Jarion Richardson, the Opposition leader, has scotched claims that his party will make a pre-election pact with other political groups to avoid splitting an anti-government vote.

Mr Richardson said that as the official Opposition, the One Bermuda Alliance had a duty to field candidates in all 36 constituencies to give voters an alternative to the Progressive Labour Party Government.

The Opposition leader spoke out after this month’s Sandys North by-election, in which PLP candidate the Reverend Emily Gail Dill romped to victory ahead of the Free Democratic Movement’s Marc Bean and independent candidate Ci’re Bean. The OBA’s Carl Neblett trailed in fourth.

That result prompted Mr Bean, the leader of the FDM, to call for opposition groups to form an alliance to avoid a split vote.

David Burt, the Premier, has since claimed that anti-PLP political groups were plotting to form “a Combined Opposition” against the Government.

Speaking at the annual PLP delegates conference last Wednesday, Mr Burt, said that although OBA MPs and FDM candidates “might look like us”, they were tethered to old-fashioned ideals and held “some downright strange beliefs” that were linked to “the old system” and represented “historical elites”.

The Premier described the trio of opposition groups as “three peas in the same pod”, adding: “Today it seems we have a new Combined Opposition that has a pro-wealthy, pro-establishment agenda that looks to reverse the progressive changes that this government has made.”

But in an interview with The Royal Gazette, Mr Richardson dismissed those allegations as “divisive”, saying that the OBA had conducted “a post-mortem” on the by-election and concluded that it was now “in no rush” to speak to other parties.

He said: “The Progressive Labour Party is still in the business of demeaning and devaluing alternative points of view.

“That means that those that are scared of them are cowed into submission.

“So the OBA decided that that wasn’t going to happen.This country and this community, this culture of ours that we all share ... our loved ones ... this is not a political question, this is a values question and our values are such that we don’t give up when it gets hard.”

Encouraging other political groups to join the OBA, Mr Richardson said: “Our policy guardrails are wide enough that we can fit a lot of different people, so if people want to join us on our mission ...

“Our mission isn’t about bringing the end of the Progressive Labour Party government. Our mission is to strengthen the community, to enforce integrity in politics and to make sure there’s fiscal responsibility.

“Anyone can join us in that. In politics it’s easy to have one short-term goal — to replace the government. We’ve seen in the past what that means, but you have to be forward-thinking.

“It’s no good just stepping up to the plate. You have to move forward from there. Winning an election should not be the ultimate, final goal. You have to look beyond that.“

Mr Richardson said that the OBA was battle-ready and “looking forward” to an election call in order to “give people a voice”.

The Premier called a snap election in October 2020, three years into his Government’s five-year term.

Riding on a wave of popularity for its handling of the Covid crisis, the PLP won a whopping 30-6 majority in that poll. Caught off-guard, the OBA put forward only 31 candidates.

According to Mr Richardson, the 2020 result has galvanised the party and it is now ready for the next General Election, which must be called before the end of next year.

Mr Richardson said: “Yes, we have candidates to represent all 36 seats.”

“We have to provide an alternative voice for Bermuda. That is our constitutional responsibility and we take that very seriously.

“The electorate has made it quite clear that if they're going to give us their confidence, they want us to field a full slate of candidates.

“At that 2020 point, the PLP was regarded as the undisputed master of Bermuda, establishing a dominance that was unquestionable — everybody else needed to either shut up or go away.

“It took a lot to stand up in the face of that ‘common knowledge’. The PLP were in ascendency and extremely powerful — and still is.

“But the OBA made a decision that there would not be only one political voice in Bermuda, and that meant that we stood up against every single voice of doubt and hesitation and fear.”

Mr Richardson said that under his leadership, the party had rebuilt, devised a concrete platform of policy initiatives and had streamlined its operations.

He said that integrity, accountability, responsibility and trust will be the cornerstones of an OBA government.

Mr Richardson said: “Integrity and accountability are key. We’re not getting that from our government right now.”

“Information is power and in a parliamentary democracy, that power shouldn't reside with the government — it should reside with the voters. Giving voters the ability to hold government accountable is crucial to getting Bermuda out of our set of problems.”

He also charged that the Government was stifling Bermudians’ natural creativity by over-administration and control.

He cited taxes on sugar-related products and Airbnb landlords as examples of government interference.

He added that the Government had dropped the ball on the key issues of education and crime — and was placating the electorate with “handouts” such as free light bulbs.

He said: “You need to give people a hand up — or at least not get in their way.

“That's the difference between the PLP and the OBA. We focus more on creating an environment where people can thrive. The structure of government needs to change.”

Questioned about allegations of government cronyism, Mr Richardson was diplomatic.

He acknowledged that Bermuda was “a small place” and that some conflicts of interest were inevitable.

But he pointed out that “the same names keep popping up” in reference to the appointment of government consultants and board memberships.

He said: “It’s not a perception; it’s the reality.”

Mr Richardson applauded candidates of any political stripe for stepping forward.

“More people involved in politics is good,” he said.

“More political perspectives is good. I appreciate the participation of more people.

“It’s a difficult job. That’s why I’ll shake the hand of any political candidate, regardless of party.”