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From the moment I declared my candidacy for the United Bermuda Party in Warwick South East, I planted my flag in opposition to the planned development of Southlands by Jumeirah.

To emphasize the point, my rollout as a candidate was held at the southwest corner of the property. There, I expressed my deepest concern about preserving our quality of life in Bermuda. Unnecessary development of open, green spaces such as Southlands were not in the long-term best interests of the people of this country.

My day-to-day canvassing of the constituency, particularly in the neighbourhoods closest to Southlands, showed me that the people of Warwick agreed with my point of view.

Local concerns grew sharply in late August after Premier Brown gave the developers a Special Development Order to facilitate and expedite the Southlands project.

Only after the SDO, when public concerns hardened into political opposition to the project, did my opponent in Constituency 24, MP Alex Scott, come out against a project that he long ago should have seen as a threat to the local quality of life. This was catch-up politics at its best.

Mr. Scott woke up only when he realized his silence on the issue - a silence that lasted for the better part of a year - and his support for Jumeirah's plan was going to cost him votes. In the big picture, it was simply another illustration of a government out of touch with the people. In Warwick, it was an example of an MP who has been asleep at the wheel.

That he stayed silent when developers proposed the destruction of the last large open space in Warwick, that he did not speak up when they put forward a huge Dubai-inspired hotel plan, that he was nowhere to be seen when Jumeirah said it would build the hotel on the foreshore and put South Shore Road into a tunnel is something the voters of Warwick will have to consider when the election is held.

I see Mr. Scott's emergence on the issue as an 11th hour conversion to save his political career.

News of a possible swap of Southlands-Morgan's Point is welcomed.

It opens the situation to possibilities we in the UBP have long advocated - namely directing the resort to a Brownfield site and preserving Southlands as a national park for the benefit of all Bermudians.

But I urge Warwick residents to remain vigilant, even skeptical. One announcement of talks about a land swap does not mean we are out of the woods.

Obstacles to come

There are many obstacles to iron out, including the unresolved pollution issues at Morgan's Point.

My party leader, Michael Dunkley, has expressed concern about the government's commitment to see the swap through to the end.

If the government's motivation is purely political and not a sincere desire to do the right thing, the will to clear the hurdles that stand in the way of a swap will be severely tested. The key is to have a government whose commitment to preserve our way of life is genuine.

If it is not, if it is purely political, then this talk of a land swap is more likely just talk by Mr. Scott and his colleagues to avoid paying a price at the polls.

I can assure you that my United Bermuda Party colleagues and I have that commitment, to steer development away from open spaces such as Southland in the name of preserving our quality of life today and tomorrow, for our children and future generations of our countrymen.

Jeff Sousa is the United Bermuda Party candidate for Constituency 24, Warwick South East

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