Jumeirah questions

February 1, 2007

Dear Sir,

January 31, 2007 Gazette headline is a cause of concern to me and should be to every other Bermudian regarding the supposedly “proposed” Southlands development (look at the Jumeirah Group website www.jumeirah.com - Bermuda is already posted as being ready in 2008) in which it was noted that Mr. Lawless said he met Dr. Brown when he visited Dubai a year ago and had been impressed by the Tourism Minister’s invitation to consider Bermuda a possible location for a future resort. He said the speed with which things had been arranged to facilitate such a development had impressed him further.

Last year Limey In Bermuda (LIB) posed various questions to Dr. Brown about his stay at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, part of the Jumeirah chain. His question were as follows:

1. How many nights were you at the Burj Al Arab hotel?

2. What was your total hotel bill?

3. What did you learn about the hotel and its standards during your stay?

4. How will you use this knowledge to benefit the Bermudian taxpayer?

Dr. Brown answered the questions as follows:

“The first two questions fall into the “plantation” category. I am sure I have sent you in the past a definition of same. However I can refer you to the office of the Auditor General or the Accountant General for further information. Re questions 3 and 4, I would be delighted to sit down with you after I report to the Government next week. P.S. The Burj Al Arab is an incredible destination!”

Mr. Editor, I am not sure if LIB ever received an answer to the first two questions but I guess we now have an answer to the third and fourth questions - in short recent events suggest Dr. Brown was courting the Jumeirah Group. Mr. lawless says himself, as reported by this newspaper, he met Dr. Brown last year - we can only suppose it was at the Burj Al Arab Hotel. I would now like a response to the first two questions LIB posed. In addition: 1. Was Dr. Brown’s trip paid for by the Jumeirah Group or was it funded by the Government - if not by either than by whom?

2. What agreements were made if any during that visit?

3. What promises were given during the meetings and or conversations between Dr. Brown and Mr. Lawless or his representatives?

4. Did Dr. Brown ever mention the full details of his meetings with Mr. Lawless and the plans for the Southlands site to the Cabinet?

5. Was the PLP Cabinet and the then Premier aware of the apparent intentions behind the visit to the Burj Al Arab?

These questions are just a few that require answering. We are entitled to full disclosure by the Government, particularly given the Government’s less than forthright attitude regarding the Coco Reef lease and indeed the numerous failed developments at the old Club Med site. When an announcement is made that says “Jumeirah expects to open the first stage of its planned Southlands hotel resort before the end of 2008 with the entire scheme up-and-running by the end of 2010” it leads me to wonder how on earth that be said without some guarantee from the Government that ground would be broken almost immediately. The SDO has not yet been granted by the Minister of the Environment. I suspect that if she says “no” she is out of a Cabinet post. It is obvious what she will say.

It has also been said in today’s paper that “included in the plans is a ten-storey staff housing complex to be sited in Hunts Quarry. The intention is to take Bermudian staff to Jumeirah hotels overseas as part of their training programme so they can learn and match the high standards of the luxury hotel chain.”

Noble intentions indeed and certainly one I subscribe to - however where are all the staff going to come from to service the self-described seven star hotel? If Bermudians fill the posts then fantastic, but I suspect given the failure by the Government to convince Bermudians to fill the current jobs available in the hotels in existence already, the employees will come from overseas, thereby increasing the in flux of guest workers — hardly an opportunity for Bermudians that Dr. Brown seems to suggest.

Mr. Editor I am not against a new hotel, but I query whether Southlands is the place, particularly as Club Med sits empty (the site has equally spectacular views) and the old Sonesta is abandoned (but supposed to be redeveloped). It seems to me Dr. Brown should slow down and consider the true ramifications to the environment and society as a whole in Bermuda before embarking on such a project — especially when we are short on the details of the likely arrangements between the Government and the Jumeirah Group.

MICHAEL M. FAHY

Smith’s

Address the problems

Dear Sir,

The education system in Bermuda has taken a particularly hard beating through the media of late. Granted, less than 50 percent pass rates are just plain unacceptable, but are we truly looking at the source of the problem or are we just trying to point the finger of blame to absolve ourselves from wrong-doing?

Let me first say that I think that our teachers on this Island should all receive honours for their efforts in attempting to educate our youth. Between over-crowded classrooms, sub-standard teaching materials and belligerent youth who know the teachers cannot, by apparent law, take any effective action to correct them, it is a wonder that any teacher remains in the system. They must really love what they do. I say “kudos to the teachers” — they are not part of the problem, they are part of the solution. (Also, before someone writes a heated return letter stating that their child is an exemplary student and I should not classify all students as belligerent and disruptive, let me add that I believe most students are very well behaved, attentive, participatory and willing to learn — they are not the problem either. I am speaking specifically towards the disruptive and rude. The few affect the many more than the parents would like to believe.)

Instead of SDO’s for new monster-size hotels, The Government should be thinking about building new schools. Not mega schools like the new Berkeley Institute or CedarBridge, but smaller, better-placed and well-equipped schools across the Island. Overall, this would reduce the number of students in the classrooms, so the teachers could focus on working with the individuals who want to learn, rather than spend the day managing the behavioural issues of an entire class. What is the Club Med property doing for us if no one wants to develop the eyesore of an abandoned hotel. Tear it down and use the land for a school complex to service the East end. What’s Morgans Point doing right now besides becoming a worse environmental nightmare? Spend the $30 million needed to fix up Morgans Point and put a school complex there. Further to the west lies HMS Malabar. It is now, after ten or so years of non-occupation a derelict building with a huge field (Moresby Plain)behind it — demolish the building and put up a school complex there! That’s three locations that could be developed right off the bat to alleviate some of the pressures on the existing schools, and in the same process, some of the traffic on the roads. I am sure there are some prime derelict locations in Warwick and Hamilton or Smiths that could be developed as well!

Second, let’s take a look at society over the past thirty or so years. Both in Bermuda and abroad, the tendency has been towards coddling the youth and nurturing their self-esteem. Effectively, what this translates into is a basic lowering of the standards so that every child feels a sense of accomplishment. A child cannot pass a test, so we lower the standard. A child is not proficient in a competitive situation, sports or otherwise, so we lower the standard. We should not advance students who are not prepared for the next level of education. We, as a community, should not celebrate mediocrity. Our standards should be no less now than they were 30 years ago.

Children need to be challenged. They must realise that they will fail from time to time. They need to learn that life experiences do not always end on a happy note, not everyone received an award at the end of the games. There are winners and losers in every situation. Even a win-win situation with acceptable compromise to both sides means that someone has lost something they wanted in the beginning. Children must be taught that they will fail at a task, and by failing will take away lessons learned and experiences that will assist them later in life. Failure and a struggle to accomplish builds character, it does not hurt self-esteem if they choose to learn from the experience.

Literacy is a focus in the media today. The children are failing basic literary tests. Well, why is that? Could it be that almost every child now comes home from school with a laptop? I am not blaming the computer for the literacy problem, but technology may be at the core. Why don’t we encourage the students to put away the computer, and pick up a pen or pencil. Instead of having the computer check spelling and grammar, have the student write out an essay. They can still submit a computerised version of it, but have a handwritten copy submitted with it.

Have students learn how to use a contraction. There is a distinct difference in meanings between “your” and “you’re”. Abbreviations used in text messaging are finding their way into compositions — they must be taught how to construct or, for that matter, de-construct a sentence. Maybe someone can tell me if we even study the great classical literary works any more, like “A Tale of Two Cities”, or “Wuthering Heights”, or “Romeo and Juliet”? Or are the classics considered too politically incorrect to be studied? These great works of fiction educate on many different levels and in the hands of a teacher can be an effective tool.

Do we even teach basic math skills today? I was taught algebra, relations and functions, trigonometry and calculus when I was in high school — do these courses even exist any more and do they do these on the computer as well? I will reiterate, I am not saying the computers are bad — they are an intricate piece of our life today, but they should be a tool, not a crutch for failing to learn basic life skills. Maybe a return to binders and note paper, and having a computer skills class rather than reliance on the machines may help to exercise the mind, educate the children and improve literacy. ABC’s are taught in pre-school. Is penmanship taught at all any more?

I am not saying I have all the answers. I am just suggesting that we, as a society, take a long, hard look at what we are, or are not, demanding of our children. It is not just up to the Government. It is not just up to the teachers. The Government has a responsibility to provide places to educate our children and to set the educational standards. The teachers have a responsibility to teach to those standards to the best of their abilities. But, it does not stop with them, and here’s the shocker! We, as a community, have a responsibility too. Both the parents of these children, whether single parents or mother and father working together, and the community as a whole, have a responsibility to uphold and enforce those standards set by Government and taught by the teachers, in order to build the foundation of education that our children need to succeed in life.

For the record, some may say I am not qualified to speak on this subject, and I might be inclined to agree with them, not having experienced Bermudian education myself. I can only comment on my personal observances and what I have learned from working with and speaking to the youth and other parents on this Island. Here is my bio for those who are interested. I am a Bermudian. I have lived both on the Island and abroad. I was educated at all levels in Canada. I am an educator, a mentor, a spiritual advisor, a counsellor, a leader, a disciplinarian and a confidant. I have taught leadership and instructional technique among other things to both youth and young adults over the years.

I am a senior officer in the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps. I have worked directly with the youth of Bermuda for the past 15 years and I have seen the effects that positive role models, positive reinforcement and challenging the youth can have. I have experienced the effect on a youth from not having parental involvement in their lives and I have witnessed what a community can do when they come together and work towards a common goal. We can change the statistics, but the effort comes from within. Let’s stop pointing the finger of blame and start addressing the problem as a community, one Island, one Bermuda, one people, united in purpose. We can make a difference with the youth.

TOM PANCHAUD

Southampton

Ferry schedule woes

February 16, 2007

Dear Sir,

I refer to an article (Page 2 of Thursday’s 15/2/07 Royal Gazette) under the heading Fast ferry project — a mode for Caribbean region, quote “Bermuda’s fast ferry project was held up as a mode to be considered for us across the region....” I’m not too sure what the Premier was alluding to at the conference he attended. If it was the design of the new ferries, then he has my full support. If it was the service and schedule, then I’m afraid there is a great deal left to be desired. I think the Hon. Premier should be made aware of the following:

* Scheduling is inaccurate to say the least. The information or should I say the misinformation printed on the various timetables requires updating. Yesterday’s 4.10 to Rockaway left at 4.04 p.m. The 4.10 to Cavello Bay, Watford Bridge etc., via Rockaway failed to show (apparently due to a mechanical defect). If the former had waited until the scheduled departure time of the latter, numerous west end residents could have boarded that vessel and at least got a good part of the way home. Someone forgot to inform the ferry terminal staff, and the poor lady on duty was on the receiving end of some very annoyed passengers.

* The 7.25 a.m. from Cavello Bay makes time probably 1 in 3 runs. A week or so ago a commuter telephoned the terminal to ask if the ferry was running because it was so late. The answer was, “the driver was late because of the rain.” Well we all got wet too and eighty or so of us were also late for work.

* I believe there is a public address system installed on the floating dock at the Hamilton terminal. I have yet to hear it work. The number of times locals and visitors alike have to ask where a particular ferry is going to, or visitors asking where they are at, is innumerable. The ferries use any of the berths at the main terminal. Take down the signage if they are not going to use the appropriate dock. Don’t these vessels have internal audio systems that could be used to inform passengers? If these don’t work then how about a crew member shouting out the ferry stops, instead of them being up in the wheelhouse talking to the pilot, listening to their iPods or talking to their significant other on cell phones.

* There are signs, the Cavello Bay dock shelter doesn’t have one. Visitors have no clue where they are at.

* Since the introduction of these ferries, no one has asked for input from commuters etc. Instead, someone in their infinite wisdom arbitrarily decided when and where the ferries run. The Somerset Bridge stop has been substantially reduced and Cavello Bay cut back with o service on weekends. There are numerous elderly residents who rely on the ferry service as a mode of public transportation. At meetings held at Cavello Bay public dock prior to the docks being upgraded we were assured our concerns would be addressed. Yeah right!

* There appears to be little or no planned maintenance programme. These hi tech ferries seem to be susceptible to minor defects which continually cause operational running problems. The exterior superstructure on the larger vessels is shabby, paint work in need of attention, and they obviously don’t get washed down at the end of each day. Oil on the water surface near the engine’s exhaust is indicative that the engines need overhauling. Just watch when one takes off down the harbour. The black smoke is worse than the buses!

* On Health & Safety issues, do the crew receive regular training in fire fighting? Do they know how to operate fire extinguishers? Are safety drills ever conducted? Are child life jackets stowed in a separate area and readily accessible? The list goes on?

I agree that the ferries are a great mode of public transportation, and should be the envy of all. If properly managed and maintained they most certainly would be. If the Premier wants us to use the ferry system, please make sure they are well maintained, on time and reliable. In closing I would ask that those in charge of Marine & Ports be held accountable and strive to put the service back in to The Department of Marine & Ports Services, failing that, rewrite their Mission Statement to be more honest!

WEST END FERRY USER

Sandys