Yes, we Bermudians are xenophobic. Here's how

FRIDAY, OCT. 12: Over the last few years there has been a resonating term banded about.

Bermudians ‘don’t like foreigners’; we Bermudians are averse to opening our doors. I believe it was crystalized with the words of Sir John W. Swan recently: “Bermudians are xenophobic.”

 Are we xenophobic? Do we not like guest workers?

I am taken aback by this notion, yet open to hear the opinions of others. Sir John spoke in the context of persons coming here to work and the possibility of them becoming citizens

“The British were saying basically that you are the government, you want independence, you’ve always had a philosophy on Independence and if you’re going then you go with some consequences”  — Sir John Swan, RG, Sept. 2012

 Was it not Sir John, under the UBP, who opened the Pandora’s Box re independence in 1995? I have yet to see the PLP discuss independence with the UK.

Interestingly, Sir John has not been in government since leaving office in 1995. So can he supply us with what the British Government has stated within the last 17 years?

 Moving along. We all recognize the need for increased activity in our economy. Bermudians of every hue will agree. However, where we diverge is “how long is long?”

Displaced locals

How many guest workers do we need, to strike a balance between a bubbling economy and displaced locals?

Five years ago, the average cost for a starter home was upward of $1.2 million. One bedroom apartments for rent started at $1,700.

Not bad if you were selling houses or renting apartments. However, many of our fellow Bermudians were essentially locked out of owning property in their own country.

 No one in the then UBP, now OBA, seemed to be crying ‘crisis’ then. Many of them, enjoyed the benefits of homeownership and or multiple apartment rentals.

At one point, landlords used to post ‘apartment available to professionals only’ which is code word for ‘Bermudians need not call’. Is that not xenophobia?

Thousands of Bermudians have had to leave their island home to move to the UK, simply because they could not afford to even rent in their own island .Did UBP MP Bob Richards cry ‘crisis’ then?

 We had such a housing crisis in that the government was forced to bring in ‘trailer type homes’ to house many working class Bermudians families. Shelter was provided at  Sonesta Hotel  staff quarters and Southside. Did UBP MP Michael Dunkley cry ‘crisis’ then?

 That crisis was the catalyst for the PLP to build affordable housing at; Harborview Village, Perimeter Lane, Loughlands and yes, Grand Atlantic. Some say Government should not be in the real estate business. I agree. But the PLP government is in the ‘help the needy Bermudian’ business.

 We must collectively turn the economy around.

Yet seemingly the only OBA solution thus far, is to just flood the island with guest workers regardless of the consequences for locals.

Since 1998 our country has become a kaleidoscope of cultures and nationalities. Great for diversity and business. I fully agree.

Yet many landlords preferred renting to a guest worker over a fellow Bermudian.

Sir John was correct. We are Xenophobic. Please stay tuned for ‘Xenophobia Pt. 2: The voices of guest workers’.

• Christopher Famous is a graduate of The Berkeley Institute and Bermuda College. He is a self-described “blue collar worker, keen social observer and proud PLP supporter”. E-mail him: [email protected]