Walter Roban, the Deputy Premier, recently announced he would step away from politics at the next General Election. He talked about his highs and lows, why he is content not to be Premier and what might come next

The day, Walter Roban said, started early. He was at the PLP headquarters making final preparations, helping to put things in place so everything would run smoothly.

As the deputy chairman of the 1998 General Election campaign, he found he was unable to regularly leave Alaska Hall to get a sense of the country’s mood.

When he did, however: “It was evident that something was happening because the turnout from the early morning was quite strong and there seemed to be a lot of energy. It was evident that people were energised.”

The result is now history: the Progressive Labour Party formed the government, with Jennifer Smith, later to be made Dame Jennifer, as the Premier.

The effect was seismic and changed the political scene for ever. The then United Bermuda Party would never regain power; indeed it slowly unravelled as a political force as its MPs would quit and align with the One Bermuda Alliance.

The PLP would go on to dominate every General Election since, barring one result, and today it has a 30-6 supermajority in the House of Assembly.

“I’m going be very blunt here,” said Mr Roban of 1998. “It was the realisation of centuries of aspiration of freedom for people.

“A government that had been principally dominated by the minority White male elite was finally transitioning to the wider majority of people, mostly of African descent.

“You think back to people like Dr E.F. Gordon, Dr Roosevelt Brown and others who had aspired to widen the franchise, create opportunity, bring racial justice to the forefront and have it addressed. Their dreams were being realised.”

He recalled the General Election in 1993, when the PLP won 18 seats to the UBP’s 22, a lost opportunity, he feels, and a time when he swore to himself while studying for his master’s in Britain that “I am going to go back to my country and make sure we win the next one”.

“And that became my mission. So once I finished my master’s, I ended up again coming back to Bermuda re-engaging with the party and getting involved at the highest level and working with [former PLP leader] Freddie Wade and then eventually with Jennifer Smith and the team to win.”

Mr Roban’s service within the Progressive Labour Party began in the late 1980s and he was appointed to the Senate in 2003 under former premier Alex Scott. He then succeeded the “legendary” Ottiwell Simmons in Pembroke East Central in 2007.

Over 15 years, he has served in numerous Cabinet positions and has been the Deputy Premier for the past seven years. He has served under five party leaders.

One of those leaders, Paula Cox, accepted Mr Roban’s resignation, after only 16 days as public works minister.

At the time, The Royal Gazette reported that he deeply regretted bringing accusations of corruption upon the Government.

The Gazette wrote: “Mr Roban had come under intense criticism for granting planning permission for Progressive Labour Party colleagues Zane DeSilva and Wayne Furbert on his final day as environment minister, against the advice of his technical officers.”

If 1998 was a high, events in 2011 must have been a low, although Mr Roban said he did not think his political career was over.

“It had to do with a couple of planning appeals that I had dealt with and the accusations that stem from that because they did relate to two of my colleagues and they brought about certain accusations on the Government that certainly I never intended to happen. It was regretful.

“So I felt that it was best to step back from that position in order to not have those issues lingering and that’s what I did.”

What did he learn from that? “That sometimes you perhaps just need to be more clear with what you’re seeking to achieve and sometimes perhaps more thoughtful.

“I can tell you this — the accusations that were laid were baseless in every way because I actually did follow the recommendations.

“The crux of the accusation was that I didn’t follow the advice of technical officers, but I did. The advice of technical officers in appeals is actually quite layered and quite clear.

“I operated within the law of the powers that were there for the minister, following recommendations that were laid by the technical officers.

“But that’s the past. It was a regretful circumstance because in no way did I desire to bring any sort of questionable motive or questionable practice on my government.”

He said he did not feel at the time that his political career was over and he was correct — he was soon reappointed to Cabinet by Ms Cox as transport minister.

“I had the support of my family, I had support of my colleagues and I had support of those in my branch, leaders who actually are my bosses when it comes to my constituency.

“Yes, I had their support and so I knew that all I would have to do is to conduct myself in the best possible way and that at some point in time my political career would continue and potentially prosper.

“I was called back into the Cabinet by the Premier; I accepted and I served in that position the best I could.

“So clearly my deeds in my conducting myself as a Member of Parliament, I would say, vindicated any questions of my propriety or my conduct in that particular circumstance.”

His decision to step down at the next General Election was one, said Mr Roban, “that was well contemplated, thoughtful and carefully considered”.

But why now? “I am very much somebody who is about the future and about how the future should be shaped and the possibilities that we have to shape it.

“Because I’m about the future, I wanted to ensure that the next generation of my party has an opportunity.”

At 57, Mr Roban is still relatively young and with the Premier stating his intent to step down as PLP Leader in 2026, there was surely an opportunity to lead his country.

“That is a question that I had settled long ago and my interest was more as being part of the leadership of my party and contributing to the leadership of my party in my country.”

Mr Roban said that early in their careers he told Mr Burt that he would watch his back.

“I watch your back so you can look forward,” he said of the relationship between himself and the Premier. “So he has never had to be concerned that I was pursuing his job because that’s the trust that we have.

“I could put aside any ambition and work on our partnership as leaders of the country to move forward and that’s what I’ve done.

“I've been a part of the leadership of this country now for at least the past seven years and I’ve been happy to be in that role. I believe I’ve been successful in that role and that I’ve made substantial contributions to my party, my country and my community.

“But at the same time, as I told you, I have a strong belief in ensuring that the next generation of people have an opportunity, that spaces are made for them so that they can aspire and they can be in roles and be prepared to take responsibility for the country's affairs.”

In his statement announcing he would step down, he pointed to the fact that he had served the PLP for more than 35 years.

“I will do those things which bring about the greatest satisfaction for myself,” said Mr Roban on how he would fill the inevitable void. “There are a number of things that I have an interest in doing.

“In the meantime, I’m going to focus on the work that I have to do right now [as Deputy Premier]. I’ll have plenty of time to figure out what’s next.

“I see my life as chapters. This is just the end of one chapter. I’m going on to another.

“I’m a reasonably young person with obviously a considerable amount of experience and wisdom now.

“My experience in politics has brought me an incredible life experience that I know I couldn’t have had anywhere else.

“It’s one of the wonderful, beautiful blessings that comes with growing up in a place like Bermuda and the type of experience that you can have and the intimacy of those experiences and how they can transform you.”

On whether he would miss politics, “perhaps a bit”, he said. “But I am satisfied that my episode and my contributions have been strong and I’ve left a legacy.

“I joined the PLP and got involved with politics to be the solution to the issues that I saw were confronted by my country and by my generation. I’m satisfied that I’ve done my best to be a part of bringing about those solutions.

“I’ve had a blessed experience. I hope I’ve left something behind that has had a positive impact on other people.”

• Tomorrow in The Royal Gazette, Walter Roban discusses unfinished business and whether such a long grip on power has left the Progressive Labour Party complacent