Whether Bermuda wakes up with a new leader or not tomorrow morning, the big question being asked last night was - will the members of the Progressive Labour Party ever be able to make a genuine commitment to move forward together for the good of the country?
The PLP has been able to sustain an image of unity during the past three years, ever since Alex Scott was elected leader over Ewart Brown, but the reality is the divisions that existed under Mr. Scott's predecessor, Jennifer Smith, still exist today.
In an exclusive interview with the Bermuda Sun, Opposition leader Wayne Furbert criticized the PLP for letting personal differences get in the way of effective leadership saying: "It's been total disunity and when a house is divided, it can not provide leadership of the country."
He continued: "Whoever becomes leader of that party, the Premier will have to hold an election soon to unify the people. Can you imagine Dr. Brown losing and having him, Terry Lister and Renee Webb on the backbench? It would be a total mess.
"There are very few individuals to choose from going forward. They're limited, that's why they had to go to Senator Burch, who is now in charge of Housing, Works and Engineering and Tourism."
Mr. Furbert said the party may attempt another 'keeping up appearances' exercise, but he doubts whether voters will fall for it a second time.
He said: "It's all coming out now. One of the reasons they haven't been able to accomplish things among themselves is because they've been too busy looking over their shoulder or stabbing each other in the back.
"We've read Dr. Brown's comments about the new hospital and it's as if he never read the reports. The party is devoid of leadership.
"The country suffers tremendously under such conditions and it will continue to suffer even after this. Once Dr. Brown or Alex Step steps into place, people will start aligning themselves to different camps - the divisions will still be there."
Perhaps one of the biggest shocks in the leadership campaign was Finance Minister Paula Cox's interview in The Royal Gazette earlier this week.
Ms Cox has shared collective responsibility with Ewart Brown in the Cabinet for the past eight years. Yet in her interview with The Royal Gazette, readers were left with no doubt about her negative feeling towards Dr. Brown and her full support for Alex Scott: The paper reported she admitted the party is split.
Tonight's challenge becomes all the more curious when you consider both men's platforms. The big criticism is that there is hardly any difference between what Alex Scott is doing and what Ewart Brown wants to do.
In that light, from the Opposition leader's perspective, tonight's showdown is all about personalities and the "individual struggle for power."
Mr. Furbert says his party has made a conscious decision not to comment on who it thinks should win the leadership - it's a bigger issue than that, he said, it's about the whole party.
The boat is sinking
"It's not just about changing the captain of the boat, the whole boat is sinking. It's about changing over to another ship," he said.
"What have they accomplished? They talk about sustainable development and the social agenda, but what have they really accomplished? What about the money that was spent on Berkeley? It's criminal the way this country has been run.
"It's not about the individuals in the party - it's time to get rid of the whole party and change direction.
And then there's Paula Cox, who this week portrayed herself as the PLP's lady in waiting.
Ms Cox conceded she's not ready for the leadership - yet. But she will run for Deputy Leadership, the post formally occupied by Dr. Brown with a view to becoming Premier.
The scenario reinforces Mr. Furbert's assertion that the challenge is nothing more than an "individual struggle for power."
And while Ms Cox may deserve her reputation as a competent politician, her ministerial legacy, apart from tackling the long-term residents issue, suggests she might not be the saviour her supporters believe her to be.
"It's all about perception, it's all smokes and mirrors," Mr. Furbert said.
"Paula Cox was Minister of Labour and Home Affairs. During her time there, there was an increase in the number of overseas workers.
"She was also the Minister of Education, but there's been no real reform there. What has she done? At least you can look at Ewart and say he's done things."
Tonight, fewer than 200 people will decide who is going to run this country. Whatever happens, Mr. Furbert says: "There's going to be a mess on the floor."
His only words of comfort to voters are that a general election is less than two years away. "Do not give up hope," he said. "Hope is on the way."
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, October 27, 2006
Comment by:
Newyorker
The unfortunate thing is, the participants in tonight's vote aren't really voting on who they believe will be the better leader. The votes are really gambles. What each voter is gamling on is backing the winning guy, because if that happens, this could lead to a plum Cabinet position. If you vote for the loser, it could mean the end of your political career. This is also more relevant for the PLP, where political careers can often be a very significant income source, wheras typically, the UBP folks often have established personal business ownerships.
Posted: Friday, October 27, 2006
Comment by:
conch
I can understand the political rhetoric emanating from the opposition leader.I would not count the P.L.P out. I would suggest that over the past three (3) years Ewart Brown has been working his political ass
off to weaken in his very shrewed and savy way the strength of Alex Scott within his party. So in his behind the scenes way Ewart Brown has created the very divisions that he hopes will propell him to victory.Ewart Brown is a well honed political assassin. A Socialist/marxist at heart and by training. One can only hope and pray that there is enough
insight by those in the P.L.P. who will make the correct call. """Conch"""
