In any democratic election, voters are pummeled with a barrage of material from those seeking to retain political power, and those seeking a mandate from the populace to bring fresh new ideas toward tackling problems of the day.It is a formidable task under any circumstances, but when there are countless allegations floating about on a wide range of issues, the voter who truly values trying to get it right, has an extremely challenging time searching for truth.Some may say what has truth got to do with it? In the political arena it would appear rules are meant to be broken when it comes to holding on to political power. Politicians are seldom willing to admit wrong, even when it is obvious they have made an error of judgment. This happens around the world.In Bermuda this time around, more and more voters are questioning the current administration after disturbing revelations from the Auditor General in numerous reports that taxpayers money had been used to fund private matters contrary to basic Government policy.Premier Paula Cox recently admitted abuses had taken place under her watch, and she vowed to implement new policies under a good governance process, to stamp out such practices. While most would applaud her initiative, surely there were rules and procedures to protect the public purse all along; if those rules had been adhered to and properly monitored by those responsible, there would be no need for additional regulations to guard the public purse. Equally disturbing is the question of how extensive this type of abuse was, and whether the full amount squandered will ever be known, and also whether anyone will be held accountable.It is certainly not a question of simply trying to find fault with the current Government. Although not all Government officials engaged in such abuses, it only takes a few to cast a shadow of doubt and mistrust on the entire administration. That’s not an image any Government leader wants prior to a general election. The election could very well boil down to how informed the voter is with issues of the day, and whether sentiments toward one political party or the other are so entrenched that issues take second place.The right of the voter to scrutinise should never cease, even if a new Government is elected. Most would agree that with so many problems facing Bermuda including violent crime, the economy, illegal drugs which is an expanding nightmare, joblessness, tourism, education, labour issues, immigration and gang activity, we need a change in direction.Trust may be a key factor in the next general election, because the Progressive Labour Party Government has a deeply troubling legacy in the area of transparency and accountability in dealing with the people’s business. Even many of their avid supporters concede this, which for some has been a bitter pill to swallow.This is mainly because before taking power, they vowed to operate with full transparency and accountability, a promise that dwindled over the years to a point where today the voter could be looking elsewhere for qualities they expect from our leaders.The list of public concerns runs quite deep and while most want a positive Bermuda moving forward, past incidents where transparency was swept aside are not easily dismissed. Yet to be fully explained is why international protocol was breached to bring four detainees from a Cuban prison to our shores in the middle of the night.It is not a matter of reaping up past mistakes to belittle the current Government. It is simply a matter of trying to get light in an area where the people where kept in the dark.Whatever the next election brings, we can only hope it will usher in a new day of putting concerns of the people first, with transparency and accountability ahead of political gain. It will be a tough struggle, but if we allow anger and bitterness over our differences to dominate our actions, real progress will be slow in coming. Saving Bermuda is far more important than saving any political party.