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Dear Sir,

We feel compelled to respond to David Burt's article which appeared in the Bermuda Sun on October 10 headlined 'The PLP is proving the fearmongers wrong again.'

Does Mr. Burt expect people to believe his opening statement? Residents, in reality, cringe when representatives of the government speak.

More on this as we analyze what he actually said.   1. "Your PLP government has long acknowledged that we are in the midst of an international economic crisis." Garbage; they just woke up recently and still don't know how to put the brakes on.

We wonder, for example, how many times has our Premier listened to the fasten 'seat belt' advisor while flying. And is he going again - at taxpayer expense? The pumped up attitudes of a government that loves to party and let the good times roll, is only a few examples of scaring the public into believing the financial well is running dry.   

2. "The PLP government is implementing policies that will see our economy through these rough waters."  Great! We would love to hear what they are other than duty relief on a few food items. Spell it out please as many Bermudians want to know the master plan.  

Incidentally, the UBP warned the government months ago a financial crisis was about to happen.  

3. "The PLP government is mindful of protecting the two pillars of our economy - international business and tourism."  If they were so mindful of our international business, they wouldn't scare the hell out of them by implementing time limits via our immigration department. And then constantly reminding them they have no voice to defend themselves regardless of how they are treated.  

This government should instead embrace those who are helping to put bread and butter on the table instead of using scaremonger tactics.  

4. "Premier Brown's platinum period revitalization of our tourism industry is resulting in improvements across the island." The Premier cannot take credit for all those improvements. And conveniently Mr. Burt makes no mention of The Reefs. Why was that property left out? Some of the improvements elsewhere, were on the books already and we doubt the Premier was instrumental in causing any of those developments, and some new ones may never get off the ground.  

Fictitious arrival figures

5. "These new and revitalised high end properties are creating jobs at all levels, and help Bermuda to attract even more discerning tourists with plenty of disposable income to invest in our economy." Is this guy for real? Has he checked the number of visitors arriving on our shores recently? (not those fictitious all-inclusive arrivals to pump up the numbers). Does he know how many people are out of jobs or laid off in our hotels? Our visitors would love to have "plenty of disposable income to invest in our economy."  

6. "We will continue to work across party lines to improve our system of education as we're doing with our new education committee."

To date, ten years of failure and the abundance of administrators in our education system, must be falling all over each other. However, we have not given up yet and we look forward to the day when we hear there are many high achievers who are ready to enter the world of business.   

7. "We will continue to educate American leaders about the important role Bermuda plays in providing low cost insurance for their citizens."  Now!  That is a new one.  Neither party in the U.S. can agree on an affordable health plan and yet Bermuda has all the answers.  

8."Keeping Bermuda safe also plays an important role in attracting international business." We are just hearing about a comprehensive anti-crime package that should have been in place a long time ago.  And the rhetoric that we heard for 10 years on how to treat offenders, never worked. Incidentally, Bermuda does not have a good reputation as a safe place, as Mr. Burt suggests. 9. "The North East Hamilton Economic Empowerment Zone is spurring scores of developments that will revitalise the area." Good!  It was a UBP initative and we are pleased the government continued in this direction.  We of course, wonder, what Mr. Burt  means when he says, "scores of developments". How many does that mean?  

10. "Our insurance industry continues to profit to the tune of billions of dollars, in spite of the down-turn." Ace and XL and AIG will love that one! And they are only a few examples of international companies striving for survival. Give Mr. Burt a minus 10 and stop deceiving the public.  

11."Your PLP government is getting the job done. We have a strong debt management record and we've instituted flexible but fair immigration policies that provide opportunity for Bermudian workers while ensuring that business thrives." Mr. Burt must have written this article five to ten years ago when the UBP government had finances under control. One day, which is soon to come, we will find out how badly off we are!   12. "We've used duty deferments to provide relief for retailers, hotels and restaurants. These are all important steps we're taking to ensure Bermuda weathers the economic storm." Duty rebates for hotels was something the UBP created, not the PLP and he should be told the right from the wrong. We do agree however, this is a great incentive and hope it encourages developers in the future.  

13. "While the AIG crisis and others pose challenges, Bermuda's international financial institutions are in good position to deal with these."

Really? He should be watching the financial markets take a dive. Enough... that deceiving article has left us exhausted.

Toppy and Saundra Cowen,

Southampton[[In-content Ad]]

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