We will continue reaching out

Make text smaller Make text larger

Today, the One Bermuda Alliance will host a family fun day at Mullet Bay Park in St George’s.

The day also marks the OBA’s first year of operation and it is fitting we should celebrate with an event that brings people together for some good, old fashioned fun.

There will be food and games, music and prizes, even the dunking of politicians something I’m sure a lot of people will want to see. Any money raised will go to support local charities.

I hope to see you there.

I am very proud of my colleagues in the OBA; proud of what we have accomplished in one short, hectic, year, and proud that we have helped Bermuda move closer to the change it needs.

We came together to provide a new direction for the Island and to break a political deadlock that has weakened our ability to work together as one people.

But we cannot get there without change; change that gives people greater say in the work of the island; change in our political culture from one of confrontation to one of collaboration, change in the way we go about our business as a country and change to a government that sticks to the people’s business.

We think change is essential because Bermuda’s problems are too serious, too deep for more of the same.

It was clear to us from the start that to bring about change, we had to be the change we believed in. And so we set aside party loyalties to put Bermuda first.

The most rewarding experience in doing this has been my relationships with people with whom I would otherwise not have known; people who, in another life, I may have made remarks about. But in working with them, in sharing a goal, I saw amazing possibilities for Bermuda. I saw that the barriers that keep us apart keep us from a better world. Stepping past those barriers is what the OBA is all about. Having done it, I can tell you it feels good.

A big part of the party’s focus over the past year has been to develop policies to restore confidence in Bermuda and get our people working again. We formed advisory boards to broaden policy input and feedback. The OBA, as a result, is committed to a broad plan that will restore prosperity and safety to the Island, responsibility to the management of the people’s money and a new emphasis on government by the people and for the people.

No political party grows without people and the OBA has worked hard over the past year to reach out.

Our leadership convention in September demonstrated that by opening the election to all party members on a one man, one vote basis. It was also the first direct election of a new Opposition Leader. More than 1,000 people participated at the conference itself, as well as online.

Since then, we have been fielding an excellent team of candidates that joins experienced hands with fresh faces.

I am particularly impressed by our new candidates. Each one has come forward out of genuine concern for what is happening to their beloved Bermuda. They embody the change we need.

We formed a women’s caucus group to develop the broadest understanding of the issues, advocate for change and extend support to women who are new and not so new to politics. Its success may be reflected in the fact that more than one-third of our candidates to date are women.

This to me is one of the most significant accomplishments for the party. Our women candidates are strong, capable and determined to make government work better for their island.

One of the most encouraging developments over the past year has been the emergence within our ranks of a thriving and energetic group of young Bermudians. On their own, they formed the Future Bermuda Alliance, the party’s youth wing, and they have been very active, organising open mic sessions with young Bermudians and community events such as tomorrow’s Family Fun Day.

So, after a year, the OBA has made much a lot of progress but we have much more to do. We will continue reaching out, and we will continue working on solutions to make Bermuda work better for all its people.

At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.

Craig Cannonier is Leader of the One Bermuda Alliance

Make text smaller Make text larger

Take Our Poll