Jan 29 – Number Six Responds To “Opposition Propaganda”
The Government says it notes what it calls the “sensationalist leaflet currently being circulated by the Opposition and the false representation of many of the examples that they have chosen to use.”
The Government argues that the “obvious absence of attention to detail reveals the poor quality of the research” that went into the publication and brings into question the validity of the rest of the allegations it puts forward.
Indeed, says Number Six, the solar panel contracts the Opposition refers to were issued through the same ‘three quote’ system used by the Opposition during their time in Office. This is, according to the Government, just one instance of factual distortion presented in the publication, “which later descends into an attempt at deliberate deception of the public.” The Government says that the truth is that there was no job advertisement for a Government PR post in the United States simply because such a Government post does not, and never did, exist.
The Government also notes the Opposition’s proposal to establish a Tendering Department and would like to remind them of the existing Government Procurement Department, which deals with matters relating to Government tenders. Although the Opposition may suggest otherwise, the Tendering Department that they propose already exists.
A statement from Number Six continues:
“This amateur, poor-quality hand-out is a desperate attempt by the Opposition to convince someone to listen to their same tired message. The Government strongly supports the notion that, in a free and fair democracy, policies should be open to criticism, debate and discussion in an appropriate forum and in a productive manner. Sensationalist leaflets that attempt to popularise baseless allegations after they have already been answered in Parliament do nothing to advance the integrity of the democratic process.
“Opposition criticism should be brought forward in Parliament, where policies can be debated and discussed, and those debates and discussions can be placed on the official record. This process provides the public with the transparency and facts that enable them to hold both the Government and Opposition accountable for their decisions.
“Contrary to the Leader of the Opposition’s statement on the televised Viewpoint debate of the 11th December 2014 that he ‘couldn’t agree more with the sentiment that what we’ve got to do is progress’ to an elevated discourse, the leaflet, lacking in any credibility or integrity, shows just how low the Opposition will sink in their attempt to disguise propaganda as transparency.”
