Claims by Premier Ewart Brown that his race relations initiative is a first for Bermuda have been rubbished by the Opposition United Bermuda Party.

Opening a second series of dialogues, he dubbed ‘the Big Conversation’ at the Hamilton Princess yesterday, Dr. Brown said he wanted a progressive and sustainable model for race relations in Bermuda. He said: “Certainly, the Bermuda Race Relations Initiative dialogues mark the first time that a Bermudian government has endorsed and facilitated an ongoing initiative on race relations.”

And he said facilitators Dr. Singley and Professor Jensen were also of the view that “this may mark the first time, that a government anywhere in the world has done so”.

Dr. Brown added: “We take comfort in that, but also recognise the fact that the challenge before us is momentous, yet not impossible.”

Dr. Brown said the Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) workforce survey, unveiled in December, graphically illustrated the racial divide which still exists in Bermuda.

However Opposition Community, Cultural Affairs and Race Relations Gina Spence-Farmer said it was wrong to claim the latest race initiative was anything new. She said the very fact that the Premier was quoting CURE statistics showed there was an organisation which had long been dedicated to “ongoing initiatives”.

She added: “They have done workshops - work in schools and in the workforce. CURE is very much involved in working towards eliminating racial discrimination.

“Government must encourage, not try to take full credit.”

Mrs. Spence-Farmer said CURE had been set up by an act of parliament in 1994 by the United Bermuda Party but no party should claim to have all the answers.

She said Dr. Brown’s claims seemed to indicate her party had never addressed it or put things in place. And she pointed out that seminars had been run under previous PLP Premier’s such as Alex Scott.

Mr. Scott pumped in nearly $100,000 to revive the Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda initiative (CURB) - which had been started in the mid-1990s.

Public meetings were held in the first part of 2006 and then CURB was relaunched in October 2006, two weeks before Mr. Scott was ousted by Dr. Brown.

Dr. Brown said his initiative, which started last month, will run until November and Government would be resolute in moving the country forward.

“We will face what we must fix, and fulfill our great promise as leaders in our country. We will leave no stone unturned in our quest to ensure that those who have been historically disadvantaged are restored and made whole.”