If Marc Bean, leader of the Free Democratic Movement, believes the One Bermuda Alliance has run its course, he has another thing coming.

The OBA has the diversity, the professionalism and a broad understanding of governance to create a sophisticated, forward-thinking and universally understood platform.

There are thousands of voters in Bermuda who continue to look for a future government that presents an alternative to what was presented to voters ahead of last week’s election. The OBA has the potential now to be that option. The OBA continues to support a population of voters in search of representation not satisfied by other political philosophies. The OBA has earned, through defeat, an understanding of what isn’t working and what it’s going to take to rebuild our island community — solutions other politicians haven’t begun to articulate.

As a Member of Parliament, I have given government leaders the benefit of the doubt, waiting for any party to publicly articulate tangible healing solutions and get nothing but the same divisive arguments over and over again.

I suspect there will be changes within the OBA executive, just like most defeated political parties after an election. Results from this election will be examined, decisions will be made and we’ll make a fresh start. This is our opportunity to rebuild the inner structure and set a new course that’s refreshing and certainly a course we’ve not heard to date from any political party, including the OBA.

The OBA no longer has to carry the baggage of the past. So many members are frustrated with our performance, they’ve lost confidence in our future and walked away. We get to be the next generation of leaders and my first step is to set the example and stop stoking the fire of personal attacks. I am taking the high road.

Action is the answer to so many problems. It’s so much more important than verbal abuses and promises which achieve no positive results. Proving ourselves as parliamentarians comes from what we actually do and from achieving positive results. Of course, as Opposition we face the roadblocks set up by any sitting government, but as long as we keep on message to persistently attempt to solve problems, the voters will come to our defence in the next election.

The next steps for the OBA, as with any post-election defeat, are to air frustrations, maybe bid farewell to members who’ve had enough, and rebuild. We’ll examine what went wrong and what we got right. Our executive structure and internal framework will be reorganised and then work begins on a fresh start and a new platform.

It’s my belief the sky’s the limit for the OBA. We can become anything we want to be at this point. As the only remaining woman on the OBA parliamentary team, and arguably the least-known, I formally announce to each individual living in Bermuda and abroad that there is hope, lots of hope, for the island’s future

• Susan Jackson is the recently re-elected One Bermuda Alliance MP for Pembroke South West and, in the previous administration, Opposition Whip and Shadow Minister of Government Reform (Constituency 20)