August 4, 2012Dear Sir,It is no longer enough to expect the Government to honour their platform promises and it is often regarded as scrutiny to suggest, “the MPs voted in by the people aren’t serving the people”; we must be quiet and accept that they are in “power”, not civil servants, voted to serve. It no longer carries any weight when we call for more stringent laws to be passed when murders are at a record high in our entire history. When crime and violence occur, we must call for change only to have our churches and charities address these aforementioned crisis without government intervention. The very labour party whose founding members fought for progress are standing still and mute as we watch everything once built deteriorate by violence and murder; they must be congratulated at every turn, praised effusively for merely trying.We live in a time of 21st Century ‘Animal Farm’ and it’s getting exhausting to be told parents must raise their children correctly and take responsibility and then when citizens break Government laws, solutions and penalties are rarely if ever discussed? Who do we call to account for enforcing the law, for progress? Strangely, Madam Premier, Paula Cox told the press recently (re: Allegations of Corruption of BHC) “why are people suggesting corruption? Because it's a black Government?” When I heard the words “black Government” I smiled. I smiled because I am black and I am male and I am Bermudian and nearly all of the murders recorded over the last four years have been black, male, Bermudians. I smiled because I found it ironic that as Madam Premier called the country’s elected officials a “black Government” that as a country, and as young Bermudians losing our classmates, family and friends a “black Government” has talked more about every and anything other than crimes committed by black Bermudians killing black Bermudians.I thought of Orwell’s lesson in ‘Animal Farm’ when I heard Madam Premier acknowledge a “black Government” which the Madam leads. I thought of Orwell’s suggestion, or dare I say, warning, of how often, given responsibility to serve, those trusted can manipulate the citizens for their own benefit and end up being as bad, if not worse than the real or imaginary evils from which they are protecting their supporters. Sure, I agree parents must raise their children to know killing is wrong but what I cannot accept is that a “black Government” or any Government will speak about economic stability and potential growth so fervently and not speak as often, as passionately about people who look like me? Have we lost sight that Bermuda’s next generation invested correctly and valued correctly and protected correctly, could have enormous returns? Sir John Swan was a young man once, so too were the late MPs Eugene Cox, Julian Hall and L Fredrick Wade. Imagine if they were murdered what would the Government do then? So why don’t they do it now?COLE SIMMONSLondon, UK