During its term in opposition, the UBP has launched an unrelenting attack on the PLP government. The attacks pose as information but they are really propaganda.

By propaganda, I refer to a systematic, widespread, deliberate attempt to indoctrinate Bermudians. Clear examples of this propaganda are the UBP criticism of the Social Agenda and its current proposal to create an Office of Economic Empowerment.

The UBP response to the throne speech is a vivid illustration of that party?s current devotion to propaganda. In his response, Dr. Grant Gibbons, the leader of the UBP, stated over and over that the PLP had done nothing in its six years of government.

He emphasized that the Social Agenda outlined things that should have been done. In cases where he had no choice but to admit that there were proposals in the throne speech that made sense, he unabashedly claimed that these ideas had been developed by the UBP when they were in office. Even the deceased Ray Charles could see this was pure propaganda.

Now don?t get me wrong, I am sure that it is true that some of what the PLP has done since it has been in office has been a continuation of projects started by the UBP.

It is also true, as Dr. Gibbons himself admitted, ?that the old PLP drove the UBP to carry out many of the major social reforms that were undertaken while the UBP were in power some 35 years?.

Let?s face it, democracy, as practiced by the Westminster parliamentary system, makes provision for almost undisturbed continuity of government by requiring the civil service to be neutral and to be prepared to serve, with full and honest commitment, whichever party that accedes to government.

It follows therefore, that when the PLP came to power, it found itself saddled with policies and a civil service culture that were the brainchild of successive UBP governments.

Why then the UBP insistence that the PLP government is carrying out UBP proposals? What was the PLP supposed to do upon acquiring power?

Dismantle the whole civil service and start again? Is that what the UBP intends to do should they be returned to power?

The latest venture down the road of pure propaganda is the UBP bill of Economic Empowerment. Now we all know that for some years the UBP trumpeted the notion that they were the party that would bring racial unity to Bermuda and actually bragged that the only racial problem in Bermuda existed in the fertile imaginings of the leadership of the Progressive Labour Party.

Yet, in his response to the throne speech of November 2004, Dr. Gibbons declared: ?We want to lead this country by holding a serious discussion on race and economic opportunity, issues that continue to divide our people.?

Having talked the talk, Dr. Gibbons has attempted to ?walk the walk? by introducing a bill titled ?The Office of Economic Empowerment?.

Although this bill is being presented by the UBP as the solution to bringing about black empowerment, it contains no clause that specifically refers to empowerment of small lack businesses.

We are made aware of the UBP intentions by their Shadow Minister, Mr. David Dodwell, who is the point man in the introduction of the bill to the public and who constantly promotes the bill as an attempt bring about black empowerment.

However, a perusal of the key clauses of the bill reveals no evidence that the bill will carry out its oft stated objective ? to empower black businesses.

For instance, Clause 8 (1) which deals with financing states: The Office of Economic Empowerment shall coordinate with banks and other financial institutions to facilitate the financing of approved small businesses that have obtained government contracts.

Nothing in that clause says anything about economic empowerment of small black businesses. It simply proclaims that financial institutions will be persuaded to lend to any small business which has obtained a government contract.

This is actually more restrictive than the legislation which authorizes the Bermuda Small Business Development Corporation (BSBDC) to lend to small businesses.

Another key clause is 7(1) which sets out how the UBP intends to assist small businesses in gaining access to the markets for goods and services.

This clause promises: The Government shall use its best endeavours to ensure that within two years from the commencement of this Act that at least twenty percent of the annual procurement of goods and services required by the government and its agencies and boards is obtained from approved small businesses.

Again there is no reference to small Black businesses. How than will the Act assist Black empowerment. That is revealed by Clause 5 which makes the following amazing declarations: Clause 5 (1): A small business may make an application to the Minister to be an approved small business; Clause 5 (2): Such an application shall be submitted to the BSBDC and shall be in such form as the Minister may determine (a list of conditions are given); Clause 5 (3). The Minister may approve the application in his discretion and by order designate an applicant as an approved small business.

Clause 5 in its entirety simply ensures that the Minister has a very active role in the selection of small businesses that qualify to receive government assistance in accessing the markets of goods and services required by government.

In this way, the bill is politicised in ways that never was countenanced when the UBP passed the legislation that gave birth to the BSBDC. It is clear that the UBP intends to carry out its promise of black economic empowerment by decision of the Minister.

This will certainly give some assurance that black businesses will be able to benefit under the provisions of the bill providing that they belong to the same political party as the approving Minister.

In other words, blacks will be empowered providing that they support the party in power. Given the existence of an 80 percent black Civil Service and a party in power that is backed by a 95 percent black constituency, the PLP can already do whatever the UBP is proposing without the need to encumber Bermudians with more legislation or to increase government bureaucracy.

But the PLP clearly does not want to take Bermuda back down the road of selection by race and not ability. Is this where the UBP wants to take Bermudians? I do not believe that even the silliest member of the UBP wants to take Bermuda back into the racism that this Island has suffered for so many centuries.

In which case, that party would be well advised to cease its propaganda and start discussing issues in terms of their benefits or lack of same thereby truly correcting the institutionalised racism that still hangs like a mushroom cloud over our existence.

This will not be achieved through a continuous stream of propaganda but by honest and fair criticism of current issues. Is that asking too much?

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