A vote for an independent is a vote for “real and meaningful change,” according a statement from the group of independent candidates.David Petty, candidate for Pembroke South West, said in a statement on behalf of the group of 15 independent general election candidates that they will remain independent should they win seats in Monday’s poll, and will not be forming a political party.“We wish to make it abundantly clear that, though you may see us here today as a group, we have no intention of forming a political party,” Mr Petty said.“We pledge that should we be elected, we shall remain independent for the duration of our elected term and will not walk the floor to join a political party, though we do not rule out constructing a coalition to safeguard ourselves as independents or to form a government in the event of a stalemate or a very close result in this coming election.“In such an eventuality, we would continue to function as independents. We will not submit to any political party’s common political platform, constitution, Whip or leader and will express our individual points of view and vote our conscience on behalf of our constituents in the Bermuda Houses of Parliament.”Mr Petty continued: “Currently there are only two voices in the House of Assembly, the voice of the leader of the PLP and that of the leader of the OBA, as all the rest of the party MPs are tied to the message of their leaders through their party’s Whips. If even two independent MPs were elected we will have effectively doubled the number of voices in the House of Assembly.”He added that the voice of the independent MPs become “very powerful” if one of the two parties required their support to form a coalition government.“As a directly elected representative of their constituents this provides those constituents with the opportunity to really influence the future of Bermuda.“Given the possibility of a coalition Government, let me put it to you that the question you may want to ask yourselves is not, ‘Why should I vote for an independent candidate?’, but is perhaps ‘Why wouldn’t I vote for an independent candidate?’“As the saying goes, ‘If you keep doing the same things, you will keep getting the same result’ — a vote for an independent is a vote for change — real and meaningful change.”Cindy Swan, wife of Kim Swan, made a speech promoting her husband Kim Swan. She said the OBA consisted of the “same UBP people”.“The change that he wanted to see was a change for everybody, not 68 executive members making a decision for an entire political party,” she said.“That’s what you have today. You have an OBA party that 68 people made a decision to hoodwink you into a new party.”Cornell Fubler told The Royal Gazette following the press conference that he had been shocked by a suggestion in the Letters to the Editor that he had been paid by the Progressive Labour Party to run in St George’s North in a bid to lure votes away from the One Bermuda Alliance candidate Kenneth Bascome.“My first reaction was shock because anyone that knows me fully appreciate that I cannot be bought or sold. I have been approached by supporters of the OBA and the PLP to get involved with either party but I fundamentally disagree with the ideologies of both parties,” he said in an e-mail.“Add to this that both have brought about the demise of Bermuda with their intentional polarisation rhetoric. One may use race and one may use another tactic but both are rooted in encouraging mistrust of the other group and I find such approaches to be toxic for our community.“I much prefer a balanced approach that is forthright and not riddled with deception, divisiveness and flip-flopping positions in order to secure a vote.“With a clear conscious (sic), I can categorically say that I am running in St George’s North because I believe that Bermuda needs a better way forward and I believe I am the best candidate to help steer St George’s in that direction. My candidacy has nothing to do with splitting the vote. I have never had any dealings with the OBA or the PLP. I simply want to give the people of St George’s North a real genuine CHOICE that is anything but contrived or positioned. The people of St George’s and Bermuda deserve such.”