mandatory to respond to a survey on the Code of Conduct to eliminate racism in the workplace is a step in the right direction.

There is much to commend the Code of Conduct, which was introduced by the United Bermuda Party government in 1997. And if all people in Bermuda are to be given equal opportunity, then there must be a way of testing progress and ensuring that employees of companies are judged on merit and ability, and not race.

In the last few years there has been a great deal of talk about institutionalised racism and the effects that this has had on society. Since the Employment Survey began to identify employees by race in addition to sex and status, it has been clear that whites, and particularly white males, hold a disproportionate number of managerial and decision-making positions in relation to the population's overall makeup.

There is no single reason for this, although there is no doubt that the fact that Bermuda was a segregated society until 30 years ago in which black Bermudians were deprived of work and educational opportunities is the root cause and not one that can be easily reversed in 30, or even 50, years.

Nonetheless, where racism and discrimination exist in Bermuda's business world, it needs to be rooted out. Achieving this goal is difficult and there are mechanisms already in place to do so apart from the Code; the Human Rights Commission should have this is as its goal.

When the Code was approved, the-then Opposition criticised the Code because it had no legal teeth. Making responses to the Code survey mandatory is important because those companies failing to adhere to the Code may not respond otherwise.

Making the Code itself mandatory and putting penalties in place for employers who breach it is a harder decision. While it would make the Code legally enforceable, it is not clear if such a move would do anything to improve race relations and opportunity.

Grudging acceptance by employers who would obey the letter of the law, but not its spirit under threat of legal sanction, will not take Bermuda much further along; voluntary adherence because employers recognise the value and economic benefits of having a diverse workforce is the much better alternative, although this view will certainly be seen by some as naive.

What the true situation is today is hard to tell -- only Mr. Lister's survey will tell. To that extent, making answering the survey mandatory is the right choice -- but it will leave Government with harder decisions to take further down the road.