October 12, 2008

I am writing in response to your columnist Alvin Williams' piece last week, praising the "larger than life" statue of Ghanaian dictator Kwame Nkrumah and arguing that Bermuda should honour its heritage in the same way.

Well, unlike Mr. Williams, I grew up in Accra, Ghana under Nkrumah. I saw first hand how he bankrupted the country he led to Independence.

Nkrumah's policies did not free Ghana from dependence on Western imports. In 1966, when he was finally deposed, Ghana had fallen from one of the richest countries in Africa to one of extreme poverty. He died in exile, a broken man, destroyed by his dangerously misguided ambition to dominate the continent and destabilise Francophone Africa.

An editorial published this month in the The East African Standard described Nkrumah as possessing "a liberal mixture of extreme paranoia, a verbose sense of grandeur, a misguided notion of messianic calling and know-it-all attitude" (sound familiar?) that made him "worst dictator Ghana has ever seen".

Please, Mr. Williams, do your homework.

BORN IN AFRICA

Warwick

@TIMES-18:Questions for Leading Delegate

October 11, 2008

I SEE in, the Mid-Ocean News that "a leading Progressive Labour Party delegate" has revealed that the "Premier's creditability (sic) is "shot beyond repair."

If that is indeed a fact there should be several people on trial for shooting the Premier's creditability (sic) including the "leading delegate", the Mid-Ocean News and The Royal Gazette.

"Leading Delegate", whatever that means, told the Mid-Ocean News that no one really trusts the Premier.

My questions to Leading Delegate are (1) how did you get to be a leading delegate? And (2) how are you to be trusted if you do not have the courage of your convictions?

I have no doubt that there are some members of the Progressive Labour Party who do not trust the Premier, but I also know for certainty that most PLP Members of Parliament, if not all, are not trusted by all of the people all of the time. I certainly cannot trust a group of people who meet in secret with the sole aim of destroying the Party. How many times should we go down this same road?

Ironically, this weekend we are celebrating the life of our first National Hero, Dame Lois Browne Evans. Those of us who have been in the party long enough know that there were some members of the party that did not trust her, hence the expulsion of six "leading" PLP members, four of whom were Members of Parliament.

We also know that some members of the party, including 11 Members of Parliament, did not trust Dame Jennifer Smith, and at a Special Delegates' Conference, former Premier W. Alex Scott was acclaimed as Leader of the Party and subsequently appointed by the Governor as Premier of Bermuda. History has revealed that W. Alex Scott was the chairman of the PLP in 1979 when the six members were expelled. History has also recorded that at the Annual Delegates' Conference in October 2006, a constitutionally held election for Party Leader took place. There were two contenders for the leadership at the time, the current Premier at the time, Mr. Alex Scott, and Dr. Ewart Brown, the then Deputy Premier and Deputy Party Leader.

Months before that Delegates' Conference was held, Dr. Brown first made his intentions known to Premier and Party Leader, Alex Scott, and then the people of Bermuda that he would be contesting the seat for Party Leader. Shortly after informing the Premier of his intention to contest the leadership of the Party, he made his intentions public. He then did the right thing and stepped down as a Cabinet Minister.

On October 27, 2006, the election for Leader of the Progressive Labour Party was held. As is the case in most elections, both candidates had done their homework. They openly canvassed the branches and delegates for support. On the night of the election, both candidates gave speeches asking for support of the delegates. However, at the end of the night, Dr. Ewart Brown was elected by the majority of delegates to serve as leader of the PLP for the next four years.

We now read in the Mid-Ocean News that "Leading Delegate" and "local business leaders" have been meeting regularly to discuss a replacement for Dr. Brown. I wonder who these "local business leaders" are.

When I think of business leaders in Bermuda I think of the CEOs of the three banks, the CEOs of major insurance and utility companies and of course the large department stores, including Brown & Co., A.S. Cooper's and Gibbons Co. and other members of the Chamber of Commerce.

I wonder if any of those business leaders were in attendance at those meetings. Also, are these "local business leaders" the same as the "black businessmen who believe they have been overlooked"?

Further, no matter how influential these people are in the business community, whether they are black or white, if they are not members of the Progressive Labour Party, it matters not whether they think Dr. Brown should be replaced as Leader of the Party since they cannot participate in the selection of his replacement.

"Leading Delegate" goes on to tell the Mid-Ocean News that "daily, PLP supporters complain about his (Dr. Brown's) arrogant and egotistical leadership style".

Again, if these supporters are not members of the party, it makes no sense for them to complain about anything regarding the PLP. I personally encourage people who have problems with the PLP, whether it is the leadership, or anything else to join the party and let their voices be heard.

However, if these people, whether they are leading delegates, local business leaders, black businessmen, or PLP supporters, want to align themselves with the Opposition United Bermuda Party, the opposition Royal Gazette and the opposition Mid-Ocean News in destroying the PLP, in a democratic Bermuda, they have every right to do so.

I, like most of Bermuda, am waiting to see who "Leading Delegate" will propose as the next Leader of the Progressive Labour Party. I'm also waiting with bated breath to see which Ministers want Dr. Brown removed. Will they show the same courage that Dr. Brown showed when he offered himself as Leader of the Party? I think not.

LAVERNE FURBERT

City of Hamilton

@TIMES-18:Let's boycott these magazines

October 14, 2008

Surely it is time for Bermudians to boycott magazines sold locally in protest at the crazy prices we are required to pay.

For example:

Time magazine ¿ US cover price $4.95, Bermuda price $7.80.

Architectural Digest ¿ Cover prices US $5.99, Foreign $6.99, Bermuda price $11.20

British Homes & Gardens ¿ Cover prices UK £3.60, US $8.99, Bermuda price $15

WATCHING

Paget