Not for the sake of it

May 9, 2003

Dear Sir,

When the PLP came to power, everybody realised it was inevitable that certain things would change. But I don't think anybody realised that the PLP would spend their time changing everything, just for the sake of doing it. This year was the 66th Agricultural Exhibition in Bermuda. If you didn't go, let me tell you that it is completely changed. Nothing is the same. For 65 years in history, the Governor came and opened it.

He brought some dignity to the occasion, and he did his best to go around and talk to people while he was there, to let them know their work was appreciated. For 65 years, he made people feel good about being there. It made the Exhibition like a family affair. People worked hard to put on a good show for the Governor.

This year, he was asked not to open it because our Premier, Jennifer Smith, wanted to do it. What a disaster! That deprived the Governor of his right, and it deprived the show of the family feeling. Premier Jennifer obviously couldn't care less about the people who do the work. She didn't bother to go round, and it seemed she didn't really want to talk to people. The box for dignitaries holds a lot of people, and normally, it's full.

This year, there was the Premier, Neletha Butterfield, Terry Lister, Col. Burch, Dr. Brown (he came late), the chairman of the Parks Committee and one or two board members - maybe ten people. I was the only white boy there. In fact, next year, they should get CURE down there, because the whole thing was black - all the white people seem to have gone, except for the Portuguese people who come in afterwards and do the heavy cleaning up.

In years gone by, there were 15,000 to 20,000 people who used to go to the Exhibition. This year, I doubt if there were 5,000. I bet they lost money, and it would be the first time in 65 years. I spent some time down at the Bermuda Kitchen in the Folklife Exhibition, where Joe Gibbons and Dolly Pitcher were cooking, with Fernanda Pacheco and Shirley White. They did a fantastic job. I really had good food and a good time with them. They work hard and do a wonderful job.

But the rest of it, Mr Editor, was a mess. Even the programme that used to give all the names of the people who entered has gone. The new one is very colourful, but it's not like the old one. If you ask me, the PLP has made a complete mess of this event, that once used to be such a fantastic part of our heritage.

CHARLES SPANSWICK

City of Hamilton

Placing the Governor

May 2, 2003

Dear Sir,

May I congratulate you on your Newspapers in Education publication dealing with the government of Bermuda and which was distributed with The Royal Gazette, May 1, 2003. It is a very comprehensive article which should be of interest to the majority of Bermudians, both young and old.

However, I noticed that the Governor is shown at the top of the charts on Pages 2 and 20, whereas his picture is below that of the Premier on the cover (Page 1). If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the front page of your publication speaks volumes.

S.R. KENDELL

Smith's Parish

Daily traffic woes

May 4, 2003

Dear Sir,

One morning, 8.45 a.m., the driver of a white car entering the city from the Harbour Road, apparently was not aware of the rules of the roundabout and the public bus. Seeing that this vehicle was not stopping I had to slam on bakes to avoid a collision and if looks could kill I would have been dead. I could envision a `road-rage scenario happening and exactly how they could occur. On continuing to Front Street I encountered a gentleman, less than two car lengths away, who just walked across the street and did not even look to the right at my approaching bus.

I have encountered, at least four times every day, cars entering the mainstream of traffic come right out stopping only when their bonnets are halfway in the road causing buses to swerve or slam on brakes. Another incident around 2 p.m. in the afternoon involved a car, carrying two mature females in front of the proposed bus stop at the Ferry Terminal. The traffic was creeping along, one woman pointed out to the driver the new store on the right hand side and she just glanced to look when, this bike carrying two people came right out of the stop sign in front of them causing her to slam on brakes and me too, just about causing a collision.

Driving is stressful enough all over this island and the area proposed for this bus stop is particularly busy during the tourist season. I feel that this bus stop shows a lack of respect for the workers and I'm sure that all persons travelling often in this area by foot or vehicle will agree that this area is too congested to add more obstructions and would be dangerous. I am encouraging all of the public to uphold the bus operators in your daily prayers.

MS K.A. LANDY

Devonshire

Congratulations

April 25, 2003

Dear Sir,

In defense of Toronto I make the following points: Microbiologists say that WHO had no scientific evidence on which to base its decision. The US Centers for Disease Control has twice stated that the WHO ban on travel to Toronto is unnecessary. The WHO did not give Canada Health the required 24 hour notice before the ban was announced. This would have allowed Health Canada to give them up-to-date information as SARS.

Instead, WHO based their decision on outdated information - for instance, the so-called transmission of SARS to Australia, proved to be something benign. The number of cases in Toronto has dropped and there have been no new cases in the last few days. Bermuda is quite correct in screening incoming air passengers - this is good. I also congratulate Bermuda for allowing itself to adopt a reasonable approach, and for not running with the herd.

MARY AGNEW

King City, Toronto

What of Bermudianisation

May 11, 2003

Dear Sir,

It is categorically clear to me that there are a number of valuable lessons that may be learned from the unfortunate situation which arose at Westgate a few weeks ago: 1. It is far better to win the hearts and minds of people to new ideas and approaches than to arrogantly or autocratically attempt to force your thought patterns upon them, particularly if you are dependent upon these same individuals to implement your ideas.

2. The importance of government putting into place as soon as possible feasible succession plans for various departments which will ensure the smooth transition of properly trained Bermudians to fill posts currently held by foreign workers. This occurred with respect to our present commissioner of police Jonathan Smith. The handing over from Mr. LeMay to Mr. Smith was virtually seamless.

If this can be done with the police service there is absolutely no reason why it cannot be done at such places as the prisons and customs. I wonder if any preparations are now being made to replace Mr. Prescod or the new deputy Commissioner of Customs with Bermudians once their three-year contracts are up?

3. That there is no real substitute for Bermudianisation. One of the major issues that were identified with respect to the dispute was the problem of communication. In fact government taken have taken the step to provide Mr. Prescod with localisation training - something that would not have been needed if a Bermudian had been identified and properly prepared to fill the post at Westgate prior to Mr. Dyer's departure. Indeed it is a shame to see the likes of individuals such as Dr. Eva Hodgson, Dr. Muriel Wade-Smith and Dr. Rodney Smith under-utilised in their own country while foreigners are provided with the opportunities that their Bermudian predecessors fought so hard for.

In fact how can government attempt to stress the importance of Bermudianisation to the private sector when they fail to practice it themselves! Hopefully many valuable lessons will be learned from this situation and such occurrences can be avoided in the future. But as is often said `all things in time!'

OBSERVER

Smith's Parish

Tidy up this gateway

May 9, 2003

Dear Sir,

The carpet at Number One Shed, where tourists from the cruise ship embark and disembark, is in a disgraceful state. It has been there for years, and by now it is covered in stains and it stinks. The tourists do not get a good impression of Bermuda from that area at all. The Corporation tell me that they realise they have to replace it.

They say a new one is on the way. I can't say much for their planning if they knew when the cruise ship season started, and they couldn't get new carpet here on time. But I think it would be a better idea to replace it with tile, in any case, because it lasts longer and is much easier and cheaper to clean. It must cost a fortune to have people trying to get that carpet clean, and after a while, there's just nothing you can do. The Corporation say that since the floor is made of wood, they can't put tile down. But that's not true. I took my own tile expert down there to take a look.

His name is Dexter Basden, and he says that as long as you reinforce the wooden floor, it could take tile with no problem. So that is my suggestion to the Corporation. Clean your act up down at Number One Shed and help us build our tourism up again.

CHARLES SPANSWICK

City of Hamilton

A lesson in government

May 1, 2003

Dear Sir,

So often we are on the receiving end of complaints and fault finding. I just wanted to commend your newspaper and staff for putting together a comprehensive look at the make-up of our Government and our Constitution, (May 1, 2003).

It was clearly written so that the average person could understand the make-up of our overall Government. I'm sure Civics, Social Studies Teachers and individuals of that ilk are indeed grateful for this insert. As it can promote a greater grasp of the mechanics of our Government.

LIBRARIAN

Devonshire

A clarification

April 30, 2003

Dear Sir,

We would like to thank Mr. & Mrs. Tony DoCouto for their kind remarks in their letter published in The Royal Gazette dated April 29, 2003, Letters to the Editor section. I would like to make it known to the general public that the Public Transportation Board do not normally give refunds for lost passes. However, Mrs. DoCouto explained her situation and was able to produce the serial numbers. Based upon this, the Public Transportation Board replaced the lost passes.

STEPHEN OUTERBRIDGE