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Premier Dr. Ewart acts outside his authority, looks after himself first, hasn't done much good for the country and should be removed.

These were the some of the key points I got from reports of Larry Burchall's speech made recently to the audience attending the Bermudians' picnic at Astwood Cove.

However, judging from a letter to the editor of the daily - written by LaVerne Furbert - the important point in Larry's speech was not at all what he said, but incidental comments about his role in the PLP's 1998 election campaign.

I don't have to defend Larry Burchall, he has proven quite capable of defending himself. However, I feel moved to highlight the tactics of Premier Brown's attack squad in focusing on the trivial so as to divert attention from the important. Frankly, I doubt that most people give a fig about whether Larry Burchall was campaign chair or campaign co-chair in the PLP's 1998 success, or political gossip about his candidacy.

Larry's credentials as a straight-shooting commentator have been established by his writings. I don't agree with him all the time; sometimes I strongly disagree. But my take depends on what he presents and how well he presents it, not on the gory details of bye-gone election campaigns.

But that's the tactic being followed by the Premier's snarlers (all two or three of them): ignore the message and its main points, focus on the trivia and, oh yes, try to discredit the messenger, the vehicle, the reporter - anyone associated with the message - in hopes that followers won't notice what the message was.

Intransigence

It isn't working. The facts are that his sneaky ways of doing things are alienating even some of the most loyal PLP supporters. The facts are that his style of arrogance and intransigence makes him a liability for his government, his party and his country. The facts are that he has served his usefulness and is now a weight around the neck of the entire community, dragging down our image, integrity and economy.

That's the reason hundreds of people marched on Parliament and the Cabinet building, braving the intimidation, name-calling, threats and race-baiting to make their point. That's the reason people attended the picnic, counteracting the Premier's "this too will pass" utterance.

That's the reason people like Larry Burchall, and others whose names I won't mention to spare them from the personal attacks, who knew the PLP when it was principle-driven now lament the low to which principle has sunk in the governance of the people's affairs.

Allegations

The public waits for the "defenders" to deal with allegations that government contracts are doled out without due process, that benefactors of government contracts are hidden behind blind trusts, that public monies are used to fund private 'parties', that the whiff of corruption has infiltrated the handling of processes and funds in some government departments, that racial wounds are being salted instead of being healed.

Meanwhile, it would help if the Premier's apologists stopped wasting ink, paper and the public's time on details that are beside and irrelevant to the point. A government of the people should instead respect and respond to the people's concerns. That's what they are paid to do.[[In-content Ad]]

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