Bermuda would do well to follow the lead set by the Cayman Islands by lifting term limits to promote economic growth and put Bermudians back to work.So believes Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards, who accused Government of “turning a blind eye” to the Island’s unemployment.“This recession is probably the worst it’s ever been, at least in my lifetime,” said Mr Richards.Government must first acknowledge the problem and then develop ways to fix it, he added.“We need to grow the economy and get rid of anti-growth policies which has a lot has to do with immigration, and term limits in Bermuda is an anti-growth policy.“You cannot expect to have or promote economic growth if you have and won’t get rid of anti-growth policies.“This Government needs to take note of what they’ve done in the Caymans. They suspended term limits but instead the Bermuda Government has drawn a line in the sand on that one.“When you have the leaders of our main economic sector calling for an acceleration in immigration reform people should pay attention. I think the powers that be have blinders on, they won’t even acknowledge the problem.”Recent news that JP Morgan and Ace will terminate 19 Bermuda-based jobs is part of a “continuing downward trend in jobs for Bermudians”, in Mr Richards’ view.“The total number of ‘reported’ job losses this year is now pegged at 209, though we know the figure must be higher,” he said.“Thousands of Bermudians remain unemployed and underemployed with no relief in sight. Bermuda’s continuing job losses can be stopped, but it will take a government committed to real reform and change to stop the bleeding and grow the economy once again.”Mr Richards referred to last month’s survey by the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers that reported staff cuts over the past four years. With many Bermudian job losses resulting from the departure of executives, ABIR urged Government to reverse the situation.The survey noted “a direct correlation between these senior executives being in Bermuda and employment opportunities for Bermudians”.According to Mr Richards, the survey was released at the same time Government indicated international business had “grown considerably” on their watch under “balanced policies”.“Bermuda’s challenge starts with the fact that the Government can’t bring itself to even acknowledge a problem exists,” he stated.“This is an example of a government that has turned a blind eye to a problem that affects thousands of Bermudian families. It is an example of a mindset that is serving the Government’s political needs, not the real life needs of Bermudians.“If you don’t know or admit a problem exists, then you can’t fix it. People need a government that’s focused on fixing their problems, not a government in denial,” he said.He said the One Bermuda Alliance “has put forward plans to grow jobs across the board” over the past year.“These plans are designed to stimulate hiring through tax incentives, cutting red tape to facilitate economic activity and reforming immigration to make it work better for Bermuda.“Some of our plans are innovative, others are just plain sensible; all our doable. It just takes a government willing to change,” said Mr Richards. “That is Bermuda’s problem today.“We have a government that is hung up on policies from another time, policies that no longer work for the people and it’s time for change.”PLP Senator David Burt issued a statement which said: "In 1998, there were just 2,918 jobs in international business. As of 2011, there are 4,077 international business jobs."In 1998, international business contributed $438,517,000 to our GDP. In 2010, during the height of the Great Recession, international business generated $1,461,824,000 to our GDP."Mr Richards and the OBA are entitled to their own opinions, but, they’re not entitled to their own facts."Don’t take our word for it. Ed Noonan of Validus says that he sees “a bright future for International Business on the Island.” And Gary Devery of MS Frontier Re said that they view “the Bermuda market as leading in the reinsurance industry as a whole.”"The facts are clear. Even during these tough global economic times, the PLP is surely and steadily moving Bermuda forward. "