April 11, 2006

I READ in the April 7 Mid-Ocean News Alvin Williams' Commentary on the Council on Hemispheric Affairs position paper on Bermuda Independence. Mr. Williams finds irony in the fact that an American group, Americans having fought for Independence themselves, could denounce the current Government's efforts to drag Bermuda into Independence.

He even goes as far as to speculate or infer that COHA's opinions may have been swayed by way of pay off.

Scandalous!

I wonder how Mr. Williams would have written his Commentary had COHA ,in fact, wrote something more supportive of the Independence movement.

The thing about irony is that it is truly an amazing tool. It occurs in many areas of life. And even when someone is making an ironic point, someone can find irony with the points they are making.

For example, Mr. Williams almost accuses the COHA, a body that is independent, non-Bermudian- based and has absolutely nothing to gain by Bermuda becoming Independent or remaining with the constitutional status quo, of being biased.

I find it ironic that one could also argue that the Bermuda Independence Commission, a Bermudian, supposedly non-partisan group appointed by a Government which is pushing for Independence, ended up being partisan towards Independence.

Here's another example. Mr. Williams attempts to discredit the Bermudians For Referendum petition, which some 15,000 registered voters have signed in order to demand that a referendum be the vehicle which allows us to decide on the topic of Independence. For someone who is so pro-Independence and such an advocate of "people power", I find it ironic that Mr. Williams is against a referendum.

A referendum is, simply put, the most democratic and fair process to decide on any given subject. It in itself represents a bit of independence for the individual voter in that each voter has a voice and each voice counts.

He goes as far to say: "And the bottom line is that no matter how many signatures they collect, the organisers of Bermudians For Referendum are not the duly elected Government of this country."

I would like to respond with: "Mr. Williams, you are correct. The BFR are not the duly elected Government of this country. However, those 15,000 people, representing the majority of the registered voters, are the ones who put this Government into power, and we can certainly reverse that decision. The people have spoken, they want a referendum, and who are you, or even the Government, to stand in our way?"

I also find it ironic that he denounces COHA's views when they comment about the Premier's desire for "Independence by any means necessary". Mr. Williams argues that guns aren't being pointed at our heads and that the current sovereignty campaign is a war of minds.

However, in his very next paragraph he argues with COHA's findings, saying that it's not important what the 70-75 per cent of anti-Independence Bermudians think, that we need a "politicisation" period in which the pro-Independence forces forcibly inculcate their views on the majority. And the historical examples he brings up, America in the 18th century and Kenya in the 1950s, involved "politicisation" that resulted in serious amounts of bloodshed.

I would hope that the majority of Bermudians, if not all of them, are reached and properly educated on the pros and cons of Independence in a far less dramatic fashion. To enter the type of period Mr. Williams talks about would be to deny people their basic rights, the right to choose in an informed and educated way.

And finally, one last irony from Mr. Williams column.

He speaks with pride of a local, predominantly white all-girls school winning a debate for Independence against a team of Berkeley students arguing against it. What I find ironic is how quickly he changes his tune once people agree with him. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Mr. Williams the one who asked: "As a black Bermudian, what do I really have in common with my fellow white Bermudian which will allow us to live in harmony?"

I guess he found his answer; we live in harmony as long as we all agree with Mr. Williams.

SEAN SOARES, IMHO.bm