Across the island, there is a growing sense that something is deeply wrong in Bermuda. For too many of us, the economy is not working for us. Many of us have come to the realisation that the people we elected to government have spent more time looking down on us than standing strong for us.

Our people are beginning to ask: “When will our issues matter?”

This growing sense that Bermuda is not working for Bermudians has worsened the divisions that separate us and hindered our ability to come together to build a fairer, more inclusive Bermuda.

When the quality of our children’s education is determined more by their parents’ income than by a child’s intellect and work ethic, that extends the divide.

When job opportunities are determined more by who you know than by what you know, that extends the divide.

When the only group experiencing job growth is everyone but Bermudians, that extends the divide.

Bermudians understand all of this. They also understand that One Bermuda Alliance attacks on the Progressive Labour Party have failed so far to produce jobs and opportunities for Bermudians.

The father who has not worked in two years does not care about what the OBA thinks about the PLP. Our Bermudian fathers want to know when the 2,000 jobs they were promised will be delivered.

The mother who has been forced to skip meals just to keep her children fed, does not care about what the OBA thinks about the PLP. Our Bermudian mothers want to know when their hard work and sacrifice will move their family out of poverty.

The PLP’s focus is on building a Bermuda where:

• Our government invests in us, training and retraining Bermudians to fill jobs and opportunities at every level at the economy and not just at the bottom

• Our immigration laws work for us, protecting Bermudian jobs and opportunities

• Our economy works for us, so that any Bermudian willing to work hard and to sacrifice has an opportunity to work, build wealth and eventually buy a “piece of the rock”

• Our schools work for us, building 21st-century entrepreneurs and a world-class workforce

The OBA has a choice: spend what little time it has left continuing to focus on, and to demonise, the PLP or getting on with the job it was elected to do — creating jobs for Bermudians.

We hope that it is hearing what we are hearing: its present approach is not working and is not focused on what is really important — helping our people.

The PLP understands the challenges that Bermudians are facing and, while we will continue to hold the Government accountable, we will also aggressively push our vision of a fairer, more inclusive Bermuda that works for Bermudians.

Please visit plp.bm to learn more.

•Jamahl Simmons is the shadow minister of tourism and economic development, and the MP for Sandys South (Constituency 33)