BERMUDA was building up for an outbreak of violence such as that witnessed at Wellington Oval last Sunday, according to Minister of Youth, Sport & Cultural Affairs Dale Butler.

He said the bloody clash which saw three men hospitalised after being publicly attacked with machetes, ice picks and pieces of wood should have surprised no one ? such an explosion could only be inevitable for youths raised with the volatile combination of improper parenting and inadequate education.

However, he said in moving forward, it was important that Bermuda doesn't focus on the quick result.

"I think it was absolutely horrendous," he said. "But I'm not surprised, and nobody in the country should be. I think the big question is, given all the opportunity, given Bermuda's great wealth, why is this happening here?

"It will take a while before we arrive at a solution. You can come up with some immediate things to do ? and then we'll all get on with making more money. Or, we can take a real look at what has taken place in this country over the past ten years, in the black community which used to have so much pride, and which used to accept that in spite of that obstacle, in spite of that racism, in spite of that prejudice, we could."

A father of two sons and the author of a book, Mr. Butler said many parents were not willing to supply what good parenting demanded ? hard work.

That lack of commitment, he said yesterday, was why many of our children are suffering. Instead of giving them love and attention, parents were showering their kids with material goods.

"Parenting has let them down. With the very best intentions, Bermudian parents have somehow come to believe that giving our children the best has shifted from, 'Yes, you can do well in school' to, 'Here's a cell phone. Here's a TV in your room'. At 17, these children are wondering where's the rest of the gravy?

"They're living in the third richest country in the world. They don't have the necessary academic skills. They say, 'I can do minimum work in school. They won't strap me, they can't keep me in because my mama will defend me. I'm clearly rude but they accept it as cuteness'. The standards are all over the place. Why are you people surprised? You reap what you sow."

The reality of the situation was that some Bermudians were leaving high school ill-educated to pursue an academic career, and disinterested in learning a trade, the Minister said.

"It's an almost impossible situation to turn around. We don't have an industry where they can go and get a job. Their attitude is such that they refuse to do any type of hospitality work. They refuse to be waiters ? we're bringing people in to do our dishes.

"They don't have the academic skills to go on and enter the Bermuda College to do trade activities, neither do they have the academics to participate in the National Training Board programme which sends students overseas, because you need to have basic skills."

A national commission on youth might assist the problem, he said, adding that a psychological survey of those youths involved in Sunday's mel?e would bring certain results.

"It should not be difficult to do a psychological survey of this group but it will probably indicate that they had poor parenting, that they had learning difficulties, that they did not take advantage of the opportunities that were afforded them and so they're now acting out aggressively.

"That's the only thing that's left for them. That's why they don't care. They're not a part of this society. They're not made to feel they're a part of this society."

He said the men arrested in connection with the incident ? those who had led the attack at Sunday's Friendship Trophy match between Somerset Eagles and North Village only 19 minutes into the game ? could have benefited through different parenting.

And he said the men's boldness in committing such violence in a public arena during the middle of the afternoon showed a lack of regard for society that better guidance would have afforded them.

"We know why they don't care. They know they're in charge. They know the liberals in the country will ensure they don't get more than three years (in jail); they will ensure they don't get strapped; they will ensure they don't get hard labour because of their human rights; they will ensure they get the best lawyer and that somebody lies on their behalf.

"What do you say to those parents? It's unfortunate that you didn't take advantage of all the services that were provided by Government that would have assisted you in the development of your child. It's unfortunate that you didn't demand more of your child or seek help sooner."

The former secondary school principal said he did not think that enforced parenting classes were the answer but that children might benefit if Government abandoned public education.

"What we have found is that same difficult parent, the one who gets annoyed with you because (you've told them their child) is not coming back to school until he does his homework, transfers him into a private school and then beats the kid because he didn't do the homework ? because they're paying for it.

"So maybe we should consider, when it comes to education, making every school private. People would work their butts off at every school in the island.

"At the end of the day, parenting classes are not going to make a difference. How do you get them there? Why is it that teachers attend workshops upon workshops but statistics indicate that within three weeks of getting new teaching styles they revert back to the old teaching styles? Same with parenting. You end up going right back to what you feel in your heart is important.

"An alarming number of parents, unfortunately, don't even like their children. They have a dismissive attitude towards their children. The number one ingredient missing out of these kids' lives is love. Then they talk about time ? their parents have no time for them. And they talk about interest. So those parents who do have the time and the interest, who do show their kids some love . . . chances are their kids might not walk down that road because they know the difference between right and wrong. They've been given that time. But it's almost an impossible situation to turn around."