12/12/2008 11:26:00 AM Our leaders must change their tone on race
Tom Vesey Sun columnist
MPs congratulated themselves heartily after their impromptu "race debate" last Friday.
But in truth our politicians should be ashamed at their own hypocrisy and lack of achievement.
They have built a beautiful prosperous country, but have allowed - and often deliberately encouraged - festering racial divisions of fear and suspicion and inequality to thrive and grow.
While praising themselves for launching a "big conversation" on race among the Bermudian people, they have proven to be almost totally incapable of mature sustained dialogue on the subject.
The fact is that both parties relentlessly play the race card when it suits them, and Bermuda has suffered profoundly as a result.
Yet they stood there last Friday night and blithely blamed the rest of Bermuda - the people who make comments on the street, the voters who vote along racial lines, the ignorant masses of other people who somehow don't seem to get it.
Does the irony escape them?
Do they not realize how ridiculous they look when they praise themselves for "elevated" discussion, and then come close to blows just a few seconds later?
Don't they see how crazy PLP MPs sound when they claim Sen. Marc Bean is Bermuda's Barack Obama (as Zane DeSilva did last Friday)?
Quick question: Was it Obama, or Sen. Bean, who declared his election opponents had a "neo-fascist agenda" and "if they have the opportunity they will lock all of us up. It's true."
One of the many reasons the Premier was so astoundingly offensive the other week, when he said white Bermudians wouldn't have voted for Obama if they were true to their local form, is that some kind of Barack Obama is exactly who white Bermudians desperately want.
White Bermudians - and black Bermudians too, for that matter - are yearning for somebody who can tackle their country's problems - including the problem of racial division and inequality - without pushing us forever backwards with name-calling, stereotyping, and other forms of mindless divisiveness.
All the "big conversations" in the world won't work one whit if our leaders aren't capable of having a sustained, sane conversation on the subject themselves.
Until they can do that, they're just hypocrites, blaming the rest of the world for the problems they themselves are making worse.
There were, in fairness, some hopeful comments last Friday night.
Most outstanding was Wayne Perinchief, who spoke boldly about the use - or rather abuse of race - to manipulate and stoke fears for political purposes.
"We all fall into the trap sometimes of pandering to racism, pandering to racists, because it suits our own political ends....Stop maintaining the status quo. Step up, step out, stop the rhetoric."
Yet even this was undermined by his own party whip, Lovitta Foggo, who was busy trying to persuade Mr. Perinchief to shut up and sit down.
Ms Foggo's major contribution to race relations, of course, was her pre-election speech that included such enlightening thoughts as this one: "We must hasten to employ measures which ensure that our people and our children know that a UBP vote is a vote back to the plantation. It is a vote that will return the shackles to our feet!"
Dame Jennifer Smith had encouraging words to say: "My voters, like my constituents, are black and white and brown and all the others in between. They voted for their best representative."
Yet others, despite their good intentions, seemed to lapse into denial:
Dale Butler remarked, quite hopefully, that "the next step means less division, more work, more respect, more caring, more understanding."
Yet in his next breath he claimed he had heard "absolutely none of the racial rhetoric" while on the campaign trail over the last decade.
There was, of course, racial rhetoric aplenty, much of it from his own colleagues and his own party's political advertising.
We have in our House of Assembly plenty of good men and good women, who understand Bermuda's racial problems and have the brains and energy to help Bermuda push its way through them.
Indeed, that is their job and their responsibility.
The country is looking to them for leadership.
But instead of clear and calmly-reasoned action, what they are dishing up far too often is backwards-looking childish rhetoric.
This formula does not work, it will not work and it cannot work.
The road forward is inevitably difficult. But until our leaders change their tone, it is will be completely impassable.
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, January 30, 2009
Comment by:
Blackboy to Robert Bryce
Sir,
The shift from the front street does not mean that there is a shift from economic control. Old white bermuda still owns their cherished properties. They have majority shares in the foreign companies that domicile here. THEre are significant shareholders in businesses outside of here and the provide the ancillary services to the corporate giants that do business with the government. As such they still are in charge. THis is just a refinement stage in white domination. Ultimately they dont need to do violence and direct ouright deception but it is still white dominance and control of economic affairs and blacks are struggling to have significant economic impact. Blacks are still just trying to buy a house or condo now and whites are buing buildings and businesses. so lets not imply that the problem in inherent in the age old political structures the problem is still white supremacy. IF the UBP were committed to dismanteling it then it will be the correct government to be in charge. COncilliatory compromises with racist is the old system that john swan reocmmended and it has its place but it has a long standing result of black inseccurity and greed. Group alienation and group disolution. Blackness is a burden and it is only beautifil when it seeks justice against the racist world in which we live...the best way to achieve this is to love oneself and anyone that is like you...and to then love the enemy as well...but please learn to see god in yourself and fight to strengthen your people...to fight against injustice...it just takes time....and courage...but we all must fight the global monster called racism and or white supremacy...by education, health, discipline, truth, justice, and correctness..the foundation of this is love;...or die....in fear, weakness and confusion!
Posted: Sunday, January 04, 2009
Comment by:
Robert Bryce
Blackboy raises some very interesting, and provoking points. "The present Black Government places 90% of contracts with white people and uses white consultants". Add in the likes of Island Construction and Correira, and what has this Governement done to assist black businesses - hire Pro Active who had no experience then fire them? Why didn't they have a consultant (local) company assist Pro Active in the Berkeley project then they would have gained the experience. So far it is all gloss and a few hand outs to small black businesses. Having said that there is no doubt the economy's dynamics have shifted. Front Street is no longer a bastion of old white Bermuda. What has happened is that the Government is effectively now controlled by white foreign business ie Exempt Companies, rather then local white. This gives them much less power than under the old economy and less opportunity to make any meaningful changes. It's a lot more fun to have photo ops, golf and mix with the rich and famous than do anything to help local black business.
Back to the UBP and PLP. The sooner one goes the better as it will take the other with it and Bermuda may then be able to progress to deal effectively with the lingering effects of racism.
Posted: Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Comment by:
blackboy
Phillip.
The UBP is the race CARD.
It is played 24 hours a day 7 days a week 356 days a year. That is all know and that is being trumped by the ACE of truth...that causes you pain because it is exposing the real game...racism! We live in a country where the majority are black but not one street is named after a black person...we dont have one significant black business center...the entire economy is controlled by whites and dont say the government is contrlled by blacks...90% of their contracts are with white people...and they are using mostly white consultants from abroad...we are talking about economics as a means of survival and racism as the business we are all inherited...You cant see it because you are a beneficiary and white...you consider it normal to protect your survival at the expense of all else...but the so called black race card is unusual because it counters the unethical biased unfair way that you have been doing business...and it hurts to be exposed...
Posted: Friday, December 12, 2008
Comment by:
Phillip Wells
Tom - You say "both parties relentlessly play the race card when it suits them". While I understand your desire to come across as even-handed, I feel that you are attempting to create a false equivalence between the PLP the UBP on this point. What examples of the UBP "relentlessly" playing the race card were you thinking of?
