The Leader of the Opposition has hit back at an opinion piece by the former Deputy Premier, accusing its criticisms of being a repeat of old claims.

Jarion Richardson added that Walter Roban’s article, published in yesterday’s edition of The Royal Gazette, reminded his party of how not to act.

He said: “To Bermuda, we in the OBA double our commitment to not act like this Progressive Labour Party Government, to simplify government and governing, to exist solely to serve the interests of others.

“Admittedly, it will be a mammoth task to clean up after this PLP government. The reality is that Bermuda’s economic and social suffering is substantial.

“It will be easier to descend into self-pity and look for an enemy, someone to blame.

“But our hopes are not so easily shattered.”

Mr Roban’s article, headlined “A chip off the old block”, said that the OBA had been on the attack in response to “growing frustration” over what he said was a loss of relevance.

He also accused the party of arrogance and mismanagement while being in power, adding that Mr Richardson never apologised for the party’s previous poor decisions or adjusted its policies.

Mr Roban wrote: “The OBA leadership merry-go-round has not brought about any substantial shifts in policy or vision.

“Instead, its latest leader has joined in with the continuous rehash of the same, old discredited strategies that have failed Bermuda in the past and have been thoroughly rejected by the electorate.”

He added: “Mr Richardson’s insistence on clinging to the same discredited and rejected anti-Bermudian policies and strategies of his predecessors demonstrates a lack of vision and an inability to stand on his own two feet and be his own man.”

Mr Richardson said that the opinion piece bounced between “being laugh-out-loud funny” and “a sad reflection of their political priorities”.

He added that the criticisms were a political strategy “taken from the back of a shampoo bottle — rinse, lather, repeat”.

The OBA leader accused the PLP government of having “fallen in love” with its power and “clinging to it like a lifeboat far out at sea”.

He added: “They are on the cusp of losing their large salaries, self-importance and taxpayer-funded perks.

“Pet projects, trips to Dubai and staff loyally following them around are all about to disappear.

“And we in the OBA know that we cannot be that. We’ve seen what it’s done to our people and our country.

“We know that this type of politics has done long-lasting and immeasurable harm to the people we love.

“So, in a weird turn of events, thank you, Mr Deputy Premier.”

Mr Richardson said that the OBA believed that MPs were “simply custodians charged with leaving Bermuda in a better state than we found it”.

He added: “Bermuda’s best days are yet to come. And that is how we all will survive the demeaning and irrelevant politics of today.”