Dear Sir,

The perennial question now rears it head once again: do we really want to get our people back to work or not?

On the one hand, we rightfully are holding the One Bermuda Alliance accountable on its promise of 2,000 jobs in its first term in office, but what is interesting is the only math that seems to matter is the multiplied hundreds of jobs lost under their watch. Never mind the hundreds of new hires under the same period, as this does not make good political copy if you are an avowed detractor of the Government.

The hue and cry of unemployment is endless on a daily basis and not without merit for Bermudians struggling to pay their bills. We have investors with pockets of some depth in the private sector who are just about the only source of job creation, and they are treated with suspicion and mistrust.

Exactly where do we think jobs come from? For decades, we believed the government coffers were a bottomless pit of money and rock-solid security that could not fail in 1,000 years. Now we see it took much less time than that, given the overspending and terrible mismanagement of the last administration.

Shelly Bay Beach has attracted an interested developer to revive some much-needed economic activity and, it is to be hoped, another attractive restaurant for tourists and locals alike, but, most importantly, job creation for our workers in an area where we have done well in the past.

I do not live in Hamilton Parish but l do live just five minutes from this family beach and picnic area that we have enjoyed as a family also. Bermuda has to come to terms with our new reality of punishing debt and annual deficits that cannot be wished away.

We must change our thinking and attitudes for our economic survival in a world in which every country wants a piece of the tourism dollar.

Our competitors to the south are killing us with bargain-package deals that we simply cannot match. We have to share with our customers the best we have to offer and not be so sentimental if we want to keep food on the table.

Rich investors are not the enemy, but our friends; privatisation is not a dirty word, but a new way of doing business and seizing opportunities.

These are not the golden days of unparalleled tourist arrivals when we were firmly in charge; those days are gone and we must accept the paradigm shift of a competitive world that owes no country anything.

If the mantra is that Bermudians must come first in everything and we should not have to compromise and be reasonable for survival, heaven help us.

We must find ways to sell what the customer wants to buy in our little country that possesses no raw materials, no oil, coal, diamonds or silver.

What we do have is beautiful beaches with crystal-clear waters. We offer stunning scenery and magical views, with a good climate even during winter. Selfishness does not become us as a people who need to reinvent ourselves to not be so insular and myopic in our world view.

It may very well be that by accepting a little less and, yes, some discomfort, we can survive and achieve a lot more.

WAYNE B SCOTT