the best years of people's lives and then send them packing.

Government is considering the matter now but we have to wonder why consideration is necessary. Presumably in the hope of getting a few votes in favour of Independence, it was announced during the referendum debate that foreign-born residents who had lived in Bermuda for 20 years would be entitled to citizenship in an independent Bermuda. That statement was a bit of a red herring because it was highly likely that Britain would have insisted on offering Bermudian citizenship to British subjects who had been in Bermuda for a much shorter time, perhaps even five or seven years. After all, until recent years anyone who remained here for seven years was considered Bermudian.

If the grant was going to be made after Independence, clearly it can be made now. Surely there is little to consider. Simply make the offer to anyone who is of good character and has been here more that 20 years.

The Minister of Home Affairs has said: "It's a complex and difficult problem.

We are actively reviewing it to see if we come up with a solution to ease the insecurity in this regard.'' The difficulty might arise from the same old tired political considerations.

For years the Government has suffered from paralysis every time it had to consider something which might not be universally popular. That always results in unsatisfactory compromise and half-hearted decisions. Just witness the decision that spouses of Bermudians were unfettered in seeking employment, a decision which was not applied to the Civil Service.

The consideration here is a question of right and wrong. Yes, some people will complain about the grant of citizenship. Some people complain about anything if they think it might embarrass the Government. There will be complaints no matter what decision the Government takes.

However, few Governments go wrong by doing the right thing. We brought non-Bermudians here because we needed their services. In many cases we have used the best years of their lives in service to Bermuda and Bermudians. If they were not contributing to Bermuda we should not have allowed them to stay on in the first place. The fact that we allowed them to stay says of itself that they were satisfactory. So why can't they be Bermudians? What we need is a clear and simplified system which can be evenly applied. It should contain policy which is not chopped and changed by each and every new Immigration Minister. People have a right to know their position, especially people who are giving years of their lives to a Country.