This is the text of Wayne Furbert's statement at a United Bermuda Party press conference today:

Thank you for coming.

I have several announcements to make regarding party matters.

Last night the United Bermuda Party's Central Executive received the resignation of Gwyneth Rawlins as party chairman. In stepping down Mrs. Rawlins made several assertions which we consider categorically untrue and downright malicious and which we will address in due course.

I have to say however, looking back on the events of the past two weeks, what has happened and what has been said, has all the appearances of an orchestrated campaign.Also at last night's meeting, the Central Executive unanimously elected Sean Crockwell to become the new party chairman.

Sean, who is beside me today, is a bright young man; a newly qualified lawyer who was elected deputy chairman of the party at the party's annual general meeting in December. He is someone whose counsel I have come to trust and respect.

Sean shares with me and my colleagues the need to get this great country moving forward together, and so it is my pleasure this morning to have Sean with us as our new party chairman.

I want to also confirm that our Parliamentary group met last night to discuss Mrs. Rawlins' resignation and our position . I am pleased to report that we came out of that meeting reaffirming our commitment to each other, to the party, and our commitment to moving ahead and to providing our supporters and the voters of this country with choice and the promise of better government.

We wish to put and end to the ill-founded rumours with respect to the political future of our colleague and friend, the Hon. Maxwell Burgess.

Maxwell has served the people of Bermuda for more than 25 years. While he will serve out the rest of his term as a representative for the United Bermuda Party and the people of Hamilton South, he will not seek re-election at the next General Election.

In the coming weeks I will announce candidates to fill vacancies that still exist as we continue with the rollout toward a full slate of candidates for the next election..

I now want to take the opportunity to say a few words about the United Bermuda Party today.

Recent events have hurt us. I don't think there are any of my colleagues who would deny that. We are being tested.

But as Dr. King said: "The measure of a man or a woman is not where they stand in times of peace and prosperity but where they stand in times of adversity and controversy." I believe that out of adversity comes strength, and that is what I see in my colleagues now more than ever.

I want people to understand that this party has not lost its focus. We are finalizing plans that will go a long way to making this country work better for people, particularly those in the majority who cannot identify with the boast of our living in a country with the highest GDP in the world. Too many of our citizens are being left behind.

I want you to know that my colleagues and I have a sense of urgency and mission about our work, in part because the PLP in power has been such a huge disappointment.

For nearly nine years this government has failed to meet the needs of the people in crucial areas, particularly housing and education. Everyone knows this and I think all of us can agree that it is time to end the indifference. It is time to end the disappointment.

We want to give this country the kind of government it deserves. We want the people of this country to be united and working together. This PLP Government plays the politics of division. The United Bermuda Party believes there is nowhere for the people of this country to go but together.

That is our focus and that is our fervent hope.