In November of 2010 I formally threw my hat into the political arena when I ran in the by-election in Warwick South Central for the Bermuda Democratic Alliance, in the wake of Dr. Ewart Brown’s resignation.

Contesting that election was a trial by fire and gave me a glimpse of how difficult Bermudian politics can be. Not only was I subject to personal attacks and innuendo, but so was my family. After losing that by-election I had to seriously reflect on whether or not I had the resolve to continue on in local politics.

Fast forward to December of 2012 and there I was once more, a candidate in Hamilton South under the One Bermuda Alliance banner, in what was the National general election. The economy was in free fall, violent gun crime had been spiralling out of control and Bermudians from all walks of life and political persuasions were fearful of the abyss that threatened to swallow Bermuda’s long running success story.

It was against this backdrop that, as a candidate for the brand new One Bermuda Alliance, I was elected to Parliament. I was a novice politician, green as a fresh blade of grass, when the Premier appointed me to the Cabinet last year to serve as Minister of Environment and Planning. I knew that I had to get up to speed quickly with the myriad of issues that needed to be dealt with in my ministry and now, eleven months on, I am enormously proud of how far I was able to get in such a short period of time. Of course I’m a bit disappointed that a few initiatives in which I had invested quite a bit of time, I cannot see through to fruition. However, if you think you’ve heard the last of me, think again.

I got involved in politics in the first place for a very simple reason — I wanted to give back to the community that had raised me. I thought that I could contribute, in some limited way, to help Bermuda become a better place for all of us. I think I always knew in my heart that the time I had as a Minister was going to be limited, because I knew that the Premier, after getting a firm grasp of what needed to be done to get Bermuda back on track, would likely change his Cabinet. Over the years we have all seen Ministers come and go, so from the outset I did not get too attached to my ministerial seat and just concentrated on getting on with the job.

The experience I have gained from having been in the OBA Cabinet for almost a year, and having run a Government Ministry, has been extraordinary. I think it has made me a much better person and politician. I have become stronger and more deeply aware of the meaning of community from having to make decisions that I know were correct, but that also caused some sleepless nights.

Last week the Premier decided to shrink the size of cabinet, a decision I fully embrace and understand. This government has touted the value of shared sacrifice from the beginning, therefore I see my removal from cabinet as my personal contribution to this effort. We are all, as Bermudians, going to be asked to make sacrifices as we continue this journey of recovery and renewal.

I also truly understand the wisdom of what the Premier was trying to do when he downsized the Cabinet. There is tremendous pressure on the OBA Government to succeed at what we are doing. The pressure is greater because Bermuda’s problems are so much worse than we thought they were when we took over. There is more work to do than we thought, and it is much more urgent than we expected.

It sounds like a terrible contradiction, doesn’t it, that the Premier would shrink his Cabinet at a time when there is so much work to be done? But it’s not like that. A smaller group is a more streamlined group, a group that can work quickly and well together, and I think that this is one of the things Premier Cannonier is trying to achieve. The country surely deserves the most efficient Cabinet we can put together, and if I can help bring that about, I am only too happy to cooperate.

It was also a promise we made — that we would shrink the size of cabinet and set a good example by saving the country some money that is needed elsewhere. I know all of us in the OBA want badly to keep the campaign promises we made, to keep faith with the country.

Another observation of mine is that the political mud that gets stirred when we have to find another way to achieve our stated goals of creating jobs and encouraging direct inward investment, is painful and very, very distracting. It eats up a lot of time that would be better spent doing other things, other things like finding ways to grow jobs and making it easier for job-makers to do that.

I must confess that one of the things I did not expect to encounter at the highest level in Government was the extent of that political mud. Unfortunately, among some of my Bermudian people, there can be no good will towards anyone in Government. We are simply political targets, and the more that can be done to hamper and thwart our efforts and those of others working for the good of Bermuda the better, as far as they are concerned. No accusation is too scurrilous in some eyes, no mud too dirty to sling. No Government effort, no matter how much good it promises to accomplish, is exempt from their determination to criticise and destroy.

In all honesty, I find this negativism, this armchair quarterbacking very difficult to stomach. Every politician, whether PLP, OBA or Independent, makes a great sacrifice when serving in public office. I challenge everyone out there reading this — if you believe that you have something to contribute and have the answers to the vexing problems facing our country, then get up off the sofa and get from behind the computer and get involved! All this pessimism and cynicism is hard to reconcile with what I know about Bermudians, and what a wonderful, generous people we are.

In closing, if I could be given just one Christmas wish it would be to get the cynics to see just how much the OBA wants to help Bermuda, how prepared we are to sacrifice for the common good, and how much better the Island would be if they got involved — positively!