Dunkley's Deceptions
Michael Dunkley is deceiving Bermudians.
In late September, Mr. Dunkley said that the UBP was committed to shutting down Government TV and that he would lead a boycott of the station. Without even watching a single program, he lambasted cultural and educational programming designed to educate our children about our shared history. He called the station "propaganda" and made it perfectly clear that he opposed both the station and its programming content. Now, he's claiming that the UBP has always supported education programming. Amazing. We've produced a new radio ad that reminds Bermudians of Mr. Dunkley's deception.
But, Michael Dunkley's deceptions don't stop with Government TV.
Two new UBP TV adverts are chock full of misleading statistics and outright lies. One commercial falsely accuses the PLP of raising payroll taxes by 80%. It's misleading. The truth is tax receipts have increased by 80% because our economy has grown! That's right, the UBP is trying to mislead Bermudians into believing that we raised taxes - but, the truth is, they're criticising the PLP for growing our economy. Payroll tax receipts are up because more people are working and more people are making more money. That's a good thing - and, it's amazing that Michael Dunkley's UBP is trying to mislead Bermudians into believing that economic growth is tantamount to a tax increase.
But, that's not the only misleading UBP TV advert. They outright lie in their crime ad. They said that 2006 saw violent crime rates reach record levels. They cited the Bermuda Police Service Crime Statistics. Unfortunately for Michael Dunkley's UBP, according to their very own source, violent crime was higher in 1996 under the last UBP government! In fact, it was also higher in 1997, also under the UBP. Mr. Dunkley's UBP is peddling outright lies and they should be ashamed of themselves.
But, it's not just misleading TV adverts and Government TV that make Michael Dunkley's deceptions so unacceptable. What's even more despicable is Michael Dunkley's attempt to deny qualified Bermudians the right to vote just because they don't support him!
In publicly available documents, Michael Dunkley's UBP attempted to disqualify over 80 voters in Smith's North. One of the cited reasons for the disqualification was "registered to vote against Mr. Dunkley!" Moreover, at least three of the voters on the list of voters Mr. Dunkley asked the Parliamentary Registrar to disqualify had been living in Smith's North for over a decade and had voted in the 2003 and 1998 elections registered at their respective residences. It's an affront to our democracy that Mr. Dunkley attempted to throw these voters off the rolls just because they don't support him. It's an outrage that all Bermudians deserve to know about.
One of the eligible Smith's North voters who Mr. Dunkley tried to disenfranchise, June Bean, said "I am a Bermudian who has lived here in Smith's North for a decade. Voting is my sacred right and I can't believe Michael Dunkley would have the gall to try and deny me my vote in a desperate attempt to win an election."
Another eligible Smith's North voter Mr. Dunkley sought to disenfranchise, Cyril 'Dago' Steede, said, "I hope Bermuda's paying attention to this because this is a big story. Michael Dunkley is trying to stop me from voting because I don't support him. This despicable act is clearly a sign of a desperate politician trying to cling to power."
Friends, we need to spread the word about Michael Dunkley across the island. We need to shout from Dockyard's to St. George's that Michael Dunkley is lying to us and trying to take our votes away. Pick up the phone. Call your friends, neighbors and family members. Tell them about Michael Dunkley's deceptions. Use our website to send emails to everyone you know. We have to make sure that people know that the real Michael Dunkley doesn't have our backs.
There's just over two weeks left until Election Day. Now is the time to get the word out.
Sincerely,
David Burt
Party Chairman
P.S. Don't forget to tune in tonight to channels 7, 9, 11 and Fresh TV at 8 pm to hear an important interview with Deputy Premier Paula Cox!
