Recently, I wrote about race, privilege and responsibility. These are topics that are never easy, rarely comfortable and never simple. I knew the piece would spark a reaction, and it did. Some people thanked me for saying what needed to be said. Others disagreed strongly. A few were upset.

That’s okay, because if Bermuda is going to fix the problems that are hurting us, then we must be willing to talk openly, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it challenges what we have always believed.

This conversation cannot end with one opinion piece.

It must continue until we can start to heal as a community.

We are losing people on our roads at a rate that should warrant a national emergency.

We are losing others to gang violence, retaliation and violent crime. Families are being torn apart by drug addiction and alcohol abuse.

People are self-medicating to numb pain and growing frustration.

Some are selling drugs because they feel suppressed by an economy that leaves them behind.

Residents are leaving the island in droves because they can’t wait for change to happen.

If we want things to be different, first we must admit that these problems exist. While some may call this doom and gloom, we cannot afford to continue to keep the reality hidden while we see the results impacting our island. When we avoid difficult conversations, these issues don’t go away, they get worse.

The first op-ed wasn’t written to blame or divide. It was written to open eyes and open doors to a new kind of national conversation. Time to have a conversation grounded in honesty, fairness and empathy.

If we can’t talk openly about race, networks, opportunity and accountability, then how can we possibly talk about:

• Why many young men feel they have no future

• Why drugs feel like the only income that can cover the cost of living

• Why anger turns to violence

• Why hopelessness leads to self-destruction

Every problem in our country is connected.

And every solution starts with truth.

As we enter 2026, our island needs hope.

This is the time of year when we naturally think about kindness, family, forgiveness and second chances. This also needs to be a time where we face reality and choose hope on purpose.

Hope is not pretending everything is fine.

Hope is saying: “Things can get better if we do the work.”

Bermuda can heal, but we need leadership that is brave enough to name our challenges and compassionate enough to walk with people through them.

If we are serious about healing, then we must do the following:

1, Build real community connections

Relationships. Mentorships. Safe spaces for young people. More cross-cultural interaction.

2, Strengthen support systems

Addiction services, mental health support, counselling and early intervention must be expanded and fully funded.

3, Create economic pathways

Not only academic routes, but trades, apprenticeships and real job pipelines so young people see legal income as achievable.

4, Restore expectations

Responsibility, respect and hard work must be taught and modelled. We have to hold our people accountable because we are competing with the world and cannot accept excuses.

5, Open doors, not just for one group, but for all

Networks must be shared. Opportunities must be fair. Privilege must be used to uplift, not exclude.

Some of these solutions will be political issues, but they’re also human issues.

We all need to be human before party and choose our community before politics.

Some will try to reduce this conversation to “OBA versus PLP”. But this moment is bigger than party lines. Bermuda does not need more slogans or more blame.

Bermuda needs courage, honesty and solutions.

I want the OBA to stand for:

Truth. Responsibility. Compassion. Opportunity. Unity. Accountability.

We cannot recover as a country until we heal as a community. We cannot heal if we only talk to the people who already agree with us.

As we move deeper into 2026, my message is simple:

Let’s talk.

Let’s listen.

Let’s be honest.

• Ben Smith is the Shadow Minister of Education and the One Bermuda Alliance MP for Smith’s South (Constituency 8)