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Sometimes in life, circumstances choose us rather than the other way around.

In an ideal world it would be beneficial to be able to select the right time for our most challenging decisions.

The real world, however, often thrusts a difficult situation right into our laps when we least expect it.

That is how I felt just over a month ago when Gwyneth Rawlins abruptly resigned as Chairperson of the United Bermuda Party and I, as Deputy Chairman, became the obvious successor.

Now of course, I could have respectfully declined the nomination but at that very moment, in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, I felt an obligation to stand and be counted - even though I knew it would mean resigning my government job.

To those people in the room, my actions probably came across as decisive.

But it wasn't so simple. There were two voices in my head: My intellect, which was saying "No," and my heart which was saying: "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

What steadied me in the end was the feeling that, in stepping forward, I was doing the right thing for the right reasons and believing that everything else, somehow, would work itself out. So the heart won and I have no regrets.

Since my election as chairman, a few friends have asked me, why I was getting more deeply involved in the party when it is going through such a bad period?

My response has been: 'How can I not get involved when my party needs me most?'

Therefore, it is with pride that I serve as the Chairman of the United Bermuda Party because I believe that it is the only political entity in Bermuda that tries to embrace all of the people, not just some of the people.

I believe that, if we really want to go to the "next level", we need a party that supports the principles of inclusion, collaboration and partnership. Let's look for a minute at the so-called 'next level' that stands as the Brown Government's vision for Bermuda.

So far, it has featured the hurling of racial insults at prominent members of the legislature and members of the community.

So far, it has been about deporting and disrupting the lives of foreign workers because they either disagree with or dislike members of the Government.

So far, it has been about hard working Bermudians still sleeping in cars and derelict buildings. This is the politics of division and distraction.

If what I am seeing so far is a glimpse of the PLP's next level, then my unequivocal response is: "No thank you."

For me, the next level should be a place where our children receive the best possible education that prepares them for the economy we have developed; a place where tourists can come and enjoy the island without the fear of being robbed at knifepoint.

The next level should be a place where the government is more concerned about putting a roof over people's heads than helping themselves. That is the level I desire to go.

The problems and concerns that confront us today are not new - they existed pre-1998 but they have become critical under this PLP government.

They want us to believe, however, that everything is wonderful and that we are going to the 'Promised Land'.

Well, the only way we could get there is through a vision of oneness where we all come together around the table of brotherhood, black and white, Bermudian and non-Bermudian committed to the cause of one Bermuda, united and strong.

This is the foundation of the United Bermuda Party and this is why I became its Chairman.

Shawn Crockwell is the Chairman of the United Bermuda Party.[[In-content Ad]]

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