16 February 2014

Dear Sir,

On Larry Scott’s radio show last Sunday, Shadow Finance Minister David Burt disagreed with comments made by a caller that the Premier’s alleged misdeeds are less worthy of focus than the work to improve the state of our economy, during which the misdeeds are alleged to have taken place.

Mr Burt’s reply about the paramount need for our leaders to be beholden to the laws and regulations of the country, are of course correct, but he did not address the wider implications of the caller’s comments.

In the context of the vociferous, relentless, and sometimes dubious criticism by the Opposition of Government proposals, this ostensible pursuit of moral rectitude appears to many of us voters as yet more vindictive point-scoring designed only to destabilise the Government, and thus facilitate a PLP victory at the next election, on a platform of superiority by default. This in turn leads us to question the Opposition’s commitment to the improvement of Bermuda’s future. While I do trust that the Opposition fundamentally has our country’s best interests at heart, it must be aware that the tactics that it currently employs both hamper overall progress and sully its image in the eyes of many voters.

The role of opposition is very important in a parliamentary democracy, and part of that role is indeed to call foul when genuinely necessary. But it is better for the system and the country if the emphasis is on positive action to work with, and improve on, a sitting government, as opposed to mudslinging and obstruction.

I would urge the PLP to consider as well that if these tactics do bring you victory at the next election, you will be thought of merely as the lesser of two evils, which hardly qualifies as a strong electoral mandate, and is a poor tone on which to start a term of office.

JOHN GIBBONS

Devonshire