Bermuda must seek new avenues of income to rebuild the economy, according to Opposition Leader Marc Bean.And while he said Government cannot create jobs, he called on Government to provide local businesses with the same red carpet being offered to international businesses and hotels.“Removing restrictions that hinder entrepreneurship will expand opportunities for our people to cooperate, compete, contribute to our economy in a meaningful way, and feed their families,” he said.“Just imagine, being free to sell food, cold drinks, homemade items, souvenirs or whatever you can create, to the thousands of cruise passengers as they come off the ship, or to the thousands of visitors who enjoy our beaches. Just imagine, being able to be your own boss, the master of your own destiny, providing for your families, and enhancing our tourism product with new options for our visitors. Just imagine that we the people become the essence of our tourism product!“To become a reality, we will have to change our mindset, and the Government and other special interest groups will have to stop being an obstacle to this new form of entrepreneurship.“If the Government is unable or unprepared to help entrepreneurs, then they must refrain from impeding their dreams and efforts to provide for themselves.”Mr Bean said in a televised response to Premier Craig Cannonier’s address to the nation there is a growing sense that job cuts in the Civil Service are coming, and that the Island must be ready.“Many potential investors have privately confessed to being unsure of our Government’s stability and direction, citing their inexperience, lack of a plan, and policy decisions that could lead to social unrest,” he said.“This is troubling. As a people, we must get behind our Government, support them where possible, encourage them to produce a plan, and perhaps most importantly, push them to think more carefully about the social and economic consequences of their actions.“Let me make myself clear. No government can create jobs. Any politician, regardless of which party they represent, who promises that Government can create jobs, is lying to you, and only wants your votes. Governments can only cultivate the conditions where jobs can be created, and that can only happen when we face the truth and take decisive action.”He called on Government to implement the recently developed infrastructure strategy to both improve the Island and create construction jobs, develop the Island’s EEZ for industries like seabed mining, implementing the Incentives for Job Makers Act and designating a section of BLDC land an “Economic Free Zone”.He also urged Government to move quickly with a referendum on gaming and introduce online gaming legislation.The Opposition Leader said the Bermudian people must become more self-sufficient, creating opportunities rather than relying on the Government or international business.“We must begin to cultivate a culture where the desire to be excellent producers, excellent employers, and excellent leaders, is preferred, as opposed to being excellent consumers,” he said. “We must teach them to be producers of their own employment, or at the very least, being as productive as possible in their employment.“Today, more and more Bermudians are embracing a mindset of entrepreneurship, self-sufficiency, and wealth accumulation. This is not something to be afraid of. This is not something to be fought or undermined. This is something that must be embraced and supported.“And if you cannot support it, do not interfere with it. We can come together as a people. We can have better social relations, and we can have an economy that works for all of us. The work must begin, within ourselves.”