“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children."

These are the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident. He was later executed at the Flossenbürg concentration camp on April 9, 1945.

His words echo through time to us. What kind of world will we, in this society, leave to our children and grandchildren?

An island burdened by debt, an economy without economic growth and opportunity for Bermudians, a government we cannot afford?

It would appear from economy minister Jason Hayward’s statement in The Royal Gazette of September 2, 2022 that Bermuda’s government has had an epiphany on the topic of demographics, economics and population growth. This flip-flop would be downright laughable were it not so deadly serious.

Let us recall a few excerpts from my 2016-17 Budget Statement, delivered in February 2016:

“... The equation that we quoted a few years back says the same thing another way:

Change in GDP = Change in Productivity + Change in Population.”

This quote indicates we had, even at that time, already been publicly talking about the population issue for a few years. The Progressive Labour Party, then the Opposition, vocally and repeatedly endeavoured to deny this fundamental rule of economics. Clearly, many people believed them.

Continuing from my 2016-17 Budget Statement ...

“A stagnating population will likely result in a stagnating economy, assuming no major increases in productivity. In view of our failure to replicate ourselves at an appropriate rate, to get population growth, the only other avenue is net immigration: ie, net of people coming into Bermuda to live and those leaving to live abroad.

Bermuda’s immigration doctrine dates back, at the very least, to 1959 when baby boomers were, well, booming. We needed to keep people out of Bermuda to protect the potential opportunities for our burgeoning population. Fast-forward to today, the demographics have reversed but the doctrine hasn’t.

Today, we need to encourage people to come here to live to grow the population, to grow consumer spending, to grow earnings of foreign capital, to grow the tax base, to live in our vacant houses — and thereby grow opportunities for Bermudians.

From an age perspective, we need more young, well-educated people in our island to not only help grow the economy, but to rebalance the existing imbalance between retired seniors who are significant users of the healthcare system and the younger working population who are supplying the funds — through their healthcare premiums, taxes and pension contributions — to pay for the care of our seniors.

Making the reversal of the long-established immigration doctrine will be difficult, just as is breaking a long-held habit. But doctrines, laws and policies, like the iOS on your iPhone, have to be updated or else they will no longer serve the purpose of today’s users. We need to update our immigration policy to better serve today’s and tomorrow’s Bermudians.”

The PLP said the One Bermuda Alliance was talking nonsense and was trying to hoodwink the public. Many people believed them. So much so, they blockaded Parliament to stop legislation that would have partially addressed the problem.

Six-and-a-half years have passed and the situation has significantly deteriorated. The emigration of Bermudians has accelerated markedly, while the ranks of the over-65s have grown inexorably larger. This government now, at least, recognises the problem. But still, the minister doesn’t seem to really get it. He is emphasising the repatriation of emigrated Bermudians — people who have already made a decision to leave, and have already uprooted themselves. They are not going to be persuaded to return unless there is clear evidence things are on the upswing again. Instead, he should be looking at enabling those who already want to come and live here, but to do so with less red tape. Bermuda is being strangled by government red tape.

More robust growth from a realistic immigration policy would positively impact government revenues, better enabling future debt management. The minister must decide to do the right thing, instead of what is politically expedient.

If he chooses expedience, he and his government will be haunted by Herr Bonhoeffer’s words:

“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children."

• Bob Richards was a Member of Parliament from 2007 to 2019 and Minister of Finance in the One Bermuda Alliance government from 2012 to 2017