Drug dealing, opposition to GPS for taxis and Government transparency have been the big issues raised by constituents in Warwick South East, according to ruling party candidate Alex Scott.

Crime is also the hottest topic for his opponent, former Cabinet Minister E.T. (Bob) Richards.

But Mr. Richards said another key concern will be the honesty and integrity of the Progressive Labour Party Government - and he puts Works and Engineering Minister Mr. Scott in the dock, accusing him of making "blatantly untrue" statements over the Berkeley School project.

The new constituency 24 takes in much of Mr. Scott's former seat of Warwick East, which the Minister and running mate Dale Butler won with a majority of around 500 over Mr. Richards and former Senator Larry Scott at the last election.

With 1094 registered voters, the predominantly black seat runs from Harvey Road in the east to Rocklands Road in the west and from Ord Road to South Road.

Mr. Scott describes the seat as a "slice of Bermuda" and the Warwick seats were traditionally seen as marginal, giving an indication of how the country would go. The seat has swung back and forth over the years, with Mr. Richards' father, Bermuda's first black Premier Sir Edward Richards, holding the area for many years. The UBP held the seat in 1968 and 1972, and it was split with the PLP in 1976. The PLP won in 1980, and it was split in 1983. Mr. Pearman took one seat in 1983, and was joined by the UBP's Gerald Simons in 1985 and in 1989.

Alex Scott was elected in 1993 - beating Mr. Simons - but the PLP swept all Warwick seats in the 1998 landslide.

Mr. Richards believes the new constituency is still a swing seat, but Mr. Scott said the high voter registration should ensure a PLP victory again. The minister said although doctors have told him to rest up after his operation for an enlarged prostate, he has a committee working for his re-election and hopes to be on the campaign trail for the final two to three weeks.

He said: "I have a high name recognition and that will work for me. It is the third time I have represented the area so I've been known to the voters for the past 10-12 years. I try to be available and respond to queries and requests. Dale Butler has been an unbelievable running mate and has continually been the face of our representation and he would report back to me any concerns on a regular and large scale basis.

"We've provided good representation to the folks and I have every intention of improving on it. I never take the voters for granted, but if we go by our files and canvassing, it looks as if I will be successful.

"I would not under-estimate Mr. Richards, who is known and lives in the area and comes from a respected family and has a track record in politics. It would be very foolhardy to act as if it would be a political cakewalk.

"The early indications are of a very high voter registration. It is a rule of thumb of politics in Bermuda that anything over 90 percent and the UBP can't win, so that really bodes extremely well for the PLP - and as 24 is a slice of Bermuda in general, I think this will spill over to us.

"My response (to GPS concerns from taxi drivers) was that there's to be a meeting with government and I was hopeful both sides could make some kind of accord that was a win-win to both.

"There was expressions of how successful or otherwise has been the campaign over 30 years against drugs and isn't this a good time for a new initiative.

"My response was to accept and acknowledge that drugs are very significant in two or three areas where young people hang out. There are some folks have complained about the impact on their property values. I've had constituents move out of the Billy Goat Hill area to to the Harvey Road area as a result of drug activity.

"I had to accept that the Government had to improve on the issue of transparency. The Premier asked me in recent months to assist Department of Communication and Information (DCI) in putting together a more responsive and pro-active response from an organisational point of view in getting out information to the hands of the electorate on initiatives by Government.

"The media may have found DCI are far more pro-active in getting information and are probably far more pro-active in getting information in response to questions.

"Questions should not be going unanswered as much as has happened on odd occasions or as much as it used to."

Mr. Richards said: "People have felt a profound disappointment in the quality of the leadership provided by the current government in terms of old-time values of honesty and integrity.

"People expect their government to lead by example in terms of moral and ethical standards and there are a lot of people in Warwick who lead their lives by these values and are very disappointed that their government is not setting an example.

"Platforms mean nothing if we don't abide by the standards of honesty and integrity. A lot of statements by government ministers have been blatantly untrue and there is a continuing whiff of scandal and money disappearing, and ordinary hard-working Bermudians are very upset.

"There have been statements on the Berkeley construction site on when it will be finished and how the process where the main contractor was selected. These areas speak to the fact they have not been straight with the people.

"For almost 30 years my father was the Warwick representative for the UBP, and for 10-15 years there was Irving Pearman and Gerald Simons. "It is not a PLP stronghold and they have only represented Warwick for the last five years. "Warwick tends to be a swing constituency - 'as Warwick goes so the country goes,' as my father used to say. It is a suburb of Hamilton and there is a lot of movement and it tends to be an area that is sensitive to the overall mind of the Island."

Pledging to open a new Police sub-station in the area, Mr. Richards said Bermudians were increasingly worried about crime. The UBP would beef up the number of community beat officers to tackle the issue. Voter Gloria Francis, of Ord Road, said she was concerned about crime, the lack of direction for young people, education and her belief that scholarships are given out on the basis of who the student knows rather than merit. Mrs. Francis said she was still weighing up who to vote but said: "There is a strong possibility I will be making some adjustments in the way I vote (because of) the arrogance on the part of politicians." Mrs. Francis would not reveal how she voted at the last election.