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Dear Sir,

I am not surprised that your senior reporter took another opportunity to cast aspersions upon our most esteemed Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown, this time with the assistance of the Hon. (?) Renee Webb.

In reading Ms Ebbin's reports in your newspaper it appears to me that for some reason or other (and only she knows why) she has a difficult time in casting Dr. Brown in a positive light. No matter what Dr. Brown does for the people of Bermuda, we can be assured that Ms Ebbin will use her pen (computer) to try and destroy him.

I would suggest that readers log on to the archives of the Bermuda Sun to prove me right.

Let's look of Ms Ebbin front page story in Wednesday's Bermuda Sun (October 31, 2007). Ms. Ebbin, or I could be wrong and it was you, the editor, who chose the headline - 'Ewart Brown's nightmare on Downing Street'.

Why was it Ewart Brown's nightmare and not Nelson Bascome, Dame Jennifer Smith, Arthur Hodgson, or even Renee Webb's nightmare? All of the aforementioned names are contained in the "leaked/stolen" documents. Why was it not George Jackson's nightmare? After all, he is the Commissioner of Police and in his position he was a party to trying to get the "gag order" overturned?

Ms Ebbin uses as her main source for the information contained in her exposè, former Cabinet Minister and soon to be former Parliamentarian, Renee Webb. According to Ms Webb, "Dr. Ewart Brown has become a liability who could end up costing the ruling Progressive Labour Party the next general election". Readers of the Bermuda Sun should remember that in the 2003 General Election, Dr. Brown was elected with an overwhelming majority and Ms Webb squeaked by with only eight votes more than Tim Smith, the UBP's candidate. Additionally, Dr. Brown and his team in Constituency 26 constantly canvass their district, however, Ms Webb had no team of canvassers and was rarely seen on the doorstep during her eight-year term as a Member of Parliament. Who indeed is/was a liability to the PLP?

Webb: Always off island?

Readers should also know that at the constitutionally held election for Party Leader, Dr. Brown was the person that delegates chose to lead the Party and move Bermuda forward. Readers should know that this was not a close election and Dr. Brown was a clear favourite of the delegates.

I cannot remember if Ms Webb cast her vote at this particular election as she spends more time out of Bermuda than she does in Bermuda, however my information tells me that the majority of Members of Parliament supported Dr. Brown as he leader of Progressive Labour Party, and hence the Premier of Bermuda. Meredith Ebbin, or the editor, also directs our attention to Stuart Hayward's opinion column entitled 'Dr. Brown continues to act against the public interest'. I would ask readers of the Bermuda Sun to compare the accomplishments of Dr. Brown to the accomplishments of Stuart Hayward.

They were both born in the same era, both had similar opportunities in a racist Bermuda. More than likely Dr. Brown's father and Stuart Hayward's father were friends and lamented together about the lack of opportunity for black men in Bermuda. Where is Stuart Hayward today? Where is Dr. Brown today? Who is the leader of our country? Why is that so? I will admit that Stuart Hayward, like Dr. Brown, has his supporters, but who are they? To state that Dr. Brown "continues to act against the public interest" is utterly ridiculous! Would Stuart Hayward want to see "allegations" about his life spread all over the newspapers in Bermuda? I think not.

As the mother of two adult sons, I must say that I would prefer if they emulated Dr. Brown, whom I believe has done much to move Bermuda forward In spite of the many obstacles that have been put in his way, Dr. Brown has not only survived, but prospered.

He has worked hard to become a successful doctor and businessman. He is supportive of his own sons and other family members. He is a mentor to many young Bermudians and has assisted many others in various ways. Certainly the aforementioned attributes of Dr. Brown could not be described as a person who "continues to act against public interest".

Additionally, as a doctor (another way he acts in the public interest), I am certain that the Premier gets many opportunities to have heart-to-heart, one-on-one conversations with Bermudians from all walks of life. That is why he continues to be supported by the majority of Bermudians despite what the polls commissioned by the UBP have to say.

I still can't understand why there are certain people in our community, and some outside of our community, like the erstwhile Rev. Trevor Woolridge, who are suggesting that because of the Privy Council ruling, Dr. Brown's leadership should now be questioned. I really don't understand what one has to do with the other. By the way, it is most ironic that Rev. Woolridge should be calling for Dr. Brown's resignation. Need he be reminded why there was a by-election in Hamilton East in February, 1998?

LaVerne Furbert

Hamilton Parish

Editor's note: We respect LaVerne Furbert's right to express her views - hence the publication of this letter. In the interest of accuracy, however, it should be pointed out that Meredith Ebbin is not responsible for headlines or sub-headlines. Also, it is completely erroneous to suggest that Ms Ebbin is out to "destroy" Ewart Brown. She is simply doing her job as a reporter.[[In-content Ad]]

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