blacks caused a clash in the Senate yesterday.

United Bermuda Party Senator Mark Pettingill opened the debate during the motion to adjourn by calling on the Government to "clarify its position with regard to race''.

He said there was a perception in the public the PLP is the "Government of black people'' and has a "get-the-white-man'' mentality.

Sen. Pettingill said Bermuda is a multi-racial society and said this was enshrined in the Constitution.

"We can only learn from the past,'' he said. "Reparations and payback would only be a mistake.'' Sen. Pettingill read from an article written by Government backbencher Dale Butler who called on blacks to take collective control of their destiny and not rely on blame and retribution to get ahead.

"We must not allow the old bitterness and anger come in and infect our youth,'' he added. "It's my opinion that Government should set us straight on this.'' But Sen. Pettingill's comments were challenged by Sen. Calvin Smith (PLP).

"This Government advocates the correction of injustice that was inflicted on black people that was not self-inflicted,'' Sen. Smith said.

He added: "Black people are not afraid of competition. We're not afraid of hurdles. You've never heard of us (the PLP) asking for reparations. We want an equal playing field.'' And he said a comment by Sen. Pettingill recently that the PLP must make itself more racially representative by exchanging eight white for eight black current MPs was the "most insulting thing'' he had ever heard.

But Senate leader Milton Scott , who said he had once vowed to never talk about race in the chamber, joined the fray, telling the hushed chamber of his white grandfather who had been ostracised by his family and friends.

Sen. Scott then spoke of his mother who taught him to strive toward success.

"A long time ago I decided that I was not going to waste my time on racial issues,'' Sen. Scott said. "But this is a white Anglo Saxon problem, because they created it. It is not my problem. Racism is a white problem.'' Senator Maxwell Burgess (PLP) said the UBP had understood the message sent by the electorate in the November 9, 1998 election, which was that racism must be addressed and his party had not done so.

"It's incumbent upon all of us to work twice as hard to combat racism,'' he said. "We have the best system of 9-to-5 integration in the world. We come from a racist past and we have come far.'' Senator David Burch (PLP) began by saying that if polls are correct, the UBP now only has support of ten percent of the population. And he said the party would be in the "wilderness'' if it followed that group.

Sen. Burch told Sen. Pettingill he should repeat his statement to the UBP caucus rather than lecture the PLP, and claimed the issue of race became a point of discussion for the UBP only in 1993.

"This Government operates in the best interests of all the people of Bermuda,'' he said. "We want fairness, and equality, and justice for all the people who live and reside in this country. All of the people.'' DISCRIMINATION DIS