in the face of a possible party backlash.

She could face disciplinary action after abstaining in the Independence referendum vote.

"I have done what I have to do,'' the former Delegated Affairs Minister said later.

Government triumphed at about 6.10 a.m. yesterday in its 17-hour House of Assembly fight for a referendum. It squeezed home the Independence Referendum Bill 1994 by 20 votes to 18.

A three-line whip had been in place to force United Bermuda Party MPs to toe the line.

Several Government MPs who voiced strong opposition to Independence voted for the bill.

These included Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge and Education Minister the Hon. Clarence Terceira.

Last night Government Whip Mr. John Barritt confirmed Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto's revolt was a "matter for disciplinary review''.

"Members not only had to be there for the vote, but had to vote for the Government measure.'' Mr. Barritt said the matter would be discussed by the Parliamentary group at the UBP's caucus meeting tomorrow night.

The Parliamentary group may decide to refer the issue to the standing committee of the UBP. This committee would decide whether to take disciplinary action, Mr. Barritt explained.

"I expect the matter will be referred to the committee.'' Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto said she had not heard any talk about being disciplined. She described her abstention as a "very hard decision''.

"I was totally and utterly opposed to what was going on. I had hoped some of my colleagues would have joined me.'' Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto did not believe her stand on the Independence referendum would affect her relationship with the party on other issues.

"It ought not to. It's not logical.'' She added she hoped "sanity'' would prevail on "all kinds of things on the front burner''.

"We need a crystallised vision. We need people who have their eye on the ball.

"We have work to do, and I want to see that work gets done.'' UBP chairman Mr. Gary Pitman said Mrs. Cartwright DeCouto's abstention was "something she felt that she had to do.'' "It's not up to me, really, to say that she should be reprimanded. I would have been more concerned had she voted against the party.

"Certainly at that stage a committee would have been formed and a reprimand would have taken place.

"But she didn't. She abstained. From my point of view, it's not the most preferable thing we would have wanted.

"But if she wasn't going to vote with the party, abstaining is the next best thing. It was the only acceptable alternative.'' Government's problems, however, may not be over. For MPs still have to debate a motion by Opposition leader Mr. Frederick Wade.

This calls for the rejection of a Government plan to call on the Governor to set up a Commission of Inquiry into Independence.

Speaker of the House the Hon. Ernest DeCouto ruled the motion could be heard, despite appeals by Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan.

Mr. Wade turned down a plea by Sir John for the Opposition to withdraw the motion.