Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate Special Joint Sitting
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BERMUDA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY AND SENATE SPECIAL JOINT SITTING IN HONOUR OF THE LATE CHARLES WALTON DE VERE BROWN, JR., JP, MP HANSARD 11 OCTOBER 2019 Official Hansard Report 11 October 2019 1 BERMUDA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY AND SENATE SPECIAL JOINT SITTING IN HONOUR OF THE LATE CHARLES WALTON DE VERE BROWN, JR., JP, MP 11 OCTOBER 2019 10:11 AM [Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., Deputy Speaker, in the Although soft-spoken at most times, Walton was able Chair] to convince the inconvincible that Bermuda would not be able to reach its full potential until the Union Jack PRAYERS was lowered and Bermuda’s own flag was hoisted. W. E. B. Du Bois, a prolific and influential Af- [Prayers read by Mrs. Shernette Wolffe, Clerk] rican American scholar and activist, said, “The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression.” It is a well- ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKER known fact that Walton’s fervent desire for an inde- OR MEMBER PRESIDING pendent Bermuda was evident in the many speeches he made on the floor of the House of Assembly and in the community as a whole. APOLOGIES None of us were surprised when Brother Wal- ton was appointed to the Senate in 2007 by his cousin Good morning. There are two The Deputy Speaker: and party colleague, the Honourable Dr. Ewart Brown. Members who are absent today: the Honourable After all, Walton had paid his dues by serving the par- Speaker, Dennis Lister, [Jr.]; and the Honourable ty in various capacities since 1983 when he returned Member Cole Simons. They are both abroad. to Bermuda from college. He was elected to Parlia- ment in 2012 and again in 2017. And then, he was MOMENT OF SILENCE appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs by the Hon- ourable Premier David Burt. The Deputy Speaker: Can we stand and observe a Walton had a calming spirit, even under im- minute of silence? mense pressure. And in particular what I admired about him was that once he took a stance on a partic- [A moment of silence was observed.] ular issue you could not get him to waver from his po- sition. He was as solid as a rock. He never criticised The Deputy Speaker: Thank you. you for your beliefs and views. Another characteristic that I admired about Walton was that he spoke very TRIBUTES clearly and succinctly. One did not need a dictionary to understand his delivered speeches. Hon. Derrick V. Burgess, Sr., JP, MP, Deputy The Honourable Member had many attributes. Speaker: To members of the Brown family; the Hon- The staff of the House of Assembly described him as ourable Premier David Burt; the Honourable Opposi- kind, humble, easy to talk to, thoughtful, impactful, tion Leader, Mr. Cannonier; Members of Parliament; sincere, resolute, an avid listener and a fierce cham- former Speaker, the Honourable Kenneth Howard pion for the rights of Bermudians. One staff member in Randolph Horton; former Premiers Dame Jennifer particular recalls that Mr. Brown always had a twinkle Smith; and Sir John Swan—good morning. in his eye and a smile when he spoke about contro- The one thing that can be said about the versial issues in the Chamber, while at the same time weather is that it is unpredictable. In the wink of an he did not diminish the importance of the issue. eye, a hurricane could uproot a massive tree from its We at the House of Assembly, together with soil and solid foundation. This could be stated as what the Legislature staff, are deeply saddened that the happened to the House of Assembly with the sudden Honourable Member, whom I describe as a first passing of our dear brother, the Honourable Walton amongst equals and possessing acumen, will no Brown, JP, MP. longer be gracing us with his humble presence. Brother Walton was a staunch advocate for On behalf of myself; the Honourable Speaker, Bermuda’s sovereignty, and he dedicated most of his Mr. Dennis Lister; MPs, Members of Parliament; and adult life trying to make this a reality for the rest of us. the legislative staff, I would like to extend my deepest Bermuda House of Assembly and Senate—Special Joint Sitting 2 11 October 2019 Official Hansard Report sympathies and condolences to the Brown family, in now need to ensure that our young people follow in particular his mother, Ms. Barbara Brown. his footsteps. Thank you. Thank you. At this time, I call on the President of the Sen- ate, [Senator] the Honourable Ms. Joan Dillas-Wright. The Deputy Speaker: At this time, I call on the Hon- ourable Premier of Bermuda, the Honourable David Sen. the Hon. Joan E. Dillas-Wright, MBE, JP, Burt. President of the Senate: [To the] Brown family, for- mer Premiers, Members of this Honourable House Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP, Premier: Madam Presi- and the Senate, this is a sombre occasion, as we are dent and Members of the Senate; Mr. Deputy Speak- gathered to pay tribute to a colleague and fellow Par- er; and fellow Members of the House of Assembly; liamentarian, MP Walton Brown, Jr., JP, MP, who by former Premiers; Members of the Legislature; Mem- being multitalented has given so much to Bermuda in bers of the Civil Service Executive; and, most espe- his short life. I am referring to his being a lecturer in cially, the Brown family. On each occasion that an history and political science, a researcher, news Honourable Member rises to speak in this Honourable commentator, journalist, author and politician, first as House, or when a Senator beckons for the recognition a Senator from 2007 to 2010, and later as a Member of the President to speak from their appointed seat, of Parliament from 2012 to present, and who held, as that Member embarks on the execution of a sacred a Member of Cabinet, ministerial portfolios. trust established in centuries-old traditions of parlia- I had the privilege of being associated with mentary democracy. I term it a “sacred trust” because, MP Walton Brown years ago when he was a lecturer whilst it may be our voices that pronounce the words, at Bermuda College and owned Research [Innova- we are but instruments entrusted to be the voice of tions]. I was then involved with several substance the people. abuse agencies, and at that time MP Brown was con- Madam President, Mr. Deputy Speaker, a pro- ducting research for the National Drug Agency, which found voice of the people has been silenced by death. was to assess drug use among schoolchildren. His In the cold symbolism of this day, an empty seat de- lament at that time was that he was only allowed to clares that Walton Brown will no longer grace us with survey the public schools, which meant that the re- his presence or his thoughtful and reasoned argu- sults were inadequate for developing an Island-wide ments in debate. Madam President and Mr. Deputy substance abuse education programme for schools. I Speaker, at the core of Walton Brown was principle. am pleased to say that this has changed today. His beliefs were not subject to negotiation, and they Subsequent to leaving Bermuda College, MP could not be watered down by the persistence of Brown became more focused on the issues facing those who may have opposed him. Over several Bermuda. He did not have to base his comments on a years, the only concession that I saw him make to an purely academic perspective, but could then take a opposing argument was that wry smile, which seemed political view on what he believed was the best way to say, Nice try, but no chance. forward. He was now in his element. There was a fundamental consistency to his MP Brown was an eloquent spokesperson. He life’s work in every arena. The issue of Bermuda’s could speak most knowledgeably on any subject. But self-determination and ultimate sovereignty was sel- one that was dear to him was the land grab situation dom far from his lips. He would engage the staunch- in Bermuda, which propelled him to try to achieve jus- est critic of Bermuda’s ultimate step and methodically tice for Bermuda and its people. He would often speak dissect their misgivings, so at the end of discussion to that topic as indeed the right of Bermudians to another mind was at least open to the possibility that manage their own affairs. Independence was there- we could properly take our place among the family of fore his quest, which was informed by history, data nations. With his perseverance in securing converts to and his own experiences. sovereignty for Bermuda, imagine if he had chosen Mr. Deputy Speaker, Members of this Hon- the path of religion. His church surely would have ourable House and the Senate, and his family, it is been full. often stated that Bermuda’s young people need lead- Madam President, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Wal- ers whom they can aspire to. I submit that Walton ton Brown was a teacher, an author, a historian and Brown, JP, MP, is one such leader, who was humble, an advocate, and he was our friend. The truth about never dogmatic, and used his academic, administra- Bermuda can be uncomfortable. And we have be- tive and experiential knowledge to inform his deci- come experts in masking inconvenient facts. Howev- sions. er, the true measure of our friend and colleague is to Were these qualities or traits to be emulated be found in his writings, his lectures and his ordinary by our young people, then MP Walton Brown’s dream discourse, for he refused to cloud the truth about of an independent Bermuda will be realised.