Jarion Richardson, the Leader of the Opposition, has accused a Progressive Labour Party MP and columnist of misinterpreting the stance of the One Bermuda Alliance in the battle between the two parties over the Government Loans Amendment Act 2024.

Mr Richardson charged Christopher Famous, a government backbencher, of assuming voters were “simple-minded and gullible” in a column headlined “Confused by the OBA’s stance” that ran in Friday’s edition of The Royal Gazette.

In it, Mr Famous said the Opposition had refused to support “further needed investment in our people”.

The legislation was passed narrowly by a vote in the Upper House on Friday night, with two independent senators joining the Opposition against it, while Joan Dillas-Wright, the President of the Senate, backed the government side.

The Act is predicated on allowing the Government’s Sinking Fund to provide monies to other public funds if, in the opinion of the finance minister, they would not be required to fund budget deficits.

Money from an excess borrowing fund will support $10 million in affordable housing, and $30 million will be transferred to the Mutual Reinsurance Fund to freeze government health insurance premiums.

David Burt has based the move on the Government achieving a balanced budget in 2024-25, but the Opposition has repeatedly branded it an inappropriate use of the funds.

During the debate in the House, Mr Richardson said grants and contributions were a better avenue for providing relief rather than dipping into the Sinking Fund.

Friday’s sitting of the Senate heard that the Mutual Reinsurance Fund did not qualify as a public fund.

Douglas De Couto, the Shadow Minister of Finance, also argued that the Act was ambiguously worded and would cut out “scrutiny and opportunity for discussion”.

That same day, an opinion column by Mr Famous stated that “the One Bermuda Alliance opposed putting Bermudians first, opposed keeping healthcare costs down and opposed the construction of desperately needed affordable housing”.

Mr Richardson challenged the Devonshire East MP’s comments.

The Opposition leader said that on March 15, OBA MPs voted against the legislation. he added that it would allow the Government to “seize money that was previously saved to cover government spending, when we don’t have enough revenue to cover the spending directly”.

He said any administration would then be able to spend the funds on “whatever they wanted”.

“The legislation does not specify what the money would be spent on.

“Because of the nature of our financial arrangements, the use of those funds do not have to be reported to Parliament.

“So not only does the Government have no obligation to spend the money as they proposed, they also don’t have to tell Parliament if or how they did so.

“Our position is that those savings should not be spent by the government of the day on whatever happens to cross their minds on that given day.

“This legislation shaves away yet another restriction on the PLP Government and any government of the day, that controls our worst excesses and opens us up to yet more of the financial mismanagement that got us here.”

Mr Richardson insisted that while the Opposition opposed the Bill, the OBA was never against affordable housing.

He added: “We expect better from our elected representatives.”

Mr Famous declined to comment when contacted yesterday.