This is a New Year message from the Bermuda Democratic Alliance:

A t midnight on December 31 2009, we called to a close the year 2009 and welcomed not only a New Year, but a new decade with the start of 2010. The Bermuda Democratic Alliance believes that the New Year brings many new opportunities for improving our Island home and that the Alliance offers Bermuda hope for the future. The Alliance seeks to offer Bermuda a different kind of politics, away from the politics of the past back to basics. We call it a Better Way.

Although the end of 2009 was a dark time for Bermuda with the escalation in gang-related violence, we believe that after darkness comes light a new beginning. We believe that by following our crime platform, Bermuda will make real, tangible steps toward curbing crime in Bermuda. As we have outlined, it is important to foster a good working relationship with Government House to ensure efficient policing.

It is also important to give the Bermuda Police Service the monetary resources to invest in the use of technologies which will provide for the electronic monitoring of high risk offenders, videotaping of Police interviews, increased CCTV monitoring and allow for road side breathalyser testing, among other initiatives.

In addition, we need to introduce legislation for the establishment and maintenance of community crime watches and review drunk driving legislation. With these initiatives and with the support of the community we can defeat the criminal element that threatens our very existence as a safe place for all.

The founders of the Alliance represented the first building block, the first brick in the foundation of a Better Way for Bermuda. The Alliance is about you. It represents an opportunity for you to lead and not be led. It is a chance for you to give input into how our country should be run without enduring the legacies and constraints of the other two existing political parties. The Alliance will be the catalyst for change, by challenging the status quo and bringing something fresh and dynamic to the political arena.

We welcome and encourage those who want to see real change in Bermuda to get involved with the Alliance's exciting and positive group of dynamic people who want to bring a Better Way to Bermuda. If you are looking for a way that will reject the negative use of race or class as a means to political success, a way that will reject all forms of corruption in political and public life, a way that will be the leader in responsible and open government and a way that will make Bermuda relevant for all Bermudians get involved now and help shape Bermuda's future.

By using our differences to bring us together whether they are racial, economical, religious or any other, we truly can make Bermuda that place where everyone can live in harmony. Rather than sit on the sidelines and be armchair politicos, now is the time for you to make that difference. As one of our members said, the Bermuda Democratic Alliance "is not your daddy's party".

The New Year brings with it excitement for the future. We share that excitement and are working feverishly to develop further platforms to deal with Bermuda's pressing issues. The people of Bermuda can look forward to hearing the enthusiasm and excitement from the membership of the Alliance as we unveil platforms on education, the economy and healthcare in the early part of 2010. Other platforms will follow, especially as we get ready for the Bermuda Democratic Alliance's first ever party conference in February. At the conference, Alliance members will elect the party leader and other roles and be a part of history. By joining, you can have a say in the formation of the Alliance platform which is formulated on our vision, core values and leadership principles.

There is so much work to be done in this New Year, but the Alliance is fueled with the enthusiasm and excitement of change. Let this new decade represent a new beginning for a new Bermuda.

The Bermuda Democratic Alliance wishes you a safe, happy and prosperous New Year.