September 11, 2011Dear Sir,Through the medium of The Royal Gazette I would like to congratulate Senator Cannonier and Senator Dunkley for winning the leadership and deputy leadership of the OBA.Senator Richards needs to be the Finance Minister. My opinion has always been that a Premier should not hold the position of being Premier and keep the Finance Ministry as well.These three men in these positions should therefore be able to do the job of bringing Bermuda back to what it once was a prosperous Island.MONICA BERRYUKDon't repeat mistakesSeptember 11, 2011Dear Sir,Sen Craig Cannonier and you Sen Michael Dunkley JP, I wish you and the entire OBA Party a successful future in the realms of local politics …Now that we are over the hurdle of who will be the leader, it's time for “ironing-out all the kinks and lining up the ducks” (that I, as well as many others, feel to be still possible).Senators, please don't permit the OBA members any opportunities to ever make the same mistakes as were made by the UBP. Work together openly … call on your constituency for any assistance if or when needed; appeal to the public for their help!(Remember those on the Hill are representatives of us below …)RAYMOND RAYSt George's HS02Politics for the peopleSeptember 11, 2011Dear Sir,Last night's election/meeting with the One Bermuda Alliance was very invigorating. After all that was said and done, I realised even after voting in chairpersons and leaders it did not matter. All of the OBA politicians are intelligent, and have the experience and quality and they each are highly motivated and have their individual expertise. This lot mean business and they are committed to work together for the people. I can only hope the diehard PLP supporters allow an OBA candidate to sit with them and just listen to what they have to offer. I can assure you of one thing, they will give you something to think about. The rest is up to you.I believe what has occurred over the last 13 years has been great for the Island. The UBP took things for granted and did not perform, and that is why the PLP won in 1998. Now it is the PLP performance that is dismal. The OBA realises that nothing can be taken for granted and what is occurring here at present is clearly bad. This is partially what motivated the OBA. These people love their home, and want to get it right. Back in the day it was PLP and UBP, and black and white. Now it is politics for the people.SYDNEYPagetBrink of the abyssSeptember 11, 2011Dear Sir,With a general election almost upon us, it is not surprising to see the PLP Government issuing bursaries, scholarships and training to small numbers of Bermudians. It is important to appear to be doing something for the people, even at our own cost, as if everything was basically all right in paradise. The PLP must do all they can to distract the voter from reality. I cannot however fail to see the misery on so many faces when I walk down the nearly deserted streets of Hamilton.How much more money did the PLP Government have to borrow to bribe the Civil Service employees with a pay rise to play nice? Most of us are just happy to have a job at reduced pay and hours, but the oversized Civil Service gets more at our expense. Although some may argue that the small percentage rise was below inflation, it probably has cost the endangered taxpayer another $6 million to $8 million this year alone. Whoever wins the next general election is going to have to shrink the Civil Service back to what it was in the bad old UBP days. Remember them? We all had jobs and could pay our bills and afford a holiday away to stem rock fever.The global recession did not force the PLP Government to spend over $1 billion ($1,000,000,000) more than they earned in recent years and we are all paying for their excesses to the tune of well over $1.5 million a week in interest payments alone. A single million dollars would have kept many charities afloat and able to help those who are suffering most from the PLP’s mismanagement of our economy. The Sunshine League could still offer support and the Berkeley custodians would not fear for their livelihood. Those who struggled to buy their piece of the rock are seeing their investment shrink in value and their retirement plans crumble along with their properties.Those who put most trust in the PLP, the lower earners, are seeing their jobs disappear as those who created jobs are encouraged to leave Bermuda because of misguided, overly protectionist PLP policies. Anybody see a single PLP Member of Parliament sharing in the suffering they have inflicted upon all other Bermudians and our now very fragile community and economy? No? Neither have I.I am certainly not a PLP supporter, but neither am I an OBA one. I strongly believe that party politics have had a strong hand in destroying one of the most successful countries in the world as each party pandered to the undecided voter and bought votes with unrealistic dreams of heath and wealth for all. I want a future Government to do what is needed to bring Bermuda back from the brink of the abyss, without unrealistic promises. For once we need truth and if the voters again fall for PLP election promises and propaganda with their proven abysmal record in Government, many more job creators will leave this beautiful island before it sinks under an unmanageable debt and joins the ranks of those impoverished countries to our south.PUT BERMUDA FIRSTPembroke