Government?s decision to turn down as visit from the United Nations Decolonisation Committee may have stopped residents from entering into a full blooded discussion on Independence.

Political analyst Walton Brown told there was no sensible reason for the Committee not to visit the Island.

He said their information gathering trip could have helped to guide the Island into an open public discussion on independence.

This week Government turned down the request by the 24 member committee saying the visit would be inappropriate as Bermuda enters a debate on Independence.

The UN Decolonisation committee made the request to the Cabinet Office at the suggestion of the British Government, which has proposed that Bermuda be taken off a UN list of 16 non-self-governing territories.

?They wish to see the territories make decisions for themselves, they simply assess and investigate these decisions,? said Mr. Brown. ?The United Nations doesn?t have a preference in terms of our constitutional options.?

Bermuda is one of 16 territories listed as being non-self-governing. The vast majority of the 16 are administered by the UK.

The UK argued at a Decolonisation Committee conference held in Anguilla last year which Mr. Brown attended, that Bermuda should not be listed because of its advanced level of self-government.

A Government spokeswoman said this week as the Island enters its own debate on independence the debate could be catapulted into something it is not. She said the issue is so ?sensitive? Bermuda must first have an internal debate to clarify certain issues.

According to Mr. Brown the committee acts as a catalyst for public discussion on political issues.

Although Premier Alex Scott has said he hopes to involve all people in the decision of independence, Mr. Brown said the issue of independence has been on the PLP agenda since 1968 and has yet to be discussed openly or in a meaningful manner.

He added that since the PLP came to power in 1998 Government has not indicated how it intends to deal with the issue of independence.

?It looks like we?re uncertain of what we want to do as a country and that?s how Bermuda will be perceived by the international community,? said Mr. Brown.

By preventing the committee?s visit, Mr. Brown said Bermuda also missed the opportunity to obtain observer status in the United Nations.

A number of states and organisations, in particular specialised or regional international organisations have observer status, meaning ICRC can voice its opinion on subjects within its competence and has access not only to United Nations documents but also to meetings of the General Assembly and its committees.

Last year, Mr. Brown, who used to chair the Independence Committee, attended the Anguilla conference which was run in the format of a town-hall meeting.

?People asked basic questions, there were questions about security and defence constitutional development and human rights,? he said.

Another aspect of the UN committee?s visit would have been to gather factual information about Bermuda rather than relying on printed sources which exist on the internet.

?They will get an abundance of information from other sources but a good portion of it will be inaccurate,? he added, pointing out that factual errors about Bermuda can be found in UN reports.

Mr. Brown said in order to have Bermuda taken off the list of non-self-governing territories there are important criteria which have to be met. The criteria must also be understood, but he points out that Government representatives should attend the United Nations regional conferences held every year in New York City.

?We need to have proper dialogue so people can really understand the issue of independence and so they don?t feel it is remote and detached from their everyday experience,? said Mr. Brown.

According to a poll conducted by Mr. Brown and published in the Bermuda Sun in May, 21.6 percent of people support independence, 63.3 are opposed and 14.6 percent are not sure. understands that the Committee had hoped to visit by the end of the year.