Government should cut their costs for travel and cars before calling for cutbacks in Ministries' spending, Opposition Leader Pamela Gordon said yesterday.

And she called on Government to lead from the front -- and keep the public informed of its vision for the future.

Ms Gordon told Hamilton Lions at their weekly luncheon yesterday: "The Minister of Finance, cognizant of the upcoming Budget next month, asks for austerity measures to be taken, amid purchases of oversize cars, contingents being taken overseas at considerable expense to the taxpayer when those funds could be better utilised within the Bermudian community.'' Government has come under fire for the planned purchase of several over-sized Peugeot cars and for plans to take nearly 30 entertainers and hospitality staff to a world economic conference in Switzerland, in addition to the usual delegation of Government figures and business people.

Ms Gordon said: "There are many other examples that indicate the Government is not going in the direction the people need or want.'' And she claimed the ruling Progressive Labour Party had not pushed forward with new ideas to invest in future money-spinners like high-tech e-commerce -- Internet supermarkets.

She said: "The people of this country should be fully conversant on the direction being taken by the Government and be able to be supportive of their intentions.

"Instead, the Government has not articulated its vision to the people that it serves.

"The community is treated like the ostrich with our heads buried in our pink sand. The time has come for the Government to tell the people where Bermuda is going in the next decade.'' Ms Gordon added that Bermuda had moved into tourism as agriculture declined and attracted international business to bolster a holiday market in decline -- and should now grab opportunities like e-commerce with both hands.

She said: "Maintaining what already exists is expected but is not good enough to take the country forward.

"In this era of equity, we must all commit ourselves to innovate or we will deteriorate.

"There should be no advantage in being white nor should there be advantage in being black. Human worth must not be colour-coded.'' Ms Gordon said a boom in international business had led to an "era of envy'' on the Island, with some resentful of the lack of opportunities and jealous of those Bermudians who trained themselves to take advantage of the new avenue.

But she insisted the knock-on effect for Island service industries, including home rentals, restaurants and their staff, taxis and stores, spread the wealth generated by the insurance empires.

And she said the "era of envy'' had led to Bermudians fearing that it would be "another direct threat to the tranquillity of the Island's economic life''.

Ms Gordon admitted that her own party had fallen from power because they fell out of step with the people.

She said: "The example of agriculture and tourism illustrates the good that can happen when the people are well-synchronised with the Government.

"In contrast, we observe the issues that result when the people and the Government were not as well synchronised in the development of international business and e-commerce.'' But she claimed that making the Attorney General's job a political appointment, the "strategic placement of political friends in Government jobs'', and attempts to politicise the Civil Service employment watchdog, the Public Service Commission were out of step with "the vision needed to take us forward''.

She said: "The methods of recrimination, spite and vitriol seem to have replaced reasoned discussion and sound judgment.'' And she swung another punch in the political fist-fight over a leaked review of the Civil Service.

The Opposition claimed Premier Jennifer Smith misled the public and MPs over the review and its link to cuts in the number of MPs and a move to single-seat constituencies -- a claim angrily denied by Ms Smith on Tuesday.

The document was leaked after Tourism Minister David Allen, in a speech in London, said the review "addressed the question of the size of our Parliament and Cabinet''.

Mr. Allen later said he had given the wrong impression -- and Ms Smith later told the House of Assembly that constitutional matters were not within the scope of the review.

The review noted that point -- but added that Bermuda appeared "over governed'' and said it appeared "incontrovertible'' that single-seat, more evenly-sized constituencies were needed.

Ms Gordon said: "When a Minister of Government discusses excerpts from the Civil Service review that is apparently confidential in a speech overseas and months later the Civil Service is accused of leaking the same, it shows the disdain held for some within the public service.

"This behaviour is then compounded when the Premier does not reprimand her Minister for a breach in confidentiality.'' And Ms Gordon dismissed Ms Smith's distinction between a "comment'' in the review in relation to "the context that it was not within their terms of reference''.

She said a "whole section'' addressed the size of Parliament and added that "the authors then go on to make, in their words, an `incontrovertible' recommendation''.

Ms Gordon added: "The country has been misled and efforts by the Premier to vilify the Opposition for doing our job will not work.'' HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY HOA