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It is time to heal

Monday, January 21, 2008

By H. Kim Swan, JP, MP, Leader, United Bermuda Party

Thank you

I want to begin by thanking a number of people who have made this day possible:

My Family

My Parliamentary colleagues

The St. George’s West and North Branches of the Party, and

The people of St. George’s West for their vote of confidence

I have always been a believer in “Everything in its time.”

It has been 25 years to the day that I ran in politics, as a candidate in Sandys South. They were years spent in the political trenches, in the branches, running as a candidate for office, serving as the party’s Senate leader.

Though I have never served in the House of Assembly, everything about my political career to date has taught me to understand the role of Opposition.

It is an important role to play.

Where would Bermuda be without an Opposition? Today that role is more important than ever.

Because this country is wound up tight. There is polarization and hardship. There is uncertainty and it runs deep.

We are divided along political lines, where we as a people stand separated by a wall higher and thicker than ever before.

We are divided on economic lines, where the haves and have-nots live side by side in two very separate Bermudas.

We are divided by words that poison relations between people.

This country needs healing, and it needs a force for healing.

I am here today to tell you that the United Bermuda Party will be that force for healing.

We will speak for people who are anxious for the future of our beloved island home.

We will speak for the people who can no longer afford Bermuda, who can no longer afford the rents, who can no longer afford the cost of living where $100 can’t buy a bag of groceries.

We will be the voice of reason for the voiceless, the disenfranchised and the alienated.

And we will speak for the middle class that is fast becoming an endangered species.

People tag the United Bermuda Party as a conservative party, but I don’t see it that way.

You don’t fight an election as I did in Constituency 2 and come away thinking everything is fine.

You come out of it knowing we have to change to help the people who are struggling. You come out of it thinking we must heal the wounds that exist and solve the problems that persist.

Bermuda needs the commitment from its political leaders to understand the pain and suffering that’s going on across the island. We need to drop the egos and the attitudes. All of us need to focus on the people. All of us need to walk in the shoes of others and get an understanding that there is a lot of hurt going on.

That is our common cause, to know and better understand each other because that is where the healing begins.

That is our mission. That is the mission of the United Bermuda Party.

It is why I was elected to the House of Assembly.

Healing will not come quickly. My journey has taught me patience and persistence.

We have to be committed. Making Bermuda better is not a sprint. It will be a marathon – good works in progress.

We need to focus and move one step at a time.

We need to start with the right frame of mind so that we can understand the realities that confront others.

We need to bring love into our hearts. Love for our fellow countrymen. It has been missing for quite some time and there is plenty of blame to go around for that. So we need to make the effort to encourage our brothers and sisters - black and white – to open their hearts and minds to healing.

You have to have a willing heart for this. To the best of your ability you have to be objective and prepared to embrace all the diverse views and opinions with respect.
You have to be prepared to listen and improve.

As leader of the United Bermuda Party, I pledge that we will be a party that will have a place for everyone – young and old, black and white, rich and poor.

We will connect with the people and start building the trust that is needed in this community.

We will connect with people to start building the hope that has gone missing from so many lives.

My colleagues and I will do all we can to help everyone across the spectrum of life in this community to come to terms with the things that divide us and, in doing so, to help make this island a better place for its people.


That is why I am in politics, and that is why my colleagues are in politics.

It is our mission to bring this country together.
Bermuda deserves no less from us.

***
In the next few days, I will announce our Shadow Cabinet and our Senate team.

Bermuda needs a strong voice in Parliament and I am excited by our team because it contains an excellent mix of experience and spirited new blood.

You can be assured that we will keep this government’s feet to the fire on getting things accomplished for the people: education reform, safer streets, new housing, tax relief, help for St. George’s and Dockyard, and more open and responsive government.

It’s time for Bermuda to start doing better.

That’s my commitment, and that’s the commitment of the United Bermuda Party.

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