In light of my constitutional duty as Premier to uphold the “good management of the public affairs of Bermuda”, I feel it necessary to comment on the events of last Wednesday when an unruly crowd disrupted Senate business.

People will recall that crowd noise and words interfered with debate and prompted the Senate President to temporarily adjourn the proceedings. Later, we heard Senators from all sides expressing concern for their personal safety.

While all of us appreciate that politics can get emotional, especially when it comes to immigration, the behaviour on Wednesday was unacceptable. I was particularly disturbed by the fact Opposition Members of Parliament encouraged the protesters inside the Senate Chamber.

It is very important for all elected officials to uphold standards of behaviour that enable the mechanisms of government to function for the public benefit. There is a lot of room within that simple rule of thumb for the expression of people’s views on any issue, but Wednesday’s events crossed a line.

In terms of the push for collaboration on immigration policy by MP Walton Brown, the Government has no problem with collaboration in principle. But we do question its sincerity given the statement in December by his Party Leader that “there will be no collaboration” with the Government.

Who do you believe?

That statement is an example of the constant insults, threats and extremist language coming from Opposition Leader Marc Bean, reflecting a mindset that has no room for collaboration. There is a big gap between Mr Bean’s words in the House of Assembly to “take you all out”, referring to the Government, and Mr Brown’s call for collaboration.

I would urge Mr Brown and his leader to work out their differences before any further initiatives. I also have to question on two counts the sincerity of the Opposition’s actions on Wednesday.

The first was the protest triggered by government legislation to stimulate real estate sales by expanding the number of properties that could be purchased by PRCs — a step taken to help Bermudian families with properties whose value had fallen below what they paid for them.

Opposition Senators spoke against the Bill, and their colleagues outside the Chamber encouraged the protesters, but when it came to a vote the Bill was passed without anyone objecting.

Given the “outrage” by the Opposition, one has to wonder, again, about their sincerity. To me, it looks like political gaming is the most important thing.

The second action I question relates to Mr Brown during a Wednesday meeting he asked to have with me.

In that meeting, which included Home Affairs Minister Fahy, Mr Brown said he had no problem with the proposed legislation and that he wanted to avoid an escalation in political rhetoric. Yet hours later, he raised the spectre of civil disobedience if the Opposition did not get its way.

Bermuda does better when there is trust between the Government and the Opposition. Trust depends on consistency and we just haven’t seen that from the Opposition. We need to see one face, not two.

I want to assure the people of Bermuda that their Government will maintain steady progress toward the job-creating recovery everyone wants. The Opposition can help make it happen, but its leaders need to be on the same page and be aware that their actions can help or hurt that recovery.

The Government is working in every way possible to ease the pressures on struggling families. The reform Bill put forward last Wednesday is designed to help homeowners within a policy framework established by the PLP Government. It is one of the many levers we are pulling to make the economy work better for people.