The Progressive Labour Party had its annual gala banquet over the weekend and coming out of David Burt's speech was the announcement that there will be 100 per cent a new premier in a year’s time.

I have promised myself never to allow a moment or an event to go by that demonstrates our democracy — or the lack thereof. Sounds like I am brooding, right? Yeah. As long as I don’t have a direct say in who leads my country, I will have a complaint.

So I thought to use this medium to suggest my pick if I had the opportunity to choose who should lead the PLP.

At the moment, there seem to be three prospective candidates vying to be the next leader who will effectively be the next premier of the country: Zane DeSilva, Curtis Dickinson and Jason Hayward.

I would prefer neither and choose not to elaborate on why. Rather, I will spend a little more time on who, as a fourth prospect, I believe would be better for the party and the country as a whole.

I throw Wayne Furbert in the mix. I know there will be those whose pushback would be, “he is a former leader of the UBP”. That should be to his credit because it demonstrates his seniority. Instead, though, it is used as a weapon against him.

Despite the taunts, Mr Furbert has held his seat continuously under both party platforms. He was not handed a seat, as in the case of others. He has been a Cabinet minister who has served without disgrace under both United Bermuda Party and PLP administrations. He holds more degrees for his post than does the Premier, who is the sitting finance minister.

More importantly, the PLP needs to change — and none of the proposed leaders would bring those needed changes. Unfortunately, with at least two, it would be a lot more of the same. Except for Mr Dickinson, who has a “snowball’s chance” of surviving the fire of the delegates to gain leadership. However, I think most Bermudians, including many within the PLP, would prefer him as the Minister of Finance over David Burt.

Here is where I believe the best possible ticket for the PLP would be: Wayne Furbert as leader and Mr Dickinson as Minister of Finance.

I also know that what I am proposing is not the present agenda, which is hellbent on maintaining the status quo.

If there is a thinking public who are rational, we need to consider that the options for a better Bermuda are few. It is a vain hope that the Opposition would win the next election or possibly the next two elections.

Do we need or can we afford a PLP 2.0 or even a PLP 1.5?

That is what Bermuda is looking at. The only hope is a reformed PLP, and only Mr Furbert, aligned with Mr Dickinson can bring that. No one else has the mindset to do anything different.

The PLP also needs to heal within and settle its past schisms. Here again, Mr Furbert is very well positioned, having been groomed by and worked closely with the first leader of the PLP, Arnold Francis.

Only Mr Furbert can close the gap caused by that friction created in 1965. If the present generation is to be built on the founding fathers’ dreams and vision, you have no choice but to work with someone who was known to them. How can you fulfil their principles when you have no knowledge of the persons and what they thought.