After listening to the Bermuda Industrial Union Labour Day banquet speech by Derrick Burgess, I wondered whether he forgot the point of his speech, which this year was in honour of Ottiwell Simmons.

It was an important gesture to have “Ottie” as the focal point for this year. For those who can remember, the march coming off the back of the 1981 strike was celebrated year after year. In the beginning, it ended at Bernard Park, where thousands of people would gather and spend a day hearing many of the community activists and speakers such as Ottie himself and Sir John Sharpe from the ruling party. Then it was an event that was celebrated to an extent one that one would not want to miss it. What has happened since?

I recall the United Bermuda Party once getting very costly advice, which in essence was to go into the community and find the agenda within and from the community — and then pursue it. I wonder if that same advice might have been useful for the modern-day Labour Day organisers.

The banquet speech, in summary, was directed at Government House and the Department of Public Prosecutions surrounding the perceived injustices against Ewart Brown and Zane DeSilva. There is no argument here for the impropriety against them, but is that enough as an issue to stir the public into action enough to motivate them to march? Particularly when there are so many issues of deep public concern, not the least of which is unemployment?

Yes, it looks bad when a former leader is harassed by the authorities at such an expense, and hopefully one day all will be settled fairly and openly with no residual questions lingering in the air. Problems such as that of the Uighurs sometimes are like the question of “Who killed President Kennedy?” We may never ever know.

The issue with Zane DeSilva has resulted in no criminal case; no one wants to hear that one of our MPs or a former leader was involved in criminality. It not only affects them but hurts all of us. Yet here, too, the matter is circumstantial — $800,000 of public funds ended up in someone’s hands and the issue of accountability remains in spite of Mr DeSilva’s innocence. So it was not criminal and the Minister of Finance approved it, so why did Mr Burgess — on behalf of the people of Bermuda whose labour produced the taxpayer money that was embezzled — not say that, rest assured, we will go after whoever the culprit is for the money civilly?

The concern was that the MP was wrongly accused and is now free, but there is apparently no concern that the taxpayer money is not returned and that the public are left in the dark. OK, no crime. Then, finance minister David Burt, please order a civil case to recover the money.

The point here is not to cross-examine whether or not Mr DeSilva or Dr Brown are truly innocent, but rather that the point of the labour movement is about the people who are sympathetic although not engrossed in the court drama of either. It shows in the numbers that showed up for the march that the focus is lost. Thirty-four members of the Bermuda Union of Teachers appeared in the march and, not too dissimilar to the BIU, most of them comprise their organising committees. There are more than 900 teachers in the BUT, just to name one union, but only 34 marched! The total participation was only a fraction of its glory days.

Take this as advice, and not as criticism: follow the advice given to the UBP when it was told to go back to the people and discover their concerns, get on the ground and hear what they are saying. Don’t ram what comforts you down the people’s throats simply because of the few who benefit.

Bermudians are not afraid to march, but they did not march with you. The question must be asked: why? Attacking the messenger will not answer the question or cause the crowds to come out again — unless it is enough just to have a show of support.

Ottiwell Simmons was known as a man of the people. He never claimed to be perfect, but no one could contest his desire to help. The BIU would be wise to ask itself where have we gone wrong or, better, what can we do to get it right?

Britain is asking Bermuda and all Overseas Territories to consider their futures and how we wish to increase our participation and representation in the world, including even the different representation from that of the existing governor. There is absolutely no need to kick at a door that’s wide open.