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In any healthy democracy there is always ongoing discussion on how to improve the responsiveness of our political representatives.

More and more people seemed convinced the Westminster System in particular, and party politics in general, is increasingly bankrupt as a viable vehicle for creative problem solving, thoughtful planning and a connection to the will of the people.

There are many reasons for this but certainly one of them has to do with the game of "winner takes all". In the last election, one in five constituencies were won by six per cent or less of the vote. Of those, five constituencies were won by 25 votes or less. The Westminster System, despite those narrow margins, allows one party to assume complete and unfettered control over the affairs of the country. That, coupled with the reluctance by both parties to allow the elected representatives to vote either with their conscience or vote based on the will of their constituents, makes the decision making even further divorced from the will of the people.

This, of course, makes any debate in the House of Assembly or any representation by the Opposition an exercise in futility.

This was brought home to all of us as we watched while the government very nearly used our most important national park as a parking lot and hospital building. We are further faced with new challenges involving unrestrained use of Special Development Orders, which are flying in the face of the government's own sustainable development policy.

Here's what we can do

So what do we do about this - how do we inject more responsiveness, more creativity, more integrity and more accountability into the process?

Firstly, each of the political parties has some candidates with exceptional courage, commitment, and integrity. We have 36 constituencies and I counted 18 that I could say if I were voting in their constituency I would vote for them in the next election. These outstanding and responsive individuals are fairly evenly distributed across both parties.

These are hard working men and women who devote an exceptional amount of their personal lives to supporting their constituents as best they can within the confines of the party structures.

Seems to me that leaves room for at least another 18 or possibly more candidates who are similarly committed but not muzzled, controlled, limited, or herded around by the party whip.

Indeed, polls indicate that there is a great deal of dissatisfaction with the existing political system and as a result, a significant portion of the voting population describes themselves as undecided when asked about party affiliation.

I believe the time is right to make a change. My vision going forward includes the fielding of a range of new candidates to run outside of the confines of the two major parties either as members of the All Bermuda Congress, as Green Candidates or as Independents.

I and others are committed to supporting and nurturing individuals from a diversity of backgrounds, who have integrity, are creative, who are positive, willing to vote with their conscience and above all committed to working and voting on behalf of their constituents.

People ask - how can just a few candidates from different perspectives, diverse backgrounds act collectively enough to run a government?

Well I can tell you I have seen it happen - for those of you familiar with Canadian politics you will remember that on a number of occasions the two major political parties (the liberals and the conservatives) were locked into a close electoral result with the third party (the NDP) holding the balance of power with a mere handful (handful by Canadian standards) of members.

Their capacity to ally themselves with one party or the other (depending on the issue) gave them enormous control over both the political agenda itself and ultimately the legislative outcome.

Indeed, more than that it encourage genuine debate as members from both sides were forced to put forward arguments to support their positions - hoping for NDP support! In addition, they played an important role as an emergency brake when the more dominant party ran off in directions that were not in the people's best interest.

This was possible because despite their small numbers, if they sided with one party on a no confidence motion they could bring the government down at any time. This could happen here!

With as few as five elected representatives from outside of the two major parties, those members could collectively hold the balance of power creating (by virtue of their very existence) a return to non-partisan politics.

Can you imagine the difference in the quality of the debate in the House of Assembly when the votes of these new members were needed to pass the budget? We would have experience a very different level of discourse in the House.

I want to lend both moral and financial support to candidates with this objective in mind. There are of course some basic commitments that are vital to ensuring that these potential candidates do indeed make a positive contribution to our political landscape.

First among these is a commitment to a code of ethics. The one I am proposing has been adapted from Stuart Hayward's work with the Bermuda Leadership Forum and briefly it involves a commitment to the principles of honesty, fairness, responsibility, respect, and compassion. This applies to the political campaign as well as to the members' conduct in the House of Assembly. In particular, candidates must agree to conduct a positive campaign based on issues and commitments that are presented in a clear and non-adversarial way. Candidates will not participate in and will condemn the use of personal vilification, defamation, name calling and all other attacks, avoiding demeaning references and demeaning visual images. All statements must be truthful, provable, and relevant.

In all conduct the candidates will show compassion for his/her opponents and for the citizens of Bermuda, remembering that the campaign process is fundamental to representative democracy and that openness, honesty, and integrity are the cornerstone of the kind of civil society we are committed to supporting.

Beyond a code of conduct, there are some fundamental principles that each candidate must endorse within this framework, this alliance, this Congress - however it evolves.

And from my perspective these are very briefly as follows:

n A commitment to excellence in public education available to all children regardless of their special circumstances or needs;

n Quality, accessible health care to people of all ages regardless of their ability to pay;

n A commitment to ensuring that all Bermudians have access to adequate, affordable, housing;

n A commitment to supporting the principal plans and recommendations contained in the government's report on Sustainable Development;

n A commitment to the process of defining, understanding, and ultimately eradicating poverty in Bermuda;

n A commitment to free speech, open, accountable government, the principles of human rights and the eradication of racism.

These are very broad principles and the major parties will both argue that these are all embodied in their platforms. Regrettably, the reality of our experience speaks for itself, the evidence is clear and if we keep doing what we are doing we will keep getting the same result.

I want to stimulate imagination, provoke conversation, and provide an opportunity for those who would like to see a better Bermuda to begin to work together to that end. n

Editor's note: This column was based on a speech given by Sheelagh Cooper at the All Bermuda Congress Forum 'It's Your Turn' at St. Paul's Church Hall on March 14.

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