptable for a prime minister to make such statements without evidence, PM Browne insisted, "We still live in a free and democratic society… there's nothing irresponsible about what I said."

Deportee Cap: Browne Proposes 28 Per Year

On the draft memorandum of understanding with the United States on third-country nationals, MP Pringle asked what assurance PM Browne could give that he will not exceed his announced cap of 28 deportees per year — a figure that has climbed from an initial 10, then 16.

PM Browne revealed that Washington's latest request was far higher. "This is a negotiating process… with the most powerful nation on the planet," he said. "Clearly there's some power asymmetries there in which we can't dictate the precise amounts, but at least we can resist the excessively large amounts that they're trying to force [on] us… Yes, we did start at 10, we had 28, but the last request that they made was 70 per year."

Asked to disclose the negotiating team, PM Browne named himself and Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders as "the lead persons," noting the Cabinet "has been kept informed." Later in the sitting, the Prime Minister laid a draft copy of the MOU's operating procedures on the table of the House.