March 3, 2012Dear Sir,The remarks made by Mark Bean about Craig Cannonier being the One Bermuda Alliance leader because he is black, is slander and a desperate ploy to detract from the inabilities of his own and those of the Progressive Labour Party to contribute successfully as a Government to Bermuda. This is a perfect example of someone who will always be a part of the problem as opposed to a part of the solution. This remark is the epitome of “who is in fact using the racecard”.His remarks have nothing to do with the running of or progress for Bermuda. Remarks like this are not worth an ounce of rebuttal by the OBA. This is only one outburst that emphasises the frustration of a PLP Government with a very poor report card, reacting to a very positive, encouraging and constructive OBA. The PLP’s efforts to date are nothing more than their past; weak, misleading and suspect.SYDNEYPagetWilling to give OBA a chanceMarch 6, 2012Dear Sir,I would like to thank Marc Bean for enlightening and opening up my mind as to the true reason I voted for Craig Cannonier as leader of the One Bermuda Alliance. I never suspected that it was because he was black. I thought it was because the man I saw and heard speak before me was not only an educated gentleman (the Progressive Labour Party have a few of those as well) but an enthusiastic man with hope, appreciation and love for this island and its people. A man who truly plans to do his best to try and salvage our reputation and livelihood, while at the same time bringing us together instead or driving fences between us. I believed he and the OBA had hopes of doing this without misleading us, without deviousness, and without secret agendas.That’s what I believed. In fact, that is still what I believe, but I can’t blame Marc Bean for only seeing a colour and not the attributes of Mr Cannonier as he no doubt has not had a lot of exposure to them and would have a very difficult time recognising them in his own party. All the “promises”, “maybes”, “projections” and “ideas” from all those foreign consultants; all the “we will look into”, and “we are thinking” and “we will do this by the year such and such”, that the Premier rattles on and on about does not give me one iota of the hope that Mr Cannonier and the OBA seem to promise. No, the OBA have not been tested yet, but the PLP have been and we need something better, and I am hoping and willing to give the OBA their chance. Oh, and it may bother Marc Bean, but I don’t give a damn that the leader of the OBA is black.JUSTIFIEDPaget