The next generation of leaders will bring prosperity and pride to BDA

It has been a year since six broke away to form the Bermuda Democratic Alliance and I joined as the first member.

As I look around the room of BDA I see the future — black, white, male, female, young and old, all harmonious in our fight to form a better way for Bermuda.

Over the last 10 years I had become disenfranchised with the political landscape in Bermuda.

A white party that has become disconnected with the real Bermuda, grasping on to days gone by, and a black party which failed on its promise of empowerment for its own people.

The political elite stands at its post and continues to fight battles of the past, ignoring the changing landscape happening now.

While the UBP and PLP grind old axes and blindly battle each other, they are failing to serve the people of Bermuda.

They are failing to educate our youth, failing to curb crime and failing to create a viable and sustainable economy. They are failing us.

Even worse, they are filling the minds of our youth with empty rhetoric, making them believe that the reason why 53 per cent of Bermudians under 25 are unemployed is because of injustices from the past that continue to loom today.

This is not true — the only injustice is Government’s (ruling and opposition party included) failure to manage our country.

The political elite has had their turn and failed us. 

Why don’t they step aside and allow the next generation of leaders to take the reins of responsibility and usher Bermuda into a new era of prosperity, pride and focus on the people?

When the political elite is gone we will be left with their problems— and my preference is to start solving them now.

Our country is facing global challenges as our tiny nation struggles to adapt and integrate itself into the modern global economy, yet the majority of our current leadership do not have the tools to manage a modern Bermuda.

In the next 20 years we face a number of challenges, including implementing a long-term energy policy to help power the growth of our country, growing business in Bermuda to continue to foster inter­national business, tourism and potential new industries.

We will need to support and care for the youth who we under-educated and provide them with viable futures and opportunities so they can grow with us in Bermuda.

We need the next generation of leaders to assume responsibility for the affairs of our country, mentored by those few seasoned politicians who have adapted to modern times and also share a forward thinking approach.

When I look around the room at the BDA, I see that next generation of leaders.

I see established leaders who have built their own businesses, who have already represented Bermuda on the global scale, who are aligned with each other in care for the island and thought for a prosperous future.

I see intelligent people with the ability to solve our problems. I see an ethical group that works hard for Bermuda because they care about each person here and want to ensure an opportunistic future for all.

Future

They are not in it for the money — we have three MPs who gave up ‘safe’ UBP seats to risk it all for Bermuda and a Senator who stepped down despite the loss of income.

Over the past year the BDA has been working ­together to form the future for Bermuda, transcending racial lines and attracting talent and intelligence to bring to bear on the issues facing Bermuda.

Friendships have formed between people who were previously kept apart by the divisive nature of Bermuda’s two-party politics. I now have friends who would never have spoken to me before because we voted for opposing parties.

I am angry the political elite prevented me from forming these lasting friendships earlier and divided our country un­necessarily.

In the past year the BDA has seen heated debates in Caucus over issues such as gaming, corruption, education, crime and mounting national debt.

Our team has taught each other what it is like to be in each other’s shoes.

White people in our caucus have a better understanding of the black ­person’s perspective and black people in our caucus now better understand the white perspective.

The healing in Bermuda has started in the BDA ­caucus and we did not need a Big Conversation to accomplish it — we simply needed a Real Conversation.

We have battled each other as we struggled to break away from the old way of thinking — we pushed each other to see each other’s perspective.

BDA has taught me where we come from and where we should be going together.

As such, our current political regime needs three major changes:

• The political elite must step aside and trust the next generation to care for the future of Bermuda;

• The BDA should be swept into power to further act as this catalyst for positive change;

• The Westminster system should be phased out within the next five years so we can transition to a more democratic system that serves the needs of the people.

I look forward to a Bermuda where the next generation of leaders is ­given the chance to take responsibility for the country, care for our elders, educate our youth and provide opportunity for the working and middle classes.

I sit in a room at the BDA with those new leaders who will help us to forge a better way for Bermuda.

As such, I continue to be a proud member of the BDA on the anniversary of my first year as member.

Michael Branco is a member of the BDA’s executive committee and spokesperson on energy and telecommunications.