The movement to disrupt the failing Bermuda political party system by changing the ideology of a two-party electoral system has taken flight.

By promoting and ensuring the election of independent candidates who will not be answerable to the Progressive Labour Party or to the One Bermuda Alliance, or to unelected party officials, the journey begins.

Independent members will be accountable to the people who elect them. Their personal and professional integrity, a self-imposed code of conduct, education and work experience will guide them. Their constituents will be their light.

Bermuda all the way, all the way Bermuda.

If there was any doubt that now is the time that Bermuda examines the issue of non-partisan independent Members of Parliament and what they could potentially bring to the House of Assembly, it's now. The following is an example.

Let's examine the Belco issue where we have three Members of Parliament — David Burt, Jason Hayward and Wayne Caines — trying to solve a problem of soot on roofs, oil, smell and the like coming from Belco, disturbing nearby residents.

Three MPs who should be looking out for their constituents but instead are looking out for their party first. Two area MPs, and one who happens to be president of Belco while serving as a PLP MP are all conflicted. Party first!

As per usual, PLP ministers, including the Premier, believe that their party should come first in all instances, hence the slogan “PLP all the way, all the way PLP”.

When it comes to party politics, the PLP comes before the country. Loyalty is expected from central committee members, politicians, candidates and party members. There are rules they must obey.

One can get kicked out for something as simple as attending another political party’s or an independent candidate’s event, or speaking out publicly about a party policy that you do not agree with. Once again, political party before country!

MPs are often restricted from publicly voicing a contrary party position. Not only on the floor of the House of Assembly, but publicly. Perhaps this is why so few members regularly speak in the House of Assembly. How are the interests of constituents served if their MPs are muzzled because of party rules, and the Premier’s instructions?

Loyalty to the “PLP all the way” must come first, the country and the people dead last, which the PLP had the honour of succumbing to in the recent by-election in Constituency 10.

When we look at what is transpiring in Bermuda today, it is mortifying on many levels. We have ministers writing e-mails and letters to each other to try to resolve problems that you think would get resolved about the Cabinet table on Tuesday.

To date the three ministers’ conferencing, letters and e-mails have not resolved the Belco and neighbours’ issues to their satisfaction.

What do independent candidates have to do with all of this?

As I indicated earlier, independent candidates have no political party to be loyal to. They answer to no one, aside from their constituents, who voted them in and who can vote them out.

Their parliamentary work can be done based on one’s ability, and constitutional and parliamentary rules, rather than the whims of unelected party officials known as the central committee, the whip, or party delegates who write the rulebook which elected members are expected to follow.

Therein lies a major problem, which is failing the country. The party system, which has in the past served Bermuda well, has crumbled into an abyss of incompetent leadership. We cannot continue to descend, and falter, and must implement change. Doing the same things and expecting a different outcome is madness.

No doubt we will have MPs from both parties elected in the next General Election. The independents will strike a much needed balanced parliament, and the country. Those who are fed up and tired of party politics will have another option to vote for, an independent candidate. Candidates who have the ability to impact legislation, bring their own Bills to get passed, and form a coalition with other members if they need to.

The Bermuda party system is more renegade owing to the racial divide wherein White people, for the most part, own the means of production, and mainly Black folk make up the working class.

Historically, from its inception, race has been used by political parties to garner votes. Independent candidates can help to change this. Thus, helping Bermuda to move to a more egalitarian society where resentment and racial politicking becomes a thing of the past.

Bermuda is not the first or the last British territory to have effective independent MPs. We simply need to educate our voters about having a parliamentary system with independent members. This will help us to move away from adversarial fighting and a racially based parliament.

Footnote: There are many countries with independent Members of Parliament. For example:

• The Cayman Islands’ legislature has 12 independent members out of 19 MPs

• Guernsey has 38 MPs, of whom 22 are independents

• The mother of parliaments, the United Kingdom, has 13 independent Members of Parliament.

In the by-election of October 4 in Constituency 36, Cire Bean, a young man committed to his community, will be carrying the torch for the independent candidates. He is outstanding at what he has accomplished for young people in particular. His votes will be well deserved.

Cire and Dwight Jackson, who have been rolled out so far, are the start to the many independent candidates to follow.

Stay tuned.

• Renée Webb is a former PLP MP, government minister, Brussels representative of the Bermuda Government, and a founder of the Bermuda Independent Candidates Movement

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