PLP: ‘Damon Wade To Resign As Party Chair’

January 14, 2020

“Last evening at a meeting of the Progressive Labour Party Central Committee, Chairman Damon Wade announced his intention to resign as party chair,” the PLP said today.

This follows after the PLP Executive Committee passed a “motion of no confidence” against Mr Wade last month, which followed after leaked audio of an internal party meeting, revealing discussions surrounding a contract.

Party Leader David Burt stated, “I thank Chairman Wade for his service as Chair. Having held this volunteer office before, I know the incredible demands faced by any Chairman of the PLP in balancing private commitments and party matters. Chairman Wade’s tenure will be remembered for the development of the Party Mission and Vision, which came out of our strategic planning event last year.

“The resulting plan was designed to ensure the PLP is a dynamic organisation that can meet the demands of a changing Bermuda. As Party Leader, I look forward to working with him in the future to make sure that we increase the speed of small-business contracting which will assist the PLP in our mission of increasing black economic empowerment in Bermuda.”

Regarding the statement issued by the party on December 23rd, the Party Leader stated the following, “The release accurately outlined the position of the Progressive Labour Party Executive meeting on December 19.

“However, some readers could have had the impression that Chairman Wade was seeking to use his office to acquire a contract. It must be noted for the record that for the Public Private Partnership project at the National Sports Centre, Chairman Wade’s company was designated the ‘preferred bidder’ in September 2018, prior to his election as PLP Chairman. Therefore, it would be incorrect to suggest the Chairman used his position for personal gain or failed to live up to the high moral standards that the Officers and Members have set for the Party and themselves.”

Mr Wade said, “I have been honoured to serve as Chairman of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party. During my tenure, we’ve improved the financial position of the party started upgrades to our Alaska Hall Headquarters, and commenced a strategic planning exercise to ensure the Party is ready for the challenges of this next decade.

“Though I will soon resign as chair, I will remain a member of the party, and look forward to working with the Research & Platform committee and the Parliamentary Group to put forward recommendations to the Party’s Central Committee to assist issues faced by small businesses.”

The PLP added, “Both Leader Burt and Chairman Wade agreed that PLP with its mandate as Government of Bermuda, must continue to listen to the people, keep Bermuda on the right track and deliver on its promise to build a better, fairer Bermuda.

“This evening the Progressive Labour Party Central Committee voted to hold a Special Delegates Conference on February 10, 2020, to fill the vacant positions on the Party Executive.

“There will be no further comment on any internal party matters until after the Special Delegates Conference where the new executive officers will be announced.”

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Comments (20)

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  1. red rose says:

    nicely sanitized.

  2. toadinthehole says:

    so has Mr Wade got the contract or what? A vital piece of information is missing from this attempt to clean things up

  3. Gustav says:

    No worries
    DREB will Step in …..

  4. Jack says:

    Our mission is to increase “BLACK” economic empowerment in Bermuda. Why does the PLP constantly have to bring skin color into every discussion. Why couldn’t they just say “Our mission is to increase economic empowerment of the under-privileged in Bermuda”. There are plenty of poor non-black Bermudians. Don’t those people matter to the PLP at all. Constantly bringing every debate back to skin color is old fashioned, out of touch. Shame on them and their narrow minded view of the world.

    • Google says:

      Skin color is about all they have to run on so they will continue with this and voters will assume that one day they will get theirs. Sadly PLP have left us, black and white, and our families to follow in a massive debt and that debt had nothing to do with advancing black Bermudians…..well very few anyway.

    • Black Panther says:

      No. This is just as much about remedying past injustice as it is about racial inclusion.

      The PLP supports racial justice in Bermuda and shoukd make no apology for it.

    • swing voter no more!!! says:

      You forgot what the UBP did for years to black Bermudians. You also forgot that they changed the name to OBA to escape their past racial action…. which they continued to do under the oba/UBP platform. Craig is only there as a surrogate and the PEOPLE know this mate.

      • saud says:

        “You forgot what the UBP did for years to black Bermudians. ”

        You forget what the PLP IS DOING to the LGBT community.
        You ignore the PLPs desire to enshrine discrimination into law.
        You are no better than the bigots you voted for.

      • Wahoo says:

        Can you remind me what the UBP did?

        • Toodle-oo says:

          Besides pretty much creating the hitherto non-existent black middle class !
          Yeah , that was the reign of terror wasn’t it ?

          • wahoo says:

            Yeah I don’t get how the UBP have become so demonized so easily there is no argument given…I would put the UBP performance way ahead of the last 21 years of PLP. Oh well, when you build something great there will always be someone to tear it down….too bad.

    • Cheryl-Ann Griffin says:

      Because there used to be much more Black economic empowerment in Bermuda. Whites, which include the banks, the oligarchy and big business owners ensured that every Black business did not survive. When they ran into financial challenges, the Black businesses were not helped by the banks as the white businesses were. When they saw a weakness the big businesses loomed in and bought out the smaller Black businesses. For every big white business there were smaller Black businesses…Grocery stores,Dry Goods stores, Beverage businesses, wholesale businesses, Car Sales, insurance Companies, newspaper and magazine publications, clotjing stores,,,you name it.. So yes he meant what he said because it is the necessary truth. We will increase Black economic empowerment.

      • truthertz says:

        “at every Black business did not survive.”

        So ‘not one’ black business has survived ever in BDA huh?

  5. trump supporter says:

    Imagine what chance the outsiders (meaning non PLP supporters) stand.
    Stand strong Damond.
    #DELLWOOD

  6. DF says:

    given that Mr Wade was pretty angry in those recordings one has to wonder if he has been promised something.

  7. Damon will serve n another capacity.
    Tsk!!!Tsk!!Be accurate!!

  8. rodney smith says:

    It is important to increase black businesses in Bermuda , and not hide from the fact that BANKS and other PLAYERS have worked against us .

    • saud says:

      So, what have you and your homophobic government been doing for the past 20 years?
      Where are all the successful black businesses?

    • saud says:

      Where are all the successful black businesses?

      According to you there are none…I guess Bernews is not successful.