Dear Sir,

I am a business professional, Bermudian and with a lot of years of high-level financial experience in Bermuda. I just completed a survey and one of the questions was “What is the most important change you’d like to see in Bermuda from a business perspective”. That’s actually a paraphrase, since I can’t recall the exact wording.

I thought about that question long and hard and, although many answers came to mind, I thought the biggest issue facing Bermuda business is political uncertainty. All of the other standard answers are dependent on being able to transact in an environment where the Government is seen to understand the needs and benefits of the business community and economics in general.

No one, at least not me, has any problem with different views on social and other issues, but, given a choice, business capital will go wherever business is understood, treated fairly and with a high level of understanding, and is appreciated.

In Bermuda, and I am not casting aspersions, there is no sense that the current Opposition likes doing business with the business community, understands their needs or even appreciates the commonly accepted reality of various economic principles. There are a lot of perceptions out there, but I think the overriding one is that, when it comes to business, the understanding of generally accepted economic reality is tempered by a reliance on twisting those economic theories into a socially and self-serving end.

Maybe I’m wrong. It might be a very useful survey to undertake to see if I am because the answer will be a great benefit to all.

GALBRAITH