Former Premier Alex Scott has promised to fight a rearguard action from the backbenches against any attempt to dump sustainable development from Government?s agenda.

He lamented the fact that sustainable development was left out of the Premier Ewart Brown?s Throne Speech.

The speech, however, did contain promises to curb traffic and build a recycling plant.

Quizzed after the speech Dr. Brown had said sustainable development had run through all Government?s initiatives even if it wasn?t mentioned by name.

But Mr. Scott said it wasn?t good enough to ?play off every item as being euphemistically part of sustainable development?.

He said sustainable development represents a chance to ?institutionalise change?. He added: ?It has a propensity to bring Bermudians together both black and white in a common goal that is able to stabilise Bermuda now and in the future.??

He said it would give a practical rationale for working together.

?Demographically speaking it is probably our only opportunity to bring Bermudians of all descriptions together on a common cause on something which impacts on their lives in a very real way ? the white, the wealthy, the black, those who have little and deserve more.

?We can?t do it one project at a time. To my way of thinking that is tinkering when we should be managing towards an end.

?You can do that efficiently and effectively by doing a little project here and a little project there.?

?My regret, if can be put as strong as that, is that what we had in the Throne Speech was an umbrella approach to sustainable development which is not there now.?

He fears for the future of the sustainable development roundtable, set up to give independent input on the project.

?I will use all my energies because I still remain in Parliament and can be an influential voice from the backbench. I am not without influence.

?I will ensure as far as I am able that we have this organised structured commitment.?

Asked if his Government?s initial decision to agree to site the new hospital on the Botanical Gardens site had helped lead to his downfall he said: ?It is almost totally unrelated.?

Dr. Brown?s Throne Speech also saw the dropping of Mr. Scott?s term the Social Agenda and the ushering in of the new Ministry for Social Rehabilitation.

Asked about the new department, under Dale Butler, Mr Scott said: ?It is a rephrasing of the social agenda and it is to see how well it works.

?The new minister said this morning that it will take time for him to become abreast with the new responsibilities. Well in the Government I headed we were already on top of that.?