BCC - Bermuda Composite Construction
BHC - Bermuda Housing Corp.
DPP - Dept. Public Prosecutions
OT - Overseas Territories
PLP - Progressive Labour Party
T&C - Turks & Caicos
TCI - Turks & Caicos Islands
UBP - United Bermuda Party
Dear Mr. Rosindell,
Attached please find a letter submitted to you on behalf of thousands of Bermudians who cannot speak for themselves, out of the very real fear of reprisals and retribution by the current administration of our island. We feel that for quite some time our island has been, and continues to be, plundered and mismanaged for the personal gain of a group of insiders.
This letter was drafted by a small group of concerned citizens selected from a wide cross-section of the community; no easy task, as I'm sure you must be aware, having extensive experience with committees. The group consisted of eighteen people, made up of upstanding members of the community who have given long and dedicated service. Among its numbers are doctors, business people of all descriptions, accountants, tourist industry workers, taxi drivers, managing directors of companies, lawyers, and various trades people such as technicians and carpenters. All of whom contributed in varying amounts to its contents, and two of whom drafted and formatted it. All involved would be happy to sign this letter were it not for the very real fear of intimidation and retribution that our previous Premier, Dr. Ewart F. Brown has shown he has such a penchant for. That past retribution should in itself be cause for investigation. The letter was reviewed by the lawyers, just to be sure we were not subject to libel claims. We present this on behalf of the many.
This information has all, at some point, seen the light of day, but was always quickly squashed by the current administration. The Auditor General, Larry Dennis, brought some of it to light in his reports, but he was arrested without cause and thrown into gaol. The local daily, The Royal Gazette, tried to expose the BHC scandal which we outline in our submission, but the administration obtained a court order in an attempt to silence the press. The Royal Gazette's sister paper, the Mid Ocean News, was forced out of business in retaliation for its role in publishing some of the information as well.
We believe this is the only time this information has been brought together in one place. When looked at as a cohesive work, the preponderance of the information, we feel, is very telling. We appreciate your review of this information, and hope that finally someone, somewhere, with enough authority to get to the bottom of this, will uncover what we believe to be corruption, abuse of authority and overall misuse of public funds. Those of us who do not have the influence to achieve that, or even initiate it, feel it is hiding at the very highest levels of Government authority. Those locally that do have the ability to initiate this have to date been either punished or replaced by the administration.
There are so many questions in so many areas that are left unanswered, and the spectre of possible corruption taints the reputation of Bermuda, and by extension the UK, as a business domicile and as a democracy. We all deserve better than this, an apparent mirror of the scandals in Turks and Caicos. If there should be nothing of substance found to the allegations, then this too would resolve those nagging questions. But, as it stands now, the inaction to date and complete lack of closure suggests either a cover-up or abrogation of responsibility on the part of the Government of Bermuda. Neither serves in the best interest of Bermuda nor the UK.
We would appreciate an acknowledgment that you have received this submission. A hard copy is presently on route to you via courier. Because of the fear of retribution mentioned above, we are also unwilling to provide a valid return address and phone number to accompany the package. Perhaps in time, and with enough public scrutiny, and hopefully some protection for whistle-blowers, we may not be afraid to reveal our details. We certainly would be willing to meet with a UK representative should that be deemed necessary. Please communicate with us through our email address.
Sincerely,
The Concerned Citizens of Bermuda
Attached please find a letter submitted to you on behalf of thousands of Bermudians who cannot speak for themselves, out of the very real fear of reprisals and retribution by the current administration of our island. We feel that for quite some time our island has been, and continues to be, plundered and mismanaged for the personal gain of a group of insiders.
This letter was drafted by a small group of concerned citizens selected from a wide cross-section of the community; no easy task, as I'm sure you must be aware, having extensive experience with committees. The group consisted of eighteen people, made up of upstanding members of the community who have given long and dedicated service. Among its numbers are doctors, business people of all descriptions, accountants, tourist industry workers, taxi drivers, managing directors of companies, lawyers, and various trades people such as technicians and carpenters. All of whom contributed in varying amounts to its contents, and two of whom drafted and formatted it. All involved would be happy to sign this letter were it not for the very real fear of intimidation and retribution that our previous Premier, Dr. Ewart F. Brown has shown he has such a penchant for. That past retribution should in itself be cause for investigation. The letter was reviewed by the lawyers, just to be sure we were not subject to libel claims. We present this on behalf of the many.
This information has all, at some point, seen the light of day, but was always quickly squashed by the current administration. The Auditor General, Larry Dennis, brought some of it to light in his reports, but he was arrested without cause and thrown into gaol. The local daily, The Royal Gazette, tried to expose the BHC scandal which we outline in our submission, but the administration obtained a court order in an attempt to silence the press. The Royal Gazette's sister paper, the Mid Ocean News, was forced out of business in retaliation for its role in publishing some of the information as well.
We believe this is the only time this information has been brought together in one place. When looked at as a cohesive work, the preponderance of the information, we feel, is very telling. We appreciate your review of this information, and hope that finally someone, somewhere, with enough authority to get to the bottom of this, will uncover what we believe to be corruption, abuse of authority and overall misuse of public funds. Those of us who do not have the influence to achieve that, or even initiate it, feel it is hiding at the very highest levels of Government authority. Those locally that do have the ability to initiate this have to date been either punished or replaced by the administration.
There are so many questions in so many areas that are left unanswered, and the spectre of possible corruption taints the reputation of Bermuda, and by extension the UK, as a business domicile and as a democracy. We all deserve better than this, an apparent mirror of the scandals in Turks and Caicos. If there should be nothing of substance found to the allegations, then this too would resolve those nagging questions. But, as it stands now, the inaction to date and complete lack of closure suggests either a cover-up or abrogation of responsibility on the part of the Government of Bermuda. Neither serves in the best interest of Bermuda nor the UK.
We would appreciate an acknowledgment that you have received this submission. A hard copy is presently on route to you via courier. Because of the fear of retribution mentioned above, we are also unwilling to provide a valid return address and phone number to accompany the package. Perhaps in time, and with enough public scrutiny, and hopefully some protection for whistle-blowers, we may not be afraid to reveal our details. We certainly would be willing to meet with a UK representative should that be deemed necessary. Please communicate with us through our email address.
Sincerely,
The Concerned Citizens of Bermuda
