Is Premier David Burt at war with the people of Bermuda? The answer should be an automatic ‘no’, but when you analyse his behaviour, it comes over as if he has a grudge or disdain, veils himself behind a party wall of loyalists and remains unanswerable to the rest of the island.

He is by far the most remote leader the country has had. They say when elephants stampede, the grass gets trampled upon; and when parents fight, it is the child that suffers.

We do not know where to begin to list the tragedies that have occurred during his tenure. The children are suffering, the parks are trashed, the roads are crumbling and now symbolic of this administration.

Confusion and incoherency are everywhere, with the only people who have any idea of direction huddled as close as they can to the Premier.

There may be some benefits to the association with Caricom, but we may never know what they are, because it is his wish, and left for everyone else to ponder.

We know no economic boon will result. Like the Bahamas, we are too small to participate in a single market with open borders. The Bahamas declared their position almost a year ago, repeating their stance of 2005. So what is the inherent difference between being an associate member and a full member? The benefits should be clear, but for some reason, they are not.

There is not enough horsepower surrounding this initiative to give the Premier a political bump for an upcoming election unless it hopes to stir racial tensions. Or, maybe given the 30 to six, is seen as opportune because he has the power to do it. But why do something that he knows is unpopular? That is why the question of whether the Premier is at war with the population is relevant.

Unless the Premier sees something most of us cannot, his leadership of stealth diplomacy is not working. I am 100 per cent sure there is some benefit in an association with Caricom. Nevertheless, there should always be an analysis of the cost to benefit, which is the reasonable thing to do.

At the moment, the only clear benefit is for the leaders and possible ambassadors. They have had many regional meetings, which Bermuda has attended, and none, except Chris Famous, is on fire about the outcome, not even the warmth has caught on to the general public.

This is not negative criticism, it is the on-the-ground reality as we experience it. We should not anticipate seeing a paradigm shift or change in the status quo as a result of Caricom.

The same people who are flourishing now will flourish under a Caricom scenario. If you visit Barbados and see who owns the malls and retail industry, the same will simply extend to Bermuda.

The reactionary attitude of "if White people don't like it, then it must be good for Black people" does not advance the Black cause or struggle one inch. The old saying "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" is the best attitude to adopt because progress for any person or people works on universal principles no matter what their colour or ethnicity is. If anyone wants success, watch a successful person and see how they do things and learn.

We must give Sir David Gibbons credit for saying long ago: "Bermuda must come out of its cocoon." He explained also at that time, the need for all Bermudians to own a piece of the rock first.

When Bermuda opens its doors to the world without assuring its people are secure, Bermudians will lose their place to others. We may not just lose our land, but also our identity. I made the observation in an op-ed that I wrote six months ago about our UN right to the status of being called an Indigenous Bermudian.

If we don't claim it now then in 30 to 40 years we may end up like the original Australians who now have lost their right of recognition because of the consensus of the new inhabitants. Bermuda and Bermudians can suffer the same fate but worse because we are so small.

In summary, we should be looking for practical meaning in whatever direction we take. At times, the practical thing is to have an adventure, which means taking a risk.

My great great great grandfather did that more than 200 years ago when he left Turks and Caicos, fleeing from Haiti and also the conflict between Bahamas and Bermuda over the salt trade from Turks.

Legend has it that when they set sail they had no idea where they were going, they were just getting out by all means. I don't think we are in that desperate mode, instead, we need to plan and be deliberate about where we need to go, consider our best options and face them with the confidence of a nation united.