December 30, 2003

Dear Sir,

The decision of England to send a judge to Bermuda that the PLP leader has expressly stated that he did not want is simply a legacy of ancient colonialism which has its roots in deep seated racism.

Many Bermudians of African descent strive to ignore the racial aspects of British Colonialism in our headlong rush for social acceptance by whites at the expense of true democracy. Even a cursory examination of English history will reveal that Britain has always protected the people who "looked like them" in her colonial empire. After all, the system was set up to extend the resources and labour available to England by taking over the governments of non-white that were rich in natural resources.

Thus from the outset of colonialism, there was an implied obligation that England would protect the English colonist from the attempts of the indigenous citizens and the newly freed slaves to establish democracies.

Britain's identification with their descendants in the colonies is well documented. Remember when Ian Smith, the Premier of Northern Rhodesia made a Universal Declaration of Independence in retaliation to the efforts of Britain to introduce Black African representation in the segregated government structure? Since Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) had acted against the official dictates of imperial England, the Colonial power had an obligation to enter the country and disband the illegal government. However, the Labour government of the day, led by Sir Harold Wilson, declared that it would not be sending British troops to fight Kith and Kin.

We also need to recall that when Dr. Gordon went to England with his petition asking England to rid the Island of a segregated school system, England agreed. However, when the local English descendants from England claimed that to integrate the schools would irritate American tourists, the Governor of the day persuaded England to withdraw the order.

Given the fact that England once again has clearly yielded to the wishes of those Bermudians that look like them, we should not really be surprised, if our history under colonialism is any guide.

This raises the question, "should we now push for independence?" The answer is a resounding Yes! However, in so doing, we must make every attempt to reach an accommodation with the large minority of citizens that look like the English. This will require a determined attempt by the leadership in all spheres of religious, social, political and economic activity to broaden our similarities and to narrow our differences. To succeed in this worthy goal would be to ensure that we become the envy of the world in terms of both economic and social progress.

CALVIN J. M. SMITH

Pembroke