OBA leader: better Bermuda lies ‘just beyond the storm’
Urgent action and unity are required for the island to keep pace with global inflation, technological change and climate impacts, the Leader of the Opposition said yesterday.
Jarion Richardson insisted that “Bermuda cannot afford drift and dithering” for several more years.
He told the House of Assembly that the One Bermuda Alliance was prepared to step in and implement its plans to immediately ease burdens on residents as well as long-term measures that would help to grow the economy sustainably, create stable jobs and make the island an attractive option for young people to live.
Mr Richardson’s comments came as he delivered the OBA’s Reply to the Throne Speech, titled Building a Foundation to Weather the Storm.
He said: “Families throughout Bermuda feel the pressure of a growing cost of living. They are struggling to pay bills and put food on the table.
“Many families are already forced into hard choices such as buying less food to pay for electricity, between healthcare or rent, and even between staying on the island they love or leaving to find opportunities somewhere else.
“Our young people, who should see Bermuda as a place full of promise, too often see their futures elsewhere.
“Our seniors, who have worked their entire lives, worry whether they can afford basic medical care.”
The OBA leader added: “We recognise the Progressive Labour Party government has tried to address some of these issues. Yet, many of the same old promises have been repeated.
“Bermudians have heard before that the economy will improve, that prices will come down and that new jobs will be created.
“Yet, each year seems to bring more struggle, more hardship and less hope.
“This is why today, our message is straightforward: we cannot continue to repeat the same mistakes and expect different outcomes.
“We must acknowledge honestly where things have not worked, and we must urgently move towards real solutions.”
Mr Richardson said: “The storm may be upon us, but if we choose wisely, work together and lead with integrity, Bermuda’s best days are not behind us; they lie just beyond the storm.”
In a 34-page publication of the speech, the Opposition outlined how it would address matters such as the cost of living, education, healthcare, housing and public safety.
It described the suggestion of price controls — made in the Government’s Throne Speech last week — as “alarming”.
Mr Richardson said: “The solution to Bermuda’s economic challenges is clear: we do not fix the cost-of-living crisis by controlling prices — we fix it by growing the economy.”
Recommendations were made by the OBA to repeal the sugar tax and expand duty relief on essential items.
The party said there should be greater promotion of and investment in farming, and that energy costs should be lowered “by introducing fair competition into the electricity market, enhancing regulatory powers and investing in renewable energy sources”.
To encourage hiring, the reply noted, the OBA would provide tax relief for businesses that hire and retain Bermudian workers to help reduce unemployment.
In efforts to revive the tourism industry, Mr Richardson explained: “The Bermuda Tourism Authority Culture Assessment highlights significant mismanagement in tourism promotion.
“The OBA would remove politics and politicians from the BTA while outlining clear, public performance measurements, to give an independent BTA a fighting chance to live up to its potential.
“This would ensure that tourism once again becomes a pillar of economic growth.”
He said that the OBA would implement a “sensible immigration policy” and offer incentives for returning Bermudians.
In its Throne Speech, the Government said that legislation to implement an education authority “will change how public education is funded, governed and led”.
Mr Richardson said yesterday: “As highlighted in the Review of Public Education in Bermuda, political interference has resulted in inconsistent policies and poor execution of reforms.
“An independent education authority will remove politics from education, allowing experts and educators to drive long-term improvements based on evidence and best practices.
“We cannot overemphasise this point — politicians should not be involved in the design and implementation of education programmes.
“We should be focused on holding those experts accountable for the results of their design and implementation.
“Countries with independent education bodies, such as Finland and Singapore, consistently outperform others in global education rankings.
“By allowing professionals to make data-driven decisions, we can ensure better outcomes for Bermuda’s students.”
He added that the OBA would establish professional development programmes for teachers, ensuring they have access to the latest teaching methods and technologies, while school infrastructure would be modernised.
Mr Richardson’s speech highlighted delays with the Government’s plan to roll out a universal healthcare system to lower costs and expand access.
He said that the OBA would “reduce the cost of prescription drugs by negotiating bulk pricing and targeting unnecessary mark-ups”.
Further proposals included the enhancement of primary-care services provided by general practitioners and urgent care centres, as well as expansion of preventive-care initiatives.
For older people, the speech said, the OBA would create a long-term care support fund to make sure that seniors in need can access affordable nursing and home-care services, and also improve elder-care facilities by investing in public-private partnerships to increase the availability of assisted-living spaces.
School-based mental health programmes were proposed, as well as the expansion of addiction treatment and rehabilitation programmes in an effort to reduce the social impact of drug and alcohol abuse.
Mr Richardson suggested incentives to attract and retain healthcare professionals in addition to bettering nursing and medical training programmes “to develop local talent and reduce reliance on imported expertise”.
Public-private partnerships were also suggested for housing development while the party leader said that the OBA would also carry out a full audit of government-owned buildings that could be converted into affordable housing or transitional shelters.
He added: “The OBA would implement a structured rent-to-own programme, allowing families to gradually transition from renting to ownership, giving them a path to build equity and stability.”
Mr Richardson said that his party would set up a domestic violence shelter with counselling and legal assistance.
On crime, he said that the OBA would increase police manpower and equipment, and enhance community policing.
Mr Richardson claimed that the Government’s National Violence Reduction Strategy, while well intentioned, “lacks strong enforcement measures, suffers from slow implementation and fails to adequately address Bermuda’s gang violence problem”.
He said that the OBA would reform the plan to make sure there were “measurable benchmarks for success, greater accountability and a more aggressive stance on crime deterrence”.
The Opposition leader said that underlying many matters was “a crisis of governance and accountability”.
He made assurances that the OBA would report on its work regularly, with specific measurable goals, and publish “clear, on-time, no-gimmick financial statements and budgets”.
Mr Richardson added: “We would enhance codes of conduct for ministers and MPs, to include clear enforcement and consequences.
“Recent years in Bermuda have seen too many questions around conflicts of interest or the handling of public contracts.
“Under an OBA administration, any minister or official found violating the public trust would be swiftly removed.”
The Progressive Labour Party claimed that the Opposition’s Reply to the Throne Speech was “heavy on criticism and light on details”, but welcomed the opportunity to work together on shared concerns.
It said that matters highlighted by the One Bermuda Alliance as priorities — including infrastructure upgrades, housing development, crime reduction, scholarships and technical training — were “areas where the PLP has already delivered measurable progress”.
The party added: “On the cost of living, the OBA conveniently ignores the global factors driving inflation, instead choosing to mislead Bermudians for political gain.
“While they criticise the Government, they fail to offer real solutions that would bring relief to families and businesses.
“Meanwhile, the PLP has delivered payroll tax cuts for 86 per cent of Bermudians, frozen government health premiums for three consecutive years and reduced energy taxes by 60 per cent.
“Similarly, on healthcare, the OBA attacks the PLP’s progress on universal healthcare but does not present a clear alternative.
“Their response lacks cost projections or funding sources, leaving the impression that they are more interested in political attacks than constructive engagement.”
It said: “The OBA also continues to throw out vague accusations of corruption and inefficiency, yet their proposed governance measures — such as public reporting, financial responsibility and anti-corruption policies — are largely symbolic.
“Many of these proposals already exist in law, with independent oversight from the Auditor-General, Bermuda Police Service, internal audit and regular public reporting — all under the PLP government.”
He told MPs: “If the Government today were to implement some of the proposals we’ve laid out — be it cutting the sugar tax, implementing an independent education authority, reviving an independent tourism authority, putting vacant and derelict government properties to assist homelessness, or investigating our cyber failures — I would applaud them and support those moves because they would be right for Bermuda.”
Mr Richardson said: “However, if this government remains unable or unwilling to deliver, then the OBA stands prepared to step in and implement these plans ourselves.
“We are not seeking power for its own sake, but we will not shy away from the responsibility if it is entrusted to us.
“Bermuda cannot afford drift and dithering for four more years.
“The world is moving fast — challenges like global inflation, technological change and climate impacts will not wait for us to get our house in order.
“We need to act with urgency and unity.”
• To read the Reply to the Throne Speech in full, see Related Media
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