Bird warns ministers: The people are watching

EAST Speak Governor Alan Bird has raised concerns over the performance of Cabinet ministers in Parliament.
“During question time, we have the cameras on and they record the performance of the ministers. It’s a reflection on the whole country if the ministers don’t take their jobs seriously,” Bird said.
“The people and this House expect that the ministers would take their time to read the policies their respective departments operate in. We expect (them to) take the time to read the briefs provided to them by their department heads.
“We in the Opposition hold the government to account and I know many times we’ve been accused by ministers that we want to perform in front of the cameras.
“When the public is watching us it is important that we do our best on both sides. Our people expect us to ask the difficult questions. We are not doing it to embarrass anyone.
“If we didn’t ask the tough questions, our people question us.”
He said all ministers should seek to be better “so that we can come here and perform to be better. Our people will also rise and perform better”.
“I suggest that you run some of the ministers through training. It’s not something to be ashamed of. But we must aspire to be the best so our people can follow our leadership.”