We need PATI

November 17, 2009

Dear Sir,

How can anyone say this Government is not transparent? They are so transparent that you can see right through them. Take this PATI draft for instance … in my opinion, it is obvious they do not want you to know what has gone on during their reign so they make this draft after the fact hoping the "intelligent" people will not jump up and down too much. But they are wrong.

If we live in a democratic society as it is always spouted, then we the people have the right to know all and everything about our Governments, going back to when political parties started in Bermuda. The current Government has so many question marks hanging over its head that it is frightening and we need to know the truth. But, like Jack Nicholson said in the movie when asked for the truth … he replied: "You can't handle the truth!" And maybe if we really knew the truth of some of the dealings that has gone on with this Government, we couldn't handle it either – but we as citizens of Bermuda do have the right to know, regardless if we can handle it or not.

In just a few years, Bermuda has suffered greatly because of the violence, the murders, the robberies and muggings and drugs and no one is safe anymore. Bermuda has become a bang bang, shoot em up, cut em up, smoke it up and snort it up, island. We have lost credibility – plus, we have a bunch of people in high places who need to be removed as they are bringing Bermuda to its knees. Bermuda is becoming a lawless island with no regard for human life,

What use is this PATI legislation if we cannot research past Governments' past actions? What is this Government afraid of? Could it be there are things they don't want the public to know about, consequently they want it to be from the day the bill is passed? This reminds me of the drug testing fiasco they had some time back and as far as I remember the only PLP Minister who volunteered to be drug tested was Dale Butler! Were the other PLP Cabinet Ministers afraid to be drug tested? We must be real here because we all know that you lead by example, and so far, the example has been pretty poor. Bermuda needs this PATI bill to be retroactive and nothing less – and if it doesn't go through as such, every man, woman, teenager and others should march the streets of Hamilton protesting as this is not the democratic way of doing things. We are coming closer and closer to a dictatorial lifestyle and if Bermuda sinks, it is because we let it sink and the sad thing is the majority of us all sink with it because we stood by and did nothing.

PAT FERGUSON

Warwick

How not to fix it

November 2, 2009

Dear Sir,

The UBP will sort itself out provided they are left alone. PLPers have taken it upon themselves to be offering unsolicited and unwanted advice. They were the ones who said the UBP should have a black leader and, unfortunately, some people are running with that. UBPers are not hung up on colour to that extent. Like the education system, people are always "beating up" on the UBP), but no one has said exactly what is the problem and how to fix it.

KEEN OBSERVER

Devonshire

A job well done

November 19, 2009

Dear Sir,

I was once an outsider looking in, listening to all of the negativity that the public was saying about CedarBridge Academy. I used to hear negative things all of the time "CedarBridge is this, CedarBridge is that... boys walking around with their pants hanging down their behinds- girls with lip gloss and eye shadow, their skirts are so short, blah, blah, blah."

After all of the negative hearsay, I refused to send my son through the public system. I talked to his father and expressed my view with him, my strong opposition to sending our son to any government school after Gilbert Institute. After a while, I said to myself, "You have to go and see what can be done to help get the public system up to par. You have to go and witness what everyone is talking about. Go there, and see for yourself so at least you will know firsthand and will be able to form your own opinion."

Thereafter, I e-mailed the Premier, writing that I have some ideas that I believe can help the public school system improve and progress. He in turn, forwarded my e-mail to the Minister of Education – Minister El James, who by the way is a very respectful and honourable man. Minister James agreed to meet with me to review and discuss some of the suggestions that I had in mind.

Once I reached the Minister's office, I felt very comfortable. Minister James welcomed all of my ideas and explained to me how they may or may not work effectively. One of my recommendations was a test in Primary 6, to determine which Middle School the children will get into. This, I thought would mix the Island's students to get them out of their territorial mentality. My other suggestion was to change the senior schools, Berkeley would become an academic school and CedarBridge would transformed into a 'hands-on' or technical school. After our meeting, Minister James asked me if I would like to go to CedarBridge Academy on the Friday, to see how it was operated. I accepted his offer. That Friday, when Minister James picked me up, my heart was racing from the negative impressions that I have heard outside of the school. I said that I should wear a helmet, joking with Minister James.

Once we arrived at CedarBridge we were met by Mrs. Richards, the principle, who I must say was well dressed. She gave us a tour of the school, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised when we went to an S1 class and everyone had their heads down, working diligently. We then went to the hairdressing or salon room. There was a very professional hair dresser and barber set up. The tutor informed me that some pupils that have graduated from CedarBridge Academy have gone on to take up employment at hotel salons and other local hair salons island wide.

One aspect of CedarBridge that caught my eye was the Life Lessons. In this class, the disabled children were learning how to cook, make a bed and also learning how to do things on their own. I was totally blown away when I saw the students in this class making omelettes. Our next stop was the cafeteria, which for the record, was immaculate. The food was very healthy as they had wraps, salads, sandwiches and various drinks available. CedarBridge Academy also has department for woodworks, motor mechanics, etc.

As part of my tour I stayed for 'crossover', which is when the students cross over to another class. I could have sworn this was when I would have seen some craziness, so I prepared myself... waiting, waiting. Hold on! I see boys with their pants up, a belt on and no boxers showing at all. Girls dressed very professionally. The way in which they spoke to Mrs. Richards was very respectful and the way that she interacted with them was very uplifting. I was so excited to know that all of the negatives things that I've heard about CedarBridge have either died away, or were never there. The reason for me taking on this adventure was to show people from the outsider's point of view, a different light of CedarBridge, as I was one of the 'outsider's'. I can assure you that CBA is a wonderful school where the students are well dressed and well behaved. Mrs. Richards, I would like to commend you on a job well done.

KPC

Pembroke

An inherent obligation

November 10, 2009

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to the intended closure of the Hamilton/St. George commuter ferry. As one of the people that relies on this service to get in and out of Hamilton every day, I obviously would like to see it remain open. I think there are many points to be made to support that position.

First and foremost, the ferry keeps cars off the roads. Rush hour in Hamilton is chaos. This is undisputable, all one has to do is talk to anyone that drives to work everyday or read one of the many Letters to the Editor regarding traffic. Without the ferry the majority of commuters that use the ferry (myself included) will resort to driving to work (the only thing worse than being stuck in traffic is being stuck on an over packed bus in traffic). This means there will be thirty more cars blocking up front street, 30 more drivers with the potential of causing an accident, and thirty more cars fighting for the precious few parking spots available.

Moreover, there is an inherent obligation for the Government to continually support the ferry. We have been strongly encouraged to take public transportation in an effort to alleviate the pressure on our already overburdened road systems. We have been told how wonderful things like the ferry can be. We have gone along with this effort, just to have the "carpet pulled out from under us" and to be left with nothing more than an ambiguous one-lined explanation. The government needs to hold up its end of the bargain. It must either sustain the services it promotes or do not promote them at all. I know that I personally will be driving my bike in from now on, and that includes after the winter is over. If I have to drive in the winter (the worst time of year for bikes), then I will definitely continue in the spring and summer. I am not alone in this. If the Government wants the ferry to enjoy increased traffic, it implies that more and more people will need to rely on it, and reliance is based on trust which is created though continuity.

DEVIN PAGE

St. George's

Room for improvement

November 10, 2009

Dear Sir,

There have been a string of recent pleas in your newspaper for all of us to "Buy Bermuda" to support the local retailers. I'd like to relay the events of what transpired this past Sunday afternoon at a shop in Hamilton.

I took my aunt (visiting from overseas) to a shop in Hamilton that specialises in greeting cards, home decor goods, etc. My Aunt filled a basket with small Christmas items and we proceeded to the cashier in the Home section. Nobody was there. After a five-minute wait, a male cashier appeared. He started ringing up the goods and then stopped to inform us that the Christmas novelty pens did not have a price and would not scan, so he'd have to phone a manager. When the manager did not appear, he went looking for said manager, who then appeared a few minutes later.

This is the clincher. The manager proceeded to tell my aunt that the Christmas pens were from the Toy Department (which was closed that day), and informed her that the store "could not sell the items to her as they were not priced"! In this economic climate, we were told they couldn't sell items to us – unbelievable! First and foremost, if the goods are on the shelves, the prices should be affixed and/or the items scanned to indicate price at the cash register. The manager then changed her mind and offered to sell us the pens for $5.95 a piece. For a small plastic novelty pen, my aunt understandably refused.

When we turned around for the cashier to finalise the sale, he had disappeared. We saw him a few feet away cleaning a small black table, so we patiently waited. A few minutes later, another customer approached him and asked for a price on a piece of merchandise (surprise, surprise – no price yet again) and he disappeared totally. My aunt had to eventually track him down and ask whether he had any intention of finalising the sale! When we were finally finished, we moved to the greeting card section where my aunt found a few more items to purchase. When the cashier handed her back $10 Bermuda cash, she politely asked if she could have US cash back as she was leaving Bermuda the following day. The cashier told her she could not do that!

When I went to purchase my items, there was a lady in front of me purchasing an item that contained two individual pieces. The cashier said one piece wasn't priced, so she'd have to call a Manager! Once again, no prices on anything! To add insult to injury, our visitors took my husband and I out to dinner in Paget and they were most distressed (as we were) to find a 17 percent gratuity added to the meal. When did this happen and why the increase from 15 percent? So, can someone please explain to me exactly why we should shop locally when we receive appalling service like this? If the local retailers want our hard-earned dollars, they need to employ staff who are helpful, friendly and courteous, and who don't have the attitude problems that many seem to possess.

S. DASILVA

Pembroke

Show consideration

November 10, 2009

Dear Sir,

The people in St. George are really fed up with the treatment they receive from this Government. Government encourages people to use the ferry to ease traffic on our roads but they have now decided to cancel our ferry service. The ferry is so convenient and less stressful than driving on these busy roads, especially first thing in the morning. I know of people who use the time to study on their journey each day. Please show some consideration for the people in St George's

ST. GEORGIAN

Cannot have it both ways

November 10, 2009

Dear Sir,

David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, will be accompanying the Queen when HRH visits Bermuda later this month. In light of his upcoming visit to Bermuda, there are some questions concerning human rights within the realm of foreign policy which come under his remit that need to be transparently addressed by Mr. Miliband to the people of Bermuda.

Will the Foreign Secretary on behalf of the British Government assure the people of Bermuda that rendition flights which carry detainees – who have been kidnapped or abducted to be tortured in third party countries – were never sanctioned by the British Government to land at the L.F. Wade International airport – without the full consultation and agreement with the people of Bermuda, by way of the Government of Bermuda, or even the Premier of Bermuda? I ask because when rendition flights touch down on Bermuda – British overseas territory – soil, either in transit to or from any country for the purposes of kidnapping, abduction and/or the torture of detainees, the people of Bermuda have directly and unwittingly contravened international law.

Now, cited under the Bermuda Constitution Order 1968 the British Government controls foreign policy or international affairs on our behalf, but does an "order in council" nullify any section of the Bermuda Constitution Order 1968? For if it does not, then the British Government must seek to consult with and have the agreement of the people of Bermuda, i.e., Parliament — which would be subjected to strenuous parliamentary debate. Conversely, if an order in council does displace sections of our Constitution, then the order in council will still contravene international law unless the British Government specifically opted out of the UN Convention on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms for Bermuda; which again would trigger both controversy and debate in Bermuda.

We in Bermuda speak with one voice for transparency from within our government, but what about Britain's foreign policy on our behalf? Have Bermudians taken a laid-back, nonchalant view that our foreign policy is the exclusive domain of the British Government, without our right to transparency to question, analyse, debate or criticise that foreign policy? But let us please take note that Great Britain does not write the final legal opinion on foreign policy for Bermuda, so we must be prepared to be both vigilant and self-protecting, and most importantly, we must take an open interest in the world beyond our shores that affect us.

As the Premier of Bermuda, Dr. Ewart Brown, has been very heavily criticised and threatened for overstepping his authority under the Constitution regarding the Uighurs, so why can the British Government contravene at best international law and at worst our Constitution and international law for parallel purposes? Mr. Miliband, you cannot have it both ways. Dr. Brown cannot be absolutely wrong here and the British Government right by virtue of "hidden facts".

Just as the people of Bermuda want their human rights upheld and respected at all times, we cannot overlook, sell out or simply ignore the human rights of detainees as mentioned above. Because the detainees are not just human cargo to be pawned for any special favours or conditions on behalf of other countries, otherwise we are all in peril of the same treatment, Bermudians or not. And most important – which policy exposed us to a potential terrorist risk; rendition flights or restoring the civil liberties of these innocent men? Dr. Ewart Brown, it would be a great service to the people of Bermuda if the Human Rights Commission became a totally independent body, fully funded by the government, but not beholden to (not under the remit of) the Government of Bermuda or the Governor of Bermuda, subject only to the courts of law.

VALIRIE MARCIA AKINSTALL

London, UK