Today the One Bermuda Alliance Senate team was prepared to respond to the Government’s Throne Speech and give our view on the Government’s plans.
We were surprised that the Government chose to spend most of its time speaking about the Opposition Leader Jarion Richardson’s Reply to the Throne Speech, and targeting individuals, rather than speaking meaningfully about Government initiatives.
While we were happy to see some of the initiatives in the Throne Speech, we were disappointed by the lack of any mention of:
- Additional protections for victims of domestic violence or seniors
-Tourism and plans to grow airlift – how will we attract more visitors and airline flights? - Plans to grapple with Bermuda’s suffocating debt – while the Government has mentioned they plan a $50m payment on the debt later this year, the original budget was for a -$45m deficit – so was there an unanticipated revenue windfall received, or have they cancelled or failed to carry out budgeted capital projects?
- Immigration reform and meaningful plans to grow the working population by thousands of people – a long and oft-stated goal of the Government.
- Plans for coping with a dwindling population and Pension fund on its way to implosion.
- Bermuda’s farmers and fisherman, who put food on our tables.
It’s clear to the Bermudian people that this Government has no sense of urgency when it comes to acknowledging the many problems facing most Bermudians today. Not only that, when certain issues were raised in the House and Senate, Government legislators laughed and scoffed.
The One Bermuda Alliance made its case for the necessity of Government to focus on providing a path forward for Bermudians, not looking backwards to score political points. We know that every day Bermudians are making choices between food, medicine, shelter and paying their electricity bills. They are frustrated that Government fails to acknowledge their plight, and is dismissive of their concerns about education, farming, taxis, fishing, and numerous other issues.
We in the One Bermuda Alliance know that leadership is not a function of position but how one acts every day, how one respects and listens to people, and how one treats those they work with and are responsible for.
We are ready to provide that leadership for Bermuda, and look forward to working with the people of Bermuda to create an island where everyone feels they have a bright future.