Ever since it first took power in late 1998, Bermuda’s Afro dominated Progressive Labor Party (PLP) has been reaching out to the wider Caribbean to establish trade, cultural and other links.
Bermuda joined the 15-nation regional grouping as an associate member in 2003 and has since made persistent efforts to move closer to a region with millions of black and brown people, like most PLP members.
The previous white-dominated, One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) succeeded the United Bermuda Party (UBP), which had controlled Bermuda for more than 30 years until 2011. The UBP emphasized strong colonial ties with Britain and showed little interest in relationships with Caribbean neighbors. The Progressive Labor Party (PLP), with its Afro-dominated membership, came to power for the first time in 1998, earning more than 50 percent of the votes and shifting state power to Bermuda’s black population in significant numbers.
Now, David Burt, the mid-Atlantic island’s Premier, has said that he is extremely disappointed that his administration has not so far been able to take Bermuda to independence and to ensure it becomes a full CARICOM member state.
Speaking at a party gala at the weekend, Burt called it a “personal tragedy” that the PLP has so far been unable to deliver these two very important items to the island.
He said there are still many who do not want to look southward to the wider Caribbean even though the island, just about 600 miles from the Carolinas, can learn and benefit much from the region.
He said many who still shun CARICOM “have endless businesses in all of the CARICOM countries, making money hand over fist. If there is anything we have seen over the last few months or weeks, it’s that there is a region that we can learn from.”
“We can also share what we know with the region. For the entrepreneurs in this room, it’s important to remember that the market of Bermuda is 65,000. You should want to sell your goods and services to others inside the region to make more money and build wealth for you and your families. That’s what this is about.”
“So, when they come with the scare tactics, which they do, when the news sites post the fake stories, which they will, don’t fall for the okey-dokey,” he said.
Colonizer Britain had granted Bermuda permission to apply for full membership in 2023, but the process appears to be a bit slow and affected by the reluctance of some who think the island should not step down to join the bloc.
Still, Premier Burt says the PLP wants to deliver full membership to islanders “because at the very least, the PLP can say we will stand with our Caribbean brothers and sisters as full members of the Caribbean Community.”
Like the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, and Turks and Caicos Islands, Bermuda remains an associate member. Montserrat is the only exception among Britain’s remaining colonies as a full member, providing a precedent for Bermuda to join.
