Letter: Why foreigners first?

Dear Sir,

Have you ever been in a situation where the playing field seems uneven or disjointed? What do you do when there seems to be no way of implementing a common-sense approach? What do you do when those on your team, who once questioned the steps taken, switch jerseys during the game? 

I on occasion watch the old British footage of ‘Yes, Minister’ on YouTube. It is truly amazing how many of the episodes are relevant to our government or governmental systems in Bermuda. 

We have no lottery, but every so often we hear or read of someone from another land or place winning a form of financial lottery in Bermuda. It is all supposedly done in the notion of moving Bermuda forward, perhaps we as Bermudians should ask — forward to what? Practically on every level we hear or see signs of prejudice to our own people by our own people. We invent ideals that justify ignoring or curtailing the needs or growth measures of our own people. 

Shining examples such as: giving away acres of our limited land space for one hundred years or more to secure the future wealth bed of that family or group while denying our own people those same privileges. 

We give away millions of dollars to other peoples from differing lands or countries and they in turn invite Bermudians to forward ideas of fortifying how we would recreate this island in the Atlantic. 

Then there is the opportunistic evaluator who sees their financial foundation crumbling, but just over the horizon a fresh garden to harvest from. No strings attached, no guarantees to uphold, just a potential promise to entice a number of new visitors to our shores. 

With no other source of income, there is a need to attain a six-figure, up-front salary. Even more astounding, all financial responsibilities are in the hands of the host country, again no skin in the process at all on the part of the one collecting the six-figure salary. 

Finally, there are those of our own who experience the self-generated interest that refuse to invest in their own people, but instead prefer to invite cheap labour from around the world. The question is, how do we remove the stupidity of many of our leaders who are determined to exclude the majority of our own people? 

John H. Holdipp III

Pembroke