Senators passed the 2006/07 budget this week, clearing the way for the government's economic agenda to be finally approved by the Governor General.

During his contribution to the debate, Opposition Leader in the Senate, Tommy Turnquest told Senators that since coming to office in May 2002, the Progressive Liberal Party government had done little to "steer" the economy of The Bahamas.

He said the government takes credit for "steering the economy from stagnation to the present situation."

But Mr Turnquest said it was the FNM government - between 1992 and 2002 - that changed the economic outlook of The Bahamas.

He said the PLP inherited an economy that prior to 2001 had grown faster for almost seven years than it had done at any time in recent history.

He accused the government of bragging about the economy but not providing the Bahamian people with a balanced view of the true situation.

The government, he said, blows smoke about the positives and ignores the negatives in an attempt to deceive the Bahamian public in seeking re-election.

"But Bahamians are not fools," Mr Turnquest said. "They can see quite clearly through the smoke and mirrors, and they can feel everyday that nothing is happening with this PLP government."

He said that the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States damaged the global economy and, as a result, the Bahamian economy.

"Following 9/11, it was days before any planes flew out of the United States, and when they did resume the loads were minimal, and few tourists were hardly coming to our shores," said Mr Turnquest.

"But the FNM government had a progressive plan that produced positive results. But by all yardsticks, the fiscal year 2001/2002 was severely damaged."

He said it was no secret that there was a major hit on the Bahamian economy in 2001 owing to the terrorist attacks in the US.