Opposition Leader denounces PLP “smear campaign”
Opposition Leader Jarion Richardson today criticized what he sees as political attacks from the PLP.
Mr Richardson was responding to a flyer distributed by the PLP, which he described as a “smear campaign based on misinformation and outright lies.”
He stated that the flyer’s content was an “all-out attack” on him personally, and accused the PLP of relying on “their tired old politics of personal attacks and blatant lying”.
According to Mr Richardson, the flyer falsely accused the OBA of voting against affordable housing and freezing healthcare costs.
He said these claims were untrue, explaining that his party opposed a law that would have allowed the then-Finance Minister to transfer money from the Sinking Fund without accountability to Parliament or the public. He clarified that the legislation made no reference to housing or healthcare.
On the doorstep, he said, OBA candidates are hearing that voters are frustrated with the “constant bickering, name-calling, and personal attacks” in politics.
Printing such political material, Mr Richardson said is not about problem-solving. “It’s about suppressing anyone different and continuing our history of political intimidation and disenfranchisement.”
He also addressed recent acts of political vandalism, noting that OBA campaign banners have been stolen. He said the party’s call for all political groups and supporters to condemn such behaviour had “fallen on deaf ears”.
Mr Richardson referred to these tactics as “demeaning, childish, and ridiculous” and said they have discouraged some of Bermuda’s best and brightest from entering the political arena.
He urged the public to “vote this type of politics out” on February 18 and instead choose leadership focused on fixing Bermuda’s problems.
