September 12, 2005

Dear Sir,

Minister for Youth and Sport Dale Butler has gone to Brunei on official business, according to a newscast today. Is this trip a benefit to Bermuda? Who is paying for it?

Brunei is a small oil-rich Sultanate of approximately 2,000 square miles with a population of 358,000, situated on the North coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia in the South China Sea.

According to the World Almanac & Book of Facts: "A treaty placed the state under the protection of Great Britain in 1888. Brunei became a fully sovereign independent state in January, 1984. Much of the country's oil wealth has been squandered in recent years by the royal family."

Mr. Butler paid his own way to Brunei and Malaysia. The primary purpose of the trip was to accompany Bermudians taking part in an Operation Raleigh expedition in Borneo and to promote Operation Raleigh which is sponsored by the Bermuda Government. The actual trip was organised by Government House and Mr. Butler's meeting with the Crown Prince of Borneo was held to promote Operation Raleigh, which hopes to establish a programme in Brunei.

September 9, 2005

Dear Sir,

In response to the article 'Every man for himself', September 8, some individuals really need to think outside the box, and certainly understand the long term implications of what they are suggesting.

Once again all of Bermuda's social and moral problems are isolated to a single cause, which in itself is absurd. I must point out that the housing shortage is a major problem, and the only group of people to blame for that is the Government, and the lack of a strategy that should have been put into place a decade ago. If you think that taking away guest workers would give every Bermudian a happy marriage, car, house, and tranquility, I think you are misjudging the current situation and venting your frustration in the wrong direction.

Let me give you a perfect example. Singapore is an island with four million people, and grossly over-populated for its size. The Government there began a major overhaul of housing 20 years ago, in order to alleviate problems within the housing market. The Singapore government guarantees housing for its local population at a very affordable price, and I mean very cheap.

On the other hand foreign workers pay top dollar to rent accommodation, and I mean very expensive. So Singapore, which is certainly in a similar predicament to Bermuda, doesn't have the housing problem, which I feel is your most serious concern, because the Government there has solved it.

So it is not Immigration that needs to curb work permits, it's the Government that needs to organise a solid plan for housing. Every time I hear about a plan for affordable housing for locals, something goes wrong and it's put on the shelf, and as for work there are plenty of jobs around to suit the various skill levels. Maybe they should train, and then hire those 18-year-olds finishing school to build affordable housing for the masses.

September 9, 2005

Dear Sir,

This letter is addressed to the Corporation of Hamilton, the Public Works Department and the Police. When we see adverts for tropical paradises, we are visually gratified (and, often we go there); when we see pictures of New Orleans after a hurricane, we are shocked and dismayed; and when we see places where the grass is cut along the roadside, the hedges are trimmed and the trash is, at least, minimal, we are happy and smiley and pleased to be there.

The point is that image is everything ? and when our economy is based on tourism to a great extent and international business (you don't think they'd come here if it looked like Haiti?) to an even greater extent ?it makes a difference.

Now, here's my story. Let's say I'm a tourist and I'm staying at the Hamilton Princess, and I decide to take an early morning walk through Hamilton ? just to see what Bermuda looks like waking up. This is what I see on Tuesday, September 6, 2005 starting around 7 a.m. ? true story, not made up.

As I walk along the road from the hotel to about where the Bank of Bermuda is, I see reams of trash ? bottles, cups, paper, KFC everywhere ? it's a mess and on probably the most travelled (by tourists ) stretch of road in Bermuda.

I get to Albouy's Point and the trash story continues ? but here I see at least four vagrants in various states of repose. Lying under the palm trees or stretched out on benches, their food remains from the night before and their bedding is strewn all over. Much of the bedding will be stored in the Bermuda Forwarders ancillary warehouse in the bushes along the RBYC boundary ? all day!

OK, so it's off again down Front Street where I see a few more vagrants sleeping in doorways or in that pretty little park with the water fountain just outside where A.S. Coopers is on the dock. In the latter place, there is a vagrant hugging a palm tree and taking a leak right in front of all the windows on the cruise ship ! He certainly hides himself pretty well from pedestrians but what a sight for the people in cabin 651 on .

Further along I see a little old man going through the trash and the bottles outside The Beach ? he's filling up one bottle from the residue in others. I think that's called a Round the World in vagrancy land. He also discovered (and ate in my presence) a half eaten burger ...life doesn't get much better.

Down near the end of East Broadway, just up from the Bakery and Johnny Barnes' statue, is the home of "Major Vagrant" ? this dude is lying on the bench, shirt stripped open, belly hanging out, food and bedding all around, and streams of cars are coming into Hamilton, all loaded with little kiddies going to school, businessmen going to work and, dare I say, a few tourists coming in for all sorts of early morning reasons. Welcome to the Capital City, folks.

So, who cares? Small matters, right ? Let's do nothing, we have bigger problems to work on and, hey, these vagrants are human...OK by me. Message to Ewart: A picture is worth 1,000 words. If you care at all, may I suggest that take the same stroll...hey, just !