Video: Premier On By-Elections, First 11 Months

“I think that the by-election results where we were able to narrow the margins in both seats and actually flip one seat from the Opposition to the Government is an endorsement of our time in office over the past 11 months,” Premier David Burt said, adding that it “doesn’t negate the significant amount of work that is left to be done and the challenges that the country faces” as “our economy still can do much better.”

Premier David Burt recently sat down with Bernews for a live interview on a wide range of topics, with the by-election results and his first first eleven months as Premier among the matters discussed.

The recently held by-elections saw the OBA’s Scott Pearman win Paget East and the PLP’s Curtis Dickinson win Warwick North East, with the PLP increasing their percentage of the vote by 9.09% in Warwick North East and 3.36% in Paget East. As both seats were previously held by the OBA, the by-elections resulted in the PLP increasing their majority in the 36-seat House of Assembly from 24-12 to 25-11.

When asked about the by-election results and how that reflects, Premier Burt told Bernews, “I think that the by-election results where we were able to narrow the margins in both seats and actually flip one seat from the Opposition to the Government is an endorsement of our time in office over the past 11 months. I think what you have seen is that we laid out a plan that we would execute once we were elected into office and we’ve been following on that plan.

“Whether it was the pledges which we made in our 100-day plan, or whether or not it was the things that were laid out inside of our Throne Speech, we have executed on those plans and I think that the stability of which we’ve brought to the country, the sense of community which we brought to the country, the sense that we can work together to solve the problems which are facing Bermuda, I think that is appreciated by the voters of those constituencies, and I think that was reflected in the results.

When asked about the general election last year which saw the PLP gain a number of seats, the Premier said, ”I think that by and large people are pleased, but that doesn’t negate the significant amount of work that is left to be done and the challenges that the country faces. Our economy still can do much better than it is.

“The Minister of Education is working diligently on delivering on our promises of public school reform. The Minister of National Security is working diligently on tackling the root causes of crime and violence and making sure that we can address those social challenges, so there’s a number of things of which the Government continues to address.

“But I think the results reflect, I guess I would say, an overall satisfaction with the direction that we are leading the country, and that is personally gratifying, but it’s also a measure of work that is not only for myself, not only for my Cabinet colleagues who sit around this table on a Tuesday, but also for our entire team.

“There’s the backbenchers who make sure that we stay in line and challenge us every week in caucus, and our Senate team who do an admirable job of advocating for the Government’s policies in the upper house.

Video excerpt with Premier Burt discussing the by-election & first eleven months:

When asked about the Government’s most significant accomplishments so far, Premier answered, “I would say that I think the biggest point of pride for myself would’ve been the way in which that the Government has been able to advance the country’s fintech ambitions.

“Coming from a place that was regarded as an afterthought in the area of fintech, to now the first country that has passed legislation that will set up a licensing regime for digital asset businesses.

“I think one of the best compliments we could’ve possibly had was from a company in New York which said that the Bermuda Government moves at the speed of a startup.

“I think that there will be many people that would question that and certainly, that doesn’t happen in all areas of Government, but the combination of work between the Bermuda Monetary Authority, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of National Security, and private sector partners, whether they be the law firms, the accounting firms, has gotten us to this point.

“I think that it is an incredible accomplishment to go from basically from one year not being on the map at all to now being one of the most sought-after fintech jurisdictions in the world.

“From that perspective, that is without a question a point of pride, but I’m also proud of the work the Minister of Education has done in so far as to making sure that we’re having additional investments in education, providing additional training opportunities for Bermudians.

“The work that’s happening in the Ministry of National Security, where we’re talking about addressing and tackling the root causes of violence. The work that’s being done in the Ministry of Public Works in ensuring that the infrastructure and needs are kept up, and making sure that we address a lot of the challenges that have been placed.

“There’s lot of points in pride, but I think the ultimate thing is that we are executing on the things which we laid out inside of our platform and our Throne Speech.”

The video above was extracted from the full interview, in which Premier Burt discussed a wide range of topics including the constitutional relationship between the Bermuda/UK, Government’s plans for fintech, sugar tax, education, same sex marriage, racism and more.

We will post additional excerpts from the interview, and to watch the full 40-minute live interview replay, please click here, and if you want to listen ‘on the go’, you can also access an audio-only version of the full interview in the podcast section of the Bernews app.

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