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Dear Sir,

I read with interest the letter to you from Geoff Parker Sr., the Interim Co-Chairman of the Voters Rights Association in your Friday, July 27 edition. The first thing that struck me as interesting, to say the least, about Mr. Parker's letter, is that he is writing as the Co-Chairman of the Voters Rights Association in Bermuda, yet he is concerned about "freedom of speech rights of non-Bermudians". It is my understanding that only Bermudians, or those persons who have been resident here since 1976, have the right to vote. Could Mr. Parker tell me, what does freedom of speech for non-Bermudians have to do with voters' rights for Bermudians?

Secondly, Mr. Parker writes "Up until recent months Bermuda has lived and thrived well under the right of Freedom of Expression. However, recent political and civil incidents appear to be eroding this right of Freedom of Expression and the root cause of this problem of rights' erosion needs to be properly addressed and dealt with."

After reading those comments from Mr. Parker, a white Bermudian - whether by birth or by grant - I am more convinced than ever that there are two Bermudas - white Bermuda, and Black Bermuda. Obviously Mr. Parker lives in white Bermuda and therefore he has "thrived well under the right of Freedom of Expression", meaning he has been able to say what he wants, when he wants to say it and where he wants to say it without repercussions. I, a black Bermudian, only got the privilege on November 9, 1998 and I can tell all of Bermuda that since that time I have used the privilege as much as possible, to the chagrin of many.

Although I sometimes have a problem with my memory, my memory of a protest march that I was involved in over thirty-five years ago is very vivid. I was working at the Bank of Bermuda at the time and we, the protestors, assembled at the Flag Pole on Front Street. If my memory serves me correctly this "protest" took place on a Saturday so none of the protestors had to lose time from work, unlike the many protests that take place today on Fridays at 12:30pm.

I can assure Mr. Parker and others, who believe that Bermuda "thrived well under the right of Freedom of Expression up until recent months", I have not thrived well since that time.

Paying the price

Just as the Royal Gazette placed a photograph of the young protestors at the House of Assembly on the front page of their newspaper a few weeks ago, they placed a photograph of the young protestors in front of the Flag Pole on the front page of their newspaper back then. Those of us who were identified by employers and others in positions of power have paid the price ever since; that is, until November 9, 1998. My personal story will tell you that from that time until today, I have never been employed in corporate Bermuda. I note that Mr. Parker is the Co-Chairman of the Voters Rights Association.

I would suggest that Mr. Parker ask his co-chair, Mr. Stuart Hayward, if one of Bermuda's most noted musicians, Lance Hayward, and Mrs. Mary Hayward, an educator, thrived under Bermuda's policy of "freedom of expression" prior to a few months ago. Certainly, Mr. Hayward will inform Mr. Parker that his father did not have freedom of expression in Bermuda and hence had to make his living in the U.S. Mr. Hayward, if honest, will also tell Mr. Parker that his mother, one of the earlier members of the Progressive Labour Party, did not thrive well under the "right of freedom of expression" that Mr. Parker talks about.

I would like to suggest that Mr. Parker read some, if not all of the following books before he publicly speaks again about the right of freedom of expression in Bermuda: First Class Men, Second Class Citizens, From Monk to Mazumbo, Dr. E.F. Gordon, Hero of the Working Class, Beyond Crossroads, Lois Browne-Evans, Bermuda's Grande Dame of Politics and Me One. After he has read these books, I would like for Mr. Parker to then tell Bermuda if it was only up until a few months ago that Bermudians "thrived under the right of freedom of expression". I believe that it is time that some people in Bermuda, the likes of Geoff Parker and others, cease and desist from trying to rewrite Bermuda's history.

I understand that it is difficult for persons of Mr. Parker's ilk to accept that Bermuda is now governed by the Progressive Labour Party, but he and others like him should get used to it. We'll be around for a few more years and good governance will remain the mainstay of our mandate.

LaVerne Furbert

Hamilton Parish[[In-content Ad]]

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