In one of the more charged Providenciales Chamber of Commerce meetings held at The Sands at Grace Bay Resort last Monday May 5 th , guest speaker Deputy Premier Hon. Floyd Hall and Chamber President Tina Fenimore exchanged barbs while PNP Chairman Lloyd Stubbs and Opposition member Hon. Doug Parnell also got into a heated exchange.

On a wildly entertaining as well as educational night, the drama unfolded from the outset as Hon. Hall in his capacity as Minister of Finance rejected and refuted the introductory speech by Fenimore who called the government wasteful and autocratic.

She remarked that, “Our observation and contention is that your government continues to ignore the very important role that the members of the Chamber of Commerce play within the local community.

“Instead of engaging us as the primary stakeholders working the economy, the government continues to take an autocratic and totalitarian style approach when it comes to developing and implementing economic policies that can have adverse effects on the life of businesses operating in the TCI.

“As business persons outside of the government looking in, we see various areas of waste and have difficulties reconciling the justification for the new tax measures being proposed,” said Fenimore.

Hon. Hall in his turn at the podium was shocked by the attack on his government and reminded the audience that he came as the Minister of Finance and not as a politician.

“The remarks passed by your president don't help with the healthy dialogue between government and the Chamber. I take great resentment to them because at the end of the day, this is first or second time that I can recall that I have been invited to speak at the chamber and both occasions I accepted.

“I did not come here to be chastised by her or anyone else as a member elected into parliament, the mechanism is there at any time to vote this government out of office, and indeed in February 2007, we were returned to government on a resounding mandate to govern the people of the TCI, and I embrace the opportunity with vigour.

“If Ms. Fenimore or anyone at this head table thinks I came here tonight to be chastised then they are sadly mistaken,” said a stern Hon. Hall.

After the initial tension the Finance Minister went into his address and explained why the government re-assessed some of the new taxes and where consultation with the Chamber can be beneficial to the entire country.

However the atmosphere became charged again when Stubbs asked the Chamber head table what they were doing as an entity to assist persons with the high cost of living as compared with the government.

After an explanation by Allan Hutchinson, Stubbs commented that the question was not fully answered thus prompting Hon. Parnell to ask him loudly to sit down and move on to the next question.

Stubbs replied that he was not a child to be spoken to in that manner, and after a few harsh words by the two men, the meeting settled.

At the end of the night however, all parties appeared to have mended their fences and pledged to return to future Chamber meetings.