Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 26/00) - Yellowknife MLA Charles Dent says Premier Stephen Kakfwi needs to develop a thicker skin.

"His comments were those of a junior politician, not one of a seasoned veteran who's been around for 16 years," Frame Lake MLA Dent told Yellowknifer Tuesday.

The Frame Lake MLA was referring to statements Kakfwi made to media last week during and after a visit to Fort Smith. Kakfwi said the negativity of Dent, Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger and Inuvik Boot Lake's Floyd Roland is bogging down the government. Kakfwi said three former cabinet ministers' "nit-picking" was motivated by resentment over not getting cabinet posts in this government.

Dent was out of town on vacation when the comments were made.

Kakfwi said even regular members are getting fed up with the "nit-picking."

Deh Cho MLA Michael McLeod and Yellowknife Range Lake North MLA Sandy Lee broke ranks with regular members during the last session of the legislative assembly to vote against a proposed audit of the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. Lee also voted against a motion advanced by MLAs to cut the proposed executive budget.

But the rookie MLA said she does not think Dent, Miltenberger and Roland are being overly critical.

"I think they have definitely assumed the leader of the pack role, and that's OK," she said. "I think their activities as sort of (the) opposition is OK. I think that is a healthy element to our government. I don't have a problem with that."

Lee said she does not take sides, but makes decisions on an issue-by-issue basis. Dent noted regular members, unlike cabinet, are free to take any position on issues.

Miltenberger interpreted Kakfwi's comments as a thinly-veiled threat that MLAs who rock the boat will be penalized by government.

Shortly after the Slave River Journal published those comments, the government issued a press release in which Kakfwi stated, "My cabinet has not, and will not, deliberately disadvantage any resident of the NWT for any reason."

Lee said she does have concerns about the intrusion of the more adversarial party-style of politics in consensus government. In consensus government regular members form the majority and have the power to bring government to a standstill.

Dent said he and other former cabinet ministers have a detailed understanding of how the government works and feel compelled to speak out when they feel it is not working effectively.

"To say I've criticized everything the government is doing is inaccurate," said Dent, noting he has commended the government when he has felt the commendation is warranted.

"He's the one playing petty politics," Dent said.