PLP Confirm Tinee Furbert As C#4 Candidate

[Updated] The PLP has announced that Senator Tinee Furbert will be their candidate for Constituency #4 St George’s South in the upcoming general election.

The General Election has not yet been called, however both parties are in election mode, and this is the fourth candidate announcement, following after Senator Renee Ming announced as the PLP’s candidate for Constituency #1 St Georges North, Kim Swan announced as the candidate for Constituency #2 St. George’s West and Rev Dr Ernest Peets announced as the candidate for Constituency #10 Smith’s North.

Results from Constituency #4 St George’s South in the 2012 General Election:

The announcement has just concluded, and we will have additional information later on.

Update 5.39pm: PLP Leader David Burt’s full statement follows below:

Good afternoon to the members of the media, PLP executive, Party members, Branch Executive and members from Constituency 4 – St. George’s South and all our gathered supporters.

I am delighted to be here today to present the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party’s candidate for the next general election in a community that has been seeking and deserves strong leadership.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce Senator Tinee Furbert as the candidate for Constituency 4, St. George’s South.

Tinee Furbert grew up in the Harris Bay Area, has lived in Hamilton Parish for over a decade and has served as a Branch Chairperson and Secretary and is a former Deputy Chairperson of the PLP

Senator Furbert has been a registered occupational therapist since 1999 and has served persons in the community in that capacity with experience in skilled nursing facilities, private and public school systems, a prison setting, general, psychiatric and senior specific hospitals. She has wide and diverse experience working with populations of special needs pediatrics, adolescent and adult mental health, neurology and senior and adult health. Her strong and resilient advocacy on behalf of healthcare and disability needs is well known.

Senator Furbert is a member of the Bermuda Occupational Therapy Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, and National Association of Healthcare Advocacy Consultants. She maintains her National Board of Occupational Therapy certification.

Tinee is a former Chairperson for the Council for Allied Health Professions and former Chairperson for the Disability Advisory Council. She is a member of the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast Committee and a former Broadcast Commissioner. She is the co-founder of Bermuda’s Working Women Institute, established in 2013.

She currently serves on the Ministry of Education Ambassador Design Team to assist with services for children with disabilities. She was recently featured by Springfield College at the 25th Anniversary Celebration and Alumni Reception American Occupational Therapy Conference in Philadelphia as an alumnus who has excelled in her chosen field. Senator Furbert is in her last semester to obtain her credentials in Healthcare Advocacy.

Senator Furbert was educated at the Gilbert Institute, Whitney Institute and Springfield College in Massachusetts where she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Services and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. She has post graduate training in neurodevelopment treatment, assistive technology and durable medical equipment.

Appointed to the Senate in 2016, Senator Furbert has been a firm voice for the people, speaking out for those who feel they have no voice and those who feel that Bermuda is leaving them behind.

What has impressed me most about Tinee, has been her compassion and the strong, thoughtful and solution driven approach she takes towards improving the lives of Bermudians. She will serve Bermuda and the people of St. George’s South with humility, hard work and dedication.

With your support, the people of constituency 4 will not be sending someone that will disappear after Election Day or be silent on the issues that matter to you. You will be getting a leader…a strong, fearless voice…something that for too long, has been lacking in this constituency.

I proudly present Tinee Furbert as the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party’s candidate for Constituency 4.

Senator Tinee Furbert’s full statement follows below:

Good afternoon to the Party Leader, Mr. David Burt, to my husband, children, family and friends, and also my PLP Family and friends, members of the media, and the wider community. I would like to thank the Party Leader and Party Members & supporters for putting your faith in me. To my husband, children, parents, sisters, family and friends for being resilient in this process, and showing your love. I am thanking you for your prayers and covering.

Constituency 4, St. George’s South, please expect a heightened focus, explosive energy and an overwhelming desire to tackle challenges. I have lived in Hamilton Parish for many years and I attend church in St. David’s. With great grandparents who resided and grew up in Hamilton Parish and St. David’s, having been a Bailey’s Bay Breezettes Majorette in my younger days and regularly attending county games growing up, I have been a part of a community which is rich with character and culture.

Please recognize I am a voter, and in some point, like many of us, in my political experience I have felt let down, I have felt disengaged. But I have also learned that the first step towards solutions sometimes begins with one’s self.. How could we be a society who asks for the input of the people and then do the opposite or do nothing at all?

We have been canvassing the people of St. George’s South for months now; constituents have shown me they want victory. Victory will not come by way of me only, it will come by way of involvement of those who engage and those who welcome us at their doorstep and on the telephone. I have learned:

1. It’s all about the people
2. We must recognize differentiated value
3. We must execute on our plans
4. We must empower people
5. We must share transforming experiences

I stand here today for seniors who have worked all their lives, taken care of others, may not have predicted their future health, and did not anticipate the inflated cost of living but have been left in a system with limited support and red tape for support. I stand for adequate senior care.

I stand here today for persons with disabilities who are discriminated against through unfair employment opportunities, limited transportation and inadequate access to services. We cannot continue to be a country that does not think or make predictions about the need for action for accessibility. I stand for disability access.

I stand today for those children who may have struggled through an education system and are finding it difficult to find suitable employment to support themselves and their families. They struggled and we watched but still fit them in an education curriculum instead of the education curriculum fitting them. I stand for a reformed education system that will put students first.

I stand today for those university graduates who have studied hard but who are not being given employment opportunities because they don’t have the requisite 5 years’ experience. Sometimes, a chance or mentorship is all that was needed I stand for that chance or mentorship.

We must educate our community to acknowledge civil responsibility is just as important as our own health responsibility to assist with reducing healthcare costs. I stand for inclusion of preventative and rehabilitative healthcare measures.

I cannot leave here today without acknowledging my mother who passed in March 2016; all she wanted was a better life for her children, and she would be so proud today. I want to give thanks to her for showing my sisters and me her unconditional love and deepening my understanding of the struggle of addiction and cancer.

To the new or young voter, please do not be fooled into not voting or thinking participating in the voting process is not for you; we have seen the disparity between the haves and the have nots, the Two Bermuda’s if you will. We have seen hiring freezes disrupt government essential programmes; we have seen the Americas Cup used to blindside Bermudians into thinking it is our saving grace, and while we cannot deny the awesome opening weekend, we must contextualize the event, and while there may be a short-term economic impact, what will be the long term effect ? We have been told guest workers provide work for Bermudians when over and over again we have seen the job market for Bermudians decline and the guest worker job numbers climb higher and higher. Young voter, you are relevant and you are needed in this democracy.

Bermuda must stand and make a commitment to Bermudians for employment; it is very difficult to live in Bermuda without it and we must put Bermudians first. Occupation equals meaningful activity, it gets us up every morning and puts us down every evening. It doesn’t matter how old you are, I realize occupation is important to Bermuda.

I come with eclectic skills and resourcefulness, someone who can execute a plan, can manage many jobs, someone who works hard to complete attainable tasks and someone who does not rely on recognition for it. I have worked in long term care, in education, in health care and in the field of disability and have witnessed the challenges first hand.

Some of my goals for constituency 4 are to establish relationships, request and evaluate feedback, connect constituents to community events and to educate about legislation that affects you.

Constituents of St. George South, I encourage you to get to know me and allow me to get to know you. Please encourage your friends and family to vote in the next upcoming election, As PLP leaders we won’t be able to save the day alone, we need voters to stay engaged and to stay connected and already we have heard your many concerns.

I want you to know it is already getting better….. because I have constituents pledging support and working on my behalf. I promise to work for you and my team will ensure that your views and opinions are both sought and listened to. As Parliamentarians, our task is to represent the will of the people, and that is what I intend to do.

St. George’s South I look forward to working with you as your Member of Parliament after the next General election.

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