Bermudians from all walks of life have been expressing their bitter disappointment over where Bermuda stands with enormous debt, chain reaction job losses, an unsatisfactory health system, struggling families, crime and unanswered questions over how we allowed ourselves to drift so far off course.While there are those who blame the world economic recession and other factors for our current plight, the Progressive Labour Party Government cannot evade responsibility for a good portion of this mess, since they were in control of our financial wheel and were making the big critical decisions on how the people’s purse was handled, even in a climate of uncertainty. It seems our economic GPS system totally failed, sending our Island ship into deeply troubled economic waters while running low on fuel.The average voter does not care which political group is running the country, as long as the people can be satisfied that honesty and transparency is the golden rule in dealing with all matters concerning the people’s business.Government seems to hope the electorate will suffer an acute case of amnesia that will wipe out those darn questions that keep popping up about a lack of accountability and transparency, which have caused so many people to lose faith in those who are charged with leadership.Freedom loving people have every right to ask questions about any Government policy or action that concerns them ... It would be grossly wrong to remain silent out of fear that in speaking up, you might hurt the feelings of the powerful. Any good Government should encourage feedback from the populace, whether it is critical or praiseworthy.Prior to any general election, is it normal for the party in power to come in for close scrutiny, especially from the Opposition over various policies along with their performance. Nothing wrong with that, because governments around the world make mistakes.Here in Bermuda the incident of detainees from Guantánamo, Cuba comes to mind. Few people I know are comfortable with that episode which saw four detainees from Cuba smuggled into Bermuda in the middle of the night, without official clearance from the British Government, or the knowledge of the United States representative in Bermuda for that matter. Most Cabinet ministers were also kept in the dark on this issue.Whatever the reason was for this strange action, it fell terribly short of expectations from our leaders who should always refrain from engaging in any activity that carries a tone of deception, which ultimately shatters trust with the people. The four men brought here were never despised by Bermudians to the best of my knowledge, since they were not directly responsible for how they got here.There are missing parts to this story that perhaps may never be told. It is certainly not improper for any Bermudian to ask why it was carried out in such a secretive manner. It remains an episode the Government has yet to fully clarify. Just another incident where trust became a casualty. As for the faith based tourism episode, to have the people’s purse treated like petty cash without accountability, leaves trust in pieces on the floor.Bermuda is a small jurisdiction and even when disagreements run deep in the political arena we should never allow anger or bitterness to stifle meaningful dialogue in search of truth even though that truth may be hard to swallow.No political party should take people for granted, which we all know happens in many democratic jurisdictions. Bermudians are crying out for something better from our leaders.The One Bermuda Alliance, the new opposition, has managed in a short time to capture the attention of many voters looking for change but whether the impact is great enough to put a new crew at the helm remains to be seen. The OBA has certainly established itself as a serious contender for a shot in the control room.Much could depend on those undecided voters as they reflect and search their innermost instincts before stepping into the voting booth. Democracy will do the rest. That we will have to accept.Whatever transpires on election day as Bermudians we must try to keep cool heads if we hope to collectively attempt to deal with critical issues that threaten our beautiful Island home. After any election in the middle of celebrations for one side, there are always deep political wounds to heal. The healing process will require every Bermudian, black and white and from all walks of life, being willing to exchange views respectfully, no matter what, as long as the objective is to make Bermuda a better place for this generation, and generations to come.Trust will be a key ingredient, and the need to work together is essential, if it is success we are truly aiming for.