---

The holiday season is a time when we can all come together as a community. Regardless of our background, our nationality or our religious beliefs, Christmas provides an opportunity when we can embrace our family, reach out to our neighbours and provide a helping hand to a stranger in need.

It reminds each and every one of us that we all belong to one big family.

In recent weeks our island has been rocked and shaken by an escalation in violence and gang related crime. Some of us may falsely believe that our circumstances protect us from being victims of such violence and that this is someone else's problem to solve. But we are one community, we are all one family and the actions of one reflect on us all. We must embrace every member of our community and bring them into our fold.

As we take stock of where we stand today, each and every one of us can be proud of the country we live in. We have faced challenges in the past and forged ahead to turn them into opportunities for growth and development. In celebrating our 400th year, we have all been reminded that the misfortune of a shipwreck led to the founding of our nation. There is no doubt that those who landed on our beaches some 400 years ago faced momentous challenges, adversity and were frustrated by their lack of progress towards Jamestown. Yet they knew their survival relied on them coming together as one and finding unique solutions to the exceptional circumstances they found themselves in.

Some 400 years later we find ourselves at a crossroad. We are facing challenges in our education system, we need to modernize our justice system, we need to protect our fragile environment, we need to become more fiscally responsible as a country and we need to ensure our island home provides equality of opportunity for everyone. We too must come together and not be divided by race, religion or class to find our way forward towards a brighter future.

This year we founded the Bermuda Democratic Alliance. We believe that the Alliance offers a Better Way. A way that rejects the use of race or class as a means to political success. A way that rejects all forms of corruption in political and public life. A way that will stand as an example in responsible and open government. A way that will make Bermuda relevant for all Bermudians. We believe that these values will lead Bermuda to a brighter future.

As we celebrate this holiday season and come together with our families and loved ones, let's not forget those that are less fortunate or those who may be struggling to make ends meet.

Reach out to your neighbour and provide a helping hand.

As we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas rush to buy the ultimate gift, let's reflect on our good fortune.

Give thanks and praise for all you have received and give from your heart. But let us also remember that the greatest gift we can give is a commitment to our island, a commitment to build a more peaceful and prosperous future that every Bermudian can enjoy.

The Bermuda Democratic Alliance wishes everyone a joyful, peaceful and happy holiday season.[[In-content Ad]]

---