“How good and how pleasant it will be before God and man to see the unification of all Bermudians”

I read, with interest, Guilden Gilbert’s opinion of November 25, 2019 (“White Bermuda must change mindset to unite country”). The depiction of Bermuda in 2019 reminded me of Mississippi or one of the other states in the Deep South during the 1960s when it comes to the issue of race.

Some of the claims made were;

1, Holding hands with black Bermuda is outside of white Bermuda’s comfort zone

2, The Progressive Labour Party is consolidating power for the benefit of blacks

3, Black Bermuda distrusts white Bermuda to hold the political reins

4, Black Bermudians are powerless except to front for whites

5, White Bermudians classify black PLP politicians as unintelligent, thieving crooks

6, Whites habitually imply that black voters are unintelligent, ignorant and incapable of independent thought

7, What needs to happen in Bermuda politically is what has happened in the Bahamas

Mr Gilbert took every racial stereotype he could think of and wrote them down as unquestionable facts that we should all accept if we are to understand Bermuda and Bermudian politics. A complete stranger or group of potential foreign investors reading what he wrote, and taking it at face value, should be forgiven for thinking that Bermuda is a society where racial conflict is so prevalent and that racial lines are so firmly drawn, that crossing them has dangerous or even violent repercussions.

When black Bermudians are suffering in silence over the increases in taxes, increasing healthcare cost, declining home values, poor education results and increasing national debt, one may question the result of the PLP consolidating power over the past 20 years and also question why the black middle class is shrinking.

To label all white Bermudians as racist and to accuse them in this manner should be unacceptable. Likewise, we should reject the accusations that paint all black Bermudians with a broad brush as well. Right-minded and level-headed Bermudians should reject this type of language. It does nothing to build our nation in a cohesive way.

What struck me the most was Mr Gilbert’s contempt that he hurled at black One Bermuda Alliance parliamentarians. He is convinced that black OBA members have no mind of their own and only serve the interest of powerful white racists. I am keenly aware of this narrative and I addressed this concern previously with an opinion piece (“Are black OBA members on the white side of history?”).

Deeply ingrained racial inferiority would be a contributing reason why a black man would believe that blacks cannot enter a partnership with whites on equal footing for their mutual interest.

Mr Gilbert suggests that Bermuda follow the Bahamas’ political model, where the white oligarchy is insignificant. He is, apparently, a long-term resident of Bahamas, but believes that everything he says about Bermuda and Bermudians is true because he says so.

Bermudians, we know and understand that there are very good-natured and kind-hearted black and white people in our country that have impacted our lives positively. Many of us have interactions at work and other social settings without it turning into a racial shouting match or fight. I am also positive that we can attest to having some painful interactions with blacks and whites, too.

Therefore, Bermudians are challenged to decide if we are mature enough to make decisions on what is in the best interest of our nation and our children’s future. Once we can debate on the issues, ideas and policy, and not on race, we would begin to flourish as a nation.

I will continue to advocate that the intensity of racial language prevents our country from having a higher level of political discourse and prevents national development. I will continue to remind us all that the role of the Government is the development, management and allocation of national resources.

I could not help but think that the article is exactly the kind of narrative that has been cultivated by some political leaders in recent years for political gain at the expense of the country.

This was pointed out in my opinion piece (“Burt’s politics of desperation”), which addressed a recent speech by our premier. This kind of discourse is returning us back to the same kind of racial polarisation that blotted our past and that our nation needs continually to move away from.

I’m certain that we are all aware, with no doubt, that there are racial issues in this country. We have many other issues, including those of class and gender as well. Reconciling these issues is a work in progress that we have made much headway to address in recent years.

It is our responsibility as a nation to strive through sincere effort to improve ourselves and to pass this mission on to our children. To constantly depict us as a country of two races openly hostile towards each other is a narrative that suits only the purpose of divisiveness for political gain to the detriment of Bermuda.

If what Mr Gilbert wrote was just his thinking or that of a small minority, I would not have commented. However, what he articulated is believed by many. The comment section after his article attests to that. However, it doesn’t make it true.

For the benefit of our nation, this is what the leaders and influencers in our society are challenged to change. To accomplish this, we need to distance ourselves from perpetuating this narrative, irrespective of our accomplishments, for the sake of political mileage.

The future of this country is not a racialised society of blacks versus whites where the winner takes all. We must reject that ideology. Our future should be a partnership of mutual respect and equal power to achieve greatness for our collective benefit.

• Vic Ball was a One Bermuda Alliance senator from November 2014 to July 2017