HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC—Deputy Premier Walter Roban has announced his intention to quit active politics after more than 35 years as a member of the ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP).
Roban is the second senior PLP cabinet minister, following the Minister of Public Works, Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, in announcing their retirement from active politics.
Walter Roban
Opposition Leader Jarion Richardson, in reaction to the announcement, said that the One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) wishes Roban, a long-serving public servant, well in his retirement.
“While we don’t know why he departed, this is a blow to David Burt and the PLP government.
“The Minister of Public Works, Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, has already said he won’t run again. Now, the Deputy Premier has announced the same. This will continue to create more anxiety about Bermuda’s future,” he said.
However, Roban, also the Minister of Home Affairs, said in a statement that it is “now time to move into the next phase” of his life and that he would not contest the next general election due in 2025.
“My life has always been about service, and political service has taken precedence for 25 years. It was never meant to be a lifelong job, and I am now ready to make a shift,” said Roban, who was appointed to the Senate in 2003 and won his seat in the 2007 general election.
“The PLP was founded to improve the people’s lives, and we have always kept that focus. We may not have always been able to please all the people all the time, but we have worked tirelessly to bring about change.
“Change doesn’t often come easy, and sometimes even the change people advocate for can be rejected when they realize that it may in some way impact them negatively. “That is politics; that is life,” Roban said in his statement, adding, “However, I have always been proud of the PLP and the work we have done.”
He said he had served under several premiers, including the incumbent David Burt, adding, “To my colleagues in the legislature, over many years, I have enjoyed serving with you as we work to shape a different and better Bermuda.
“That journey continues, and I will support you all the way. At the next election, I will be a bystander politically, but I will always be a supporter of the party. I will continue encouraging our supporters to participate in our great party and for the broader electorate to support a PLP government.
“I would like to thank my family for all their love and support over the decades of political life. There aren’t too many things harder than being in the family of a politician, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he said, also thanking his constituents and branch party workers.
“We have been on an incredible journey together. We have shaped and led the PLP to political success that was only imagined by our founders. It has been a gift to share a vision for our country and the work to bring into effect our island’s potential.
“Bermuda can evolve and adapt to the changing world. I am excited about the possibilities of the future,” Roban said.
and then 