BERMUDA'S Government cannot operate in a vacuum, ignoring input from the people and embarking on arbitrary policies and programmes that fly in the face of public opinion.

Former Premier Sir John Swan this week said the democratic process in Bermuda must evolve to become more inclusive and open because the era of backroom deal-making and high-handed Government is dead.

"During this early post-Cold War period, the world is in the process of redefining itself," he said. "Events are taking place, which will test leaders and ordinary citizens in diverse ways; this generally includes all societies in the world. These changes will require individuals to use their creative talents and ingenuity to meet very different societal and personal difficulties.

"Obviously, governments will have a major leadership role to play because it will not be business as usual. Governments will therefore need to evolve in order to better their respective societies and the world around them.

Every individual, said Sir John, is born with certain natural rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Other rights are given to individuals through society such as the right to vote, the right to assemble peacefully and the right to a just society. In order for these rights to be protected, continued the long-time former Premier, society devised a code of conduct that consists of laws, rules and regulations which establishes acceptable behaviour.

"In earlier times the type of leadership that basically dominated society was that of master and servant," said Sir John. "The master was head of the unit of society and made all the decisions that affected them. As society became more evolved over time, the concept of leadership changed.

"People concluded that everyone should be able to exercise all the rights that were given to them naturally or by just law. The next step in leadership, therefore, became the idea of governments, which today must be of the people, by the people and for the people. Governments differed from place to place but democratic governments are basically structured in the same way. A person and/or a group of persons are chosen by the people to act on their behalf and look out for their best interests in their daily lives.

"The way of doing things in the past in many ways do not meet today's needs. The role of today's governments is not only to preserve the people's rights through a just society but also to provide individuals with the means of pursuing their interest and abilities in the fulfilment of their potential.

Since any society is a reflection of the people within it, if people are not happy in their daily lives society as a whole cannot be happy said Sir John.

"People must feel that the government they have entrusted with their well-being understands their needs," he said. "If society feels as though the government whom they have chosen are not performing the role they were elected to do, then the view of society becomes one of 'I had the power to put you in that position and I have the power to remove you'.

"People in a modern society therefore want to be more involved in the governmental decisions that affect their daily lives. Governments of past eras were all powerful and they were not accountable to their citizens.

"Today this will not be tolerated. Society is becoming more informed and technologically advanced, this betters their understanding of issues that affect them, and as a result they can express themselves more confidentially and openly about their needs."

Sir John said as Bermuda prepared for the future, locals should not dwell too much on the past but merely use it as a reference in order to avoid "history repeating itself".

"We are now entering another phase of the evolution of society in which governments will be held more accountable for its actions and how these actions benefit society as a whole," he said. "With all the access to information, education and news from around the world, readily available to everyone, governments should be inclusive and not shut themselves away and exclude the benefit of valuable input from the general public.

"People today feel that in order to continue to improve their lives and society around them, the next evolutionary step will be for the people and their respective governments to work more closely together in order to overcome the new demands as the new global revolution challenges human endeavours.

"The government of today must, therefore, be relevant and in touch with the needs and expectations of its citizens."