Sue's Blog

Monday, February 05, 2007

They are Still Covering Up

If the Newfoundland and Labrador electorate does not demand an answer to this latest round of "buying our votes with our own money" - we will forever be in a shadow of doubt.

In 2003 - the election year - certain members of the House of Assembly decided to spend all or virtually all of their constituency allowances in the first 6 months of the budget year.

These people - and we need to know who they are - decided to use constituency money for an election campaign (unofficially). They knowingly used a disproportionate amount of the allowance - leaving - if they were unsuccessful - a new member with little or no constituency money.

This tells the voter - that the member put their own re-election ahead of the people.

The Liberal candidates in the upcoming by-elections have called for a public enquiry - why not tell us instead - which Liberal members exhausted their constituency allowances before the general election October 2003...otherwise it is spin - learning quickly.

Now they want to pay it back and let bygones be bygones - without telling us who used the money inappropriately. They want to let the process go through its course - hogwash - they know if they did it or not. They say they want to be open and accountable now - well prove it. Tell us who you are.

Did any Liberal do it in an attempt to save their seat - in a Tory Tidal Wave? Are any of them sitting now?

Did any incumbent long-sitting Tories do it to sure up their vote - for a shot at Cabinet?

Did the NDP do it to save their two seats?

Make them answer this question!

When you get the answer - then make up your own mind. If they don't want to tell you the answer should be obvious.

The Liberal candidates that have called for a public enquiry on the whole constutency spending mess - they should be willing to tell us what sitting Liberals and those defeated in 2003 disproportionatley spent their constituency funds in the first 6 months of that year.

Sample Question:
How much was left in your constituency allowance after the October 2003 election?

No comments: