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When the United Bermuda Party was voted out of office 1998, it was a big disappointment for the party. But looking back, it was the right decision for Bermuda.

We had been in power for a long time and the island was ready for change. And it was good for democracy, because it showed Bermudians that they really had the power to change government if they wanted.

The nine years we have spent in Opposition has been a humbling experience, but also rewarding, and I believe our party is better for it and the country is better for it.

 We have used our time in Opposition well, re-connecting with people in their living rooms and on their doorsteps, listening to their hopes and fears and appreciating their disappointment with a PLP Government that lost touch with them.

The experience has been our guide and we are ready to make it work for the good of the people.

We will be a government that puts people first.

I don't say that lightly. My approach to politics begins and ends on the doorstep. I do not believe you can have effective government unless you understand the needs and concerns of the people you represent.

Tax relief

Our Agenda for Change, which outlines the United Bermuda Party's plans for a better Bermuda, emerged from thousands of doorstep conversations.

We drew them up knowing this island places huge burdens on people in terms of cost of living; job pressures that interfere with family life, and housing beyond the reach of far too many.

And so our first priority as a government is to help people caught in a Bermuda that leaves them the little room to breathe.

That means we will help lower-income Bermudians with tax relief that can put up to $1,995 more in their pockets each year.

We will help young families with day-care support, expanded maternity leave, and free school transportation for their children.

We will help young students with guidance and discipline to steer them clear of bad choices.

We will make sure no student is denied access to higher education for financial reasons.

We will build 500 homes to make sure young families get a roof over their heads at rents they can afford. We will help first-time homebuyers secure mortgages well below commercial rates.

We will maintain and preserve the beauty of our island through an aggressive Save Open Spaces plan, because if we don't save it now, we will lose part of our identity, part of our soul.

Finally, we will implement our good governance plan to fight corruption, to strengthen accountability and to give people more say and power in the affairs of this country.

That is the core of our plan to build a better Bermuda.

A Bermuda that is tolerant, that cares for its people, that celebrates our differences, that nurtures talent; a Bermuda where citizens respect one another regardless of their views, where each of us becomes our brother's keeper, where we do unto others as we would have them do to us.

At the highest level, that better Bermuda is an island of decency, where our people see each other as Bermudians first.

People tired of negativity

One of the messages we hear from Bermudians each day is that they are tired of the negativity in our public life. I agree. People are turned off.

One of the things I'm proud of in this election is that we have carried forward a positive message - a message of hope, respect, optimism and unity.

It hasn't been that way with our opponents. They have waged a relentlessly negative and mean-spirited campaign.

Bermudians have had enough of the divisiveness of the Brown-led Government which has deliberately stirred tensions between black and white, Bermudian and non-Bermudian.

Our island is too small, and we have too much in common as Bermudians, to allow ourselves to be played like this. We, as a people, deserve better.

The politics of the past year has led me to think that Bermuda in this election stands at a fork in the road. How we vote will say much about the island we want. At the fork lie questions about corruption, ethics, accountability, transparency, performance and, ultimately, trust - questions which you will answer with your vote on Tuesday.

Please give some thought to supporting the United Bermuda Party. We stand for honesty and integrity, fairness and family values, public service and public safety.

We stand for open and effective government, accountability at all levels of public life, and protecting the environment.

We stand for unity. We want to move this country forward, all of us together as one people, black and white, as Bermudians first, before all else.

We stand for a new beginning.

As in 1998, there is a right decision to make.[[In-content Ad]]

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