A new, united Bermuda
This is the text of the speech delivered by Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert at the United Bermuda Party conference last Thursday.“The times they are a-changin”<$>
I sense a profound change taking place in Bermuda. The last time I felt like this was in the 1960s.Young people throughout the world were in revolt. Women were asserting their identity. Oppressed minorities were demanding their rights. Colonised people were fighting for their independence.<$>
Bermuda benefited then from those changes — politically and economically. Dare I remind you that this great Party was officially founded on 21st August 1964 and embarked on a campaign of political enfranchisement and unprecedented economic development that put Bermuda clearly and unmistakably on the map as a leader among small developing countries.
We have done it before, and we can do it again. <$>I have every reason to believe that today’s changes will once again place Bermuda as a trend-setter on the world stage.
I have sensed this change in Bermuda for a few years now. I sensed it on the campaign trail in 1998 and again in 2003.
I am constantly reminded that as a result of the revolution in information technology, people are now more informed about what is taking place around them. And since information is power, they are also more powerful. They exercised that power in 1998 and the United Bermuda Party lost an election for the first time in its history. Again in 2003 the people exercised their power, this time more cautiously, and returned the PLP with a reduced majority.
At this moment in time the people are crying out for change. They want a “New Vision” under new leadership.
Vision is the key to unlocking the gates of what was and what is, to propel us into the land of what could be, and has not yet been.
Vision sets you free from the limitations of what the eyes can see and allows you to enter into the liberty of what the heart can feel.
Vision generates hope in the midst of despair and provides endurance in tribulation.
As the Good Book reminds us in Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish”.<$>
In other words where there is no revelation the people run wild, with no direction, and are confused.
It is at such times that inspired leadership is required. Leadership that has the skill to transform vision into reality, and has the courage to inspire us to leap from strength to strength. The state we find ourselves in demands leadership that can see beyond the now into a preferred future.
We have spoken to many people around Bermuda. They are concerned at what they see and hear. There appears to be greater polarization between:
[bul] Rich and Poor
[bul] Black and White
[bul] Young and Old
The question is being asked what is happening to our Island home. And as you know— “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. <$>
My fellow Bermudians, many of my colleagues and I could walk away from the situation. Like many other Bermudians we have options. I myself could find a well-paid job, as a Qualified Chartered Accountant. We could all turn our backs on public life and seek distractions elsewhere.
But we have recognized our destiny and our purpose, and accept this challenge because we have a great love and passion for Bermuda and its people. We are convinced that it is in the political arena that the problems can be solved.
OUR VISION<$>
It was in the depths of despair and concern for our people that a new vision for Bermuda began to reveal itself. In this vision—.
I can see a Bermuda that is free; a land of equal opportunity; a land of unity, peace and prosperity.
I can see a Bermuda that sets and achieves standards in all areas of human need.
I can see a Bermuda that pursues excellence in all human endeavours.
I can see a Bermuda in which every one has an equal chance to realize their potential and enjoy the fruits of their labour without fear.
I can see a new Bermuda in which a person is judged not by his/her outward appearance, but by the substance of their identity.
I can see Bermuda in ten years time as a highly developed, small island state in which poverty and ignorance have been banished; and race has become irrelevant. <$>
I can see Bermuda as a model for the rest of the world.
The more I spoke with my fellow Parliamentarians, the more I discussed it with members of the Party, the more I raised it with ordinary Bermudians of all walks of life and of all political persuasions, the more it seemed feasible.
My friends, a vision without a plan is a mere dream. We need to go beyond the dream, draw up a plan and take action.
Our plan is first to identify the pathways to this vision, indicate the stumbling blocks, explore how these stumbling blocks could be removed, then dislodge them and sweep them away once and for all.
The United Bermuda Party has a Plan to tackle the issues confronting us.
<$>(1) Employment<$>
For us the number one priority has always been and will always be employment.Successive United Bermuda Party Governments have ensured that the economy of Bermuda remained buoyant.
Tourism has in the past served us well as a foreign exchange earner, a mass employer and a good means of creating wealth. We must restore tourism as a major contributor to our economy. That is why we believe that politics must be taken out of tourism by creating a Tourism Authority to manage this great industry.
International Financial Services<$> are now our major income generator.However, the skills required in this sector are in short supply in Bermuda and have to be imported. We therefore have to ensure that our people are well trained for this sector, and realize their full potential in it. If not we run the risk of seeing Bermudians reduced to mere spectators to a booming economy without involvement and without sharing the reward.
The smart thing is to equip Bermudians to play more important roles in the new knowledge-based, growth industries.
(2) Education and Training<$>
It is self-evident that education and training are essential to the sustainable development of Bermuda. The more qualified you are the more you earn. The United Bermuda Party has a plan for education reform.
We shall ensure that Licensed Teachers are in every classroom and that teacher effectiveness is tested regularly.
The learning needs of our children will be identified and addressed as early as possible.
Achievement levels of all students will be tested regularly and compared with international standards.
The performance of individual schools will be measured and reported to the people of Bermuda.
Our children will be equipped to compete globally.
(3) Housing
Shelter is one of the most fundamental of human needs. Nearly every social challenge we face can be traced back to inadequate accommodation. The United Bermuda Party Government will embark on a programme to tackle this problem by building more affordable family units, and shelter for single persons.
We shall encourage the construction of multiple dwelling units in high-density areas and liberalize height restrictions for special housing initiatives.
We shall explore the use of new modular construction technology.
We will work with and encourage financial Institutions to introduce “Reverse Mortgages” <$>for our Seniors.
We will provide affordable homes for young people and first time homeowners, by using the concept off “Shared Equity”.
(4) Health Care
Good health is an important pathway to our vision. It is too vital to our well-being to be left exclusively to market forces. Responsible Governments should intervene to ensure that the young, the old and the disadvantaged have access to primary health care.
The recent Household Expenditure Survey found that the average cost of health care is $7,000 per year, with elderly people spending considerably more. Many of our senior citizens cannot afford health care.
The UBP Government will provide..
[bul] free basic health care
[bul] free prescription drugs and eye glasses for senior citizens who cannot afford them.
(5) Basic Necessities<$>
The high costs of housing, food, transport, utilities, health care, and household goods have led to 19 percent of the population being classified as poor, and another 11 percent classified as “near poor”. This level of poverty in Bermuda is unacceptable.<$>
I am very concerned about low income families such as single parent families and the elderly.
In moving towards a more caring Bermuda, the United Bermuda Party will investigate means of ensuring that Bermudians who truly need help receive assistance that at least covers the essentials of household expenditure.
(6) Targeting Disadvantaged Groups
If we are to move towards the Bermuda of our vision, we cannot leave it to chance for disadvantaged groups to get on board, and to be included.
A more caring United Bermuda Party will reach out to them to ensure that we go from equality of opportunity to better outcomes for all Bermudians. Hence the following groups will be targeted for special assistance:
[bul] Young Men and Women
[bul] Single Parents
[bul] Senior Citizens
I am particularly concerned about the plight of young people. There is growing evidence that some young Bermudians are losing faith and giving up hope. This is manifesting itself in the rise in anti-social behaviour.
We have to stem this tide before it washes away the many achievements we have enjoyed in Bermuda since the 1960’s. We shall consult with young people about their concerns, their fears, their aspirations and their dreams.
By the end of our first term in office we shall have formulated a National Youth Policy to ensure that the future of Bermuda remains in safe hands.
(7) A Sense Of Community
Another pathway I want to identify and address is the “sense of community”. What is most disturbing about the Bermuda that is emerging before our eyes is its selfishness and divisiveness.
Let me remind you that it is still true that it takes a community to raise a child. ALL Bermudians need to feel that they belong.
I want us to remember that we all make a contribution to the well being of this nation. I want us never to forget that in the final analysis we are our brother’s keeper.
(8) Bridging the Great Divide<$>
Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream that one day we will not be judged by the colour of our skins but by the contents of our character. His Dream was not only for the United States of America but the whole world. After 37 years that Dream lives on.
The most divisive factor in Bermudian life and Bermudian politics in particular relates to us pulling ourselves apart, either because of race or just because we have a different political view.
Racial discrimination emanating from slavery, colonialism and the worst features of capitalism, has driven our people apart. It has become the most dangerous and destructive force in our society today.
There can be neither peace, nor sustained prosperity in Bermuda until this issue has been fully addressed. We must break the chains of any remaining vestige of racial discrimination in Bermuda once and for all.
I beg and beseech you this day that we come together as One People. <$>
Let forgiveness overflow like a river, starting from this room tonight.
Let the peace of understanding be with you from henceforth and forever more.
Let the words of my mouth go forth from this auditorium, from Tuckers Town to Back of Town.
From Front Street to Court Street we must Build a Bermuda of One People of many races.
Dr. Myles Munroe said we could get trapped in the time warp of the past. We cannot drive into the future by looking in the rearview mirror.
Our former leader Grant Gibbons said that there is unfinished business between black and white Bermudians.
My generation has to finish that business, once and for all. We can no longer sweep it under the carpet. We cannot just pray and hope that our children or our children’s children will one day resolve it.
It may be that there needs to be greater public debate. It may be that there is need for a process of healing. It may be that we need a massive campaign of empowerment.
I believe that race in itself is of little significance. It is only when racial attributes bestow access to power and wealth that they take on real meaning.
It therefore follows that if we want to throw off the legacy of racism then we have to give all Bermudians the opportunity to acquire wealth, status and power.
The key words are opportunity to acquire wealth.<$>
Creating opportunity requires accountability and responsibility.
We must teach our people that in order to succeed we must prioritise, organise and plan.
We are convinced that the problem cannot be solved by one group standing across the river and shouting abuse at the other. Neither can it be solved by the other group turning a deaf ear to the cries of those in pain. Both groups must reach out to the other. Within the multi-racial UBP we have the capacity to do so.
Mahatma Gandhi said that we must be the change we wish to see in the world. So we have embarked on a programme of soul searching and consultation among ourselves and with the people of Bermuda to reach consensus on what has to be done to fully achieve reconciliation and equity.
We have laid before Parliament our Economic Empowerment Bill.
[bul] It sets aside 20 percent of Government’s spending on goods and services for small businesses (approximately $60 million).
[bul] It provides for the training of small business persons on how to bid for Government contracts.
We are moving in the right direction.
But I can assure you that under my watch no stone will be left unturned in pursuing the vision of a land of equal opportunity, a land of unity, peace and prosperity.
Assuming that we have the resources to make things happen in Bermuda, all that is therefore needed to move towards the realization of the vision, is the political will.
We need the mandate of the people to proceed. And this brings us to the heart of the issue.
We have asked ourselves: “What has the UBP got to do to win back the confidence, the trust and the support of the electorate?”<$>
This is a work in progress. But I believe that nothing short of a new political culture is necessary to free this country from the political, economic and social stalemate it finds itself in.
In contemporary Bermuda, appearance masquerades as substance. In the new Bermuda we want to go beyond appearance and deal with the substance. The substance of this new political culture includes beliefs, structures, processes and management styles.
With respect to beliefs, I repeat that our starting point is that the voter is more enlightened and more aware of his/her rights than ever before.
We therefore have to restructure our political systems to enable the voter to participate more fully in decision making.
We also have to make ourselves more accountable to the voter.
We must have Fixed Term Elections. Regular Referenda will have to be considered. Such as a Referendum on Independence, on gaming, and on any important issues that could have a profound effect on this country. We need to open up committee meetings, such as the Public Accounts Committee, to the public. We need to clearly separate the Legislature from the Executive. We must allow Backbenchers to speak openly against the Cabinet without fear of reprisals. We must put measures in the Constitution that protect Parliamentarians from themselves.
In other words we must ensure that the power is always in the hands of the voters. We cannot and must not leave it to the 12 disciples in Cabinet.<$>
The days of “father knows best” government are over. In the new Bermuda there will be little or no room for the arrogant, autocratic leader.
The style of leadership that is proving most effective in modern times is that of team leader, the coordinator of leaders in their own right, the first among equals, the one who listens.
This is what the visionary Gandhi foresaw as “leading from behind”. And it is what my colleagues and I are calling “the strong, humble, servant-leader”.
My friends, I am convinced that this new political culture is the essence of democracy and good governance. This new political culture is consistent with “good governance” defined in terms of:
[bul] Participation
[bul] Consensus building
[bul] Accountability
[bul] Transparency
[bul] Responsiveness
[bul] Effectiveness and efficiency
[bul] Equity and inclusion, and
[bul] Respect for the law.
This is the catalyst that will enable us to transform Bermuda. This is what will enable us to put Bermuda again on the map as a model for small island development.
In conclusion I want to thank the Parliamentary Caucus and the members of the UBP for electing me Leader of the Party at a crucial time in the history of this great political institution and our beloved country.
I thank you for the confidence you have shown in me as a leader. I am honoured to join the ranks of my illustrious predecessors.
I acknowledge the enormous contribution each and every one of them have made to the development of the Party and our country. I am humbled by the enormity of the task before us.
<$>But I gladly and confidently step on to the stage to face my destiny.
I do so ... knowing that I am not alone.
At the highest level ... I know that God is with me.
At the Cabinet level I know that my leadership style, my commitment to team work will give my colleagues the confidence and the authority to lead in their delegated areas, and so lighten my burden of leadership.
At the grassroots level I know that I have the support of the many Bermudians who have seen the light and have bought into the vision—..for an enlightened Bermuda.
My friends, and citizens of this great nation, the dawning of a new era is upon us.
Our beloved country deserves better.
We are ready to dedicate ourselves to the vision.
A new united Bermuda
