While Opposition Senator Keisal Peters largely focused on criticisms of specific government programs. Prime Minister Godwin Friday stated that Senator Peters “clearly didn’t read the estimates very carefully,” suggesting her comments lacked familiarity with the document. He remarked that he at one point wondered “which part of the document she read if it was just cover” because her statements did not reflect the actual contents.
Friday described her interrogation of the budget as a “scattershot approach,” accusing her of “picking and choosing” specific aspects rather than understanding the whole. He claimed that Senator Peters and Senator James seemed to have “rehearsed” their contributions, specifically their claims that the estimates showed no direction for forward development.
The Prime Minister noted that Senator Peters focused heavily on the fiscal deficit, but he argued she chose to “forget” that the current administration “inherited” the financial situation. He blamed the previous government (of which she was a part) for spending “like a drunken sailor” during an election year, leaving the current government to manage a high debt-to-GDP ratio.
Regarding the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program, Friday remarked that Peters spoke about it “as though she invented the program”. He addressed her “disappointment” that there was no money allocated on page 89 of the estimates by explaining that a $500,000 provision for consultancy services to set up the program was actually located on page 92. He urged her to stop “posturing” and criticizing the program as “selling passports”.
Friday acknowledged Peters’ comments regarding the National Youth Council, noting she claimed the government had “got rid” of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Youth Council. He countered that the previous council produced “absolutely nothing” and that the new version would be a “true advocate” rather than a body controlled by the Prime Minister.
Peters spoke about various cultural and production hubs , but the Prime Minister dismissed these as examples of things that “look good but they don’t actually function well”. He explained that the government would instead consolidate those funds to create a centralized “center for the arts and culture”.
Friday mentioned that Peters had noted a correction in the naming of the “athlete support program,” confirming the government had increased funding for the program from $250,000 to $350,000.