HAMILTON, Bermuda, The ruling Progressive Labour Party (PLP) is to hold a “clear the air” retreat next week so its parliamentarians can “mend bridges” after October’s leadership battle, media reports here have said.
The Royal Gazette newspaper reported that the all-day event scheduled for January 21 was decided at a meeting of the party’s central committee and is being seen as a way to try to deal with internal tensions. Still, the party did not immediately comment on Wednesday’s story.
A senior PLP source likened the situation at the party to the fallout between Prince Harry and Prince William in the British Royal Family.
“The retreat is intended to try and mend bridges and deal with some internal damage left over from the leadership contest — to clear the air generally. Think of Harry and William; the situation at the party is a bit along those lines.
“Some in the caucus fear the situation is irreconcilable, while others believe there is hope. The message from the leadership is along the lines of ‘we don’t need to love each other, but we do need to work together.
“It will be a mix between a meeting and a barbecue where people will be able to raise their grievances and say, ‘I have a problem with X, Y, or Z,’ and then it gets discussed generally,” the source added.
The Gazette said the retreat might be extended to a two-day event.
Premier David Burt won the party leadership battle by 97 delegate votes against 56 votes for former finance minister Curtis Diciksinon, an ex-banker who quit cabinet shortly before he was due to present the annual budget after a bust-up with Burt over a financing package for the reopening of the island’s largest hotel.
The PLP first came to power in 1998 when it ended the 30-year reign of the now-defunct United Bermuda Party but was ousted in 2012 by the fledgling One Bermuda Alliance (OBA).
Five years later, the OBA was crushed at the polls after one term in office and suffered an even greater defeat when Burt called a snap election in 2020, leaving the PLP with 30 seats in the House of Assembly to the OBA’s six.
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