March 8, 2012

Dear Sir,

In today's paper (March 7) Sir John Swan claims there is a sense of entitlement held by Bermudians. But he left out two very important groups who feel that they have a right to certain entitlements because some of our foreign employers and foreign employees feel they have these very same entitlements that he says the Bermudians don't have any rights to.

He states that Bermudians don't have the right to a job, their bills paid or food put on their tables. Well Sir John, why does it seem that the foreign worker has these same rights that the Bermudians don't have? In most cases that foreign worker has filled out one job application and they are given a plane ticket, job and a place to live and in a very short time frame I might add, whereas a Bermudian goes up and down the Island filling out job application after application in vain. And these locals have better qualifications and experience in a lot of the cases than the foreigner.

Then Sir John goes on to state what protection we have under our Constitution from inhumane treatment and forced labour. Well Sir John I have news for you. It is inhumane for a Bermudian to be homeless or working a good job but unable to find an affordable place to live in his or her own Country. It is slavery when you have to work two and three jobs and still can't make ends meet. Whilst the foreign workers work one job and live comfortably.

Sir John is the same man who thinks that we need to move Hamilton further to the north and build ten-storey high-rise condo complexes for even more foreign workers whilst Bermudians remain homeless. If that doesn't sound like Tucker's Town all over again I don't know what does. Who lives in North Hamilton or the back of town, as it is called mainly black Bermudians? Why doesn't Sir John build those ten-storey monstrosities right next to his house in Paget where there is plenty of open space with those panoramic views of the south shore. No he wants to make the back of town area more overcrowded and congested than it all ready is. Wake up Bermuda Sir John doesn't care about Bermuda or Bermudians. Dear Sir John you bring nothing into this world and shall surely take nothing out when you go. So why don't you do something for Bermuda just this once.

LESLIE JAMES SMITH

Sandys