The ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) stepped up its campaign with the launch of a “top-line performance report” - a brochure outlining Government's accomplishments over the past five years.

In a speech which capitalised on the nostalgia factor of the party's historic 1998 victory at the polls, and dismissed the Opposition's “propaganda machine”, acting Premier Eugene Cox said that after less than five years in office the PLP had “been demonstrably successful in delivering the bulk of our election promises”.

Referring to the July 24 polling date as “affirmation day”, Mr. Cox said: “Only the partisan and the bigot would deny that the PLP has performed, perhaps beyond the expectations of many,” he said. “No one can reasonably deny that it is measurably better off now for all of Bermuda than it was five years ago.”

He said the performance report documents that and will be followed by “more solid material”.

The party kicked off its campaign proper with a series of candidate announcements last week. Premier Jennifer Smith stressed then that the campaign will be focused on Government's record.

The brochure, entitled “The PLP has delivered - and we've only just begun”, lists a range of initiatives in areas such as education, technology, the economy, culture, the environment, justice and tourism.

Under the section dealing with housing, one of the key election issues, the party says it has “provided special incentives for private development of derelict properties” and “increased accountability in the Housing Corporation - a quango - through the establishment of improved measures to implement ‘best practice' models”.

The brochure also touts that the first PLP government has completed plans to build “an initial” 100 affordable homes and provide housing for rental and purchase at the former Baselands.

Progress in senior care is also documented by the brochure - Government is to build a model senior care facility in St. George's, to be adopted throughout the Island, and provided a $1,000 prescription benefit for seniors through the Hospital Insurance Plan.

Seniors have also benefited from more money allocated for in-home care, a seniors' office has been established and an in-depth study on senior needs commissioned, the brochure reminds voters.

“This document will counter much of the disinformation that the Opposition propaganda machine has been liberally planting, day in, day out, in the media,” Mr. Cox said.

“This report could not attempt to describe the profound and positive transformation in the psyche of the majority of the Bermudian people that followed the liberation that the 1998 election result represented.”

He added: “The top-line performance report will, however, be a useful frame of reference against which the Bermudian voter can evaluate the generous doses of placebo for everything under the Bermudian sun that the UBP propaganda machine is dispensing through the media on a daily basis.”