At a recent public meeting, a person stated that they travelled to 500 Caribbean Islands and each of the islands had persons from other islands sleeping in the streets creating crime. Additionally, the respective governments could not deport these persons.

All of the above with not one shred of evidence to back his claim. What was not surprising were the claps from the audience.

If the Caribbean was such a bad place, I am not sure why major Bermudian businesses such as BermudAir, Butterfield Bank, Colonial (CG) and Conyers would invest so much money into regions like this. Would they not be better off investing in places like Europe? After all, there is seemingly no poverty or crime there, correct?

I mean if it is really that bad in those 500 islands why is tourism so high? Why would there be so much real estate development going on? Why would BermudAir be ordering more jets to fly to the Caribbean?

Regression not progression

However, let us cut to the chase.

It is one thing if persons are simply seeking more answers for their own knowledge or just outright against Caricom. That is their choice.

However, it is something completely different when persons in a public meeting are blatantly making up lies in order to denigrate an entire culture. The very same culture from which a large proportion of Bermudians of all complexions have their origins.

Another statement was along the lines of “We are under a very serious threat.” and “We are different from them”. I could be mistaken in thinking that the words diversity and inclusion were more than buzzwords.

I truly think we are in some time machine back to the 1950s to 1960s when one sector of Bermuda used to openly verbally say all manner of negativity about persons of colour or with Caribbean heritage.

This time next week, we will be celebrating Emancipation Day and Mary Prince Day. If, in the year 2026, persons can boldly sit in a public meeting and proudly say all sorts of discriminatory things about one sector of Bermuda, then we as a society, truly have not moved far from 1834.

• Christopher Famous is the Progressive Labour Party MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11)