Government has come under renewed pressure to take action to shut down a legal loophole that allows Permanent Resident Certificate holders to be granted Bermudian Status.

And the One Bermuda Alliance administration has also been accused of adopting “a deliberate policy of silence and avoidance” in which it will “listen, placate and then ignore the concerns of the people and proceed along an undisclosed, preordained path”.

The accusations came from union leaders and pressure groups after Home Affairs Minister Michael Fahy confirmed that Government was withdrawing its challenge to a court ruling that enabled PRC holders to obtain Status through a “sleeping provision” in legislation.

The announcement was condemned at a press conference yesterday in which pressure group The People’s Campaign claimed Government was ignoring the will of the people, and taking advantage of the loophole “that violates the intent of the legislation which was never intended to provide a path to Status”.

Announcing that a protest march on the Cabinet Office building will take place at midday today to “let our voices be heard”, People’s Campaign leader Reverend Nicholas Tweed said: “It seems to be a Government strategy to listen, placate and then ignore the concerns of the people and proceed along an undisclosed, preordained path when it comes to policy.

“We had hoped that, in the spirit of transparency and inclusiveness, that an honest public conversation between all of the stakeholders would have been welcomed and in fact led by the Government so that a just and fair resolution of this issue could be reached. “To our great disappointment, no such conversation was forthcoming and it appears that the Government engaged in a deliberate policy of silence and avoidance — and indeed waited until the House of Assembly was in recess to even make a public announcement on this issue.

“It is not too late to correct this matter and so we are calling upon the Government to immediately suspend the granting of status based upon this legislative loophole, and to work on and be prepared to present a revised policy that would provide a reasonable and fair path to status for PRC holders.”

Flanked by union leaders Chris Furbert and Ed Ball, Rev Tweed went on: “This represents an alarming trend that escalates the already growing lack of confidence in the way this Government conducts the business of the people.

“We are calling upon all Bermudians and people of good will to join us in expressing our call for the Government to reconsider their position on this matter and to conduct the business of government with the integrity and honesty that the people expect from those elected to serve them.

“We are asking all supporters of The People’s Campaign, all union members and all people of good will to join us tomorrow at Victoria Park at 12 noon and we will make our way to the Cabinet Office building and let our voices be heard.”

Rev Tweed insisted that his group did not oppose PRC holders obtaining status, but that “the existing policy is fraught with its own limitations and problems”.

“Let us begin by removing all of the erroneous and distracting charges coming from some quarters regarding xenophobia,” Rev Tweed said.

“It is our position that PRC holders who have and continue to contribute to Bermuda should be provided with a fair and reasonable opportunity to pursue status if they so desire.

The fear and scaremongering of some people who have attempted to generate hysteria around PRC holders stealing jobs and opportunities from Bermudians we likewise reject in the strongest terms.”

But he accused Government of being “disingenuous at best, blatantly dishonest at worst” in agreeing that the loophole provided “a back door that violates the intent of the legislation” while failing to address the issue.

And he said it was “dishonest” of Government to seek a legal remedy to a legislative problem. Rev Tweed’s views were echoed by Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB) which expressed dismay at Government’s decision to withdraw the appeal.

“It should by now be well understood that the loophole being exploited as a pathway to citizenship is the result of an error in legislation, being neither the intent nor the spirit of the law at the time,” the group said in a statement.

“This as the continuation of a history of racialised immigration policy that has consistently been applied to the detriment of black Bermudians.

“This short-sighted, politically expedient ‘path of least resistance’ approach is wholly unacceptable in a modern democracy.”

The statement recommended that Status applications could be suspended “subject to the completion of comprehensive immigration reform”.

“We call on government to listen to the increasing concerns of further marginalisation and disenfranchisement of the Black Bermudian community, and ensure that the process is transparent and fully participatory, and that the end result forms a community consensus on a national immigration plan for the 21st century,” the statement read.

“CURB believes that continuing this pattern of ‘watering down’ the black Bermudian vote by instantaneously giving Bermudian status to over 1,455 individuals — and eventually spouses and children — is understandably viewed as one more attempt to minimise and marginalise the black vote. Given this history, it is only fair and right, that government reviews Bermuda’s immigration policy in a public and transparent manner prior to awarding status to PRCs.”

It is not known if today’s march will have an effect on public services. In a statement yesterday, Progressive Labour Party chairman Maynard Dill encouraged the public to “gather and protest against actions that work against Bermudians”.

“We encourage Bermudians to exercise all peaceful and democratic methods to ensure your voice and will is recognised by Minister Fahy and the OBA,” Mr Dill said.