About 20 years ago; wait, was it 30 years ago?

Losing track of time.

About 30 years ago, an elder by the name of Manders Ingham took me under his wing to teach me about motor mechanics.

I guess that was the bait.

What he really ended up teaching me was about the rudiments of business ownership, customer service and Bermudian history.

Of all the lessons passed on, he reiterated on a daily basis: "Always say we and not me."

His rationale was that whatever "we" do must be done as a collective effort rather than as individuals.

"We can do more than me".

During the course of the past few years, we have spoken to thousands of Bermudians via canvassing or phone calls. What we have found is that 90 per cent of concerns, desires and suggestions are basically the same.

Where Bermudians differ has generally been which party they supported.

Much of this support has been based on family, history and ethnicity versus any given political ideology.

Fast-forward to 2020, what we are witnessing on the phone and on the doorsteps is a shift that has not been really seen before. Maybe not an earth-shattering shift, but a marked shift.

Many who have voted one way all their lives have been re-examining the benchmarks of what constitutes community service, compassion and genuine concern for the people of Bermuda.

Simple, yet all-encompassing values of who we are as a people.

As a country, we have a host of issues to contend with: increased unemployment, an almost non-existent hotel industry, a need to improve race relations.

In all things that we do, let us remember this one singular lesson from Manders Ingham:

"We can do more than Me".

Caribbean elections

For decades there has been a false narrative that elections in the Caribbean region were fraught with corruption, tainted votes and invalid outcomes.

So persistent was this narrative, that many of Caribbean elections have had to have observers from Britain, the European Union and or some other outside entity.

Yet, through it all, our election results have always proved to be fair and accurate.

So, while the world is focused on the events of the presidential election in the United States of America, there have been several General Elections in the Caribbean region over the past few months.

There have been elections in the following countries: Guyana, Suriname, Dominican Republic, Anguilla, St Kitts & Nevis, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Sint Eustatius and our very own General Election on October 1. Not one of these campaigns has been marred by violence or threats of violence.

By comparison, at the time of writing, there are storefronts being boarded up with plywood in the major metropolitan cities of Washington and New York.

Is this because a hurricane is expected? No, something more insidious than an act of nature.

There is an expectation of mass protests and/or violence if the election results show that Donald Trump has lost the election.

Yes, in the great land of America, there are factions who promised to take up arms if the result goes against their desires.

Whether it be armed militias, rural homeowners or lawyers demanding recounts and contesting mail-in ballots, there is a concerted effort to thwart the will of more than 70 million persons wanting to see the end of the presidency of Donald J. Trump.

Simply put, they do not accept democracy; they want anarchy.

In comparison, in every General Election carried out in the Caribbean region, the results have been accepted on the same night, minus mass civil unrest and/or drawn-out court cases.

So in conclusion, let’s ask ourselves this one singular question: who has the most civil elections?

Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com