Election 2020: Online Petition Calls For A Debate
An online petition has been launched calling for the island’s political leaders to have a debate, with the petition attaining over 230 signatures as of this writing.
The petition said, “In this political climate there is an atmosphere of uncertainty. Bermuda is a democracy, and we have a right like every other democratic nation to call on our leaders to have a debate.
“This debate will be the first in our history, and is long overdue. As a voter I am uninformed, and I do not know how to cast my vote. This debate will show the character of leadership and competence of what it takes to move this country forward. If you want my vote, then have a debate!”
Screenshot from the petition website:
The topic of a pre election debate has been discussed for some time, and the PLP has previously stated that they “will accept offers for a national leaders’ debate between leaders of political parties that are capable of forming government after the October 1st election” and it “must be accessible and distributed on television, radio and the internet and make provisions for the differently abled to access the content.”
In effect, this means as the FDM is fielding 15 candidates which is not sufficient to form a Government, the PLP’s statement means they would be willing to have a debate between the PLP Leader and OBA Leader.
We asked two FDM candidates about this during our live interview today, with Cheryl Packwood telling Bernews “the voting public needs to hear from all three leaders,” and Patrice Minors saying “it’s a leaders debate and thus the leaders should be afforded the opportunity.”
If you click on the icons, our map will show the incumbent/candidates in each constituency:
Stating that debate must be “distributed on television, radio and the internet” means it would have to be done by a media outlet[s] with the ability to distribute across all those three mediums, and there is actually only one local media with the full TV/radio/digital capability. However the one media outlet capable of disseminating across all those three mediums is understood to be willing to host a debate, and also willing to share the online version of the broadcast with digital only media, such as Bernews.
The 2020 General Election is scheduled to take place in just over one week, with voters set to head to the polls on October 1st, 2020.
As the island gears up for the 2020 Bermuda General Election, we are doing our best to provide timely information and statistics, and you can find more information on the links below.
- All: Our coverage of the 2020 General Election here
- Candidates: List of the confirmed candidates here
- Constituencies: Data/past results of all 36 constituencies
- Timeline: Visual look at the 2020 election timeline here
- Official: The Government’s election website here
- Comprehensive: Bernews’ new BermudaElection.com website here
We don’t need no stinking debate. 12-12-12 haha! Stalemate!
Burt is afraid of being attacked for his governments awful financial management economic disaster .. and really afraid of a debate with Marc Bean …just know this Marc Bean has the goods on Burt.The plp have to be held accountable for their failed programs and failed policies.How do folks vote for them we are so worse off today than only 4 years ago …please dont reflect back to 1998 ….it will astonish you to know we have gone 2.5 billion in debt under plp leadership
Your a UBPOBAer clown who is trying to divide the PEOPLE that is the only hope you have to win. Folks like you will neither vote PLP or FDM.
Go back to that circus party and try and find a new leader to replace the jetgate.
I hate to tell you but people will be crossing party lines to vote for the PLP this time.
David Burt has more than proven his leadership skills with the handling of the pandemic in Bermuda which will permit the economy to grow in these very uncertain times globally.
I would love to see you stand in his position and make the economy grow out of nothing! It is not an easy task for any leader (OBA / PLP) and I for one am very proud of the job David Burt is doing right now. Of course, the debt is going to grow during these times. Debt is growing in every country right now. The pandemic has hit our economy hard.
I am open to crossing party lines, unlike some other white people in this country, who will NEVER be able to bring themselves to vote for the “black party”. Some people need to swallow their pride and vote for solid and proven leadership instead of trying to regain control!
“I hate to tell you” but the PLP have had over 20 years to grow the economy and have failed spectacularly. The only thing they have grown is debt and taxes, and the cost of Government to serve a shrinking tax paying population.
The promises made last night will come back to haunt them in a few years.
Far too many promises to spend non existent money which will mean more suffering for a large segment of the population.
You have got to be kidding me!! The debt was massive prior to Covid!!!! This is so predictable, PLP supporters using Covid as an excuse as to our debt…. the PLP have economically buried Bermuda. The handling of Covid is the ONLY thing he has!! And that’s because all of us did all the work. Any other party would have handled it the same way. Don’t think that loads of Bermudians are going to cross the party line in favor of the FDM.
I think it is a crying shame that the Premier wouldn’t allow Mr. Mark Bean and his party to join the debate, and I think we need to have a debate with all party heads before October 1st, regardless if the new party doesn’t have enough people running to form a Government.
Mr. Mark Bean, Ms. Cheryl Packwood and Ms. Patrice Minors all are considered highly respectable individuals who have given many years of service to this Country, both politically and in the private sector and bring years of expertise to the table.
The interview that was held with Mr. Don Burgess and the two ladies was very enlightening and their voices deserved to be heard in a debate, even if it’s through the mouth of their leader Mr. Mark Bean, they raise very concerning issues and issues that I think deserve to be address, and to not afford them the right to partake in this debate is wrong all around.
Some may say the debate has already been set and it is to late, that is rubbish in the fullest, they can conduct a follow up debate before the weekend or on the weekend, name the time and date and I am sure Mr. Bean will be there, I am in Pembroke and my vote is for Mr. Jason Hayward, just to declare my interest, but I am not in favor of the new party not being included in the political debate leading up to the election next week Thursday.
I think the next election will be an eye opener and will be an upset at the polls, because people are not asleep as many think they are politically.
“In this political climate there is an atmosphere of uncertainty. Bermuda is a democracy, and we have a right like every other democratic nation to call on our leaders to have a debate.”
Is Bermuda still a democracy? Is it a democracy if the “official” opposition (as recognised by the Government of the day) is a joke and the Government of the day refuses to recognise a new party with progressive ideas?
The Premier is not afraid of anybody and nobody has any “goods” on him. We are aware of “Nandigate” and the suffering the PLP had to endure under Marc’s leadership. We have 2 Parties in this election and a “movement”. I just had one.
“This debate will show the character of leadership and competence of what it takes to move this country forward.”
The truth is all that a debate shows is who is the better debater!