“But there is one further trend that in the long term may be more alarming. That is people deciding not to vote. Each and every registered voter has the right, indeed the responsibility, to exercise their opinion as to how their future, the future of Bermuda, will evolve” — Sir John Swan

A “Movement for Independent Candidates” is real and growing in Bermuda. As I have written previously, that Sir John Swan has returned to political life says more about the major void found among today’s political leaders than it says about him. Most of the politicians we have seem to treat the election process as a job interview and not an opportunity for public service. I’m particularly talking about the likes of Jason Hayward and Jamahl Simmons, for example. What we need are leaders with courage and vision. Not gaslighters like David Burt.

Recent poll numbers that I have been made privy to are abysmal for the Progressive Labour Party, and especially Mr Burt. But the One Bermuda Alliance, aka the “Dead Man Walking Party”, should not rejoice. Those same polling numbers offered them no ray of electoral sunshine, either. I stand by my prediction of early 2022 that the OBA will garner only about three to four seats more, at best.

The polling numbers speak to the view that dissatisfaction among Bermuda’s electorate has grown since 2020.

We in Bermuda are not insulated from global political developments. For example, the election results in South Africa and India suggest “A Movement for Independent Candidates” could either form a majority government or play a significant role in the birth of a coalition government.

Bermuda’s electorate may be ready to reject the political status quo. That is, the great reset may be at hand.

The status quo

Both main parties in Bermuda are being rejected. Both represent that status quo. What’s the status quo? The wealthy get rewarded principally on the international business oasis, and then it is party first and ordinary Bermudians — the vast majority of us — a distant second.

Trust is in decline. Cynicism is on the increase. Who can restore trust? Who can foster a sense of optimism that can lead us to restore some social solidarity? The Free Democratic Movement?

Let’s get serious. It is even more status quo than the PLP and the OBA, if you can believe that. The FDM is still pushing the dangerous “market is God” idea from the 1980s. We never even heard from Marc Bean and the FDM until Sir John announced his candidacy and my endorsement of him.

As I write, thousands, as in the 2020 General Election, are sitting on the couch on their hands and do not intend to vote. The challenge in this “Movement for Independent Candidates”, which I support, is to give those who are on that couch along with those who do intend to vote — both Black and White — something to vote for. We must triumph over cynicism. We must provide optimism over fear and disillusionment. The next General Election will be a fight for the heart and soul of Bermuda, and for its future. Make no mistake about it.

Real change

I take no joy in stating that I experienced first-hand the rut that has consumed the PLP. Growing numbers of people aged over 40 know that this party bears no resemblance to that of Lois Browne-Evans, David Allen, Ottiwell Simmons, Barbara Ball and Freddie Wade. The only legislator left who epitomises that party is Dennis Lister, the Speaker of the House. He must feel like a lonely man, disheartened with what he has seen and experienced over the past 12 years — first with Marc Bean and now David Burt.

Sir John and former government minister Renée Webb, who is supporting the “Movement for Independent Candidates”, fit the bill for the kind leaders we need today. And from what I have seen, there are a number of even younger independent candidates who have stepped forward — Black and White, men and women — that fit that bill as well. We need the best and the brightest who are committed to Bermuda first.

Real change must happen when the House of Assembly reconvenes after the next election. The election of a substantial number of independent candidates can then begin to create a Bermuda that will be able to navigate the local and global challenges before us.

But you have to vote for change, and I am betting that if we do so, a number of candidates who will be representing this “Movement of Independent Candidates” will be present when that roll call is sounded.

Bermuda, both Black and White, I am asking you to seize this historic moment and vote for the “Movement for Independent Candidates”. They will represent you and the best interests of Bermuda — not those of the party.

• Rolfe Commissiong was the Progressive Labour Party MP for Pembroke South East (Constituency 21) between December 2012 and August 2020, and the former chairman of the joint select committee considering the establishment of a living wage