The following is a letter to Walton Brown, the Opposition MP at the forefront of the campaign of “civil disobedience” against the Bermuda Government that is expected to play its next hand on the grounds of the House of Parliament this lunchtime.

Dear Walton,

I’m writing you this “Open Letter” regarding your evoking Martin Luther King Jr in a recent ZBM TV interview, explaining your inspiration for promoting civil disobedience as a response to proposed immigration changes. Offering Dr King’s example provides a useful beacon by which we might all be guided as our community navigates these challenging waters.

We both share with so many a passion for the welfare of our island home. I write to offer suggestions that you may or may not find useful.

Like many, I have closely studied the life of MLK. When Dr King was thrust into the leadership of that movement, he relied on his research of Gandhi, who reminded all of us to be the change.

It was that mindset that guided that small minority to galvanise an inclusive movement that eventually transformed the most powerful country in the world — in the face of shameless terrorism. A guiding principle of the American Civil Rights Movement was to foster the empowerment of all involved, nurturing a sense of self and avoiding the temptation to promote polarisation — “Us versus Them”. Even in the face of house bombings, with a commitment to principle, eventually they leveraged their power, fostering transformation.

I don’t think Dr King would have organised that traffic blockade on Tuesday morning, especially without a “heads up” to commuters — because of its polarising implications. That said, the spokesman for the group did capture something of the “tone” that reflected MLK’s spirit.

You may know that in 1979, I organised the petition against the right to vote for all Commonwealth residents who had lived in Bermuda for three years.

As a result, at the Constitutional Conference that occurred that year, the “door was closed” for any further additions to the parliamentary register on those grounds.

That success was based on a number of factors, especially the reality that the previous policy ran afoul of international human rights standards.

Dr King inspired a paradigm shift away from “fighting the old”, to inspiring people to dream, thus “fostering future possibilities” — encouraging a change of focus from “what we are against” to “what we are for”.

At the immigration protest held on February 25, I heard a speaker evoke May 1981 and he started the chant “Close the island down”. You may be aware that I was intimately involved in that general strike that closed Bermuda in 1981. That was a long time ago, but I clearly recall that, while that “battle” was won, for me there were too many losers through the unintended consequences of the long-term closures of hotels and other businesses.

As the protest group gathers today on Parliament Hill, an alternate chant could be “Open the island up”.

For those of us who can embrace Gandhi’s “be the change”, the chant could be an affirmation for us to open both our hearts and our minds as we survey our Bermuda and our world at a crossroads.

This chant could also be a call for all stakeholders — Government, Opposition, business, unions and NGOs — to truly collaborate and foster a dream that makes all opportunities accessible and empowers each Bermuda resident to be the change, maximising our collective potential.

GLENN FUBLER