Recently, the Bermuda Sun polled some 30 young Bermudians and asked the question what did they think about Bermuda's Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown. Only three of the thirty had anything positive to say about the Premier. However, it is of interest that those who voiced negative complaints said very little about Dr. Brown's ability or lack of same; the general complaint was that he thought only of himself.

Since this negative view of teenagers could only have develop from the statements of Dr. Brown's detractors, in this article, I intend to demonstrate that nothing could be further from the truth.

Dr. Brown is a Bermudian by birth who received his medical training in the United States where he had a very successful practice for several years. I believe that if I polled Bermudians with respect to which country was the greatest in the world, I am certain that most would pick America (after Bermuda of course).

The reasons they would pick America should be fairly obvious. America has the highest standard of living in the world. Yes, I know Bermudians quote their high 'monetary' per-capita income as the basis for their belief that Bermuda has the highest standard of living in the world.

However, when you consider that young Bermudians graduating with professional degrees cannot buy a home in Bermuda, you have to question seriously the reality of our so-called high standard of living.

America has the strongest army in the world. America is the only country that can declare war without consultation with any other country. That is the real evidence of their considerable military power. During the Second World War, the defence of Bermuda depended upon the United States, not England to whom we belonged as a colony. This dependence upon America for our defence continues even today.

In addition, Bermuda's high standard of living is dependent upon our sale of financial services. Who is the chief buyer of these services? The United States of course. Further, the goods we require for survival also come predominately from the United States.

From the point of view of race, what country with a white majority, promises blacks access to the very highest positions in the land.

We need only to look at Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, who holds the highest government position next to that of the President. Before Ms. Rice held the position it was held by Mr. Colin Powell, who also had been the Chairman of the American Armed Forces, the most powerful purely military position in the world.

When Dr. Brown decided he wanted to run for parliament, he had to renounce his citizenship in this great country because Americans were regarded as aliens by the government of Bermuda. His cousin Calvin Smith did not have to renounce his Canadian citizenship to run for Parliament.

Mrs. Young, an Australian, did not have to renounce her Australian citizenship to run for parliament. Yet Dr. Brown wanted so badly to make a contribution to the country of his birth, he willingly gave up the privileges associated with being a citizen of the most wealthy and powerful country in the world in order to serve the country of his birth.

This does not sound to me like a man who thinks only of himself. Dr. Brown became the leader of the ruling Progressive Labour Party on his second attempt. He campaigned hard for that victory and it was certainly well deserved when it was achieved.

His campaign theme in the contest for the leadership of the PLP was "He gets it done". There can be no doubt that Dr. Brown has lived up to his campaign theme before and after he became Premier.

It is a fact that no one doubts the ability of Dr. Brown to lead Bermuda. In fact, it is the certainty that he can effectively lead our little Island that gives rise to the continuous charges of corruption.

So desperate are his detractors to end his Premiership that they persist in referring to the charges of corruption despite the fact that he was cleared of these charges after an investigation by the highest legal authorities in Bermuda. These were: the Commissioner of Police and the Director of Public Prosecutions, assisted by Scotland Yard.

Dr. Brown never gets charged with the inability to lead Bermuda, although this was tried unsuccessfully when he introduced the fast ferries. The fast ferries were the bane of Dr. Brown's existence as soon as his intentions to introduce them were announced. Today, there are complaints that more are required.

Every one knew that a major boost to tourism would be a reduction in air-fares. After 35 years in power the UBP failed to achieve this. Dr. Brown achieved this in less than three years as Minister of Tourism.

In addition, Dr. Brown achieved a major coup with respect to the survival of tourism when he succeeded in getting the Grand Slam of Golf scheduled to be played in Bermuda. Although this success has pleased all groups of Bermudians, it has not appeased his detractors. In fact, if one listens carefully to them, it is clear that they are hoping for something to go wrong; such as the decision of Tiger Woods not to come to Bermuda.

I suppose that the one thing that scared many people about Dr. Brown becoming Premier was that he would do very little or nothing to improve race relations. Again, reality has given his detractors a 'black eye'.

One of the first things Dr. Brown did upon becoming the Premier was to set up the Bermuda Race Relations Initiative under the direction of two prominent Americans in the field of race relations. This initiative was not your usual one meeting and than it was all over; instead, the project was scheduled over nine months.

In this way, the members of both races who were involved could establish real relationships. In addition to creating the Bermuda Race Relations initiative, Dr. Brown has encouraged two prominent white Bermudians to run for the PLP. As everyone knows by now, these two persons are Zane Desilva and Jane Correia.

The reception of at least one member of the white community at the announcement that Mr. DeSilva would run for the PLP was to cancel a contract with him, with the threat that this person would see to it that no one else would contract his services. Clearly, the path to improved race relations is full of pitfalls and these are by no means due to the pursuit of the goals and objectives of Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown.

By now, it should be clear to everyone that Dr. Brown, as Premier, has a single clear goal. That goal is to do everything in his power to encourage all Bermudians "to be all that they can be".

This goal is very significant because the survival of Bermuda as a country with a high standard of living and a rapidly expanding economy, depends upon the continuation of a deeply ingrained attitude that "Bermudians can accomplish anything as long as we do it together".

That is the clear goal of Dr. Brown and it is a goal to which we all should aspire.

calvin@ northrock.bm