Dear Sir,

Congratulations are due to the Progressive Labour Party, which has won the government for the third consecutive time. Its messaging for this election was obviously effective and the voters responded accordingly.

When people are struggling and financial aid arrives as was promised, it is human nature that there will be loyalty. When people are having to decide between medicine and groceries and some don’t have a roof over their heads, and the main promises being delivered from the Opposition are debt reduction and accountable government, it will fall on deaf ears. And it did.

The PLP targeted the plight of everyday Bermudians, many of whom are seniors who are not interested in the management aspect of the Government’s bank account in general, but specifically need relief from the financial hardships they are experiencing. This is hard to argue with.

If we go back to the 2017 PLP election platform, there were many laudable promises of government accountability and efficiency reforms, with the ruling party vowing to be better than the One Bermuda Alliance whose political “missteps” were heavily criticised. These missteps included increasing the debt, the inference of 2012 election campaign financing irregularities, irresponsible expenditures for the America’s Cup and the Morgan’s Point development, government incompetence and, most importantly, ignoring the plight of the people.

Interestingly, subsequent 2020 and 2025 PLP election platforms revealed far less focus on good governance and responsible spending, and concentrated on many more social initiatives speaking to what we all know is a huge “block” of Bermudians who are treading water financially.

Voter apathy is an interesting part of this election result. There are many reasons for it, but considering the amount of critical issues facing Bermuda, I was very surprised at the record-low 54 per cent turnout. (Lower than the 61 per cent for the 2020 election during the Covid outbreak.) If we can trust the accuracy of the voter registration data showing 45,064 registered voters, then 20,000-plus voters stayed home.

This was particularly irksome to me, since being off the island, my husband and I had to jump through hoops to come home to vote. We had two flight cancellations and $1,900 later, we still could not get back to the Rock in time to exercise our right to vote. However, I did watch — from abroad — Bermuda Broadcasting Corporation’s excellent live coverage of the election results and its panel included two representatives of the Bermuda Youth Connect activist group.

These two young ladies were a welcome addition to the political arena and hearing their unique perspective on the night of this historic General Election was an eye-opener. They spoke on how they viewed the PLP’s appeal, which they felt was mainly the seniors demographic, and said there was a disconnect with younger voters and that many of their peers said they were not voting. They mentioned that the issue of race seemed to be a recurring theme with the PLP, which while relevant was not something that young people focused on. So there is obviously a growing disillusionment with our political parties.

The right to vote was a hard-fought battle and it is very disappointing that so many treated it lightly. I will continue my quest in calling for good governance and transparency because, as David Burt said himself way back in 2017, better scrutiny and better oversight will lead to better results and outcomes for the people of Bermuda. However, it is clear that after almost eight years of PLP administrations, voter priorities continue to lean towards promises of government help and financial aid, rather than scrutinising government policymaking in a broad sense.

What this really translates to is that many Bermudians are just trying to survive and the PLP government has been responding. It also shows that the economy is not working well for the majority of the workforce.

So the people — couch sitters included — chose this government and now there will be five more years of PLP policymaking and spending of our tax dollars. Going forward, this government faces the same serious challenges as it did right before the election. Our massive debt obligation, our unfunded liabilities and unsustainable pensions have not gone away. Bermuda still has an astronomical cost of living, worsening social issues, a rising ageing population, increased government dependency and a struggling middle class. We still have an affordable housing crisis, which has increased homelessness dramatically.

The next few years for this, or any, administration will be a balancing act. And just like walking on a tightrope without a net, when there is too much wobbling, the landing is unforgiving.

BEVERLEY CONNELL

Pembroke