After 12 years, what's the PLP's vision for government?

The women in the PLP had it right when it comes to Dr. Ewart Brown. 

Don’t forget he kicked Neletha Butterfield to the curb out of his first Cabinet, only to take her back. 

The one woman he didn’t move was Paula Cox. And yes, she’s taking a hit on national finances and many want to know why she did not speak up. 

Well, unlike most journalists, I took the liberty to ask her. I don’t fully agree with her response, but I understand it.  It’s not for me to say what that response was — it was a private conversation. I will say this however; the same people pointing fingers now were, in at least two cases, the same people who sat quietly around the Cabinet table in support of their leader. And that’s a fact.

Paula Cox is a team player with testicular fortitude that doesn’t cloud her logic — which is more than I could say for some of her male counterparts in Parliament. They want the spotlight but can’t take the heat that comes with it. They claim transparency and freedom of speech but shut down and shut out any critical voices behind closed doors in the name of a so-called open Government.

The brightest sparks are not on the frontline. The reasons why some are left languishing on the backbench is based on nothing more than insecurity and pettiness despite the interests of their grassroots support base. Some even signed their pledge of allegiance to the leader over and above what their constituents wanted for the country. 

So now we’re off to the races for the next leader with Terry Lister the first to officially throw his hat into the ring.  You can expect another two announcements at least; one from the frontrunner as early as next week. Meantime, Mr. Lister says he believes the PLP has made “great strides under previous administrations, but there are some dark clouds as well“.

Running his campaign under the slogan “it’s Bermuda’s Turn,” Mr. Lister asked, “What is our future, closing hotels, failing schools, gang violence, general lawlessness?… No, this will not be if we ensure that it’s Bermuda’s turn.”

I have one question: Who’s turn was it before?

Chopping and changing

Now we’re in for a fourth PLP Government Leader. Twelve years in, I’m still wondering, where’s the vision? After all this chopping and changing, where’s the party’s ideology? Where’s the continuity in education since Dame Jennifer Smith? How many ministers does it take to fix what this Government apparently was incapable of doing in TWELVE YEARS in education?

And wasn’t Education one of the many ministries headed up at some point in time by Terry Lister? What’s his position on the Hopkins report that called for the dismantling of the same ministry both he and Ms Cox have headed up? We got a new Commissioner of Education — yet another job created by my Government — the same Government that promised a smaller Civil Service.

And who are all these new faces in the PLP, the same faces I saw staunchly devoted to the UBP not too long ago? The ideals of this Government under its current leadership look no different than the ideals of a party it took the people of this country 30 years to change. 

Yes I want reform; municipality reform and family law reform. I want to know why the Attorney General has yet to release the recommendations contained in the Law Reform Report that we as taxpayers paid for. How do you fast-track parental responsibility laws without fast-tracking family law reform?

What’s the vision for the country besides pre-ordering a Mobylette (ala Jack Sharpe) and dreams of one day being the leader of the country now that his family is grown up. (That’s exactly what Dale Butler said on live radio  not too long ago).

We’ve seen the three main leadership contenders in various ministries, but what is their plan and vision for us all?

We must ask ourselves, what do we want in a leader, and what do they bring in the name of Leadership?

For me, a paid up member of the PLP, where the leader plans to take us as a country supercedes who will lead us.  Which brings me to my final point. It’s not enough to sit on the sidelines and complain. Make a choice. Do you want your voice to be heard, your views to be counted in this election for a new leader? 

If you do, you have until August 31 to do what I and many others have done — join the party. It costs $25 for a three-year membership. Don’t be an armchair critic, be active and come to meetings.

For every Constituency Party Member paid up, your Branch gets a proportionate number of delegates.  The delegates pick the leader and whoever gets the most votes wins. In card games it would be comparable to stacking the deck.

So if you want to have a say, get involved. And may the best man — or woman — win.