Senate Passes Bill To Move Bermuda Day
After passing in the House of Assembly last month, the Bill to change the date the Bermuda Day holiday is celebrated to the last Friday in May has passed in the Senate.
The Bill states, “The Schedule to the Public Holidays Act 1947 is amended by deleting ’24th May, as Bermuda Day, except that, where the 24th May falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, then the next following Monday shall be Bermuda Day’ and inserting ‘Bermuda Day, the last Friday in May.”
Audio of the Bill passing in the Senate
In delivering a brief on the Public Holidays Amendment Act 2017 in the House last month, Minister of Social Development and Sports Zane DeSilva said, “Currently, the Bermuda Day Public Holiday is recognized on the 24th of May and this Bill proposes that the day of observance should be changed to the last Friday in May of each year. It is anticipated that this change will have effect from May 2018 onwards.”
The Public Holidays Amendment Act 2017, as tabled, follows below [PDF here]:
well i guess as the PLP have the majority of the seats in the house they are going to do what they like, that’s what dictatorship is all about.
Maybe “enough” needs to spend some time in a real dictatorship.
Well I just think it is the right thing to do. Dictatorship was when the UBP was in government! You forgot?
The difference , whether you want to believe it or not EVERYONE that wanted a job , had one. There was work for everyone, money coming in and Bermuda had money in the bank. If UBP was a dictatorship what would you call the PLPs last 14 years in power! I await your truthful answer.
Good bye Bermuda Day
What? The holiday is still there, just on a variable date. It’s not that big a deal.
Don’t you just love this new PLP.
Christmas next year will follow the annual banquet…………
lol
That was a real one too…I actually laughed out loud.
I’m not so shook up about this one though, it is just designed to make it a long weekend. Frankly having it on a Wednesday (eg) just messes up the whole week.
Or be abolished as a Colonial relic. 24-12 will soon become a memorial to Bermuda’s demise.
Puppet Master …..24-12 actually means that a very large segment of the voting population despised the direction that the arrogant OBA insisted Bermudians follow…Failure to listen and a massive overreach contributed to the OBA’s demise … memorialize that !!!!
So this means in 2019 when May 24th falls on a Friday (the 3rd Friday in May 2019) the actual Holiday will be on the last Friday of the month which is May 31?!?!
Looks that way. Perhaps a bit short-sighted of Govt in not having a thought on the parameters of ‘last Friday’, but again, not a killer deal.
Don’t use logic and common sense when applying thought to anything this party puts out.
That’s true, it can never be celebrated on May 24. PLP math. Nice work dictators.
Whacky stuff!
Thank you.
Actually looking at the annual calendar it would have made more sense to have it read Bermuda day shall be the 2nd last Friday of May of each year.
Or, the Friday before the last Monday, which keeps the 24th on the radar and allows the tie-in for any US visitors enjoying Memorial Day weekend on our shores.
but don’t we have a national deficit well north of $3bn–and our Gvt is woried about shifting holidays…walking back human rights and exerting more control over those that show disrespect.
Is it me or do these actions seem out of line with the issues that confront our country?
Are the country’s other issues too big for the Gvt to grapple and address?
It is the PLP way. The renamed holidays, buildings and the Airport to suit them. Zero input from the public then, why should we expect anything different.
This issue and the same sex marriage one are just so urgent. Let’s not worry about the big things we need to fix …………..
Next one up Dictatorship Day
People will complain now simply because the PLP did this but will enjoy the benefits of a long weekend for years to come. Typical Bermudians.
Not the point! Something should be left as is. Lets move Christmas, New Years, and all the others too?
It’s just like that ‘lion rock’. Slowly chipping away our heritage.
All, so the party can go on? “Because people don’t want to go to work the next day!”
That’s the hole problem. Everyone wants a job with (Full) benefits without putting in the time.
#Government4Government
How long has Bermuda Day been a thing? You’d think the island was discovered on that date or something. Heritage, what? Bermuda Day is what, 40 years old? May is heritage month, people. You’re not losing anything.
TO ALL OF THE ABOVE BLOGGERS:
Very, very happy that this is happening.
No one cared what happened to Bermudians during the immigration protest, no one cared that senior citizens were pepper sprayed, no one cared when government workers gathered bu the thousands outside of the B.I.U.
WELL !! WELL!! CARE now!!
We do have a positive say in what we want and deserve for ourselves!!
KARMA!!GOBBLE, GOBBLE that up!!
What “say” did you have? What meeting did you go to? What petition or vote were you a part of? Positive Say? Who had a say.
Nobody cared when seniors were pepper sprayed? Everyone cares! It was an unfortunate situation for many reasons! Watch the tapes! You / they were not ambushed! They slowly marched there in an attempt to stop the law breakers. young or old, they were breaking the law! The police did not rush in and pepper spray. They asked protestors to move. the warned protestors. No senior was intentionally pepper sprayed. Not one, so stop with the BS. Unfortunately, two felt the effects of the overspray. The police warned the public to move! The police were verbally and physically threatened by protestors. Why it it that not one PLP LEADER was pepper sprayed? Because they were smart enough to step back and let things escalate! is that what a true leader does? No! However, it does sound like what a politician would do. Seniors were used as pawns that day and you know it! Not one leader encouraged them to step back! And it paid off for them, didn’t it!
Any
No one cares what you think lmfao…
I wasn’t born yet.
If you don’t move forward, you will always drift back!
#pullyourheadoutofthesand
So this is a typical PLP move
We will have the May 24th holiday move to the Last Friday in May ….But if it falls on a Saturday or Sunday it will be held on the Monday
How Dumb is this the last Friday is the last Friday these folks are clueless
please can they all resign and we get some folks in who are smart enough to get on with the business of running a country
hell cant get a stupid holiday right what chance do they have in any other area
I think something’s missing from your post. With the change of date, the public holiday is always going to be on a Friday from now on. There will be no Bermuda Day holiday on Monday.
People are making a real mountain out of a molehill here.
Nice to see that this new Government is tackling some really really important stuff. What is next, renaming some roads & buildings maybe?
That little matter of continuing on the OBA foundation of turning the economy around & dealing with the massive debt that they created during their first reign of terror can wait, or better still, be ignored.
We have other countries who are trying to push off the edge if the cliff.
And all they want to do is play games with hoildays.
maybe I am missing something, but if the holiday is on a Friday how can this be a long weekend for the many people who work on Saturday. If it was to be changed it should have been a Monday like all the other holidays.
Face it folks , the PLP is good at changing names and dates , that’s about it .
Makes sense!
“This holiday would replace Empire Day,an annual May 24th holiday to recognize Queen Victoria’s birthday,and be rename May 24t Bermuda Day.The first Bermuda Day heritage parade therefore took place in 1979.”
May 24th didn’t have a specific reason that was associated with Bermuda Heritage to have it on that day. May 24th was already a holiday. Since May 24th was a holiday, They used that day to represent,celebrate and respect Bermuda culture and heritage
The day shouldn’t matter to celebrate Bermuda culture.
I don’t understand what is the big deal.And at least some of us Bermudians can sleep in the next day since the next day is the weekend. Instead of us calling out sick the next day if may 24th is on a week day.
Why would anyone need to call out sick the next day…?
Bermuda flu. A common ailment caused by the consumption of too much alcohol the day before.