May 2, 2014

Dear Sir,

The Leader of the Opposition has said that he has created a Cabinet that is a Government in Waiting. However, if the PLP is not prepared to directly address Bermuda’s most obvious challenge, it will not matter if it never takes the Government. Our most obvious challenge is the economic, social and psychological disparity between the races and the consequent hostilities.

Since the inception of the PLP there have been many political changes and changes in the process which they have stressed. The changes have often been initiated by the PLP in Opposition or as a result of their pressure. These changes include such things as pensions, government removal of its support for segregated schools, Constitutional reform and many others. These reforms and changes have been positive, but they have had almost no impact on the deliberately imposed and maintained economic disparity and racial divide. Over the years the PLP have been more effective in creating conflict and division within its own ranks and within the black community than it has been in narrowing the division between the races. This is because, from the outset, it was concerned about accommodating and complying with the white community. It began by rejecting two black politicians in favour of a non-involved white English woman in its first election in order to prove to white folks that it wanted white folks to join them! Then, over the years, it has refused to directly address the racial divide by introducing a black affirmative action policy to counter the centuries old white affirmative action policy simply because white folks told black folks not to talk about race even though they had deliberately maintained a racial divide.

The manifesto of the “People’s Campaign” underscores this reality. Who are those who are most likely to be jobless? Who are those most likely not to make a living wage? Who are those most likely to be penalised by the Justice system? How many of the “lowest and least” are likely to come from the white community? Who are those who have historically been denied access to economic opportunity? The privatisation of public property has denied access to whom? We all know that white folks have always been able to go where black folks were denied. The “core principle” of this country is, and always has been, to maintain white supremacy and the economic and social domination and exclusion of blacks to ensure a racial divide.

It was noted that the majority of the supporters were PLP supporters, of course because most of the PLP supporters are black and it is the black community which continues to experience the destructive long term impact of centuries of deliberately imposed racism, segregation and economic exclusion, even if the PLP is so desirous of “cooperating” with the white economic power structure that it does not behave as if this is so. I can assure Mr Fahy that if this, or any, Government every genuinely attempts to address the economic inequities and inequalities that are a result of Centuries of racism, segregation, economic exclusion and white affirmative action policies we will all see, know and understand.

Yours,

Eva N. Hodgson