Apparently signaling that they have had enough of white rule, Black voters in the mid-Atlantic Caribbean island of Bermuda voted overwhelmingly to re-elect the Progressive Labor Party (PLP) in general elections held on Tuesday, confining the white-supported One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) to opposition benches for a third consecutive five-year term.
The PLP which first came to power at the close of the 90s ending 400 years of white rule, carted away 25 seats, while the OBA increased its parliamentarians from 7 to 11.
“We stand together as one country,” said a jubilant Premier Edward David Burt who has vowed to push Bermuda into becoming a full member of the 145-nation Caribbean Community. “This victory tonight is not about one leader or one party, it’s about all of us and the future that the people of Bermuda have made clear that they want to build together. Elections are a moment of decision, moments where we reflect on the past and chart the course for the years ahead and tonight, this PLP, with 25 seats — more than the landslide of 2017 — Bermudians have chosen progress, Bermudians have chosen fairness, and Bermudians have chosen a PLP Government that will deliver for you all the way,” he told cheering crowds
Bermuda is about 600 miles southeast of the Carolinas and has been courting closer ties with CARICOM, anxious to upgrade its status from an associate member to a full partner in the integration movement.
Racial tensions between Blacks and Whites perennially simmer under the surface, a point made clear by OBA leader Jarion Richardson who criticized the PLP for bemoaning the island’s colonial past and problems associated with British colonial rule.
“During this campaign, they’ve been talking about things that happened 8,10, 15, 20 years ago. They go all the way back to colonialism. They’re happy to talk about the past and what we’re trying to do is talk about the future,” he said, venting his frustration about five more years away from government.
The island depends on tourism and offshore financial services for its economic existence and remains a colony of Britain even as Burt and the PLP increase clamor calls for independence.
Premier Burt said the government is aware about inflation and difficulties coping with daily life, vowing to take action to correct this and missteps in education.
Bermuda’s elections are the second to be held in the regional family this year following last week’s polls in The Turks and Caicos Islands. Others scheduled to follow include Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica and Suriname on May 25.
