Countdown to Election Day: Constituency C7 Candidates forum Highlights Frustration with Healthcare and Government Operations
With just three days to go until the February 18, 2025, election, tensions ran high at a town hall meeting in Constituency C7 last evening streamed by TNN News on it’s Facebook page.
Moderated by John Barrett, the event featured Anthony Richardson, the PLP incumbent, alongside an independent candidate Iman Gibbons. Notably absent was the OBA representative, was unavailable to participate due to other commitments.
The evening took an emotional turn when a civil servant in attendance passionately voiced her frustrations with Bermuda’s healthcare system and the state of government operations. Her powerful testimony highlighted the disconnect between political rhetoric and the everyday realities faced by the public.
Because I want to let you all know, I’m angry. I’m very angry, she began, recounting a distressing experience at the hospital while seeking emergency care for her father. We were in hallway 11 for nine hours. I went in well, I came out sick. That hospital is appalling. It’s disgusting.
Her critique did not stop at healthcare. She questioned the governments priorities, drawing a stark comparison to the attention given to the airport. Leave the damn airport alone because that seems to be working quite well. And let’s fix the hospital.
With decades of experience as a civil servant, she did not shy away from criticizing government inefficiencies and bureaucracy. She expressed frustration over the lack of understanding among political candidates regarding governmental operations, emphasizing the disconnect between policy and practice.
You all want to get in and have separate interests, but you don’t understand how government is run. And back in the day, we had four permanent secretaries for the big ministries. Now, we have permanent secretaries for every single thing some that don’t even have a damn ministry. I don’t call them P.S.’s. I call them B.S.
She further criticized the constant departmental changes, highlighting the confusion and inefficiency they create. Since I started in 2001, we have been under 10 different flipping ministries. Whoever gets in, stop moving these damn departments around and leave them under the ministries that make sense.
Her emotional address left a visible impact on the room, with several attendees nodding in agreement. Her candid remarks underscored the deep-seated frustrations felt by many civil servants and resonated with the broader community’s concerns about governance and accountability.
The event, streamed live on TNN’s Facebook page, provided voters with a raw and unfiltered look at the issues at hand. As election day approaches, the voices of constituents like hers are likely to resonate, influencing decisions at the ballot box.
Stay tuned for continued coverage as the countdown to February 18 continues.
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