Comment: Speech puts people first, one initiative at a time

FRIDAY, NOV 2: Let me not waffle too much and get to some of the main positive points of today’s Throne Speech, in my opinion.

1. Full time role for the Bermuda Regiment. Marine and border patrol sounds good to me — wish I could have had that option 25 years ago. End of conscription; mixed emotions on this one but definitely not my call.

2. Focus on community sports clubs to strengthen the community ties. It takes a village to raise a child. Sometimes it takes a village to raise a village.

3. Commitment to build homeless shelter in conjunction with the Salvation Army.

4. Update of the tourism concessions plan 2000 to provide more incentives for investors into our tourism product. Added into that will be incentives for persons purchasing property in tourism zones.

5. Increased EEZ, to further allow entrepreneurs to delve into their dreams.

6. Making concrete ties with the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. Well all these years we have been paying out for gas. Looks like we finally will be getting something back as investments.

7. Resurrection of the Education Council to put renewed emphasis of ensuring public schools, PTAs and Ministry of education are in sync with each other.

8. More emphasis put on health care, particularly on the ways to curb the rising costs of health care.

9. For many of our seniors, this is perhaps one of the more crucial items; 100% payment of generic prescription drugs and 80% coverage of trade name prescription drugs. The end of upfront payments.

10. Introducing legislation to address discrimination based on sexual orientation and age discrimination.

There are other points, but I chose to pick out the ones that I feel will have the most impact on Joe and Jane Bermuda. The theme of this throne speech is ‘Let’s build one another together’. Call It a fancy way of saying Kumbaya.

There will, undoubtedly, be the armchair critics who will say there were no bells and whistles, no fireworks, no cosmic boom as Marvin the Martian would say.

But these will be the same folks who say we need to tighten our belts and ‘Put Bermuda First’ and ‘we have open arms’.

Anyone can talk the talk. Let us now see them walk the walk .

How do you eat an elephant? One Bite at a time.

How do you tackle a myriad of social and economic challenges? One initiative at a time.

Now is not the time for petty partisan politics. Now is the time for the rise of people power.

As Bob Marley would say “One Love”.

Or as John Lennon would say “All we need is love”.