Smith, has said that the Government, and the Chamber, will have to do a better job in the future.

Taking over as president from David Rowntree next week Thursday, he is excited about changing times, including the expansion of the Chamber's board of directors at the annual general meeting.

He will spend his first month meeting with the various divisions of the organisation and believes each can assert more autonomy in dealing with concerns that specifically affect them.

He said, "We have to look at various matters, including Government fiscal issues, and the Chamber often has not had time to consider them in advance of them being in the headlines.

"When we are called on for an opinion by the press, it is often a reactive opinion, given in the heat of the moment. And depending on how hot the issue is, we could hit or miss. We have to be ahead of the game.'' He is not against franchise restaurants, "as long as they are done tastefully''. And he added: "I don't believe there was anything untoward in the fact that Grape Bay Ltd. applied for a licence to operate a McDonald's.'' Having traced his Bermudian roots back to the 1620s, he concedes an affinity with the UK, after having been schooled there. He sees no advantage to Independence for Bermuda, although he says the UK's current insistence on change for its dependent territories could change his mind.

Mr. Smith said, "The manner in which the Chamber has been dealing with these issues has not been as expeditious and as forceful as we want to be dealing with such issues.

"There has been perhaps, not as close an eye kept on the ball. And the Chamber, as the representative body of the business community, needs to ensure that Government governs responsibly, regardless of who the Government is, and we must remain independent as a watchdog.

"There is a perception that the Chamber represents Front Street business.

That is definitely not the case. We have a membership of about 750 companies and individuals, which is extremely diverse and a long step away from the perception.'' Mr. Smith is for the proposed new city hotel and is critical of the Princess Hotel and the old Bermudiana Hotel as never having "serviced the business traveller in the way the business traveller is looking to be serviced.'' He sees location as another important reason for the need, bringing the business traveller closer to city meetings.

Mr. Smith, vice president, personal/branch banking at the Bank of Butterfield, has been with the bank for almost 20 years.

Having been on the Chamber board for five years -- two years as treasurer and two years as first vice president -- he said, "Our perception is that we need to do some further building and raise the Chamber's profile even higher. The additional directors who will be added to the board at the AGM will add some horsepower to the voice that the Chamber has.'' With the Island facing some tough issues, he said, the Chamber has not been as vocal in recent years as it used to be.

He continued, "We've been through some fairly controversial issues, such as Independence and The Prohibited Restaurants Bill. These were issues that distracted Government from the business of governing the country.

"One may argue that Government had its eye off the ball during this term of office and has not governed as responsibly as it should have. We continue to have declining tourism, and it is only this year, through the efforts of the private sector, that the Monitor initiative is there and working on stopping the decline in tourism. And it is going in the right direction.'' He says that it should not matter whether Bermuda has a Progressive Labour Party government or a United Bermuda Party government, as long as the emphasis is on responsible governance.

A. Michael Smith