‘Support Pathways To Bermuda Status’ Petition
[Updated] An online petition has been started to support the ‘Pathways to Status’ initiative, with the petition — which was started yesterday and as of this writing has 188 signatures — saying, “Let’s show Minister Michael Fahy and the rest of his team that we support Pathways.”
The petition says, “The Government of Bermuda announced on 5 February that it was intending to amend our Immigration Legislation to provide for new pathways to permanent residency and Bermuda status in Bermuda for long-term residents.
Screenshot of a section of the online petition:
“There are many reasons why the Government is choosing to do this. It will benefit Bermuda economically,” the petition text adds.
“Bermuda will be able to abide by international human rights standards. But most importantly, it’s just the right thing to do for people who have committed their lives to Bermuda. Let’s show Minister Michael Fahy and the rest of his team that we support Pathways.”
The immigration proposal would see changes including any person who is ordinarily resident in Bermuda for 15 years becoming eligible to apply for permanent residency, and any permanent resident who is ordinarily resident in Bermuda for 20 years becoming eligible to apply for Bermudian status.
Since the announcement was made on February 5th, the topic has remained in the headlines, with five protests held in relation to it over the past month.
Update March 6, 7.20am: Since this was posted just under 24 hours ago, it has increased from 188 signatures to 1083, and another petition on immigration has also been launched.
Me me me attitude…
We are the onliest ones…
Nobody else….
Sign the paper and become an eleatist secular…untuitself …self endowed…self serving…obtuse….society…
An island …by its’ very nature and sociological nature…must have new blood and a minimum amount of people to fuel the economy…
No one factional ethnicity shall have dominion…or right to domicile…
My God how unfriendly have we become anyway???
I myself will never sign anything of this nature!
Care to explain how this is unfriendly?
English please
You’re one to talk.
White supremacy is the belief, or promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds and that therefore whites should politically, economically and socially dominate non-whites. The term is also typically used to describe a political ideology that perpetuates and maintains the social, political, historical and/or industrial dominance of whites.[1] Different forms of white supremacy have different conceptions of who is considered white, and different white supremacists identify various racial and cultural groups as their primary enemy.
Do you really believe yourself. The world is a changing place and the race card and white supremacy card is long gone. Grow up and move on and spread the word, the PLP Gov loves to stuff it down your throut every day so much that you believe it. I’m a white guy with no hate or malaise to anyone regardless of color, just who you are ads a person
Ask yourself this. What is a pure bred Bermudian? Last time I checked we all came from different places if you look back at your roots. These roots grew into the title of being a “Bermudian”. My personal opinion I feel as if anyone who’s spent most of their lives living on this beautiful rock(10 years +), and celebrating holidays like cupmatch should have equal rights as a “Bermudian”.
I think you misread the petition.
Mr. FAHY make sure these people signing put their real name, where they’re from and double check they have a legal work permit.
LOLOL
that’s funny since most people signing it have a home some where else but they prefer Bermuda over their own screwed up country. Then they come here and leech off my island for the $$$$$$. The OBA is officially not for BERMUDIANS if they push this on the voters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ T. Smith
It’s my island too.
MY island voted the OBA in to govern. This is governing and it’s the right thing to do.
Ya and South Africans voted for the National Party and look at the excelent job they done there ……………..
That’s Europeans who invaded South Africa, for clarification!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANC has been the ruling party since 1994 in SA.
Nearly 22 years…WTH are you on about?
And who invaded before.
You cherry pick sh*R.
Who overran S. Africa before it was S. Africa.
That’s another topic dude.
I am Bermudian and I signed the petition.
Actually they would be for MORE Bermudians.
My home is in Paget! I’m Bermudian as are my husband, children and Grand children – I signed this petition. Sen. Fahy please don’t listen to the naysayers you are doing the right thing.
There are plenty of Bermudians that own property in the UK, US, and Canada. It isn’t a question of preferring Bermuda “over their own screwed up country”, but a question of people who were sought after to fill jobs Bermudians weren’t qualified for, and made lives here. What kind of medical care would we have on the island, if we didn’t have people in all aspects of the medical industry living here long term?
Slow down
Hey Trisha – not everyone here has a work permit. Many people are spouses of work permit holders who DON’T TAKE JOBS AWAY FROM ANYONE. They just quietly VOLUNTEER teaching OUR children how to read, socializing / feeding animals WE have abandoned, helping to clean up OUR litter on OUR island, filling the FREE Christmas hampers that WE fight each other to get…..
Trisha — lots of Bermudians like myself also signed the petition.
I’m sorry? Is it an offence to now sign a petition while foreign?
Well look at that! The petition is only a few hours old & it is well past the PLP/BIU/Seniors rent a crowd numbers already.
Who would have thought??
Bloggers like you do nothing to help the OBA gain more support in regards to votes. Yes I’m a white Bermudian and I voted UBP and 2012 OBA.
You can crack jokes about the PLP or BIU all you want, however the “Senior rent crowd” jokes need to stop wanker! Do you realize the seniors have grandchildren that vote and follow their stance?
Sorry, the “rent a riot” crowd deserve all the disrespect they have earned. They are nothing more than PLP operatives furthering the PLP’s agenda of destruction at any cost.
Are you suggesting that these senior’s grandchildren cannot think for themselves & will vote with the grandparents just because that is the way the grandparents have always voted?
I’d like to think that they are much smarter than that.
As far as the make up of the crowd goes, look around. What do you see?
Oh, & stooping to calling names does nothing to help your credibility.
Hey Jr David Duke read if you think the statement below is not a fact you’re more like a court jester for the oba than a wanker!
The Original Truth™ says:
March 5, 2016
It’s a common stat that younger family members vote for whoever the older members support. The children and grandchildren may not have been there but come election day they will follow their elder’s vote.
For example, the family of Dr. EF Gordon, leading union member.
But of course he was one of those “horrible” foreigners we’re so afraid of, taking our jobs, our houses, our debt …
Are you seriously entertaining this troll? What he doesn’t know WILL hurt him…
While I support Pathways, it might well be that many signing are not Bermudians who would support Pathways. So I’m not sure if that’s a good point.
And I also think we need to stop denigrating everyone who criticizes ‘Pathways’ as the PLP/BIU/Seniors rent a crowd. There might be some element of truth, but I have had some engaging conversations with even OBA supporters who find the thing a little unsettling. Personally, I think change is always unsettling, but let’s at least try to empathize with the other side.
Initially i assumed that all of the protesters where just “kickin s#!t” due to xenophobia and some swept in by PLP rhetoric, but listening to those who spoke at the protest the other day got me thinking…
Although many of them are simply PLP followers doing their duty to thwart the OBA, some of those folks have and raised valid concerns about the new reform. It would be nice to hear what they have to say and talk about the concerns in a constructive manner.
People have been asking, but no one has raised anything of merit.
I definitely think the majority of people who say “we’re not opposed to pathways, we just want comprehensive immigration reform” are using that as a fig leaf to mask the unreasonableness of an absolutist position, ie no status for any LTRs, but some have told me that they do support Pathways but would have preferred more collaboration.
But I think there needs to be ideas to support. All we get are ill-thought out statements in support of quotas which are so problematic in so many ways, not the least which is they represent a return to what I believed was the most problematic aspect of immigration policy from the 1970s a 1980s.(together with factual clunkers that ‘nearly all countries use quotas’ when the reality is that only a minority of countries do for PRC and nearly none have them for citizenship.)
If govt raised the 20 year for status to say 25 would that satisfy folks?
Fahy you are full of it. You’ve been that way for a long time. Especially after the moment you convinced yourself that being versed in law somehow gives you the freedom to rationalize any particular interpretation of something that fits your agenda. Your government has been nothing short of transparent in its selective willingness to accept true democracy as a path forward on matters YOU KNOW the masses are sensitive. Gaming… Yeah Referendum, uhh never mind! Referendum on pathways to status… Uhh heck no, why would we take a chance with that before the election! Gay marriage, yeah… Reforendum… Because we soooo concerned about the uncertainties around putting in through in the house. YOU GUYS ARE FULL OF CRAP! Everyone knows this push on your part to create more voters… err “bermudians” is part of a plan that was established, as per a proven-to-exist doctrine, the minute you sellouts came into government. And if you think things are heating up now, I hope your happy w the mess you cause when you do inevitably shove another piece of unpopular legislation down our throats.
@ Ian
The only poll I have seen shows 71% support for Fahy’s approach. Just because a small group of individuals can’t think beyond what Walton Brown tells them, doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t.
No sense, I won’t waste too much time trying to convince you otherwise, but your silly “stats” only serve your silly rhetoric. Feel free to refer to my comment in reponse to Kayla below. Your own government wouldn’t bank on that 71% being representative hence the urgency to pull this off before the election. So stop playing dumb because if you’re that oblivious then you would at least get credit for not being from here. Tell me if you think that 71% is any reflection of the unexpectedly large margin the OBA lost by in the last bye election too…
The polls you say, well since 90% expats voted and 10% Bda voted yea that’s a real good poll.
@ Wake Up
I will admit that the poll isn’t perfectly scientific but lets be honest about who goes online to read local news- by enlarge its local Bermudians so I don’t know how you can say that 90% of those that vote are expats. But typical of you PLP supporters, who needs evidence when inflammatory rhetoric works better!
Are you seriously taking a news blog poll seriously? lol
I voted when I was at work, then on both my cell phones and then when I got home on my laptop…smh you can’t be serious
Where did you get your numbers… A green hat?
That trend was also confirmed by the Bernews poll from a few weeks prior. Bernews has a much wider reach on facebook.
Also, the unscientific polls confirm the trends seen in the scientific ones.
of course the non-Bermudian is going to sign a petition that speaks to his interests. They are not refugees fleeing warfare or conflict in their country they merely want to cement their position in our country aided and abetted by the anti-Bermudian OBA government.
The overwhelming majority of those that sign will be Bermudians.
And the anti-Bermudian PLP created the law that just allowed a bunch of new Bermudians?
The proposal made by the OBA is no more or less anti-Bermudian than the PLP law. The intent of both is to grow the islands population and increase tax flow. (Someone needs to pay for the oversized civil service).
But then again Alvin drinks the green juice so he will never acknowledge the PLP had the same plan. They however would never admit it!
What is anti-Bermudian about making more Bermudians? I see you only like certain kinds of Bermudians from certain places. In that case stop using “Bermudian” because it doesn’t mean what you think it means. You can’t throw “Bermudian” around so much when you do not want to include all Bermudians. Try to be a little more specific with your posts.
Alvin – a few points for you:
1. Non-Bermudians probably WON’T sign this petition. They are generally intelligent, quiet, and keep their names off the hate-blogs.
2. Don’t you think they are pretty well cemented already if they have been here upwards of 15 – 20 years? Think about it.
3. What makes you think these people EVEN WANT STATUS here???? Many that I know don’t want or need it.
4. Get a clue.
Since your so informed why do people stay in another person’s country for that long? MONEY or the weather is better here.
Because after a few years, a few kids, a couple adopted cats and a dog, WHEREVER they are becomes HOME to them.
Got any more questions?
I mean, I’m not sure an online petition is indicative of anything. Anyone can sign it…not necessarily even Bermudians, so it’s not an accurate way of polling actual Bermudians when this is an issue where nationality actually matters? Like that could be mostly comprised of expats who have everything to gain and nothing to lose in this matter.
Kayla all you have to do is look at the proportion of folks commenting online, particularly via news site blogs, to see where the bias is. Heck the blogs alone are a PLP hate forum for the most part. And then ironically those same folks pretend to be daft enough to believe that another online platform (the poll), which is just as skewed toward their standard level of online representation, somehow provides a reflective indication of local sentiment. THEY DONT EVEN BELIEVE THAT but pray that with enough repetition others will. The OBA is run by deception, the same tool used by its predecessor.
Where the hell were you Ian during the 14 year reign of the PLP.
They put us in debt 2 billion.
Truth is a bitch
I’m sorry Terry, but how does that statement even begin to address my comments?
But while on that subject feel free to assume righteousnous talking about debt when you can identity a single private or commercial group who didn’t load up on it over that same 14 years.
The same folks talking about the PLP are the same ubp supporters who borrowed HEAVILY to buy homes, renovate, buy business, buy boats etc etc etc.
You see the irony is its pretty much guaranteed that (in total) it were the folks, who typically fit the profile of a ubp/OBA supporter, that borrowed and spent WAAAY more than those who typically fit the profile of a PLP supporter. And now they want to complain about debt??? Look in the mirror!
@Ian
“You see the irony is its pretty much guaranteed that (in total) it were the folks, who typically fit the profile of a ubp/OBA supporter, that borrowed and spent WAAAY more than those who typically fit the profile of a PLP supporter. And now they want to complain about debt??? Look in the mirror!”
It always comes down to race doesn’t it… we can read through the lines of your not to subtle commentary.
What does the borrowing patterns of private enterprises/individuals have anything to do with anything? If someone wants to borrow money to buy a house/boat etc and can’t repay it, thats on them and has very little impact on the rest of us.
When the Government of the day borrows money to boost the civil service (to mask the rising unemployment levels caused by the exodus of private companies in response to ill-advised PLP policies) it affects all of us. Thats the point Terry was making.
Your rebuttal completely missed the point.
My rebuttal missed the point? Your original “rebuttal” had nothing to the with subject matter being discussed! You guys just thrive on irony! Lol
@ Terry
Ian is going to vote PLP no matter what. He could care less about their track record. All you have to do is go through his history of posts to see his blind loyalty.
There is no point arguing with people like that, nor giving any weight to the nonsense they post.
How do you not see the irony in how that presumption accurately applies to you and most non-blacks on this island? And to add to it I’ve actually voted across party lines which is something you’ll NEVER be able to attest to. Weird isn’t it?
@ Ian
The PLP dont give a toss about non-blacks. They (and their supporters) love to throw out statistics about non-white voting patterns yet never look inwards at the fact the party has done absolutely NOTHING to reach across racial lines.
They are supposed to be “progressive” yet continuously fail to be so.
Predecessor being the PLP of course.
There is always deception in politics, but i guess PLP gets a pat on the back for admitting to theirs.
“We had to deceive you..”
Dr. E.F.Brown
People need to have their voice heard, that’s why they are doing the petition!
The sad part about doing something this important in the manner that the OBA has chosen..,,is if or when the plp forms the next government they will be pressured to change it…..however if both groups and independent stakeholder like IB, the Unions in the public ALL set down together……then it can’t be use as a political football…
Hope my island isn’t totally given away before the Dec ’17 election. I guess you bloggers were not here in ’77 – suggest you read the history book “Island Flames”.
So if you don’t get your way you resort to destruction.
Charming. That is the civilized way to do it.
What would you be saying if the pro status crowd were threatening violence if they don’t get their way?
King of the ashes!
I think OBA sees how the people of Bermuda feels about this so they’ll be wise to listen and do their job, which is SERVE the people of Bermuda by making the right choises and not bringing kaos.
I think you are correct. They understand how the majority of Bermudians feel and they understand what actions will benefit the majority of Bermudians. They are proceeding accordingly.
Thank you Bermuda. The silent majority is waking up and showing its support to the Gvt for doing the right thing b
. I fully support everyone’s right to express their views. That doesn’t necessarily make every view correct and just.
I congratulate yesterday protesters on voicing their views. Please allow us to now express ours.
Have a blessed day!
So you’re surprised foreigners, expats and first generational Bermudians are signing?
He never said anything about that. Are you halucinating?
Are you “halucinating” the spelling of hallucinating??
Funny, I felt bad doing that as it’s usually you guys who use pointing out grammatical error as a means of strangely validate your arguments…
@ 500 and growing
Agreed- big thumbs up!
They won’t see it that way. As far as they are concerned if you aren’t with them you are against them. Worse still you aren’t a “real” Bermudian.
Peace love and equality for all all means ya,all
My son married an expat, he was deemed by Immigration when he went to get information, gave his name and was told he wasn’t Bermudian. Born of ‘Bermudian” parents, employed, active in community, a voter and more. There were other people who encountered the same thing, I believe it was 2005/2006. My son was born August 1977. Rather than apply for status” they left the Island, they live in Scotland. A lady was telling me about her son, same thing and response from immigration, a birth cert. Shows birth registration in Bermuda and there are people who live in Bermuda who have them and others who do not. My thinking, we all should be applying for status as “Bermudians” really do not have documentation hto say the are so, except for Dr Brown’s stamp in your British territory passport, go figure.
Stop spreading bad information. I put this down to you as a lazy parent. All the Bermudian parents have to do is fill out the documents and register the child when born. Do you think the child just magically appears on the status register.
if both parents are bermudian it should say so on his birth certificate, and he is Bermudian, I would have thought…
Oh dear. It is now 700 & growing. Over 3 times the number that turned up for the picnic on the hill.
have these people give their jobs to the foreigners first please….
LOL
This petition don’t count because anybody(non Bermudians) could sign it. It’s not a true reflection of how Bermudians feel and numbers lie.
Because non-Bermudians could make their voices heard?
I seem to recall the protest on the hill had a non-Bermudian speaking for them, as well as a … what is the term that gets used for Fahy? … oh yes… ‘paper’ … Bermudian speaking. Does that mean it wasn’t a true reflection of how Bermudians feel?
The pain and suffering of the 14 years of the so called former government and its legacy is enough to endure never again if Bermuda takes the wrong road at this crossroads we will be taken back to the dark ages for all of us and the world to avoid
At their demise they were far from progressive and make life hell for all our citizens neither no unity it attempt to improve equality for our island
Well here’s a thought! What does it take to be a Bermudian?
You have to marry one… ‘Some don’t care if foreigners marry for status but have their panties in a bunch for a person who is born and raised with bermudian family members obtaining status’
I wonder if this group will demonstrate in public – show their faces and march (if necessary) up to Parliament to affirm their support to the “proposed” immigration changes ??
And if they choose not to -so what?
NO, of course they won’t, because they genuinely fear that if they express an opinion that their work permit is in danger, and their children will have to leave the only home they have ever known because their parents expressed an opinion.
They are putting their names down – that is enough! They may choose not to march or disrupt the business of Bermuda with unlawful acts of stupidity because that is the right thing to do!
People like Rev. Tweed and others who are religiously aligned should stay out of Politics or we should start taxing the Churches for their Political insights / participation in the political process.
I am trying to run a business and 10 staff go off marching around holding up a sign when i have customers to serve. Well here is the good news – 3 dont have a job come Monday and they can go and pray to Rev. Tweed for their next paycheck and the other 7 will not be getting a bonus or raise and they can join the other in prayer for money to support their families.
I am sick and tired of people thinking that striking is an acceptable form of protest for anything that they dont agree with. As an employer of over 100 people (and yes 99% are Bermudian and dont question me about why i have 1% ex-pats – let it go stupid people) I dont condone employees using my corporate time to exercise their personal agenda. Take a paid vacation day and do what you want – dont take a day from the company and then turn up on Monday wanting that same company to pay you for your actions!
Just over 24hrs old & we are up to over 1200 signed. That is 6 times the turnout for the picnic BTW.
Looking through the optional comments, & there are many, there are very very few who are not here on The Rock.
Lots of paper bermudians marched on Friday
Why do Bermudians have such double standards they don’t want Brits to come here but they are all going to the U.K. To reap off them and by the way I’am a Bermudian born and bred .
Because it is all free.
In Bermuda you have to pay rent to yah uncle, aunt, moma, deddy, cousin.
Nah dah struglin…………………
No Terry, its not all free in the UK. The UK Government has been tweaking the rules governing people coming from the DTC regions of fomer colonies. If they haven’t finished high school they must work toward that, and after that they have to work toward getting a job. Last year they changed the benefits for children from 4 to 3, and there are other things. People who haven’t followed the rules, you know the one who have been partying to beat the band, have been told to follow the rules or they will be shown the door. The earnest ones and doing well, caring for their families as the children get on with their educations.
What I don’t understand is how anyone thinks they are entitled to be considered ‘Bermudian’ over any other person. Bermuda was once an empty rock with no one on it! So to be Bermudian each settler, visitor, slave, who ever had to come from somewhere else And they would have brought their previous culture etc with them. Reason why Bermuda is so well known for its unique culture, Because WE are all cut from different beautiful cloths.
Why are those on this thread questioning what is a Bermudian? Do you ask the person next to you from a foreign country what is an Australian, Canadian, South African, American in fact where are you from and what do you call yourself or do you believe that you too are an accident by birth in your country of origin as some will have you believe.
How about you answer the question?? What makes someone Bermudian???
This petition seems misleading to me since the protestors have said that they support pathways but not in its present form. They want a more holistic approach to reform and that seems a reasonable request.
No they don’t.
Read the ‘protestors’ group call for protest below:
“Who do you think for whom they will vote? Where do they shop? Where do their children attend school? Who do they employ? Wake up Bermuda we are being left behind in our own country!!! We should be taken care of as well! Step back OBA Government; this is not the right way to treat your citizens!”
Read the Dickerson piece in which used racial hatred and fear mongering.
Listen to Roban, Commissiong and Simmons’ speeches at the protest on Friday.
This is a simple anti cause now. Nothing to do with ‘comprehensive’ reform. Just pure and utter racial hatred.
Your post is as clear as mud.
What is a holistic approach? Got anything to spell out specifically?
No I don’t have all the answers but neither does anyone else. The government calls for cooperation when it suits them but continues to dismiss anyone who challenges them as unreasonable. Can you tell me what is so wrong about a collaborative approach to divisive emotive issues?