I want to be very clear about the motion of no confidence in Premier Ewart Brown, which we hope will be debated tomorrow: We are seeking a change in the leadership of the government, not a change in government.

We believe it is vitally important that Bermuda puts in place a new Premier who can settle things down and bring the focus back to the business of the people.

We do not take this step lightly, but the events of the past week illustrate that Dr. Brown's leadership style has run its course and is now damaging the island.

We see this occurring in four principal areas:

The rule of law

The failure to follow proper legal steps in bringing the Uighurs to Bermuda violated our Constitution. That cannot be allowed to stand.

Bermuda must stand for the rule of law. Everything depends on it – our reputation, our economy, our security, our stability.

The Premier, as leader of Bermuda, must set the best example for everyone. Dr. Brown has not done that. To allow a breach of the Constitution would set a terrible, destabilising precedent. Bermuda must uphold the law.

Accountability

By his Guantánamo decision, Dr. Brown reduced Bermudians to mere spectators with no say, no input into what happens in their island.

Not so for the American people who were consulted through their Congress. Dr. Brown, instead, presented a fait accompli.

No other decision I can recall so blatantly disrespected the people of Bermuda.

Dr. Brown should have consulted before making a deal, even if the burden of secrecy meant he could do no more than talk to his Cabinet colleagues.

But he did not even do that. By acting as if he was answerable to no one, he violated a fundamental principle of all democracies. We must have a leader who respects the people. We must have a leader who is accountable to the people.

Public truth

No one knows the truth of the Uighur decision because Dr. Brown and his Immigration Minister keep contradicting each other. Dr. Brown says he first approached the US Government as a humanitarian gesture.

Col. Burch says Bermuda was asked to help "at the highest levels of the US Government". No one knows the truth because we keep getting different stories.

Last Friday, the Premier told the House of Assembly the Police concluded there was "absolutely no security risk" with the four Uighurs. This week we learned the Police had actually categorised them as a "high" threat.

Misleading the people's representatives is serious and one more example of our truth-challenged Premier. We need a political leader who puts truth before spin.

Good governance

Dr. Brown, acting on his own, gave little thought to the consequences of his actions. He embarrassed and angered the United Kingdom, angered China and irritated US officials. The controversy has sparked signs of a tourism backlash and created potential problems for Bermuda companies with connections to China.

Most importantly, the Premier has once again caused Bermuda to lose focus on very real problems and challenges facing Bermudians – from crime in the streets, to road safety, to schooling our children.

That Dr. Brown appears to be using the Uighur controversy to advance Independence reveals a personal agenda, not a public agenda.

Sloppy, misguided government happens when one-man rule trumps teamwork and sidesteps checks and balances.

The motion of no confidence seeks a new leader who respects the people and the laws of the land, who gets the island back on a steadier course, back to the business of the people, and puts Bermuda first.

We believe the people of Bermuda want that.

Kim Swan is the Opposition–United Bermuda Party Leader