OBA: Burt ‘governs by decree, not principle’
The Progressive Labour Party was accused today of being mired in the grievances of the past by the leader of the One Bermuda Alliance, who described the “pivotal” General Election as a “choice between more of the same, or something better — a choice between fear or hope”.
In a statement described by the party as a closing argument, Jarion Richardson called on voters to reflect on “the Bermuda they want in the future”.
He added: “During this campaign, they’ve been talking about things that happened eight, ten, 15, 20 years ago. They go all the way back to colonialism.
“They’re happy to talk about the past and what we’re trying to do is talk about the future.”
Mr Richardson accused the PLP’s electoral campaign of using “political disenfranchisement and intimidation”.
“That’s just unnecessary,” he added. “Our problems require us to work towards successful outcomes.
“You can’t get that if you spend the whole time screaming and shouting about character, when you’re trying to invalidate voices different from yours.”
The OBA leader maintained that the island needed sweeping immigration reform but stated: “The party has no plans on pathways to status at this time.”
He described the Immigration and Protection Act 1956 as “incredibly outdated”, with the island lacking “as many people in Bermuda that we need” and requiring improved and modernised immigration processes.
“There’s so much to clean up there before we even get started on the heavy lifting,” Mr Richardson said.
He said the PLP’s social investments in government had failed to improve the island’s lot, and claimed that better ideas were contained in “our platform — and I’m not being trite with that; we worked incredibly hard on that”.
Mr Richardson’s statement was his final pitch to voters after more than a month of election campaigning marked by daily statements and rebuttals from the two parties along with the Free Democratic Movement and independent candidates.
The Opposition leader said that David Burt, the Premier, had called the election last month hoping for “validation for the choices he made, his policies and the legacy he hopes to leave behind”.
Mr Richardson cast the choice faced by voters on Tuesday as one between “continued decline and renewal”.
He added: “The PLP government acts as if power is a right, rather than a duty. That is not democracy or leadership. This is not what we deserve.
“Democracy only works when people demand better, and that’s the promise of the One Bermuda Alliance.”
Mr Richardson said the party had “stood up” after its heavy defeat in 2020 when “things were very difficult for the OBA”.
“We asked the tough questions,” he said. “We exposed their failures. We never stopped believing our mutual power to change the course of this country.”
Mr Richardson said the Opposition had witnessed “an incredible shift” in recent years that was “unimaginable in those quiet, anxious moments” after 2020.
“We saw it in town halls, starting small and now packed with Bermudians who want answers and solutions.
“We heard it on the doorsteps, at first reserved, now loud, heated and demanding change.”
Mr Richardson, who is the OBA candidate for Constituency 23 (Paget West), described the island as “broken”, with ageing infrastructure and “more than 6,000 Bermudians” having emigrated.
He said the PLP government had “lost its way, spending recklessly, rewarding the powerful, ignoring your struggles”, and accused Mr Burt of governing “by decree instead of by principle and consensus”.
With days until voters head to the polls, he insisted the OBA was “prepared to lead” with “a team ready to fix what is broken”.
Mr Richardson maintained that the PLP had spent two decades “exacerbating Bermuda’s problems, and their fixation on the past has only made these problems worse”.
He called on voters to “turn the page on division, on mismanagement, on empty, broken promises” in favour of a new beginning.
Mr Richardson added: “My commitment to you is this: when you make your choice in the voting booth, a vote for the OBA is a vote for a government that believes in you.”
• To see the Opposition leader’s statement, see Related Media
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