the public as a breath of fresh air. She heads the most complex ministry in Government and the most important after the Ministry of Finance -- which is held by her father.

In an interview with this newspaper printed yesterday, she must have gone a long way toward reassuring fearful business leaders when she was quoted as saying that she would not be making a bonfire of work permits and making life difficult for people who need to import overseas employees.

"A lot of these things were scare tactics. We don't have horns. I think there were bugbears about the PLP, but that perception belongs more to a decade or so ago.'' Many people will be glad to hear that from the new Minister. There certainly had been a perception that a PLP Government would behave much the same toward work permits as the Pindling Government had when it first came to power in the Bahamas.

Some of that perception did stem from political scare tactics but it should be remembered that many of the work permit fears came directly from the PLP itself. It was the PLP which touted "only one-year work permits'' and it was the PLP which, perhaps in pursuit of votes, implied that any Bermudian who could get as far as an application form deserved the job in Bermuda.

But, perhaps that is the past now that the PLP must accept the responsibilities which come with governing. Miss Cox has been quoted as saying, "...we have to make sure, throughout the community and throughout the employment sector, that Bermudians are considered as first choice for jobs where they're suitably qualified.'' The operative phrase, of course, is "suitably qualified''. We doubt if there is an employer in Bermuda who would not agree with what Miss Cox says. It is much easier to employ Bermudians, much less expensive and much, much more convenient in every way if they are "suitably qualified''.

Miss Cox is committed to creating opportunities for Bermudian workers, which is exactly as it should be. The problem will arise from those people who were led to believe by politicians that some kind of magic wand would instantly create good jobs for them or instantly prepare them for jobs for which they are not now qualified. Those expectations will have to be dealt with.

We doubt that there are more than a very few people in Bermuda who are suitable for jobs but cannot get those jobs. In the past a good deal of the complaints have come from people who were legitimately refused jobs they could not do.

There is another factor. Far too many Bermudian students undertook degrees at minor schools in the United States which cheated them and prepared them for very little, even though they might well have gained admission to schools which would have qualified them properly.

They came home with a worthless piece of paper and blamed their lack of success on Bermuda when they should have blamed it on their college. Miss Cox and the Ministries of Education and Development and Opportunity will have to correct that.

All of this will take time and we have fears that, because of the "magic wand'' expectations, the new Government does not have the time it will need.