"You know you hear the word `they' used a lot on this Island. `They' aren't going to do this or that right. `They' aren't going to let that happen.`They' are holding me back, and so on. And you know, I don't think most of us know who `they' are. It's like there's a bunch of shadows out there somewhere making the decisions without asking us for any input.'' That paragraph was contained in the recent speech made by Bank of Bermuda President Henry Smith to the Hamilton Rotary Club.

"They'' of course is most often an excuse used by people to soften their own failures. That is especially true when it is used in the context of "they'' are holding me back because we live in a time of victims. We live in a society where people seek excuses, any excuses, rather than make their own efforts or deal with their own problems.

"They'' is also used to imply that Bermuda is a repressive society where "they'' will hold people back and where "they'' will prevent any tampering with the status quo.

It may well be that historically there was a "they'' in the sense of a group of people in strong control of other people's lives socially, politically and economically. "They'' kept the rest of the people, black and white, in place so that "they'' could prevail without having their lifestyle altered. We may be dealing here with history rather than today's reality. It takes a very long time for thinking to change but it seems to be time to give up the idea that there is any sinister group in Bermuda today plotting to keep the footsoldiers firmly on parade.

Indeed, one of the most constructive efforts in Bermuda today is a movement toward getting things right, moving Bermuda and Bermudians ahead together and ensuring that Bermudians are educated and prepared for the future. Yes there are individual problems, pockets of poverty, areas where there is a need for greater care, faster change and greater progress, particularly in the spread of wealth, but there does not appear to be any "they'' consciously standing in the way. There may be some individuals and a few organisations who even today are not as amenable to progress as they might be but we are unable to find any grouping which would have enough influence to have any general impact.

"They'' is an excuse and an implication of repression which itself stands in the way of getting Bermudians together in the best interests of Bermuda. The term itself suggests division.

In his speech Mr. Smith said: "I certainly don't know who `they' are. But I do know who I am. And I know that this is my Island, and my future is inextricably tied to the future of this Island. I have a right, and indeed a duty, to contribute to Bermuda's success, and I don't need `their' permission to do so. And if all 60,000 of us would stop worrying about `they' and start worrying about `us', we could be an incredible success story for the millennium.''