Mr Simmons, who is Shadow Minister for Race Relations and Economic Empowerment, pointed out that the Progressive Labour Party Government had failed to take up similar legislation to his party’s Economic Empowerment Bill which was tabled, but did not pass, last year. And his comments were echoed by Government backbencher Renee Webb who said her party had not gone far enough. Mr Simmons said: “They did not bring forward similar or better legislation. The proof is in the pudding. It’s OK to talk black. They are good at talking black but they are not good at acting black.

“In some ways they are out-UBP-ing the old UBP in their practices.”

The Royal Gazette, September 30, 2006

Seemingly out of necessity, political parties try to convince voters that they have a very long list of willing, able, competent and moral, persons available to run in an election at any given time. Given our population size, it’s far more likely that the list is very short, and a candidate will tend to be the person who is simply willing and able to work under a specific party leader (and not the candidate who is best for Bermuda’s pressing needs).

PLP by-election candidate, Jamahl Simmons, resigned from the UBP on January 8th, 2007, two days after being pushed out of his branch and just over three months after claiming that his party was more progressive on race matters than the PLP. At the time he made allegations of rampant racism within the UBP and effectively claimed that Wayne Furbert was doing a poor job of dealing with it. As he put it, he’s had to fight against, “… a bunch of nitwits who still think it’s 1835.”

Wayne Furbert, then leader of the UBP had a different view of Jamahl’s demise:

“Jamahl knows very well it has nothing to do with racism. It has everything to do with him not working his area. ... We have to stop blaming everything on racism just to get what we want just because we did not do what we were supposed to do. … I think people will recognise what it is. Once the truth starts getting out there, there is only so much Jamahl can spin those wheels.”

As we are all aware, both Simmons and Furbert had some kind of epiphany once their political careers in the UBP ended. They took that long walk to Damascus, and now their eyes have been opened up to the inclusiveness of the PLP and the rampant racism of the UBP and its offspring.

Am I cynical about such transformations? Absolutely. I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone could be so oblivious about an organisation that’s as racist as we are now expected to believe. Back in January of 2007 Furbert declared: “I know my candidates and I can vouch for each of them. I do not know any of them to be racist.”

Now we are supposed to believe that the demonic One Bermuda Alliance is trying to let foreigners (read whites) put Bermudians (read blacks) back on the plantation as second-class citizens in their own home. Really?

Where exactly does Bermuda find itself now, both sociologically and economically? How does the increasing political rhetoric impact our future? Once again, I urge voters to reflect upon Jamahl Simmons’ online comments:

“What would happen if we stopped shooting bullets at each other and started putting bullets in the heads of those who hate us and won’t hire us?”

“If you are excluded from society what do you care if society burns? You ain’t a part of it anyway. It might even be fun to watch it burn.”

If an angry young man announced that he was going to kill someone for any reason, what would our leaders be saying to them? At a time when Bermuda is in desperate need to attract foreign investors so that we can benefit from increased employment and debt reduction, should our leaders be suggesting that it might be fun to watch society burn? Of course not.

For the last two years we’ve seen the Opposition execute a strategy of “win at any cost”. That means say and do anything that will anger PLP voters to come out and vote against the OBA. Earlier this year Terry Lister learned a very hard lesson about what it means to fall out of favour with the PLP. Toni Daniels may have just learned a similar lesson. Are voters really in support of this kind of conduct?

Some say that insanity is doing the same thing while expecting different results. Have we forgotten what Dr Ewart Brown’s toxic leadership did to both the PLP and Bermuda at large? Especially given the financial and social crisis Bermuda finds itself in, do we really think that electing yet another of his pupils will move the country forward in the right direction?

Bermuda doesn’t need more divisive rhetoric. Bermuda needs skilled, inclusive leaders who will bring forth solutions. Let’s not fool ourselves next Tuesday.

E-mail: bryanttrew@mac.com

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