We will put people first
This is the text of United Bermuda Party Leader Michael Dunkley’s speech at a press conference held to announce his election as UBP leader.
Pat and I will operate as a team and so I am going to keep my remarks brief with a view to more detailed statements of policy and direction in the near future.
Until then, I believe it is important to make a few points about who I am and where we should be heading. The first thing I want to say today is that I am proud to be the new leader of the United Bermuda Party.
I am proud that my colleagues saw fit to nominate me and I am proud to carry forward the banner of this great party.
I am also proud to follow in the footsteps of Wayne Furbert. I appreciate all that he has done for the party. Leadership change can be messy, difficult affairs, so I want to take a moment to recognise the dignity with which Wayne stepped down and the fact that his parting words were about meeting the needs of the people. It stands as the measure of the man, and so I salute Wayne and I look forward to working with him for better government; because better government is what we are all about in the United Bermuda Party, and better government is what this country needs right now.
Let there be no mistake. I believe this Country is fast approaching a fork in the road where we either proceed together as one people, with respect for one another and living by the highest standards of democracy, or we proceed along a path of division, self-interest and intolerance.
The stakes are high, and so the United Bermuda Party will continue to demand something better for the people. It is important that we hold this government accountable for its misdeeds, its failings and its record of underachievement. If you reward poor performance, poor performance will continue. Poor government is what we have. It makes no difference whether you’re talking about education, public safety, housing, seniors, the environment or economic empowerment; this government has not met the needs of the people.
It makes no difference that the PLP elected a new leader in October. The Premier has tried hard to separate himself from his party’s record in power, but the longer he continues the clearer it is that he is part of the same exhausted group with no fresh ideas, no plan and apparently no direction.Ladies and gentlemen, I believe there is a serious need to renew the meaning and purpose of government in Bermuda.
I believe there is a serious need to renew people’s faith in government. As leader of the United Bermuda Party, I promise you that we will offer people the chance for that renewal.
How will we do that? The first thing we will do is work hard to earn people’s trust.
My colleagues know that I am a guy who likes to roll up his sleeves and get to it. My colleagues also know that I am a guy who expects everyone to kick in with the same level of commitment that I give, which is 100 percent all the way. That’s just the way I am.
So I promise you that all of us in the United Bermuda Party will work hard for the people; day in, day out, 24/7. The second thing we will do to renew people’s faith is to listen to them.
For me, it begins on the doorstep.
In Devonshire East and now Smith’s North, I get out and talk with people almost every day of the week. It’s what I do. I find out what’s on their minds and I make sure that they know I’m there for them, day or night. That is where my approach to politics begins and that is where my colleagues and I will work to renew people’s faith that government can be on their side.
That is what the United Bermuda Party will be about. We will put people first. We will help people reconnect with their government. We are going to give them a government that actually works, that actually listens, that actually gets things done.
We are going to give them a government they can trust. We are going to give them a government that delivers.
My personal political motto is The Milkman Delivers. It says something about my family and something about my approach to public service. I’m proud of that motto and I take real pride in living up to it.
A United Bermuda Party Government led by Pat and myself will deliver. You can trust me on that. It is my solemn commitment to the people of Bermuda, right here, right now. We will not fail you. My colleagues will not fail you.
In the weeks ahead, people will try to tear down what I say here today and they will try to characterise me as something I am not. This past weekend I heard that I was going to take the party to the right. Someone even said I was aristocratic. That made me laugh. Whatever you hear about me, remember this: I’m the milkman. My great grandfather was a dirt farmer. I was raised to work hard and I have done so all my life. We built up a business and it has been successful.
I am very open to ideas. I am very focused on things that work. I can be impatient, but only with people who do not make decisions to get things done. All I ask is that people give me a chance, and give our team a chance.
I know there are people who question whether a white person can lead Bermuda. But I don’t think it’s about race. I don’t believe good government comes with a particular colour attached. I believe good government is about results. I believe it’s about effectiveness.
The United Bermuda Party is committed to advancing the interests and welfare of everyday Bermudians. We are going to meet their needs whether they be fairness in the work place, affordable housing or safer streets.
If you need help, it will not matter whether you are black, white or green, you can count on us to be there for you. The sooner we recognise that Bermuda is too small to exclude anyone from achieving his or her potential the better off we’ll be. I know we can do better. I know we can make this Island work better. I know we can do more for people in need. I know we can plan better and protect our environment better.
My colleagues and I know that there is a lot of anxiety about where this country is heading, and we know that the conduct of the PLP government lies at the heart of that anxiety. I want to assure people that my colleagues and I are here to make sure Bermuda stays on a course that will keep it together, keep it green and keep it about the people. It will take a government that is dedicated to meeting their needs. It will take a government that is open, responsive and accountable in ways that people no longer think possible.
It’s actually pretty simple. It’s about respecting the people, knowing their needs and doing something about it. I have been given the opportunity to make a change. If there is one promise that I put forward to the people of Bermuda today, it is that I will not let them down. I have been given a chance, and I am a man who takes nothing for granted.
Thank you.
