Shadow without Portfolio

Constituency: 6 – Hamilton West

Email: wfurbert@ubp.bm

Work Telephone: 295-3263

Home Telephone: 293-8727

The Honourable Wayne Livingston Furbert is on a mission to see that Bermuda becomes a happy and more pleasant place to live and work for all its citizens. His vision for Bermuda is that of a united, multi-racial, multi-cultural, tolerant and productive country in which every one has equal opportunity to realize his or her goals. He is convinced that education is the key to realizing this vision and that it requires a special type of political leadership to get us there.

Wayne believes that the role of government is to chart the future of a country and to oversee its development. On a personal level, he believes that the primary responsibility of political leaders is to help people, particularly the disadvantaged. He learned about the importance of public service as a boy while hearing stories of the political offices held by his great-great-uncle, his great grandfather, his great uncle, his father and his brother. He recalls distributing leaflets as a teenager and wanting to do something useful for the people he met. He was lucky to have mentors like Gloria McPhee and Dr. John Stubbs.

Wayne Furbert was always interested in managing money. Having excelled in mathematics in high school, he went on to university and gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979. Between 1980 and 1998, he worked as an accountant for several companies and continued to study accountancy and related subjects. In 1991 he qualified as a Certified Public Accountant and by 1998 had assumed management responsibilities. In the meantime, he demonstrated his entrepreneurial talent by creating, owning and managing three successful private companies.

Wayne's passion for politics led him to enter the political arena in the 1980s. Under the leadership of Bermuda Premier Sir John Swan and with the support of his running mate Maxwell Burgess, he was elected as a United Bermuda Party Member of Parliament for his Hamilton Parish constituency in 1993.

Wayne Furbert served with distinction as Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs; later, as Minister of Transport and as Minister of Housing, Health and Social Services. As a Minister, he is remembered for his careful stewardship of public funds and for championing the cause of disadvantaged Bermudians.

Wayne sees a causal link between good race relations and sustained economic growth. He fears that if circumstances are left to themselves there will be conflict, particularly as the process of globalization intensifies. Naturally, he believes that development in Bermuda should be for the benefit of Bermudians but that Bermudians must become more competitive in the marketplace.

To make that happen, Wayne says education must become Bermuda's number one strategic priority. The time is long passed due for the country to fully commit to making sure young people get the opportunity to develop a skill based on their academic, technical, technological, vocational or artistic competence. Only by better preparing them for the future can they

the skills they need to live productive and fulfilling lives. This means making sure that all Bermudians between the ages of 21 and 30 be given

Wayne also believes that the new world order requires a new political culture. In a world that places the highest premium on good governance and negotiated outcomes, the days of authoritarian leaders are over. The principles of teamwork, humility and reconciliation, which he has been practicing for years, will serve him well in the future.

Wayne is a committed family man. He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Ulene. They have two children, J'von and Jasmine, who are both studying at the University of Toronto.

Wayne is a devout Christian. He is willing to persevere through all tribulations to accomplish his mission to transform Bermuda into a place of peace, progress and prosperity for all.

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