electorate her party is capable of handling the reins of power.

And she also has to bridge a credibility gap to reach the Progressive Labour's Party's ultimate dream of crossing the floor of the House and taking over the Government side after 30 years of failure.

Ms Smith herself is upbeat after celebrating one year wearing the colours of leader following the untimely death of former party leader Frederick Wade.

But even some elements within her own party are hedging their bets over her style of leadership.

Ms Smith has been criticised for being the invisible leader and for remaining strangely silent when gaffes by the ruling United Bermuda Party, which would be regarded as manna from heaven by Opposition parties elsewhere, have gone unexploited.

And she pulled off the remarkable feat of upsetting sections of the media -- perhaps the least agressive going anywhere -- when a press conference to announce candidates for two by-elections turned into a sometimes vicious attack on her lack of availability.

One PLP supporter said: "I think that she has done really well -- but there are some that say that she, and those who surround her, need to be more aggressive.'' And the supporter expressed concern at the party's failure to exploit "failures and mis-steps'' by the UBP, pointing out that if the PLP can't kick Government when it's down, they would have difficulty beating the UBP when -- and if -- it was "fighting fit'' again.

But the supporter said: "Jennifer's greatest strength is in details -- she's very detail-orientated and she has the ability to get better.'' Ms Smith has come under fire for apparently neglecting the grass roots to court "rich white friends'' at cocktail parties.

But the supporter said the Berkeley-educated Ms Smith had never been quoted as a strong street-fighter in the mould of the aggressive, but sometimes inaccurate, also-ran for the leadership, Alex Scott.

The supporter said: "It's an extreme minority view -- she was never viewed as being that type of political figure. She was never known as a battler and a fighter.'' Question marks also remain over her ability to win over the international and Island business community after years of subtle, and not-so-subtle, propaganda about the PLP's ability to run what has been called, with a rare flash of genuine insight, Bermuda Inc.

But the supporter insisted the still largely white business establishment would be "pragmatic about a change of Government'' and were more sophisticated politically, particularly in the international sector, than they were sometimes given credit for.

What has been perceived as attempts to reassure the business community that Bermuda's economy will not weaken under a PLP Government, however, has not been judged a great success.

One observer of her performance during a speech to the International Division of the Chamber of Commerce in January said his reaction was "bitter disappointment.'' Another was a bit more blunt and said: "She disappointed everybody by not even addressing international business. Everybody thought `what a waste of time'. She didn't only rant and rave, she took too long.'' Even at a smaller gathering, attempts to get Ms Smith to show "knowledge and inquisitiveness'' were deemed a failure.

And her Shadow Finance Minister Eugene Cox was described by one businessman as "a pretty charming gentleman'' but with a "knowledge of business which must be pretty skimpy.'' The businessman added: "He couldn't match Grant Gibbons (UBP Finance Minister) if he tried. And he's not perfect.'' And he said: "They lack any credible spokesman on the business side. Senator Terry Lister in theory should be, but he doesn't say much.

"One would have one's concerns. It's all very well to say if the responsibility is thrust upon them, they will rise to the occasion.'' But he added the business community -- one of the"twin pillars'' of the Island's economy -- would need a little more than that.

And he said: "There is a constant carping about work permits and foreign workers, which worries international business.'' He added, however: "We watch and wait -- you're not going to run just because there's a change in Government.'' He took a swipe at loose cannon Alex Scott and his sometimes apparently monomaniac and misjudged campaign against Police Commissioner Colin Coxall and foreign Police chiefs in general.

The businessman said: "Security is pretty important to people, no matter where they are from and visitors always feel a little bit wary wherever they go.'' However the average international businessman doesn't hold a voting share in Bermuda Inc.

But if the PLP are to win -- and more importantly hold -- power they will have to rely on more than not rocking the boat, albeit with at least one exception, and counting on the storm-battered United Bermuda Party to sink with all hands and win it for them.

ON BOARD -- Jennifer Smith says her membership on the board of directors of Bremuda Commercial Bank has been beneficial the PLP