OBA’s Ben Smith To Table Land Loss Motion
“Opposition Leader Ben Smith will table a motion in the House of Assembly on November 6 seeking support for a bipartisan committee to help establish the next steps following the Commission of Inquiry into Historic Land Losses,” the OBA said.
“The move follows Mr Smith’s letter to the Speaker after the recent debate on the Commission’s report.”
“After the Speaker read my letter, I spoke with him directly. His advice was that the next step should be to bring a motion to Parliament seeking support for the committee. I will table that motion on November 6,” said Mr Smith.
“For many Bermudian families, this is deeply personal. These are not just old land records or cases in a report. There are families who believe they were wronged and who have carried that hurt for generations. They deserve to know what happens next.
“There are recommendations from the Commission that still need to be considered. There are people whose claims were not heard, questions arising from the court cases, and difficult issues around claims and possible remedies. But I want to be very clear about what I am proposing.”
Mr Smith continues: “Politicians should not decide whether a family’s claim is valid. We should not decide settlements, determine compensation in individual cases or make decisions that properly belong with the courts or another independent process.
“The committee’s job would be to work out and recommend a fair way for those questions to be dealt with. It could seek the legal and financial advice needed and then bring its recommendations back to the House.
“Individual cases would remain completely separate from that process and would be decided independently, based on the evidence and the law.
“The legislation that allowed the original Commission to proceed received bipartisan support. The recent debate also showed that there is common ground between us.
“This does not need to become Government versus Opposition. Where we agree, let’s move forward together. Where there are difficult questions, let’s agree on a fair process for answering them.”
He concludes: “The Commission has done its work. The courts have dealt with important issues that followed. Parliament has now debated the report. We should not simply stop there. The families who have waited for answers deserve a clear path forward. I hope we can work together to provide one.”
well this is rich!
the OBA, born from the UBP, born from the 40 thieves, is going to table a motion on Land Losses.