permits with an undertaking for permit holders to train a Bermudian to take over the job. If acted upon by a PLP Government, that policy could cause many international companies to seek a more friendly place to do business. It would also create havoc for a large number of Bermudian businesses and inevitably lead to the tragic unemployment of capable Bermudians who have worked hard to get an education and get ahead.

One can only assume that the PLP does not mean that every work permit-holder should train a Bermudian because that does not add up. There are approximately 35,000 jobs availale and apprximately 27,000 Bermudians in the labour force.

Even allowing for the fact that some people work more than one job, it would be impossible to find Bermudians to replace every new work permit holder.

Having said that, there almost certainly are some businesses where Bermudians are ready to be trained and can be well trained in three years by a work permit holder. That should happen. As a small example, that would certainly apply to those businesses now employing cycle mechanics from overseas. It should also apply to many of the sectors where the proportion of non-Bermudians is very high.

But there has to be some sense here. Not every Bermudian can be trained for every job, even if Mr. Alex Scott is on record as saying that just about anyone can be Commissioner of Police. Bermuda must be very careful to ensure that those who can fill jobs are being cared for and are being trained.

We believe that today just about every Bermudian company and just about every international company based here is employing every Bermudian it can find who can fill the jobs they provide. However, it needs to be understood that this is a very sophisticated economy and not every job matches with a Bermudian, trained or ready to be trained, nor is that likely ever to be so. In the international sector in particular, companies are competing against the world and need the world's best in order to succeed and grow. As those companies grow, Bermudians will receive more opportunities and will have the opprtunity to learn from the best. Surely that outweighs the short term gains which would be made under the PLP's policy.

We certainly must protect Bermudians, but we must also protect the economy which provides the jobs and a high standard of living from damage due to poor staffing of businesses or the flight of businesses because they see themselves as badly treated.

Employers, both international and local, see the kind of statement made by Mr.

Scott as threatening to their future. Mr. Scott, of course, says such things because the Progressive Labour Party seeks votes by constantly telling Bermudians a big lie about how badly done by they are.

Mr. Scott knows how to use all the political trigger phrases..."the economy is expanding but in favour of non-Bermudians''; "Many Bermudians are unemployed and struggling financially''. The fact is that the very statements, political but largely untrue, are counter productive and can threaten Bermudian jobs.

Mr. Scott made these remarks while the House of Assembly was debating a very constructive and liberalising UBP initiative to give Bermudian mothers the same rights to pass Bermudian Status to their children as men have had.

As the Minister of Home Affairs, Quinton Edness, told the House of Assembly, this was a form of discrimination in our status laws. The UBP has changed the law to recognise the equal rights of women yet, once again, Mr. Scott's comments on the change demonstrated that his Progressive Labour Party is careless about women's rights and is certainly not progressive.