Mr. Speaker, it is both proud and humbling for me to be the leader of this country at a time such as this. Pausing to reflect on this milestone in our democracy gives rise to mixed feelings in those of us who have been active participants in its development over the years. I say mixed feelings Mr. Speaker, because it is arguable that we as a people have squandered the hard fought opportunities that came to fruition in 1968.

Mr. Speaker, much of what I say today has the ring of familiarity particularly to you, and I must begin my address to this Honourable House by offering you, on behalf of the Government and people of Bermuda, most warm and sincere congratulations on the 40th anniversary of your own election to this Honourable House. Mr. Speaker, this country owes you a debt of gratitude for what can only be termed outstanding public service. It is a testament to your reputation that on every occasion that the people of Southampton East and now District 29 have been asked if you should be returned to this esteemed House, they have answered with a resounding “yes”. It is my pleasure, sir, to salute you.

Mr. Speaker, those of us privileged to remember 1968 will recall a western hemisphere in turmoil. By the time this Island would cast ballots on the 22nd of May in that year, the United States of America and even the world was still reeling at the April assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To some it seemed that the abrupt and violent end to the life of this prophet of unity and hope symbolized the setbacks that so often beset any movement toward progressive change.

Against that background of international events, Mr. Speaker, the people of Bermuda for the first time cast votes in a General Election on the basis of what we know as Universal Adult Suffrage. Achieving this was no mean feat, Mr. Speaker and the hard fought victories that yielded the advent of modern democracy in this country can be laid at the feet of local giants like Dame Lois Browne-Evans, Dr. Pauulu Kamarakafego, Coleridge Williams, the Progressive Group, Kingsley Tweed and others whose names could never be breathed in this Chamber without scorn at the time. I am proud to lead a Government that has turned the page in recognition of heroes in this country and when this Honourable House comes to consider amendments to the Public Holidays Act 1947 to cement this preservation of our culture I hope for a unanimous vote of support on this Bill.

We had our own turmoil in Bermuda during 1968 Mr. Speaker. In late April of that year there was civil unrest in this country. And into the month of May a curfew was in effect. But on the 22nd of May 1968 some 19,000 Bermudians cast their ballots in an election in which for the first time land ownership was not a prerequisite to do so. This imperfect situation of dual seat constituencies and the ability to split votes and essentially have two per person was the best we could get at the time.

This General Election was the test of our new Constitution Mr. Speaker, a Constitution which was bequeathed to Bermuda in the hope that we would soon follow other colonies into the family of nations. It is therefore also the 40th anniversary of the Order in Council that we know as the Bermuda Constitution Order, Mr. Speaker. It is in this regard that I observe the paradox of that milestone. It was never intended that we would celebrate such longevity in this transitional document. Those who approved it, those who drafted it and those who fought for its passage always considered it to be a stepping stone to self-determination.

Needless to say, this has not come to pass and although the Order in Council symbolizes to some our intransigence as a people, it has been amended over time to provide for the mature democracy that we know today. Its current state speaks volumes of our ingenuity as Bermudians and our ability to consistently make lemonade out of lemons.

That 1968 General Election saw a paradigm shift in the cast of characters who would populate the local political scene. Among the freshmen sent to this Honourable House on that May day in 1968 were former members Ralph Marshall and Harry Viera, predecessors of yours F. John Barritt and Ernest DeCouto, women like Anita Smith, Lois Browne-Evans, Barbara Ball and of course Gloria McPhee. Members who have passed on like Lancelot Swan and Flip Galloway, C. Eugene Cox and Henry Tucker as well as many others. To those pioneers who stood in that General Election thank you for stepping forward at a pivotal time in the history of this Island for not being shy of the challenge of elected service.

Mr. Speaker, some may question why my address today is not superficial and confined solely to marking this date and celebrating the 40th anniversary of these happenings. Mr. Speaker, my position on self determination is well known and to commemorate this milestone without reference to the achievement of that objective would be a gross misrepresentation of my personal philosophy and that of this Progressive Labour Party Government. That said Mr. Speaker, I am a servant of the people and it is the people of Bermuda who will direct when and how we achieve nationhood. I make my remarks today to awaken the memory of 1968 and its ideals in those who were a part of it and to educate those who live under the protection of its significance in this country. My hope is that in schools and barber shops, in restaurants and parks that the people of this country will not only celebrate this 40th anniversary of universal adult suffrage for Bermuda but will ask themselves a series of questions: have we fulfilled the potential of those tense, electric and historic days? Have we allowed economic pursuits to relegate natural democratic progress? Have we yielded the admonition of those we now term as heroes of this land that we not be afraid to stand on our own two feet? Have we surrendered to the Quo fata ferunt mindset?

Mr. Speaker, I think it fitting to include in my closing a quote ….. “ A further point that we do stress, however, is that in our view the regulation of the Bermudian economy with respect to immigration, and the planning of social integration, will have to be based upon a shared concept of Bermudian nationhood. That concept can only become a reality when Bermuda comes of age and the country takes its rightful place in the international community as a fully independent nation. Only then can Bermuda demonstrate her political maturity to the world at large.”

Those profound words Mr Speaker are not my own but come from the Report of the Royal Commission into the 1977 Disturbances in Bermuda; more popularly known as the Pitt Commission Report. That statement is as true today as it was thirty years ago. On this 40th anniversary of our democratic adolescence we should all reflect on the consequences of delaying our adulthood.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.