Opposition Leader Kim Swan told Rotarians the United Bermuda Party knows it's a long road back convincing the public it is a viable option.

But Mr. Swan said he still believes his party can rise from the ashes of its demoralising 2007 General Election defeat and has been holding Government to account for its own perceived failings for the past two years.

"I'm very proud to be here tonight as the leader of the United Bermuda Party — a party with a great past and a great future," Mr. Swan told Sandys Rotary Club on Wednesday night. "I suspect that some of you may not see our future that way, but I have good reasons to be optimistic.

"It is no secret that we have had a tough time as a party. The 2007 election hurt. Morale was down. There was frustration in the ranks and pessimism about our prospects. To the public, the perceptions of our internal challenges began to overshadow whatever we were saying or doing for a better Bermuda.

"But the members of this party are resilient, from the elected representatives to our supporters in the field. We understand our situation, we know what we have to do and we are working together to move forward.

"We know the road we are on is a long one, but we are sustained by our love of Bermuda and our determination to improve the life of the country."

Mr. Swan said the UBP had concerns over good governance, crime, education, and divisiveness. And he took issue with this newspaper's report stating that candidate Keith Young has next to no chance in next Thursday's by-election for Pembroke East Central, where he takes on Michael Weeks of the Progressive Labour Party. The PLP's late Nelson Bascome won 87 percent of the votes in Constituency 16 two years ago.

"Although The Royal Gazette ridiculed our chances — they said I had a better chance of 'golfing on the moon' than winning — we are not deterred," said Mr. Swan. "We are on the doorsteps and working the phones with a positive approach, emphasising our desire to serve all the people.

"What is particularly important about Pembroke East Central is that it is something of a hotbed for all the major issues confronting Bermuda today — gang violence, crimes and drug abuse, government indifference, and the failures in public education.

"The community has been calling for Government action to help them in a variety of areas but nothing meaningful has happened — no real community policing, no real dialogue with gang members, no action to improve street lighting, no movement to improve access for emergency vehicles.

"The Pembroke East Central by-election will not change the Government's control of Parliament. Even if it loses the vote, it will retain its hefty majority.

"But it is an opportunity to send the government a message that Pembroke East Central deserves better, that residents are not happy with the way they are being treated."