Lost opportunityNovember 9, 2011Dear Sir,Please allow me to respond to the comments made in an interview published on November 9 headlined ‘What a shame, that in 2011 we don’t have truly freedom of speech, in Parliament’ in The Royal Gazette. Inside this article, the One Bermuda Alliance’s leader Craig Cannonier stated that he didn’t want to join the Progressive Labour Party or the United Bermuda Party because they were steeped into racial divide, yet Mr Editor, he accepted the perpetrators of the racial divide former UBP to join him at the table for the newly but short lived Bermuda Democratic Alliance (BDA), now OBA.Someone explain this to me please, because I don’t get it. The PLP was formed to fight the injustice of the powers that be of that day. The powers of that day formed a party called the UBP to better combat the more organised PLP. Mr Cannonier, knowing my history of Bermuda’s party politics and policies, this tells and shows me more about you and your decisions as an individual first, and subsequently as the Leader of the One Bermuda Alliance (OBA). These are among the first steps you have taken as the new face of the Opposition. I’m asking Mr and Mrs Joe and Mary Public to have a look see.How can anyone truly believe what he has to say about moving Bermuda forward, seriously! For a man to advocate loudly and strongly during a televised debate that, and I paraphrase ‘I had a great public education’ and, when challenged by fellow guest Mr Anthony Richardson of the distinguish PLP and I quote ‘you sure’ to which Mr Cannonier replied “yes”. Then he, Mr Cannonier, then proceeded to challenge the distinguished member’s lack of preparedness for the debate, when in fact the truth is that Mr. Cannonier spent a lot of his (secondary) educational years at Bermuda Institute, which is a private school. His memory suddenly returning later when a caller refuted his claim, only then that he clarified and spoke the truth. Was that a slip of the tongue, a slip in memory, or a lie? Tell me, if any person who enters the political arena that presents his or her resume to the public that can’t remember what schools they attended where private or public. It speaks volumes on its own basics. The first instance anywhere in the world I ever have heard of. Especially a would be leader. Was he telling the truth, the public will decide that!Mr Cannonier also speaks to the reference of the Party Whip. In essence he’s speaking about MP’s in the Honourable House not having the opportunity to speak out if they disagree with a piece of legislation that is being brought forward for debate. Mr Cannonier, if you want to impress me then get rid of your party whip and see if that would make a difference then again it never will as the Opposition. The problem with your point of view is that you can express it as an Opposition frequently but not as the ruling Government. And furthermore why speak out against it then turn around and vote for it if you become Government, same old same old to me. On another note not in his article, the OBA’s Mr Cannonier, who seems to believe to his political core a strong position of wanting to see change!Is it change that he believes in or the change he wants to sell us? I doubt it’s the former, particularly what was observed during the day of the by-election at The Gardens in Paget. There, clearly white people passing by, not even accepting a hand shake or acknowledgment of the PLP’s candidate Mr Anthony Richardson standing there to greet them was shameful to see to say the least. One only has to imagine what he had to endure when he canvassed the constituency. Mr Cannonier this is where I’m disappointed in you the most. You state over and over that you want things to change, an agent for change but here you had an awesome opportunity to show leadership but you didn’t, and that is most unfortunate.There are moments in history that define it. Opportunity to do so comes too slow (and that’s probably why it explains something about him that I would get back to later) in life we have to define it and don’t let it to continue to define us. There were moments to where he, Mr Cannonier could have stood near enough to Mr Richardson to see, listen and observe for himself (which would have been an education to some degree about racism that still exists) and most importantly take it upon himself to introduce those voters to Mr Richardson. Clearly he stood and observed from afar which only compounds one of the problems of the day that he doesn’t want to address within the country let alone his party that he now leads. Change some times is a powerful word when it is genuine. If you talk the talk Mr. Cannonier, then you must be prepared to walk the walk. Anything less is just a political fantasy.Mr Cannonier is a successful businessman so he isn’t stupid. But anyone who reads his interview would suggest that he was unprepared or not knowledgeable about how the House operates in the Westminister system. In my opinion from reading and hearing Mr Cannonier throughout his short political career and his statements is that he is racially and politically naive.BROWNLOW ADDERLEYSouthampton