use as a chat room name my old Royal Gazette Letters to the Editor nom de plume, Weaselguard. I asked the hosts if they recalled a Progressive Labour Party policy, apparently found in that Party's Constitution, prohibiting PLP members from joining Government Boards.

Both Ceola and Ashfield did not believe that such a policy was ever in existence, speculating that perhaps, supporters of the PLP were never invited to join, when the United Bermuda Party was in power. I chose to delay any opining on the "policy'' that evening, adding that I would investigate the matter, to verify my recollection. Privately, I noted how easily history can be revised.

I was able to confirm via Alaska Hall that a policy prohibiting PLP membership on Government Boards is in the PLP Constitution.

I was advised to speak with Corey Butterfield, the PLP public relations officer, about the policy, subsequently asking if I could view the PLP Constitution to check the wording. Well, unless one is a member of the PLP, one cannot see the Constitution. Although the PLP refers, from time to time in Public to this document, the non-PLP card-carrying public must take the word of this Party as to its contents, and that the Party follows its own Constitution.

The United Bermuda Party also restricts access to its Constitution to members, although John Barritt has said, it can be viewed by anyone considering joining the Party. I surmise that unless the UBP possesses a lie detector round their gate, this would leave the door open to any one wishing to peruse the document.

It is a shame that the general Public, by party policy, is prohibited from seeing these documents. While a political party's constitution does not belong to the electorate, we can add this restriction to other limitations experienced by the Island's residents. We don't have a Freedom of Information Act; we are kept in the dark about General Orders, now being replaced by a new Civil Service Code of Conduct, presumably another internal document, that the taxpayer pays for, but is not allowed access. Government is like a big ticket item, and we buy it, but are refused the operating manual. We may not live under dictatorship in Bermuda 2001, but it appears we continue to dwell under the guise of democracy.

One would hope that our political parties, view their constitutions with pride, while endeavouring to maintain their relevance. Constitutions should ideally convey a vision, as well as being a document outlining rules and regulations, policies and procedures. Why would political parties feel their constitutions cannot be on open, sunlit display before the public? Is it because when they are tinkered with by the party leadership, it happens behind closed doors to avoid the embarrassment of the "gotcha''.

We know that Queen's Honours are to be declined by the PLP, but as we also know this rule was broken by the Attorney General, The Honourable and Learned Dame Lois Browne Evans. We now have PLP membership on Government Boards, with politically-appointed Chairs.

Apparently the PLP is presently revising its Constitution to excise policies that have recently been ignored or negated by their role as Government. No doubt the policy allowing for a change of the Party Leader, every two years, recall Arthur Hodgson, will be yanked.

So, back to the self-imposed policy that excluded PLP membership from Government Boards -- why? Why would the authors of the PLP Constitution deny their membership the opportunity to affect policy in Bermuda for what probably amounted to decades? Why would the PLP in recent years have perpetuated such an isolationist policy? Did they want to ensure a distinct, but distant enemy, while denying that enemy assistance in determining the course of the Country? A significant human resource and talent base, in the form of PLP supporters were removed from the game in Bermuda, not by the UBP, but by those in the PLP who orchestrated an exclusionary and alienating document.

The PLP was on strike. And by playing the game, by not playing the game, the PLP membership was robbed of team building and leadership skills training, that would surely have occurred while serving on a Government Board. They were denied the experience of diverse human interaction, role modelling, partnering, acquiring business and technical skills, additions to their resumes, and vitally, contributing to positive change in Bermuda.

No, they were not to consort with the enemy, give comfort or solace, to contribute to any successes, or share responsibility for failures. The PLP chose to sit on the wall, services withdrawn.

And now we have the results of CURE's first Annual Review of the Work Force, and no surprise, black Bermudians are under-represented at senior and executive management levels, while taking up a higher proportion in non-professional, professional/technical and middle management positions.

Commenting on these findings, Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister has determined that "that divergence has to be explained...we are getting blacks in the industry, but at bottom level positions. The question is why don't we have a balance.'' It would be fair to say that there are any number of answers to Mr. Lister's question -- lack of forward planning, the movement from a hospitality-based economy to one of international business, society's failure to adequately protect and nurture its children when women entered the work force en masse, poor education, Bermuda's racist past and its modern day vestiges, the inability to prepare for or anticipate lean times, and the old fear, confidentiality and paternalism business, still alive and kicking today. Many of the reasons are probably due more to a tragic lack of imagination and courage, than any particular evil lurking in the hearts of men.

And add to this, the realisation that over the decades, thousands of valuable, mostly black Bermudians, because of their PLP affiliation, were not allowed to be represented on Government Boards. Their voices were silenced, their ability to affect policy and influence others denied, their talents and personal growth stifled -- and by their Party's own ill-conceived policy.