MP's disheartening reply

July 5, 2009

Dear Sir,

As a Bermudian concerned with the autocratic behaviour of our Premier (amongst other things), I felt comfortable in my right and my need to share my feelings and concerns with our parliamentary members.

The dialogue below is an email correspondence that I had with the newly appointed Minister Walter Roban, as a result of a note that I sent to each government Member of Parliament. He requested I not email him ever again, so I have chosen to communicate with him through the public media instead.

His vitriolic response to my email was so offensive, so hurtful, so shocking and so unnecessary. Has the man no manners at all? He is a public servant and needs to conduct himself in a civil and respectful manner. Freedom of speech is totally useless if you're not willing to hear what the other has to say.

One of the things that made Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so compelling as a leader was his ability to lift people. He spoke of His people lifting themselves, not by denigrating others but by speaking to all in a language everyone could identify with. Dr. King said, "Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

Could it be that some of our politicians who masquerade as leaders are so full of hate, venom and arrogance that they are not at all the future of Bermuda?!! We need to move forward with compassion, respect and a 'Foundation of Love' for each other. What I am about to show you exemplifies the polar opposite of these very principles.

The following is the note that I sent to Members of Parliament followed by the sad and disheartening dialogue that ensued.

June 17 2009

Dear Members of Parliament,

I am ashamed of the leader of my country. His dictatorial leadership style, his grandiose spending, his questionable ethics, his inflated ego, his lack of transparency, his stirring up of racial hatred are all hurting the fabric of our island.

The march on Parliament on Tuesday will pale when you see the turnout this Friday. This issue is not about race, nor is it about the PLP; there was no reaction like this to past leaders of the PLP. Premier

Brown must go.

Sincerely, Claire A Smith, Warwick

Walter H Roban wrote:

I am only answering you to make it clear that since you are part of the uncontrolled mob that descended on the Cabinet office yesterday in an abusive, disrespectful, and undemocratic manner that was caught on film yesterday. I ask that you refrain from sending emails to me. I do not correspond to racist or bigots masquerading as democrats. Good bye,

Dear Mr. Roban

I was not a part of the Tuesday demonstration, and I am not a bigot nor a racist. How easily you throw about such words without even knowing me.

You can try to spin the dislike of Premier Brown into a black white issue, but its not about this at all.

By standing by your leader you are condoning his behavior.

History shall judge.

Sincerely, Claire Smith

Walter H Roban wrote:

Ms. Smith, you do not know me either so why do you assume that I was really interested in any of your email messages.

Refrain from sending any further messages to me.

Do I now feel totally disenfranchised? Similarly Minister Roban's leader, Dr. Brown, does not want to hear from anyone with a differing opinion.

I am very distressed that the leader of our island has once again deflected attention away from the issues by using race. It is my view that the leader of any nation leads by example. In this case Premier Brown demonstrates that when the going gets tough his chosen method of leadership is to blame white people, blame the press, blame the Queen, blame, blame.

What this teaches our youth is that when things go wrong, when the going gets tough ~ find someone else to pin it on ~ do not take responsibility for your own actions. This use of the victim mentality by Dr. Brown suggests that Bermudian people are not smart enough to be in control of their own destiny.

On reading Nelson Mandela's autobiography what struck me was that despite being imprisoned by oppressive and hateful people for years, he preached forgiveness and reconciliation and thus he saved his country from a blood bath. Why can't the leaders of our island take the higher ground in race relations? In order for scars to heal you cannot continue to rip them open again and again and again. We live in a Christian community, with more churches per capita than almost any other country but our Government's moral behaviour, for all its talk of Christian ethics and personal conduct, is painfully lacking.

We have been working towards healing the racial divide at the Premier's insistence with the "Big Conversation" yet he single-handedly has done more to detract from any progress made with his self-serving over abuse of his position. The "Big Conversation", which is meant to bridge the perceived gap between the races and foster healing, cannot be taken seriously by anyone who has been a witness to the Premier's actions and heard his divisive words. Perhaps it was just all a smoke screen?

Some people become so attached to their way of viewing themselves and other people, often with an "us vs. them" mentality, that it becomes very difficult to allow the space for dialogue without judgment, empathetic sharing, and ultimately real transformation of negative attitudes. Therefore, the lens through which they see the world naturally is skewed towards divisiveness rather than unity and reconciliation. A new way needs to be forged that is less outward looking for the problems and the solutions to those problems, and more focused on looking inward.

Let's start with our Premier.

CLAIRE A SMITH

Warwick