Speech by Hon Jache Adams JP, MP

Good evening to our Premier and Party Leader, Cabinet and Parliamentary colleagues. Good evening to our delegates, members, supporters, and friends.

It is an absolute pleasure to be here this evening and humbling to be invited to provide some remarks at this year’s Conference, and so with that, let’s begin

I want you to picture a kitchen table in the cold Winter of 1963.

It was there two men, Wilfred “Mose” Allen and Edward DeJean, sat deep in conversation.

No headlines. No fanfare. Just two men resolute that Bermuda belongs to all of us and not just the privileged few.

That kitchen table became the birthplace of an idea that protest alone was not enough. It was time to build something lasting. Something powerful. Something for the people.

And soon, that vision found a home in Hugh Richardson’s garage, on Serpentine Road. There, they were joined by Walter Robinson, Dilton Cann, Austin Wilson, and Peter Smith.

These seven men huddled together in that garage for countless hours plotting power and planting justice.

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s where and how we, the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party began, not with privilege or power, but with a unified purpose.

Over the years, the PLP became a movement that walked hand-in-hand with the people.

Marched with our labour unions.

Held fundraisers at the Leopards Club, Devonshire Rec, and community halls across the island.

It was our grassroots approach that led us to form a Government for the first time in 1998 and today have more than a 2 to 1 majority in Parliament

 
That journey, from the margins to the House of Assembly, wasn’t just political, it was generational.

And so tonight, as we gather under the theme “Leading for the Next Generation,”

We are reminded of a sacred truth, that The decisions we make today, must honor those who came before us and protect those who are coming next.

You see, the PLP wasn’t built by consultants or pollsters or soundbites, it was built by people who were told to sit down yet chose to stand up anyway.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is not lost on me, that we owe our presence here tonight to the courage of people like Walter Robinson, who fought for the right of every Bermudian to vote, not someday, but today.

To people like Freddie Wade, who knew that real democracy isn’t just about casting ballots it’s about unlocking opportunity.

To people like Dame Lois Browne-Evans, who walked into Parliament as the first Black woman elected and made sure the door never closed behind her.

And so, this evening, we reflect on that legacy, not to be nostalgic, but to be grateful.

Not to compare ourselves to our founders, but to ask the question, i believe, they’d want us toask:

Are we doing enough? Are we really doing everything we can for the next generation?

Now, this isn’t me suggesting we’ve lost our way.

It’s about asking whether we can do even more, whether we can be even better.

You see ladies and gentlemen, the most recent election told us something.

Yes, we were victorious, but if we are honest with ourselves we know it wasn’t business as usual.

We saw something different.

We saw young people, many of whom, grew up in PLP households, now asking what’s the point,they’re now questioning us

And so I pose, perhaps we are no longer fighting to be heard, like we were in the 80’s, and nowfighting to ensure the next generation is even listening
You see, when we look around...

Some of our gatherings feel more like reunions than recruitment grounds.
And so maybe it’s time we ask, not with defensiveness, but with love
What more can we do to bring more young people in?

Because here’s the truth:

If we are not bringing in new blood

If we are not opening the door for younger members —

Then eventually, there will be no one left to carry the torch.

And so, if we are serious about leading for the next generation we can’t make decisions about them without including them.
This is not just about recruiting younger members, voters, and supporters.
It’s about empowering younger voices and trusting them to lead alongside us.

Now, let me say this clearly:

This is not about disrespect.

This is not about replacing one generation with another.

This is about expansion, this is about evolution.

Ladies and gentlemen, we wouldn’t be here without the work, the wisdom, and the sacrifices of some of the people in this very room.

They marched when it wasn’t popular.

They organized when no one was watching.

They gave their time, their money, their voice, so that we could have a voice today.

And now, I believe, the best way to honor that legacy is to ensure it lasts.
By sharing the torch.

By widening the circle.

By allowing the next generation to help shape what comes next.
Yes, our young people must earn their stripes, so to speak, they still need to learn, and grow, and appreciate what it truly means to be PLP.

But if the theme is leading for the next generation, let us commit to striking a better balance:

One where experience guides, and youthful energy builds

This is not a threat to our legacy, in fact, I believe it’s how we protect it.
I’ll give you an example: In 2020, when I was rolled out as the candidate for Constituency 19, the Premier suggested I speak with Glenn Blakeney. We met in his studio for about 45 minutes, and by the end of that conversation, he offered to stand with me on Election Day — just for an hour,
he said. That hour turned into two, and then some.

For more than five years since, Mr. Blakeney has been a steady source of support and wisdom. He’s always available for counsel, yet wise enough to give me the space to learn on my own.

To me, he represents what it means for someone “more seasoned” to invest in someone emerging and I can attest that not only am I all the better for it but his example inspires me to do the same for those to come.

Because that’s what balance looks like in practice — not replacing one generation with another, but strengthening each other through a unified purpose.

Ladies and gentlemen, my passion for this topic doesn’t come just as a politician, but as a parent as well.
You see, the other day, my daughter asked me a question I’ll never forget.
She said:

“Daddy, when I grow up, will things get better?”

Now what she was referring to was people sleeping outside. She couldn’t understand how someone could not have a home.

But notice, even at 4 years old, she had the intuition to know that something in the world isn’t quite right.

Her question stood out to me because it reaffirmed that our decisions live longer than we do.

What we normalize, what we protect, what we allow

Will shape the world our children inherit.

That’s why this theme, Leading for the Next Generation, can’t just be a slogan. It has to be a standard.

Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate your ear, like you, I’m looking forward to our upcoming speakers and so I’ll close with this

Our history, is filled with visionaries that didn’t wait for permission.

They saw what could be, and built it together

Again, not with privilege or power, but with a unified purpose.

And so now, it’s our turn to gather again —

Perhaps, not in the same place, but in the same spirit —

So let us keep building.

Let us keep believing.

Let us keep gathering from kitchen tables to boardroomsuntil the vision that began in that garage on Serpentine Road lives fully in the Bermuda we leave
behind.

Ladies and gentlemen, the next chapter of our legacy will be written by what each of us does after tonight.

So ask yourself — what can I do to lead for the next generation?

Then do it.

Thank you,